I suspect more than just a 'brake booster' here. But I've been wrong before, just ask my wife. Take it for another spin, find out where the closest scanner is to the Disco and try to get it there, or see if you can borrow/rent one.(or buy another) And first thing to check is if the brakes are working properly. Ask the owner how he knows the booster is bad. If it all turns out to be the booster, great.

 

For what it's worth, I just ran a carfax. The Discovery had one owner until March 2010. Was an employee fleet vehicle that was purchased by the owner once the lease was up. So it's a two owner car with a very recent second owner.

I think I'll pick up another scanner before I go. Where is the ODB port on the discovery? What code should show up if it is a vacuum leak? "Mixture too lean?"

 

Right above the accelerator pedal under the dash. So did the owner purchase the Disco with the problem already there? Maybe he thought it was an easy/cheap fix and now realizes it isn't...just a thought. I tend to be overly cautious when buying used stuff.

 

Think it's worth driving the hour to check out? I've got similar doubts about the whole story adding up.

Is the standard transmission rover significantly more valuable than the auto?

 

So I just ran the VIN on the Land Rover TOPIx site. Shows up correctly as a '96 with manual transmission, but it lists the engine as "2.2L CR DI 16V I4 DSL 190PS"

That can't be right. There weren't any diesels imported to the US, right?

 

Maybe you put in the wrong engine code? I don't know on that one. You gotta go with common sense and gut feeling on this one, especially if it's an hour away. Can you call the owner and ask him some specific questions? If he is serious about selling, he should be willing to answer your questions.

 

Went to look at the car. Problem was indeed just the brake booster.

Except one window was stuck down, there was tons of rust under the car and in the doorwells, and the interior behind the seats was torn up.

pass!