I don’t think it’s quite worth her asking price either. I went to look at it, and she said she had “19 non scammers, real people, wanting it, and she didn’t know why so many people wanted a junk vehicle”

She then said “I saw someone out here messing with the front bumper trying to get it off after I first parked it, so I took all the interior electronics out to deter theft” and opened a Rubbermaid plastic box that she had that has sat outside for over a decade that contained the removed parts.

She also kept saying “how rare and cool the discovery 1 is and how much more desirable it is than the D2 because of its “extreme reliability” ”

Then proceeded to tell me just the seats alone are worth the asking price.

I asked if she’d be willing to let me see if it would turn over and she said “the fluids have settled so idk if that’s a good idea”

Which tells me she knows nothing about vehicles. I can either pull the fuel pump fuse and let the dang thing turn over, so it wouldn’t burn the pistons up if it did fire, which is highly unlikely, or just see if it’ll turn over. I doubt after 14 years sitting it would fire right up. She seems to think she’s sitting on a small fortune here and idk why. It’s cool, but she told me she thinks the D1s are all expensive because of the Camel trophy series. I tried to tell her it’s not a trophy truck, then she told me it didn’t matter, it’s a Land Rover.

So I don’t know what to do. 🤷

 

Walk away

 

I would ask them to give you $850 to tow it away.

My perspective is that I bought something very similar. It has taken me a huge amount of time and money to bring it back. If it were me, I would take the vehicle and part it out - the pieces are worth more than the whole. Then, with the money you earn from that, you could buy a running Rover - check out www.coparts.com as they have some listed all the time. But, the body parts don't look bad, which is a plus. And, the interior looks decent.

You would want to walk into that thing realizing every single part needs to be replaced. For instance, the transmission has been sitting for some time and some of those components do not like that. As you start to work through this, you will find that there are more and more issues. Rovers don't age well - they need constant maintenance. If you walk into that thing saying that you are going to bring it back, you also have to acknowledge that it will be a project far more time-consuming and challenging than you are anticipating. That being said, when you are done there will not be a bolt on that thing that you do now know every single detail about. That's worth the price of admission alone.

The real question is: What do you plan on doing with this and what do you want to get out of it? As for value? Nope. Unless you are looking for a massive educational experience.

 

Im with Walt on this one.
Unless you already owned a D1 and wanted spare panels- not worth it.

Also fishy...... who puts a new motor in a rover but then junks it after a issue with the brakes - something doesnt add up here.

take your time, you can find one for 2k running and complete with Tennessee pin stripes - 5k if you wanna take the girl to town in it.

 

"19 non scammers?? someone tried to take the front bumper?" that sounds extremely fishy to me. front bumper is only held on by 4 bolts, and comes off easily ,14 years is a long time to sit, and the comment about the motor being 'dry' sounds fishy too. Walk away....

I have bought 2 D1's now for $600 each and they sort of ran, I ended up driving them home. Both took a lot of work but the first one, after I got it working, I put 175K miles on it before my kid blew the motor. Still driving the 2nd one with 175K miles on it. i am the only one who drives it (I learned)
they are out there, just gotta look a lot.

 

yeah the “non scammers” thing really had me questioning things. Also the “fluids have settled”. I explained to her you just pull a fuse and give it a crank and or just crank it because after 14 years it ain’t starting anyway. lol.

 

this is a fair point! I appreciate it!

 

See this is my problem. I buy motorcycles all the time that need every bolt touched. Sometimes I will spend hours, or days in a single pipe or cover for something restoring it. I like that stuff, but I realize it would be a huge undertaking on a rover.

 

As previously mentioned, look underneath for rust. I have one that looks excellent inside and out but is kinda rotten on the underside. Needs a lot of patch panels and a good soaking in a 20" pit filled with evapo-rust. Came out of central KY but was originally a Canadian vehicle.
Should be able to put a socket on the crank and turn it by hand.
If 19 non scammers already looked/considered it and no takers? Sounds like bovine excrement.
I might offer $500 tops to drag it away. But then again, I'm not quite right in the head.

 

Maybe the purchase price is a minor detail. Time fixing is more valuable, and repair parts. Try to check under the front carpets for water and rust. And behind the foot panels for dryness of electronic modules that make the truck go.

If everything stayed dry and the frame is solid, you could have a good vehicle for less than $3000. If wet and rusty you have to ask yourself, "Do you feel lucky?"