This may get me kicked off the site but... I'm an American born British Patriot! I love everything British, everything European. Rovers and Minis are my favorite vehicles. For now Rover is the way to go. I sold my nice conditioned jeep grand Cherokee just to get this Rover. Then when I decided to trade this Disco for a stupid Mazda miata, I drove all the way down to allentown pa. The guy changed his mind. Nevertheless the beast as beat and abuseed as it was, got me all the way down and back again (that's around 700 miles constant driving! With all the issues mentioned and this disco never failed me. I have no insurance, did not have enough money in the event the the rig broke down, and I've never driver outside NH or vt! so take this into account when you ask me why I chose to own a land rover! I love them and will never go back to jeep or any other Asian or American car! One day I will own a nice mint discovery 99 and a mini cooper AWD.

 

well I'm an English born American Patriot (I refuse to go into the difference between British and English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh)

Do what you want as we are just here for advice, tips and solutions but NO INSURANCE. C'mon now...

 

Hey Ill swap places with ya? lol Well money has been tight lately. I think New Hampshire is one of the only states that does not require registration for motor vehicles.

 

your the one that said your a college student and didnt have money...therefore...a jeep is a more logical for cheaper parts if you want to start with a beater conditioned vehicle and fix it up...i mean you dont even have money to do insurance...even if your state doesnt "require" it...that is still not a good idea...because your still liable for whatever you cause.

now if you want to stick with a land rover....dont bother with any of those you have showed us..they are money pits just to get them normal...just spend an exta two grand on a good conditioned d1 at it will probably have the head gaskets water pump etc already replaced.....

im a huuuuuuuuuge land rover fan trust me...my rover drove it self 100 miles..wheeled for 8 hours straight and drove it self home....and its been a life long dream to own a land rover...

 

ahhh....so you're the reason we that have insurance have that extra line item on our insurance bills that says coverage for "uninsured motorist" ... neato, thanks for that

I agree with the advice given above. Sometimes you've got to live within your means and put your needs ahead of your wants. I think Obama said that....wait

Plus, if you buy a POS Disco now, you'll burn yourself out and hate them by the time you have the money to afford a decent one

 

Look people I will say this one more time: this is a land rover enthusiast forum. intended for fans, owners, promoters, newbies all who share one common interest: Land Rover. I own a land rover discovery, i cherish my disco and I want to learn all I can about its history, mechanics and modifying. that is why Im on this website. Please respect my decision and go with the flow. I ask for advice on fixing my rover not on getting rid of it and buying a cheap add jeep. Again I already owned a grand Cherokee, and ended up selling it just to get this rover! Why the hell would I go backwards! Yes the economy is tight and depressing, and the world might end in 2012, so why not enjoy the time I have with the rover I love? We only live once people, assuming you have your whole life to get a rover is foolish because you never know from day to day how long you have to live. One last time: Land Rover makes me feel so dam good! When I drive one I feel ... Undescribable. When I see one on the street I feel like I won a million $$$! Nothing else can compare.

 

Thank you for the lecture there fella.

Nobody's trying to steer you away from Land Rover, just trying to give helpful real world advice. But hey, do what makes you happy, just don't run into anyone and get your pants sued off for not having insurance

 

look the truck you got is beat, the reason people are saying save up and get a nice one is, these trucks cost a lot of money to "fix back up". you can get a nice one for less than it would cost to fix that one and in the end have a way better truck. my advice is do the bare minimum to get this one running and driving while you save and keep a lookout for a good one. you can get the little plastic clips for the headlights at roverparts.com, don't worry about the cosmetic things, don't worry too much about leaks unless you run into overheating problems. replace your u joints do a search on the forums for the part #, they are like $15 a peice and all you need is a vice to change them. youtube a how to on those. as for rust stopping an inspection can't help you there, find someone to do a cheap weld job to get it to pass. trust me you can find a truck much nicer if you look.

ps please tell me you are not driving that thing with the driveshaft about to fly off.

 

1999 Land Rover Discovery SD, DI
how bout this one? its not pristine but looks alot nicer than yours
http://burlington.craigslist.org/cto/2281544921.html bumper and rack are worth almost $2000
http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/2210472336.html looks like someone has a little money for toys, possibly some money to keeptheir vehicles in nice running condition

 

Here is what you need to do, because you already own it and are going to keep it.
thats all well and good.
Fix the driveshaft, dont worry about fixing the engine.
Just do a couple of engine flushes, remove the oil pan and make sure the oil pickup screen is not clogged.
Just worry about getting it driveable and able to pass inspection.
Right now thats all you care, the engine is fine, dont worry about rebuilding it, it doesnt need it.
The path you are heading is you will spend all of your time and money on fixing the engine but the rest of the truck will be useless.
So, here is my advice, get the thing driveable and able to pass inspection and then worry ab out the other stuff with the cosmetic stuff being the least of your worries.

And I live in MI, no inspections here.