Hi, I am looking into purchasing a disco series 1 ether a 97 with a 170k on it or a 96 with 70k (kilometers) an was wondering what I should be looking for besides the normal rust milky fuilds bad cv electronic problems an so on. I have done a fair bit of home work on the disco's. But was wondering if you guys had anytrips or key indicators to look for. Also was wondering what the average milage that the motor, tranny an transfer case die at.

 

The driveline is bullet proof as long as it has been taken care of.
Read through the tech tips.

 

Generally speaking...buy the newest, lowest mileage vehicle you can afford/find.

 

There's a buyers guide in the sticky at the top of this section that goes through all of the typical issues. I cant really answer about the motor/driveline life as it really depends who owned it before. Typical maintenance has a huge effect on how long these things last and how reliable they are. Bulletproof is how most of them are described but if you let one thing go it starts a chain reaction. You can generally tell if the owner took care of it by just asking basic questions and your eyes usually wont lie to you. Personally I'd try and find the lowest mileage Discovery 1 out there, I like the OBD2 models better but thats just personal preference since I have all of the tools needed to mess with the electronics on the OBD2 Discos.

From my personal experience I'll tell you a few things to look for that are not a big deal but outrageously expensive to fix that we saw on a few we looked at. First thing is engine oil cooler lines. They are no big deal unless they pour out oil but most of them leak and they are super pricey not to mention annoying to fix. Same goes for the transmission cooler lines, just as much of a pain to deal with and very expensive. The black plastic coolant reservoirs are known to fail as we found out the hard way. Same goes for the A/C condenser fans. Make sure you see them both work, they suck to replace. The ABS on these is a joke, if you see an ABS light on do yourself a favor and pull the fuse under the hood for the ABS pump before you drive it home. In our search we saw a few and they all had ABS problems. They are free to troubleshoot if you use the blink method and can usually be eliminated completely if you're patient and like to fiddle with things. I found disabling the system the easiest option, you wont have ABS but most folks can handle driving something not equipped with ABS anyway. Dont get me wrong its nice if it works, but its not a big deal if it doesnt on one of these. Make sure the transfer case shifter works and that it engages in all settings. People tend to not use it and they get stuck and can be annoying to free up.

If you see any oil under it dont panic, they all leak. Seeing no oil is bigger cause for worry, that means its empty. Get ready for the grease covered, constant wrenching life of owning a Rover. They can be a pain but are one of the most fun vehicles out there. With a forum such as this one there is no problem that cant be fixed with a little guidence and some elbow grease.

 

Yeah and to add to what Dustin stated, I would go with a creeper and a good light, and before even turning the key, get under the vehicle and look it over from front to rear side to side and see what the vehicle conditions tell you.

Be weary of anything that is freshly detailed and scrubbed super clean underneath as that is a good sign that you are not seeing the real conditions. Look for corrosion, wear eye protection as well. See what has been leaking and how badly.

Ask for any PO documentation to verify that it was either maintained or it was not well maintained.

Crank it up and listen to it at idle and reved a bit. Take it for more than a 10 minute spin around the block. Get it in an area where you can at least test the 4 wheel drive to make sure it shifts freely and locks and unlocks the Center Diff Lock and the dash light engages.

Raise the rear carpet and pad and see what the floor pan looks like. Same for the front carpets if possible. Leaks and corrosion are somewhat common on the Discovery I.

 

Thanks for all the tips going to look at the disco'a this Saturday hope it goes well love the trucks an cant wait to get one in the mud.

 

Easy to get in the mud with them, the trick is being able to get it back out, but that is where you want to test them!

 

Well here's an update on disco hunt the first one bolth sun roofs would not open also looked like no maitenance had been done to it. The 2nd one had trashed interior an about the same look under the hood. So that's 2 down an 1 more to go possible tomorrow.

 

The sun roofs nor working is not only common but a blessing, as long as they are closed and do not leak dont worry about those.

It took me 9 months of hard looking to find the right truck for me.
It was a very tough 9 months as I had the cash burning a hole in my pocket, but I found the perfect truck, a dealer maintained one owner.

 

I disagree that the oil cooler lines are annoying to fix, nor do I think they are particularly expensive unless you are on a super tight budget. In fact, they are fairly simple to replace. I replaced my leaking oil cooler lines and did an oil change in an afternoon. Same for transmission cooler lines.

Of course, if you are not mechanically inclined or you don't have basic tools at your disposal, then they may seem daunting to replace.

Just my 2 cents.