Hi Guys!

Just joined looking for advice. I am starting my search for a Disco I or II, and am looking at my first car tomorrow, a 1998 Disco I with 168k miles:

1998 Land Rover Discovery LE

What should I look for on the inspection/test drive? I have done some searching on this board, and am looking for any other tips you guys can give me.

I plan on using the Disco for winters (I am in the Phila area) and driving on the beach at the Jersey shore. Will probably only be putting 2-3k miles per year on the truck.

Should I be concerned about the high mileage of this one? Is $3500 in the ballpark pricewise? Sounds alittle high with that mileage...

Thanks!

Andy

 

see this recent post: https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...s-miles-44178/

go to our Discovery 1 section, tech area, and you'll find write up on things to look for, and what is different from D1 to D2.

You can use www.statewidelist.com to search all of craigslist in your state for"rover" and your price range, and the output is grouped by city. Helps you know what people are charging.

Price seem high to me, I paid half that for mine a year ago, and it was never north of South Carolina in its life. At a small dealer.


Make sure it can idle without overheating with AC on for 20 minutes. Look in coolant bottle for bubbles coming up (combustion gas in coolant; there is a chemical test for this you can buy at NAPA) - could indicate head gasket issues. Little flakes (lots and lots of them) floating in coolant - aluminum, copper, brown, black - these come with coolant stop leekz liquid that some people put in the radiator to try to seal up a head gasket. HG will make white smoke come out of exhaust, if that is where it is leaking. Other directions are into the oil or drip on the ground. Coolant temp guage should not read above 9:00 when idling or driving.

When driving, listen for anything that sounds like water rushing through a pipe under the dash. That's gas bubbles making their way through the heater hoses, usually from a head gasket leak.

Borrow a scanner and check for codes.

Look at dipstick - very dark oil, may not have been changed often; baked brown oil on dip stick - run hot and oil not changed often. Open oil fill cap on valve cover, look inside motor. Hopefully you see oil covered parts. Hope you do not see baked on grease (crispy fried).

With this age you can plan on $1000 of repairs to start.

 

also - see https://landroverforums.com/forum/pr...very-sd-43919/

 

Since you have never owned a Rover before, do yourself a favor and when you find the truck you want have a mechanic do a 1 hour pre-purchase inspection. They at least know what to look for and no list will help you with the things you don't or aren't familiar with.

 

168k is a bit high unless he has impeccable service records. You can find something with less miles for that price. 3.5k is about what I payed for a 97 disco with 86k miles.

 

Thanks for all the advice...will update after I see the truck tonite.

Don't think I would pay more than $2500 for this one

 

There are some other members in your area, ask them to help you out.

 

paul is a great guy. buy his truck.

 

Well, I just looked at the 1998 Disco....pretty disappointing, I have to say. Keep in mind that I have never driven a Land Rover before.

From the outside, the paint was decent, just some clearcoat peeling on the hood that the owner said "just started in the last month from sap falling from a tree".

There was rust in the back door jambs along the c-pillar wich appeared superficial.

I noticed leaks from the valve covers and under the tranny. The positive battery terminal was full of corrosion.

The front seat electric adjustment was not functional which made it difficult to drive because I am 5'6" and the owner appeared to be 6'5" LOL. Both rear windows and the front sunroof didnt work.

ABS light was on, and the brakes felt like absolute ****, almost dangerous to drive in my opinion. The owner said "the rotors have surface rust" because he hadnt driven it in a month(even though the engine was warm when I showed up).

I was unable to move the transfer case lever forward, although I didnt push too hard...

On the positive side, the engine felt strong, idled well and didnt make any weird noises, and the temp gauge stayed at 9pm. A/C was strong, leather was decent.

Overall a very disappointing 1st drive of a Land Rover.

I did contact Paul, hoping for a more positive experience with his truck!

Andy

 

All of those are easy fixes, including the brakes.
If you are only going to drive it less than 5,000 miles a year I would not worry about the mileage on it.
But keep looking, you will find one in good shape.