Alright I know we're all D2 guys here, but I just found this rig and am initially interested in it. IF....and that's a big IF...I buy this one, I may be selling my 04 as the wife will kill me when I come home with yet another truck to put in the yard. Here is the link, and I copied and pasted the email I sent to the owner. Let me know if I missed anything, or if there is something I need to be making sure to look for as this is definitely a high mileage vehicle! Thanks for any help!

LANDROVER DISCOVERY 1996, 4x4, mud tires, lift

Hey I am interested in your Discovery, but have a few quetions for you

Are you the original owner? If not how many miles have you put on it? What have you used the vehicle for primarily?
Do you have service records of maintanence performed?
Have all the fluids front to back been changed regularly? Diffs, Oil, Trans, TC, Coolant Flush?
Does it have the original drive shaft or aftermarket?
What kind of lift did you install? Brand? Med duty, HD?
What kind/size are the tires and how much tread do they have left?
Original bumpers or steel?
With 240k, have you performed an HG job yet? Has anything in the engine been replaced? Water pump, Oil Pump, alternator, thermostat etc?
Does the engine leak from anywhere?
Do the sunroofs leak?
All windows work? Front and Back?
Any problems with the ABS lights being on?
Does the CDL work?
Ever had any issues with it overheating?

 

At 240K you are nearing the end of life for many components. Unless engine and tranny have been rebuilt (with receipts), seems high price. SWMBO would like a low starting price on this "sure to be a project money pit" vehicle. And consider the time away from SHMBO and her "to do list" required to take on the old war horse required repairs.

 

It has more than 240k on it, those tires are to big and the speedo will be slow which means the odometer is low as well.

 

I just recieved a reply to my email. As much as I'd love to have a pure trail rig, I don't think I'm willing to put the time into this one. Here's the reply

"I am not the orignal owner. I've put roughly 4200 miles on it...mainly using it to go back and forth to work.
The previous owner gave me the service records, though I've never looked at them.
It has the orignal drive shaft.
I didnt install the lift, the previous owner did so I'm not sure what kind it is. I do know that it wasen't just a cosmtic lift but he lifted the entire vehicle, not just the body.
The tires are 33 inch Baja mud tires. There is pretty much no tread wear in them at all.
Orignal bumpers.
I had to replace the alternator about two weeks after I bought the vehicle. I still have the lifetime warrenty on it. That's the only thing I've had to replace.
The valve cover gaskets leak. I have the gaskets to replace them I just haven't had the time to put them on.
The sunroofs do not leak.
The front windows work perfectly and the two rear windows need fuses replaced.
The Check Engine light is on. I had that checked out...it's an false reading. So, if you had a mechanic friend or something, that could easily be turned off. The Service Engine light is on. That's a light that comes on every 80,000 miles or so. What you're supposed to do is take the vehicle in to the dealership and they're run some diferent tests and then they turn it off. Though I've looked on the internet and there's people on there who explain how you can turn the light off yourself. The Anti-Lock and the SRS lights are also on and I honestly have no idea why they're on. They've never affected the way the car has run so I"ve never taken the time to have them checked out.
The Land Rover has never overheated.
And what is the CDL?
And that is the entire run-down of the car."

 

That is a really good point Spike. I didn't think about that. I may just take 1k cash if I end up test driving it. People are usually pretty reluctant to pass up cash...who knows i may get lucky

 

^^ Do a head gasket test on it before you buy it!!!! Thats cheap insurance... lol If you buy this, your already in the "200,000 mile club"

 

Looks nice but with that many miles the price is way to high. Its not a bad vehicle but it has to many problems and to many miles to be worth anywhere near 3k IMO. There's just better Discos out there for less, especially down south.

 

First off, we are not all D2 guys at all.

There are lots of differences from the D1 to the D2, one of which is the driveshaft.

Three, that is way to much for a vehicle that has seen it's better days long gone. If he doesn't know what a CDL is, he does not know if it works or not.

Save your money unless you got a lot to throw away. Keep your D2 with the low miles on it. Have you taken care of the D2 Driveshaft issue yet?

 

Hey thanks for the reply. I originally posted this in the DII section....so saying "we're mostly DII guys" made more sense. I guess a moderator moved it here. I know there are a lot of differences in the two models. I guess worrying about drive shafts has become force of habit . Serviceable U-joints were ones of the first fixes I made, along with complete fluid changes.
Im still emailing the seller about this truck. They claim the engine was rebuilt at 100k, but don't have the receipts. I made an offer I was comfortable with, so we'll see where it goes. Thanks again for the advice/opinions.

 

I would stay away from one with that many miles on it PERIOD. These are not Mercedes Benz Diesels that can easily go that many x2.

The oversize tires induce additional wear and give you driveline issues as well.

The current owner has only put 4200 miles on it and does not know what a CDL is. He does not do much to it himself, which may be good, but it is most likely not been properly maintained.

If you get it cheap, use it off-road, run it as it is until you kill it then dump it off on another foolhardy wannabe a Land Rover Owner.

If your D2 is nice, keep it, that is the only way to get your money out of one of these.