You should see me turn green at the sight of mud!

I have an original 57 beetle. No rust!

78 bronco. No rust!

68 Baja no rust

1949 Cessna 195 no corrosion!

I'm used to finding rust free stuff here in the sw!

It may not be a big deal but sure is nice when there is no rust rot!

If I'm going to invest in setting up an adventure rig, I prefer to start out rust free.

I'll post some pics of this 03 d2. It's so clean it will make you blush. Pretty sure I'm just going to stuff the 02 4.0 in it.

 

Wont make me blush, I dont put any stock into things made of metal as they are ALL disposable.
Whatever floats your boat man, its all good.

 

I decided to let the 96 slide, low miles, but too many things I dont like, mostly that the asking price is outy of line, and that it is black (very bad color for phoenix, it is a big deal actually, I would deal with it if the price was in line)

So I'm going to look at another D1, talked to the owner at length. It is a 99 with 127K. All oriiginal, all service docs since new (always land rover maintained). No rust, here are the issues he has disclosed:

When outside temps are over 100deg, it runs warm, one of the e-fans is not running while the other is.

rear main is weeping oil

valve cover gaskets weeping

key fob dead

drivers door lock actuator faulty

asking $3800, negotiable

So I will test drive it tomorrow night, look it over myself. any particualrs I should look for other than what is in the tech section? I have read all the info I could get my hands on already, and I have been scouring these forums for details and experiences. I get it on testing the cooling system based on the forum guidelines.

I assume I would be wise to swap out the head gaskets, go the extra mile and change out some seals on the engine as well, go through the cooling system, flush radiator, fix fans (elec and slipper), maybe swap hoses and t-stat depending on condition/records.

 

Assuming you buy this one, change out the bad condenser fan.
Tighten the valve cover bolts.
Replace drivers door lock actuator.
Depends on whats wrong with the key fob.
Rear main...White Shepard.
I would never do head gaskets unless it was needed or you are putting a used engine into a truck and then do them while the engine is already out.

 

Im anxious to look at that 99 tomorrow, I can tell the guy takes care of it and it sounds like it is dear to him. Says he recently changed jobs and has a long commute, gas is killing him at 15 mpg and 4$ a gallon.

I looked at another 99 today, super cherry body and paint, zero rust, clean undercarriage, 130k, no records, motor runs smooth but won't idle and starts hard ( seems to be very lean, requires starter fluid to fire).motor has been opened up, but not sure for what. No oil or grime on the motor at all.
Rear windows do not work, one is missing glass, the rear doors will not open, interior is fair but sun beat, and the center console has been improperly assembled. it's a good platform for a resto, but too much details needed, asking 1800, total project truck.

I'm just about ready to just bite the bullet and put a top hatted motor in my 03. It is such a clean unit, so far nothing I have looked at has compared condition wise. I'll decide for sure tomorrow night when I look at the 99 d1


Thanks for the moral support

 

Unless the owner had OCD nothing that old is going to be what you seem to be looking for.
Unless you are looking for a project.

 

I'm just being patient and looking carefully at what is out there. Two more just popped up locally, one sounds like a nice one.

I see no reason to buy a rusty unit or one that is hacked by a shade tree mauler.

By taking my time and studying the manuals, the forums, and looking over the local units available, I'm learning a lot about them.

Not afraid to spend some on a good one. I'll find it, I'm narrowing down my options.


Perhaps I'm the one who is OCD.

 

If you have some welding skills the rust is rather easy to fix. I would make sure you look at the floor in the back and around the sill of the back door for rust also. Mine was much worse than yours and it was easily fixed.

 

I can weld pretty good, got a nice mig. I just don't enjoy the body work. What I do like is no sunroofs, cloth seats, and no power seats. I'm watching that truck if the price falls in line I will nab it.

Today I looked at a 96 with 140k, solid clean rig, a little tattered inside but presentable. Issue with elec seats and sun roofs. 2500, I think decent.

I also looked at a 2000 d2 with 120k damn nice one too, needs brakes and a little TLC. The guy was in the process of installing a set of magnecor wires I'll go drive it tomorrow when it is done. This one rates, I probably will buy it if it runs out good.

I'm going to look at the 99 d1 tonight and a 2001 d2 tomorrow both sound like nice ones.

 

It took me 9 months to find my truck, I drove past it for 6 months and it kept calling to me.
Long story short, its been the 2nd best car I have ever owned.
Take your time, drive many but dont let little things turn you off.