Forum Members, long time lurker...and I might be getting ready to pull the trigger...I have found a 1999 Disco I SD with 186K miles...I haven't put my eyes on it yet, but I am curious as to a fair price...and what are the "gotchas". I am familiar with the overheating issues leading to a head gasket replacement...and the gentleman is telling me he uses it as a daily driver...so I will take him at his word until I see it. He is asking $2200...I just would like to know if that is waaaay off base. I am working through the tech section right now...just looking for a sanity check and any buyer secrets you might know about.


More importantly, is there a way to check the VIN and see if it is a motor that has the oil pump problem?

 

are you sure its a D1? they switch models mid year in 1999
the D2's drop cylinder sleeves (but thats usually around 120k from what Ive seen - and you said 186k so likely a D1 or he replaced the engine already.)

prices are hard to say cause they seem to be getting some enthusiast inflation of late
look up the common rust areas and check those when you look at it (rear door sills at wheel arch is a known issue etc....)

 

Pretty sure it is a DI...low tail lamps...I will check the build date when I check it out.

 

It all depends....... where is the vehicle located?

How many hands has the vehicle gone through? That matters more than anything. Prices are what the local economy will bear and how practical the vehicle is to it's usage, like snow or rural driving in inclement weather. I've known Rovers to go over 200k without ever needing head gaskets. Most of the issues are small enough to be a nuisance rather than a big ticket item..... like the door hands and locks. Switches for the windows and seats, rear bulb holders melted and that sort of smalls. Brakes are the one area they could've improved on, feel weak although they'll stop. Death Wobble would be the other thing on a high miler to look out for and the rear drive shaft Rotoflex joint condition. D1's are fairly hardy vehicles in the right hands, I got out because it seemed like a never ending dribble of issues that I could never get in front of, drove mine daily for 8 years..... a long time for a used Rover. The prior owner of mine was an idiot by the way, I knew that within the first few seconds, knew nothing about vehicles but tried to act like he did..... I bought it like you would a buy a dog from the pound, to save it.

By the way the oil pump issue is a prominent 03 QC problem, that's a Series II Disco. Not an issue with the D1, sourcing a good front cover on the other hand is a problem, expensive. That is in relation to the gear-rotor distance to the inside cover machining. If it's out of spec it will not build oil pressure to spec.

 

yeah low rear lamps and flush door handles are the easiest indicators of a D1

 

Thanks for that...the vehicle is in NoVA...Washington DC area...I think CARFAX showed 3 owners...the last one bought it in Jan 2018...and is selling it now...that worries me. Only think I can do is put my eyes on it...I am pretty savvy with vehicles (I used to build rock crawlers in NV) mostly Early Broncos, Corvettes and Porsche...this is a slightly different animal. I also found a local shop that works on the LRs, will probably take it in for a PPI.

 

That explains the price.....They're really very simple animals, more than you'd imagine, super straightforward. The DII has nothing that's straight or logical, lets put the squealing power steering pump at the bottom of the belt system. Yeah, I'd be a little concerned about the sudden flip myself so ask em about it. D1's are darn near a Chevy in layout, give it a shake down, it's a daily, that shouldn't be a problem. Make sure there's no motor clickety clack and step on the brakes once or twice. If it's unmolested it's a good candidate, the mileage is what bothers me more than anything. I gave up just after 210k but I put over 116k on it. Really was in near death condition when I took it on, came from Jersey right in the first throws of the Recession. The other thing about a high miler is the dang ignition switches wear out prematurely...... you might be able to withdraw the key or you may not.......

The Brits never really got the Jag reliablity thing figured out, Rovers are second cousins but they are easy to overcome, hence this forum. You'll notice there aren't that many posts in the D1 section.... not like others.

 

OMG You needed to use more "a's" in waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, to describe how far off $2200 is even close to a price for this POS
You can smell the wet dog and mold from here by just looking at the front of the headliner. Sorry, I'd pass.

I do like this line in the service description , " New spark plugs and spark plug cables replaced with top of the line Bosch"
> https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...552003696.html

 

That is sort of what I figured...and truth be told...this is for my daughter, who doesn't live at home, who's boyfriend is the exact opposite of mechanically inclined...she found it...got super interested because "the guy was really nice on the phone"...I have been trying to talk her out of it for days...but I also told her IF she wanted it...I would take a look...any purchase would be met with official protest on my behalf. I was looking for a winter vehicle (LRs, and Land Cruisers) last November...and my experiences were that to get something that was even somewhat cared for was going to cost in the $5K (plus) range. More to follow, thanks for the input...keep it coming.

 

Good for you for at least trying to guide your daughter in the right direction. Anything in this price point is going to be a huge money pit. IMHO please tell your daughter to just burn her money.
I know that "the guy was really nice on the phone"... but (as you know) he didn't maintain this rig at all.
It really looks like a 19 year old kid owned it.

And I really have to stop looking at the sellers pics.... have your daughter test drive this pig, but tell her to hang on!
You have to love how the wheels are pointed straight and the steering wheel is way off.
So we know it needs front end work; 4 tie rods, swivel pins, maybe a steering box.
At this mileage this poor thing needs to be put down.

After the test drive I'll bet this truck shakes the enthusiasm right out of your daughter.
DEATH WOBBLE in a Land Rover = New Underwear Required!