I've been looking to pick up an seven seater here for a while and have been doing a bit of research. I read the FAQ on general things to look for. What other things to look out for than the usual suspects - HG, ABS, sunroofs, windows, lock actuators, CDL lever, etc.. Any other specific problem areas to look for?

Some tool rear ended my VW Corrado and it's going to be written off by the insurance company so I'm going to use the funds from this to pick up a Disco. I'm handy when it comes to diy auto maint/repair so i wont go broke at the repair shop when something goes wrong (since its really a question of when not if ). Thanks in advance!

Jake

 

sort of redundant to mention that, after having told us that you used to own a raddo

im a recent convert (sort of) from the vw side as well.

id look for a 5spd truck if you can find one. but wouldnt pass up a clean auto either.

 

This post has just about every article and review... + the common, un common problems.
The ExPo Guide to Land Rovers

 

Of course, you must use common sense when you buy one.... I would try to find one that has really low mileage. Somewhere below 120K would be ideal. Seems that these start having hissy fits at about 150K or at least thats when mine said I am done with the factory head gasket and blew it while doing 65 mph with a 20 mph head wind............

 

Lol... I've seen you round on vortex. I know there's a few other VW guys on there that are also gluttons for punishment and own rovers as well. I'm not giving up VW's completely, i still have my 76 scirocco and my wifes 2000 V6 4-motion Passat. While the Passat has performed admirably getting us into and out places we had no business going with a regular car, we're looking to get something more up to the task. We go car camping frequently and you can only get so far back in the sticks with a regular car..

Thanks for the link, I'll give it a good look tonite at home.

I've found one potential suspect here in the LA area on CL, price is ok. motor has been rebuilt ( i figure HG or slipped liner ) + he has service records so that's a plus. Here's the CL link : 1997 Land Rover Discovery SE7

 

Lol... I've seen you round on vortex. I know there's a few other VW guys on there that are also gluttons for punishment and own rovers as well. I'm not giving up VW's completely, i still have my 76 scirocco and my wifes 2000 V6 4-motion Passat. While the Passat has performed admirably getting us into and out places we had no business going with a regular car, we're looking to get something more up to the task. We go car camping frequently and you can only get so far back in the sticks with a regular car..

Thanks for the link, I'll give it a good look tonite at home.

I've found one potential suspect here in the LA area on CL, price is ok. 97 D1 SE7 blue/biege, 122K. motor has been rebuilt + he has service records so that's a plus. Sent him an email with ?'s in regards to a few other things. We'll see how it goes..

 

If you like CL, you can use www.statewidelist.com to search all of CL, by state, for "Rover", your price ranges, and it will output sorted by city...

If you like working on cars, great. If you maintain by open checkbook, not so good. Rovers are a jealous lot and demand attention from their owners, not just an oil change evey year.

 

lol.. i'm all too familiar with "needy" cars.. my volkswagen corrado being quite needy with it being a g60 supercharged model on top of everything else.. At least you can get the majority of parts for rovers, anything beginning with 535 which is the corrado chassis code is either a) more expensive than it needs to be or b) NLA.. Thanks for all the tips thus far. Its been something i've been researching for a while, finally got the "shove" i needed..

 

<3 VAG. Good luck with the new purchase, got my Rover for the exact same reason. Although I tore mine apart the day I got it, hopefully you dont have to do the same so soon hehe.

I don't spend much time on the 'tex but I have a MK6 currently. See ya around.

 

The only thing i would look for in a Disco1 is a perfect no rust body/ frame. Everything else will have to be gone through. Disco 1 are getting old and are not worth buying unless you are prepared to do the above, as they are at the age when everything starts to go. If you start with a good body/ frame the rest goes pretty well......a fresh rebuild on the motor makes it even better.

advntrjnky