Rules vary by state of what you have to do to deal with the salvage title. That ticking mentioned can be a slipped cylinder sleeve tapping about, normally would start once engine arms up. But despite our formidable Jedi powers, none of our posts are a substitute for having an inspection by a mechanic. Usually about 2 hours of shop time. Then you'll know.

 

Savannah buzz - haha true, i know its all very speculative, but none the less its still very helpful for me. I intend to take it to my mechanic regardless, i just thought id throw it out there and see what the general input was. Ah another quick question.
Do you think (for the inspection and repairs) it is neccesary to take it to a rover specialist or will a talented general mechanic do?

 

Not a dealer, unless you have deep pockets. You'ld have to ask mechanic if he was comfortable making the exam. I'd prefer to deal with someone who has hands on knowledge. Plugging in a scanner is not the only test.

We have so many posts about "I just bought this Disco and now the head gaskets are bad". Some blow up on the way home. Previous owners may have poured in three jugs of radiator stop leak to get it sold. Cut wires to check engine light. Super oil thickener and bannana peels recycled. There are plenty of Rovers out there. Start with a good one and it will last longer and take less of your folding money.

 

Rule of thumb for a salvage title is 50% street value. I am in SoCal, paid $4k for my 04 about a year ago. Do you do all your own servicing? Do you like working in cars? I have found the disco to be a lot like the Lotus' I have owned. Good car but always little stuff to fix. I know a good mechanic in the Monrovia area. Where are you? You can PM me

 

Savannah buzz- yah I'm always on the look out for short term improper patches or ghetto fixes, as they are typically indicative or more grievous problems. But good advice, it confirms what I was thinking, to get a better quality one (at maybe a slightly higher price) rather than a slightly inferior one at a cheap price.

Mark d - that's an awesome price, how's your disco treating you now? I love working on cars and learning everything I can about the particular one I own at the time. I have a pretty talented mechanic friend so I should be okay there but if he feels uncomfortable around rovers i'll definitely message you about your guy. And either way thank you for mentioning it.

Yah tomorrow morning I'm taking a look at a 97 with 177k on it which is a bit higher than I wanted to go mileage wise and its a salvage title, but it looks smashingly clean and had a lot of work done to it (could be good could be bad).

My question is I suppose, should high mileage be a detterent or even a deal breaker? (Obviously the overall condition of the car, and the past maintenance and many other variables come into play, I'm just asking in general)

Again, thank you all for your responses and insight

 

High mileage with a salvage title? Better be a great price! Dealer or private party?

My Rover has been great. I use it as a daily driver. My wife steals it on the weekends. We have taken a couple off road trips, one great one out to the afton canyon area. We are planning some snow trips up to the big bear area. Stay in touch and I will let you know about upcoming trips.

 

Mark d - yah that salvage one ended up being a piece of junk. I found the most promisin one yet though, a 2003, 85k, mile 1 owner. It looks fantastic except for a small lean from what looked like the oil drain pan and a worriesome ticking/ clicking noise/ rattling noise. Im trying to figure out where the sound is coming from because the rest of the car is in incredible shape. Any ideas? Also i took a video of the sound but im having troubke uploading it :/.

Thanks as always for any input guys

 

Low mileage, that is good. Mine has a ticking that started about a month ago. Two trips to central calif towing a boat in 100+ temps and it is still running fine. I do need to pull it apart and see. I am thinking it is a problem in the valve train. Yours might be a slipped liner so be careful. What city is it in?

 

Hi

Unless I had seen the vehicle before it was repaired I would never buy a rebuild however cheap. There can be a plethora of misalignments in the chassis, transmissions and steering gear that you would never know about and particularly cracks or damage. Always check out the provenance of what you are buying as there are so many 'ringers' around wherever you live. Also take (beg, borrow or steal) a Nanocom or Hawkeye with you when buying to check the OBD fault codes on the major components and systems as something like requiring a new ABS modulator can be a deal breaker.

 

Sometimes hydraulic tappets make a 'ticking' noise until warmed up which also happens on Jaguars. Get hold of a stethoscope and check out the noise whilst the engine is running. Mind your fingers and knuckles on the belts and fan though - very painful.