This. See if the dealer can offer a CarFax or similar to get an idea of the owners (private, dealers, rental, etc.), and any other issues (accidents, etc.).

The price reflects the mileage for sure. I'd be wary of the really high owner turnover.

 

So I took a look at it today and walked when the guy wouldn't negotiate on the price. Among the problems I spotted:

• Tears in the driver's seat
• Deep, long scratches in paint
• Plastic molding around the wheels coming off
• Entire ceiling lining falling down
• Driver's side window went down but not back up
• Passenger's side window went down about an inch and then made a really bad noise and wouldn't move in either direction
• A few random pieces of cracked plastic molding around the car
• The rings on the floor of the trunk were rusted

Honestly I could deal with all the cosmetic stuff and I know I could fix the windows easy but I was pretty annoyed none of these issues were brought up before taking the 2 hour drive out to see the car.

What bothered me the most was to see the rings on the floor of the trunk to be rusted. It gave me the impression water got into the car at some point. What do you guys think? Here's a picture:

 

You did the right thing! All those projects will add up fast. The rust ring is weird. Like I said, mine has 130k, and not a sign of rust anywhere. For that price, that thing should be pristine and fully detailed. Keep on looking, and trusting your gut. You'll eventually find a good one and have no regrets.

 

Rust is not weird, it is everywhere. There's actually a company in the UK that sells galvanized DII chassis because they rust so badly. Those sound like common issues though.

 

Now here's a deal on a 2004 with 40k miles
2004 land rover

 

The rings rusting on the trunk is a common thing. Could be that he had some kind of liquid stored back there. Everything else you mentioned is a big nuisance. Talk about dishonesty.

 

BLECKKKK Turns out that's an 04 FREELANDER!?!?#$#(I%#@(%_%(#@

 

Boo, didn't know that.

 

So I've been checking daily in my area for new deals and have gone out to see 2 other '04 Discos.

The first was an 04 HSE7 black/tan for sale by owner. Shady neighborhood, no plates, and the title in Uncle's name because he owed the kid's mom money and they never transferred the title because they didn't want to spend the money. The car sounded rough in the driveway and the exhaust looked thicker than it should. Interior was in decent shape except for a broken window motor. 85k miles listed for $7500. I passed because I couldn't tell what was wrong and it seemed like too much of a hassle.

The second was an 04 SE7 black/tan by a used car dealer that moves a lot of used Discos. 69k miles listed for $12.9k. The ABS light was on immediately when starting the car and the 3 amigos popped up within a few seconds of driving off the lot on a test drive. The exhaust sounded like a motorcycle whenever I stepped on the gas. A couple other minor issues: broken window motor, the horn button was EXTREMELY sensitive (I unknowingly honked the horn at least a dozen times on my test drive), and some of the interior pieces were missing.

The dealer claims he'll fix all of the issues and give me a 6mo. or 1 yr. warranty that covers everything except normal wear but I'm a little weary on that...Thoughts???

Also, I'm 3/3 for Discoveries with broken window motors. How common is this? Am I going to have to replace these motors every few years?

 

First scenario sounds bad. If they had that many money problems, do you really think they took the time and money to maintain one of these (assuming they don't know how to work on one)? HIGHLY doubt it. Second sounds nearly as bad as the first dealer one in this thread. For 12,900 it should be flawless or damn well near it! Sounds like there aren't many good options around there. Keep looking, and being meticulous.