Regardless of which one you choose, I'd make sure to have a safety net of $5K for parts and lots of time to devote to it. Likelihood is that both will need a lot of attention to get "right" within the first few months. The cooling system would get first priority, then all fluids and a tuneup before trying to drive it all the time. A bad cooling system is the death-kneel of these trucks.

 

Love these in black
you should get yourself a ultragauge Plug that in to both take them on the highway for a good run get that oil nice and hot and let them idle after than listen for any ticking noises from engine
if both are ok take the one that runs cooler coolant temp

 

this is not a bad idea at all. with the age of these things it's wise to not rush into it. Always be willing to walk away.

 

Do either of them have SAI (secondary air injection)? You don't want that! And does that SE have SLS? SLS is fine if that's something you want.

 

Thanks everyone for the comments.

The black SE was sold before I had a chance to see it.

We went and saw the white SD and I was ready to say 'no' right then. It is very, hrm, crusty from beach trips, like the door hinges and various metal points inside and out. It was his wife's 'baby' for the last 17 years- not sure why she treated it so badly. We took it for a 30 minute drive anyways, up to high way speeds, nothing shook, no problem lights, smooth as butter and fun to drive, didn't get hot. I was still ready to say 'no' since everything on the inside was coming loose- I couldn't believe it! Drivers side window doesn't go down. Needs new front and rear bumper. He offered 2k. So I bought it anyways. With COVID I know we'll be home mostly bored until probably June, so we were up for an outdoor project having an affinity for discos.

With paperwork, we now have a story.
It was Land Rover dealer serviced through December of 2007 for its 82,500 check up. After that it went to a locally owned garage
May 2012- Replace left front window regulator (broken now). Right front actuator and rear door lock actuators.
June 2013- 'Runs Rough' replaced plug wires.
November 2014-Replaced radiator bypass throttle, body heater, wiper motor and weld bracket
Feb 2016- Master cylinder, rear brakes pads service
May 2016- Replaced Starter, valve cover gaskets.
April 2017- Service transfer case
Jan 2018- U Joint Press, Flex disc, boot
March 2018- Replaced Fuel Pump due to 'Gas Smell'. Replaced upper, lower ball joints and sway bar links. Costco put on 4 new Dueler Alenza all season tires.
July 2018- Replaced 2 brake calipers and 1 brake pad. It had 142k miles; So she only drove it 2k miles in the last 2 years. They did say it's sat awhile. Recommendation does mention slight oil leak at head gasket.
August 2018- Coolant leak from 3/8 hose behind A/C compressor. Replaced coolant hose. Labor was expensive.

So here we are; she's a beaut from far away. Thing is, it smells so terrible of gasoline. Just got done washing it and have a major headache. We pulled up the carpet.... (check out the photos). Plan is to get the corrosion off, try putting a new seal- replace the cover. replace the carpet or something. Don't plan on driving it for awhile, until we check everything out.

Based on the info, does anyone feel that l I should be stoked and it's worth putting 5k into or did I waste 2k and should abort mission and try to sell it? My fiance is good with fixing things and I'm good at following youtube videos and forums. I included under photos because I can't tell if its surface rust or something more serious.

Thank you

 

Having SAI system can be a pain to work on/around but it’s not bad when it is working properly.

 

Luckily, his doesn't have it...a plus in my opinion.

Funny, being from Michigan...and looking at those frame pictures...first thought was..."what rust?"...lol.

As far as whether or not to keep it...drive it for a while...get a good feel for it...then go from there.

It's going to have issues, it's old...and repairs come with the territory.

 

Just say no sunroofs. With Rovers, if you don't need another hole in the body. So I'd go with the first choice

 

The best one is the quietest one, you don't really have enough info to eliminate one of the other. They all have issues, as people have said it will be money or time and money to keep these going. The good news is that they are cheap and easy. I like sunroofs, never had an issue with one, but I have always replaced the headliner and pre-emptively glued up the drains. I think the black is best looking.

I would drive them with a temp gauge and listen for any noises and check the oil and coolant for any contamination and make the call on that.

Let us know what you find.

 

Hi everyone,

Appreciate all the input. The 01' Black SE was sold before we could go take a look at it.

We went a saw the white 01' SD and not knowing enough about cars, I was going to pass on it because it was very crusty and I've read alot on this forum about rust. We live in Florida and I noticed alot of cosmetic issues due to salt. I don't think you can 4 x4 on the beaches here but I think she was transporting salty children and items. We took it on a 30 minute drive- no lights on, no strange noise, great braking and steering. We were both impressed with the drive but I was still going to say no because all the cosmetic things were getting me down (loose console, dash, drivers side window, rusted windows, front bumper, back bumper, sun fading, cracked grille, you know 20 year old car stuff). For being her 'baby' she did not treat it right! Husband then offered to sell it for 2k. So I bought it anyways.

Of course I'm just now looking at all the service and am wondering if I did bad!
Dealer maintained up until 82,500 miles in 2007.
Local Garage- have invoices
May 2012- Replaced left front window regulator, right front actuator, rear dock lock actuators.
June 2013- 'Runs Rough' Plug Wires were replaced.
November 2014- Replaced Radiator, bypass throttle body heater.
Feb 2016- New master cylinder. rear brake pads.
June 2016- Replaced Starter, Trans. Serviced. PS. Serviced. Replaced valve cover gaskets. part charge for ATE
April 2017- Serviced transfer case
Jan 2018- U Joint/Press, Flex Disc change, Boot/remove and reinstall.
March 2018- Replace Fuel Pump due to 'Gas smell'. Replaced upper and lower ball joints. Replaced Sway Bar Links. 4 new all season Dueler tires.
July 2018- Replaced 2 brake calipers and 1 pad. Recommendation to fix Rear Lock Actuator and 'slight oil leak at Head Gasket'. Mileage was at 142k so that means she drove it 2k miles in the last two years- lines up with their story that she got lexus. But also suspicious.
August 2018- Estimate for 'coolant leak coming from 3/8 house behind A/C compressor. recommends coolant and hose. Not sure if this was done or not. We just topped up the coolant- so I guess see if it leaks?

We bought it knowing about the fuel leak and A/C not working.

So far we've lifted up the cargo carpet and taken out the fuel pump. It was obvious no one had been in there atleast since 2018. The car absolutely reeks of gasoline but I think it's getting better as we air it out. Check out the amazing photo.
There were several small cracks in the plastic of the fuel pump so which we've sealed it up and is now curing. The rubber seal looks fine but we have a new one on the way. If that doesn't work we'll get a new pump. The gas is coming up over the pump, pooling and down the side of the tank. Next, we'll reconnect the battery and see what else there is to fix! I do hope the smell goes away- I'm going to throw out the carpet.

I'd appreciate anyones thoughts on where to focus attention. I'm going to drive it awhile before deciding on any cosmetic fixes. We're exciting we got something running for little money and are looking forward to a project but if it's not worth it, I'd like to know that too! Don't mind spending another 5k for another 5 years. We have the time to go pick parts/search online. Mostly concerned about the 'slight oil leak at head gasket'.

Thanks everyone

I've attached photos for fun!