Hey guys;

I am looking for a Disco II. I plan on it being a daily driver for my 16 YO daughter. She will drive it about 2 miles round trip to school. And then of course all of the runnning around 16 YO do.

I have owned Rovers before: A 98 Disco LSE, a 99 Disco2 SE, a 97 P38 RR HSE, and a '91 RR Classic SWB. I have a good indy mechanic here in Tampa that specializes and does nothing but Rovers. I also know where the Rover used parts guy is here that buys all the Rover wrecks and parts them out. SO, I'm not really scared of high mileage, a little work needed, etc...I can do a lot of DIY stuff myself...

So I've been shopping for about a month and came across what may be a deal today.
A '99 SD with 122,000 miles. Had a minor cosmetic hit in front, so the guy replaced the hood, bumper, fog lights, etc... Car runs, drives and stops well. Owner says a mechanic told him it needs the "head gasket sealant." I have no idea what that is...It also needs a headliner and 1 wheel (spare is dinged too.) The front diff appears to be leaking, and the front shaft has NOT been upgraded to the greasable carden shaft.

I ran an OBD2 scanner and it came up with the following:
P1300 Timing Prob
P1590 ABS (3 Amigos?)
P0442 Evap system leak
P150 Oxy sensor
P153 oxy sensor
P0308 #8 cylinder
P0306 #6 cylinder

So from reading on this forum, the misfires are probably head gasket related. The oxy sensor is dead. 1300 might be plug wires? And 1590 is brakes related.

My questions:

1. Is the P0442 usually just the gas cap?

2. When the key is inserted and turned, are the three amigos supposed to light and then extinguish? The lower left of the panel stays dark. Did someone pull the bulbs or something to conceal the problem? No lights on the dash when driving. I saw the DIY on the 3 amigo fix on here and it looks to be whithin my skill range (just.)

3. Guy is asking $2900. What is a reasonable offer?

4. Anyone know of a good example in Central FL for around $4k?
Thanks in advance,
Rick

 

Yeah, that is a blown head gasket and I would hazard to guess its on #8 and #6. "head gasket sealant" is a very temporary fix. I'd say you are looking at at least another $2-3$k worth of repairs on that thing. Probably be easier to move on and continue looking.

 

And that is assuming the liners have not slipped and the block is bad.
Those are the cylinders that tend to go bad and the block is toast.
At 122k there is a 95% chance the head gaskets have already been done, and if they are bad again this soon then the block is probably toast, boat anchor, artificial reef...unless you can steal this truck for almost nothing and then have the money to put a used engine in, keep looking.

And on top of that, I would not buy a DII for a 16yr old kid to drive, but thats just my opinion.

 

I wouldn't buy that one with the head gaskets. I would however buy a rover for your kid. Just remember your kid will be safe in a rover but not invincible. I had my first RR when I was 16. Had a guy loose control and come sliding at me in my lane. I couldn't avoid him and hit him. I pinned the guy in his truck while I got out to get him out before the truck started on fire. The RR was a total loss but I wasn't the one going to the hospital in a 30 mph head on collision. Hence money is worthless when your dead, might as well spend it while your living. How can you put a price on life?
Good luck.

 

A Disco 2 for a 16 yo daughter, wouldn't she rather have a Jetta instead?

 

I'd love for her to have a Jetta. She'd rather have a Land Rover.

 

First, a D2 is a terrible first vehicle for any child, it is a very high maintance vehicle, that although very safe, will cost a fortune in insurance and gas.
2nd, what are they asking for that vehicle with i't list of problems? You will be looking at an easy $2000 plus to fix it current issues much less do a major service to get it road worthy for the next couple of year.
I have raised 4 children all now over 40 and would never give a child that type of vehicle that will not be maintaned properly by her, at her age.
Just food for thought.

 

I'm passing on the vehicle above. Found another prospect with all the big stuff already done...
I'm not giving her this car. It will be our 3rd car which will be her primary transportation. I plan to make her participate in the care and feeding of it. I do most of the work on my 911 myself, and plan on doing so on the D2 with her helping.
As for the costs...my carrier doenst charge any more for a Discovery than any other reasonable car. I'm not going to get collision. That's the reason for going with a $4k car to begin with. If it gets wrecked, as long as she's safe, just get another...
As for gas, well, it is what it is. I've got a 911 and an Acura MDX..We live in the urban core, so her school is only about a mile away.
Thanks everyone for the replies! I value all opinions! Please keep them coming...

 

u mentioned a "dark corner" on the dash with q's about the 3 amigos..read my post on
"99 disco scammed ? "
if u look at another ask for the manual and make sure u look at every dash light that is "supposed" to come on. Just because u don't see any warning lights doesn't mean they are not there. I surely learned my lesson as to the extent someone will go to hose u on a car!!!!!

 

A Disco 2 & a 16 yo daughter = $$$$$$$$$$