I took a look at an '02 Discovery last night. The ad made the truck sound like a great deal, but things quickly went south when I showed up to take a look at the truck. Here's what I found
[ul][*]2002 Land Rover Discovery SE7[*]Not sure if it has the heated windshield or load leveling suspension (how do I find that out?)[*]Brakes are shot - the "3 Amigos" are on - basically, I can feel the pulsating of warped rotors through the brake pedal - probably what is causing the trouble lights[*]Exhaust Manifold gasket on the right side is bad (exhaust is loud, easy to hear the valvetrain ticking away...)[/ul]
The truck was priced at $7000, but the dealer gave me some good numbers on my trade ($2300 for a '95 VW Passat - they are clearly over allowing on it) and they'd drop the price of the truck to $5500. Is this a deal I should go for and what is it likely to cost to have a shop take care of the exhaust manifold and the brakes? Can I do the brakes myself (with OEM components of course) and have a Land Rover dealer take a look into the trouble lamps?\

- Adam

 

So is that $5500 with the trade in of your VW? I would avoid any D2 that has the 3 amigos. For the heated windshield, you should be able to see the heating elements in the glass if you look at it from the side. The SLS would have a button on the binnacle with the e-lights and HDC button. You can also look at the rear wheels for the springs (no SLS) or the airbags (has SLS). The '02 Disco's do not have the CDL in the t-case, if you plan to take it off road. I'd keep looking for a D2 without any of the issues you mentioned. There are a ton of them for sale out there. Keep looking and you'll find a great deal on a good truck.

 

Ask them the ACV ( actual cash value) of your trade, something seems out of place with the figures for the trade.

 

Never negotiate the price of the car you are buying with the trade included.
Basically, never talk trade in until you settle on a price for the car you are going to buy.
Negotiate the purchase price, then right before you sign the paper work to make it yours say "oh yeah. I have a trade"
If the trade is your down payment then negotiate like a cash customer.
Then when it comes time to write the check say "oh yeah, I have a trade and I want to finance" and know the value of your trade before you even walk in the door.
www.NADA.com
www.kbb.com
www.edmunds.com
Also know what the car you are looking at is actually worth.
A informed customer is the kind that salesmen HATE.
But to answer your question, either the dealer fixes everything before you consider buying it, or you walk away.
You can get one hell of a deal on a DII with fewer problems than this one right now.

 

I agree with spike. I have seen dozens for sale in east tennessee (for less than that dealer wants) and it would seem that a truck with those kinds of problems would be sold for a lot less. I got mine for about 10g before the **** hit the fan and it was in mint condition. I would keep shopping and take spikes advice about trading your car.

 

It was $5500 less my trade, so $3200 plus fees.

 

I would still stay away. They are willing to discount it so much because they know how much it will be to fix it and they are just trying to dump it and cut their losses.
$7,000 is to much for a '02 even in good shape, recently somebody on here bought a '03 for $6500. Another bought a '04 for $7,000.

 

I paid $6600 out the door for my '03 with 110k on the clock, and it is mint appearance wise. The three amigos popped up when I test drove it, but the dealer cleared them and they haven't come back. The dealer told me it was the shuttle valve for the ABS and one of the rear o2 sensors. Neither of these issues was enough to turn me away from this truck all other things considered. I paid cash for mine, and if I were you, I'd keep shopping. If you are able to pay for it outright, you should be able to find a much better deal.

 

Hey, I shopped HARD, and I do mean HARD for seven solid months before I bought my '04 Didsco. But it's super clean, ALL service records, and I took it Moab last week end, and I out drove my buddy in his Tokoma. Quite a surprise. but We've ridden together off road for more than a few years, and neither one of us needed guidance on the Rim. We got to the top within five min's of each other. This thing is crazy. 22MPG from Denver to Moab (following POSTED speed limits) and leather, Butt heaters, Auto AC, and so much more.

 

Seven solid months of shoping, but total cost (2 ripped sections of the interior) AND 64K soccer Mom miles, Dealer O/C's and inspections.8K was my cost. It PAYS to shop.WORK YOUR A$$ OFF!