Do your best to beat him down on price..... bring up all the costly point your going to have to take care of owning this vehicle and do your best to get the number down. This guy has no idea on how to maintenance a disco and when you mention these things to him it may help in your negotiations.

 

Seems to me two things I've observed on the boards..

#1 if given the choice, it's best to buy a higher mileage LR from a private seller( with records) than a lower mileage, "prettier", even slightly newer LR from a dealer with little to know records, even with a so called "30 day warranty".. Agree?

#2 The LR brand seems to be a popular vehicle of choice amongst the smaller lot used car dealers, possibly banking on an impulse buy from an under informed purchaser that jumps at the allure of picking up a luxury SUV for pennies on the dollar vs MSRP.. I say this because I could have been one of those buyers had I not found the forum. Now I can honestly say I have been drawn in by the allure of these vehicles even with the knowledge of the potential for costly and sometimes unavoidable repairs.. It is a strange paradox these Land Rovers!!

 

I would agree with number 2, but not number 1. Records of service won't show you current problems that can be hidden short term with several bottles of Lucas oil stabilizer (engine noises), stop leakz (head gaskets), or a gallon of transmission honey. A dealer should be able to roll in a longer warranty at a negotiated price.

Like any high end import, repairs at a factory dealership are known for sucking the bottom out of your wallet. DIY is the least costly way to go.

 

Good points on #1.. Scary to think that large glaring problems can be temporarily hidden with some simple fluids.. Did not know that.. Thanks!

So in the city I live in (anonymous) there is literally 1 LR dealer and 1 independent shop that I have found.. Literally that's the options here.. Pre inspection wise, my concern is the Indy guy ( seems knowledgeable and very friendly) may have zero incentive to disclose any major concerns knowing full well if the vehicle is purchased, he will essentially be my only option for repair.. Am I being nuts here?

 

It would be very hard to fudge the miles on the truck, the instrument cluster AND the body control unit need to match on the miles, if they do not the OD will flash, it will still show the miles correctly and will show the miles on the OD memory but they will flash, dead give away and the only way to fix it is with the proper $4,000 computer.
Does the Carfax show it as a one owner?
Some people buy cars to drive only on the weekends, vacation, ski trips, etc.
Always assume nothing has been done to a used car whenever you buy, always.
Nothing wrong with the gear oil and such being in the truck for that long, wont hurt anything.

I had a relative that had two homes, one in Northern MI and one if Southern FL, they had a car at each house and a full sized Ford passenger van.
They were "snowbirds" as most retirees in MI are and every winter packed up the van, drove the 2,000 miles to FL, parked the van.
In the spring they loaded the van, drove the 2,000 miles home.
They used the van for nothing else, it was 20 years old, they bought it brand new and it had less than 100,000 miles on it.
Changed the oil once a year, always stored it with a full tank of gas, zero rust, ran great, everything worked, always parked in a garage.

Moral of the story, be leery of the miles but not scared of them.

 

You could get a 2004 with 100k or less for 8 grand...