I am considering purchasing a 1996 Disco it has 150000 miles on it. Now not to offend anyone but this will be a "mom" car. But I am a realist and as much as I love the Disco I do know that purchasing a used one with a sketchy past can be an expensive investment. My other vehicle I am considering is a 96 GMC Yukon with 250000 but tranny and motor have 70000 on them, one owner. I would love to get some advice from Disco owners, I live in the backwoods of New York and my dh is deployed so I will need a mechanic for any and all repairs for the next year, the neares LR mechanic is about two hours from me. Oh and to add interior wise the disco is rough the yukon is not also the disco comes with the complete gasket kit and a lift kit for 2 grand, no radio and the Yukon has new tires and a radio, lol.

 

Well from the sounds of it the Disco needs alot of work, if that is the case I would buy the Yukon.
The Disco once properly tuned will get better MPG than the Yukon but the Disco requires premium gas.
The Disco will ride better and the two will handle about the same.
You do not need a LR mechanic, just a good mechanic.
You dont care about the lift, you dont want big tires, they lower your MPG.
How much are they asking for each truck?

 

the gmc is 2000 with no budging on the price the disco is 1800 but the owner said bring him money and he will sell it. I do know that the gmc has a radiator leak and the disco has no leaks. I love the disco and have no problem with premium gas, I know that both cars sound good when running I have driven both for about two hours total each. Dh says it is my decision but he does not like the interior of the disco, as the heater core was replaced and whoever did that tore the dash up and it is missing the arm rests and radio. This car will be my daily driver and dh's xl 7 will go into storage.

 

You've come to the right place for opinions, we have lots of opinions. In my opinion, I would pass on both vehicles and find something else. A Discovery is going to be maintenance intensive just to get it back to current and if you have to run to the mechanic every time you need something done you'll be broke quick. The Yukon is a Yukon, another throw away vehicle from GM. Even with 70000 on the engine and tranny I would be skeptical. It's the 250000 on the rest of the Yukon that worries me.

Do you know of any specific problems with the Discovery? When you say the Disco comes with a complete gasket set and lift kit, does that mean they're installed or just come with the vehicle? The lift kit will cost you between 4-5 hours of shop time to be installed if you choose to, the gasket kit could cost you another $1000 to the mechanic.

In the long run I believe the Discovery will be a much better vehicle but the initial cost to get it there could be expensive. That's my opinion and I'm sure others will chime in.

 

Yeah, im going to have to go with spike on this one, the Yukon may be a better option for you.
I would hate to say get the rover and then have you living at the auto shop every weekend.
Unless you are willing to spend a little more on the disco, I would say its a no go.
Also, the Yukon sounds like its been taken better care of.
I love disco's but that one may not be a winner! Try looking for another one if you have the time, there is such a thing as a good disco!

 

Nothing has been installed on the disco he just has them. I don't know much else about the disco besides the heater core being replaced, a new exhaust and tires. This was his daughters vehicle and she wants a smaller car that is cheaper on gas. I am torn, if I could do auto work myself I would buy it and do it myself.

 

If you must buy one of these two buy the Yukon.
Nothing worse than buying someone elses half a$$ed project.
If you can take your time and shop around look for a different Discovery.
If you are looking in the $2,000 range then it will take sometime but you will find another Discovery, open your search to the $2500 Discoveries and hagle down from there.

 

You know what, if you are aboslutly in love with this Disco buy it and give it a good home, sell the lfit and use that money for repairs.

 

not a bad time to learn how to be a mechanic... disco's are a great car to learn on because of how big they are... plenty of space to do everything, and a community to help you every step of the way!

 

spike that is great advice I am going to look at the disco again and see what the rock bottom I can get it for is. If I can get it for 1200 then I can use one grand towards repairs. and sell the lift kit for the interior repairs it needs. I love Disco's, have since I first saw one in the early 90's, and I am not scared of fixing it up just the amount of repairs one hears they need. So how does one know they have a good mechanic for repairs.