Hey guys we are new to the site but not to Land Rover ownership. I have owned a couple of lower mileage Discoveries and a Range Rover HSE. Here is the deal.. I was searching for a truck to replace the Ranger I just sold yesterday. I need a daily driver and in my mind nothing was going to do besides an extended cab truck. Well I was searching the net and ran across a beautiful 1997 SE7 5-speed! I love the SE7's and a manual is a must for me. The problem is this, this truck will be drove a lot and this one has 175k on it. It is at a very high end dealership and I know they do very thorough inspections on their stuff. They have a wonderful reputation and fix anything that is mechanically wrong before it goes up for sale. To look at the Rover you would think it has well under 100k on it. Every option works perfect and it is CLEAN. It scares me that there are no maintenance records on the truck but obviously it has been maintained or it wouldn't be this nice and wouldn't have made it 175k miles. My question is, would you trust this vehicle to be a daily driver for parents with 3 kids? Is it a ticking time bomb? I trust the dealer but they can only tell me what they know about it. Thanks for any help!

 

runaway..... you have to much to risk with 3 kids....unless this trucks costs 1500$....i'd pass

 

OK... Not what I wanted to hear but I want honest opinions.

 

well you have no information on the history of the truck.... if your buying it from a dealer....they are going to try and make money on the truck..... so you would be spending more for it with no guarantees that the truck will last you any length of time..

you wanna buy a truck you can drive....this one has 175k miles....i dont know too many trucks on the road with 200k miles....so if your gonna buy this truck...get it dirt cheap... you could get a 2003 Disco se7 with a bad motor for the same price this dealer is gonna charge you.... (probably)

at least the D2 would be nicer and have less miles......buy a used engine for cheap...do the "60k miles tune up" and your set.....for along time...

end rant

 

i'd liken it to my last two dogs.

brought my kids with me to the shelter, dog was great.

got home, a couple of days later, the dog ate my $140 Gator sunglasses along with other things over 10 years.

next one, same deal, sweet, didn't pull on the leash, etc.

Ate my $110 oakleys (and the case), attacked a skunk, (twice) -- still got him after 12yrs, love 'im, but please God take him home soon.

You already know how the DI will behave, sometimes we just can't help it, cuz they're so cute.

luck,greg

 

The manual D1s are rare here in the US, so if the transmission fails you will have a harder time finding a good replacement. I wrestled with this myself and passed, though the truck I was looking at didn't sound as nice as the one you found.

 

Regardless of the condition of the engine, the body, suspension, axles, and steering have 175k on them too. Run away.

 

What I hear is we're all running scared of high mile trucks, but there are plenty of them out there. All older vehicle need repairs. Does the cost of these repairs out weigh the cost of the vehicle? How can other cars go so many miles? Do required services and 200k is not out of the question.

 

well high mileage is a point... the real thing is...your buying it from a dealer....they cost more than a private sale.....do not spend a ton of cash on this truck...for its age and mileage.....Se7 and crap dont matter a...a disco is a disco....

i can buy se7 seats for 150$

 

I don't personally run away from the higher mileage trucks. My 87 range rover had 150K on it when I got it - from a private party - and a pre-purchase inspection let me know the extent of the rest of my investment...new shock towers, suspension, radiator (expanded size to help with LR cooling system deficiencies), new lift gate, etc... the LT230 transfer case was bullet-proof. I did the normal plug&wire upgrades and the truck ran like a champ - never left me stranded. Point is, I invested a lot of time and money into resuscitating it.

Was also pre-kids...

Perhaps the dealership will let you have it inspected by a trusted third party? Lots of 'high end' used dealerships in my area allow that.