No, I am not.

It was something one of my coworkers, a Belerussian, used to say when he wasn't happy at work. "Pavel," I would ask, "how are you today?"

Emotionless, he'd reply, "I am filled with Soviet joy."

It was kind of a sarcastic thing that always stuck in my head, I guess.

 

I'd say stay away from 1996 and 2003. And if you want a locking xfer case D2's dont come with the linkage stock, so that might be another reason to go for a D1. you can get the linkage but thats just more money for addons later for a D2.

id also suggest avoiding one with airbag suspension and ace (active cornering enhancement) unless you are a bells and whissles tech guy, its just more stuff to go wrong. airbags will leak, and if you dont catch it the compressor will burn out reinflating it nonstop. they do make coil conversions though if theres one in particularly good shape.

when you inspect the car, obvisouly check the fluid levels, especially oil and coolant. ask if theyve been recently filled. a blown headgasket is common and loss of coolant is usually the first recognized first symptom. if the oil levels low, it probably also has a leak (rear valve covers and front cover i believe are the usual offenders)... alot of people tend to run oil that is high in zinc like rotella as these motors are very old in design with just yearly upgrades to meet emissions standards.

the front driveshaft should definatly be looked at with a fine tooth comb. the ujoints are not regreaseable and sit next to the cat converters... at anywhere from 90-120k they could start to fail, you will see obvious uneven wear on the metal parts, which turn into a vibration on the road. when they fail, if you are unlucky and going rather fast, it could do substantial damage to the transfercase and transmission, and obviously if the shaft releases if could damage the underbody, lines, tires and any car around you! i dont think it happens this way often, most of the time they are snapped on the trail, but it is a possiblity. they have aftermarket and upgraded shafts that alot of people get which have updated greasable joints.

the rear shaft rotorcoupler looks like a triangularish rubber piece that replaces a tradiitional ujoint... being rather soft (considering or compared to metal) they wear out and can cause driveline vibration/noise.

there is a situation called the "three amigos" which is a term on the boards to describe when the traction control, ABS and downhill decent warning lights come on on the dash all together. this is almost always caused by a faulty ABS modulator which is a very simple replacement part under the abs valve body kajigger (lol) on the drivers side under the hood above the wheel well. brake fluid finds its way over time into a contact switch that gets fouled or shorted and causes the problem. some people ignore it, some people do a modification to stop the problem from reoccuring, some people jsut replace the abs shuttle valve thing when it happens, its cheap and easy... only symptoms besides the lights are a slightly less effecient traction control, abs and downhill decent operation.

basically, get your head under the truck, around the engine bay and just pay attention to those particular spots more then you should any other car inspection. ask the owner for records, oil and coolant changes are important. take the thing for a test drive and get it up to highway speed, 65, 75 maybe push 80mph, easiest way to check for alignment, tracking, steering issues aswell as vibration from tire balance, drivetrain balance, and possibly pick up on a failing front or rear driveshaft problem.

overall there is alot of small stuff to get to know, but once the issues are addressed and you keep good regular maintanence, there is no reason NOT to own one. they are amazing in every way other then gas miliage! they are safe, TONS of cargo space, lots of bells and whistles in the interior on most models, simple to repair, and a HUGE following of diehards like us on the boards that hate them enough to love em fairly! there is a wealth of knowledge about them and a croud willing to help you!

 

i have heard people in ukraine and in russia say that when i have traveled there.

my wife got all giddy when she saw that. she is 21 but is well aware of older folks saying is

 

If I see a Disco I advertised with some cosmetic issues, some minor problems like a window not opening, and "will need to be smogged", what do I need to do to ensure that the smog issue isn't going to be something major?

 

Where do you live? Where I live "smog" issues are never major. We don't have communists in charge of our cars here.

 

Near San Francisco, CA.

I guess I should expand my question a little bit: if a car I'm interested in has some problems with it that seem minor, what's the best way to find out if they're something small or a symptom of a major issue? For example, another ad says "Check engine light comes on but hasn't affected the car at all."

A check engine light could be anything. Can I just take an OBD reader with me and get the code?

 

If it's 96 or newer, yes. If it's 94 or 95, you can just look at the computer under the seat. Also, the D1 has both a check engine light and a service engine reminder that can come on. I'd be scared to own anything other than a Honda in California when it comes to emissions issues. There is someone over on land rovers only that is complaining about issues with a 2003 disco.

 

Yes bring a OBDII scanner with you, before you even start the engine turn the key to the "run" position, do all the dash lights come on?
It is very common for DII sellers to remove the instrument cluster and break the LED's for the warning lights, the 3 Amigo's are the common ones to get broken.

O2 codes are very common but can be very hard to cure, 98% of the time it is only the need for a tune up, but it can be bad O2's or worse case a blown headgasket.

If the check engine light is on it does effect the way the engine runs, thats why its called a "check engine" light.
It means check the engine, something is wrong.

With a DI if the RED service engine soon light is on that is a emissions reminder, it is reset with a paper clip, it is programmed to come on every "X" miles.
The AMBER check engine light is like any other CEL.