I am thinking about buying a used 96 Land Rover Discovery, I have never owned a Land Rover so I just need some advice about what to be careful about. I of course will be taking it to a mechanic to get it checked out really good, is it okay to use a regular mechanic or should I find a local Land Rover dealership and have it checked out there.

Everyone has been telling me that whenever I have to get the oil changed or any little thing fixed that I have to take it to the dealership and that it costs a fortune, is this true?

Honestly how reliable are Discovery's, I have also heard that Land Rover's in general leak all the time, is this one true?

Hope this is not a bother to anyone and thanks in advance for all the advice you can give me, every little bit will help me to make a much better decision.

 

Welcome. If you are not a DIY mechanic, or want to learn to be one, then you must locate an indy shop that is familiar with the beasts. Dealer prices are what you would expect for a high end vehicle. The 96 is a simple truck.

Any place can handle simple stuff like oil change, brakes, etc.

Worth having a mechanic do a pre-purchase inspection.

Reliable if you take care of maintenance. Leaks, but some leak less than others.

Factory shop and owner manuals are a free download in link below.

 

Thanks, I will definitely have a pre-purchase inspection done, but is their anything specific with Land Rovers that I should make sure they check out, any real problem area's. I know most cars have their area's that just aren't all that good and can lead to an expensive fix.

 

Hop over to the DI section, at the top of the page is a Tech Section, read it top to bottom.
These trucks require premium gas, so if you are not willing to spend the extra $5 per fill up for premium gas then keep looking.
Like Buzz said, if you dont have deep pockets or are not willing to get dirty keep looking.
Yes these things are reliable, well onto the 300,000 mile range if taken care of.
Most of the answers you seek are in that tech section I told you about.

 

I don't want to sound like an idiot here but I have no idea what the DI section is........

 

click here https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...section-32402/

D1 or DI is the Discovery I section, there is also a D II section, and LR3 section, etc. A "forum jump" drop down box is at the lower right of this web page.

You don't sound like an idiot. But you might be a Charlatan if your are in Mecklenburg county.

 

Thanks a ton, and nope it's Buncombe county.

 

Well, for more than I paid for my Disco you can enjoy the Land Rover experience cavorting with LR4s on the Biltmore Estate. Heck of a house for a bachelor to build....

 

After you have read though the tech section feel free to ask questions on anything you need clarification on.

Parts are cheap if you know where to look.
These trucks are simple stupid to work on, only 2 steps removed from having a carb.
They are built like tractors and are just as strong.

 

Wasn't sure if I should start a new thread or not but this is about a 96 Disco also so just thought that I would post here. I found a 96 with a manual transmission, normally I would jump on that over an automatic anyday but was wondering if their was a reason why almost all Disco's you see are automatic and if so why?