Ok I'm a newb so bare with me but I'm about to buy a 1997 land rover disco with 140, 000 miles on it and I was wondering what are some things I probably need to fix or tune up, any advice would be much appreciated

 

Whats up with all the other quotes in your post?

 

Is it a 5-speed or automatic?
Is it new to you? If not, what have you recently done to it, like in the past year?

 

Any known issues? Deal with those first, obviously. Get ready for lots of hands-on work, and invest in some metric tools if you don't already have a set.
Welcome, and good luck!

 

Automatic and I'm buying it this weekend

 

Anti lock brake light and catalytic converters are gutted

 

Anti lock brake light and catalytic converters are gutted

 

Auto and I'm buying it this weekend

 

The ABS and cats are not a problem as long as you don't have to pass a test. Were the head gaskets done? If not, I would expect to do that and price accordingly. You might be able to do the job yourself and save labor, but it's worth about $2k on the price either way. They may not leak now, but if they haven't been changed, the probably will as they just don't last that long on these motors.

Rust is probably the big thing to check for.

After that, you want the radiator in good condition.\

Check the state and age of the battery

Plan on replacing all the rubber coolant hoses

Plan on replacing the oil and transmission cooler lines (these are pricey)

Look for steering box leaks and check the steering wheel shaft and pitman arm for any loosness. The steering box can be tightened up.

Plan on replacing the wheel bearings. If you don't do that right away, at least check them for looseness and tighten the nuts.

check the brake pads

clean the MAF (do this very carefully and research the procedure because they're pricey)

check the driveshafts and grease

see how much the swivel ***** (cv joints) are leaking, drain the fluid and consider replacing with cv grease or re-doing the seals

Mike's list is a good run-down but personally I don't use any of the additives, stop-leaks, or miracle products, just the factory recommended fluids

 

tie rod ends, bet the boots are cracked and the rod ends are gone, need new ones, hope the adjuster sleeve isn't seized

figure the shocks are gone too