Hello everyone

I'm looking at a 97 Disco with 124k miles on it. I test rode it the other day. When I sat down inside it to test drive I noticed that the diff lock was engaged. The dealer had no idea what the diff lock was or how it operated. The truck has been on the lot for two months and supposedly test driven a lot. One of the employees at the dealership asked me why the outside wheel would jump when turning! Ugh...

So, my question is how bad is it on the tranny (and the rest of the vehicle) to have the diff lock engaged for an undetermined amount of time? Is this Disco gonna have problems in the near future due to the dealerships ignorance? Should I even consider purchasing this Disco?

Here are the specs

V8 4 speed auto
124k miles
3 previous owners
No special kits, but has leather interior

Dealership is asking 6K for it. No way I'm gonna pay that.

Anyways, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Way to much money for a truck that has been sitting for a couple of months, mileage is a little high and yes there could be damage to either diff from driving it locked up.
If you like the truck and want to steel it, taking a risk, I would offer no more then $4500.
Mike

 

Thanks for the advice.

Couple more questions...

1. Driving with the diff lock will damage just the diff or the entire transmission?

2. How much does a new diff and transmission cost? I've heard estimates of around 3K just for the tranny.

3. Any signs to look for that indicate a bad diff?

4. I've had the tranny drop a few times (went into neutral) while in the high four wheel mode (not the diff lock) and I had to stop and reset the transfer gearbox. Is this common and is this a sign of a bad diff?

I apologize for being such a noob, but I want to make an informed decision. Thanks again for the help. Much appreciated.