It pains me put my diesel D1 up for sale, but my wife and I are remodeling our house and I haven't had the time or money to work on the Disco. I'd like to see the truck go to a Rover enthusiast who will enjoy it and appreciate how cool this vehicle is.

THE GOOD

• 1996 Discovery SD. The SD model does not have sunroofs or power seats, which is a good thing since these are common failure points on Discos.
• Drivetrain is a 300tdi diesel engine and a R380 manual transmission installed by Jim Pendleton in 2007.
• ~187k miles on the chassis, ~75k miles since the 300tdi was installed.
• Truck gets 25-30mpg.
• All power windows and both power mirrors work.
• New ZF power steering pump (2013)
• New Lockeed clutch master cylinder and TRW clutch slave cylinder (2013)
• Small amount of rust on alpine windows repaired and windows resealed (common issue in D1s).
• Surface rust in front foot wells converted and repainted (common issue in D1s).
• Comes with the factory jack, toolkit, and roof rack rails.
• Factory rear floor mat.
• Factory rear ladder.
• Comes with dual batteries.
• Body is in very good condition, other than the fading paint listed below.
• Parts for the 300tdi are easily available through many shops in the US.
• *** Registered in CA as a diesel ***

THE NOT SO GOOD

• Previous owner installed an aftermarket stereo and the stock one is not working.
• Windshield is cracked, but not in the driver's line of sight.
• Tires need to be replaced, one has a leak.
• Headliner is sagging (~$100).
• Some interior plastic parts are broken or missing, as you would expect with a 18 year old truck. These are easily found at junkyards and easy to replace.
• Paint is fading on the hood and the roof, but is good everywhere else. Hood has been covered in Plastidip which is removable.
• Salvage title. The truck was salvaged in late 2005 for unknown reasons. I had Phillipe at Euroland in SF check out the truck and he said the diesel install was done well and that the frame looks straight. It drives straight on the freeway, the gaps look good, and I don't see any evidence of a repaint. There was broken glass under the carpet so I'm wondering if the truck was stolen and recovered? Or, possibly the gas engine blew and the truck was salvaged, and then the diesel was installed?
• The clutch fork is starting to punch through. A reinforced fork is ~$30. Currently the truck is drivable, but it is difficult to get into 1st and reverse gears due to clutch drag.

The big "needs to be fixed" issue is the clutch fork. This is a very common problem with D1s, and there are reinforced forks available for little money. I just haven't had time to deal with it. I did use an endoscope to look into the bell housing to confirm that the fork is punching through.

The best thing about this truck is that it is registered in CA as a diesel, which means no smog checks or other inspections. This is very rare, and makes registration easy.

This Disco would make an awesome overland vehicle. It has solid axles, Land Rover's offroading history, no power seats to fail, no moon roofs to leak, a manual transmission, no computer (minimal electronics in general), it can run biodiesel you make at home, and with the 300tdi and 20+ gallon tank it has a driving range of over 500 miles! Or, it could be the ultimate "zombie apocalypse" or "end of the world" vehicle, your choice.

Several other D1 with a 300tdi have been listed recently for $11-18k. Based on these I think a fair price for mine is $8500.

The truck is located in Orinda, CA. I hate to sell it, but that's how life goes. Drop me a PM if you have any questions about the vehicle or if you would like to view it in person.

















- Matt

 

Sweet rig and great price! Good luck with the sale, make sure it goes to someone who appreciates it!

 

honda50r,

Thanks! It's a great truck, I'm hoping it goes to a fellow enthusiast.

- Matt

 

Thanks for the replies. I've lowered the asking price to $7900.

There are currently on 3 300tdi Discos on Craiglist in the entire US!

- Mine for $7900
- A nice 96 for $20k in CA
- A high mileage but clean 95 for $18k in VT

 

The D1 has been sold.