Discovery owners-what to avoid when searching for a Disco

[steinhnj]

Back on the mainland and I’m looking for a car to cruise around DC and not sure the Perentie will make life easy. $9K budget. Considering searching for a Disco.
What should I avoid? What should I look for when searching?

Thanks

 

[1of40]

Welcome back. My experience with D1's has been second hand through my two boys who bought GEMS 4.0 D1's when they got their driver's licenses. Each got 3-5 years of good use out of them before they needed head gasket jobs. Both have mileage in the 180-190K range and keeping them on the road was doable on a high school/college student's budget. Prices have jumped I'd say over the past 12-18 months, but what hasn't? They've learned early that vehicles require care and maintenance and to save your cash for a rainy day. As a Defender owner yourself, you'll be fine with a $9K budget, it'll be how you spend it. All in on a nice one that's got proof of service or over time as you work through the typical list of hoses, sensors, brake lines, radiators, fuel pumps, tensioners, alternators, water pumps, belts, expansions tanks, etc.

I'm in NOVA and my youngest son has moved on to a more fuel efficient vehicle bc his job requires a lot of driving. PM me if you're interested in discussing what he's selling.

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

We had a '94 from new to 180k or so miles in 23yrs ... everything was worn as expected ... didn't have any sunroofs to clog / leak ... was returning to the original minerals from which it came ... i.e., rusty as blazes ! The darned thing always always started and ran though. Youngest son had a '96 5speed that needed head gaskets & a radiator but nothing unexpected.

 

[pfshoen]

Oil in the coolant and/or coolant in the oil.
Vanity mirrors in sunvisors fail.
Retractable cup holders fail.
Parcel pocket on rear cargo door breaks.
Rubber donut in driveline wears out.
Window regs fail.

 

[steinhnj]

Welcome back. My experience with D1's has been second hand through my two boys who bought GEMS 4.0 D1's when they got their driver's licenses. Each got 3-5 years of good use out of them before they needed head gasket jobs. Both have mileage in the 180-190K range and keeping them on the road was doable on a high school/college student's budget. Prices have jumped I'd say over the past 12-18 months, but what hasn't? They've learned early that vehicles require care and maintenance and to save your cash for a rainy day. As a Defender owner yourself, you'll be fine with a $9K budget, it'll be how you spend it. All in on a nice one that's got proof of service or over time as you work through the typical list of hoses, sensors, brake lines, radiators, fuel pumps, tensioners, alternators, water pumps, belts, expansions tanks, etc.

I'm in NOVA and my youngest son has moved on to a more fuel efficient vehicle bc his job requires a lot of driving. PM me if you're interested in discussing what he's selling.

PM’d you

 

[mgreenspan]

Things to worry about are rust in the driver floor, wheel arches at the 90 degree point, and the rear load area under the carpet. I’d recommend a 98 or 99 just for the engine. Sunroofs will probably be broken in some fashion, but they’re fixable. Dash curl isn’t a problem on later ones. As far as worn interiors go, again I wouldn’t worry and try to find good takeout seats from someone like Will Tillery. If you get an LSE it’ll have nicer leather seats. Expect to need to replace suspension bushings and inspect pan hard rod bushings as well. The 4hp auto box is great for driving so don’t get caught up in the 5 speed hype.