Future Owner

[pgajim]

Hi everybody, I have been fascinated with rovers for the last couple of years even though everybody says I'm crazy. I scour craigs list daily and also rovers north. It looks like I could probably afford a disco ll late 90's early 2000's I have seen and read about a lot of them. Any suggestions on what to look for besides head gasket issues which seem to be the most common issue. I have seen a couple of range rovers but they don't seem as readily available as a discovery. Any advice would be very welcome. Thanks

[mearstrae]

Rust in the chassis is a big problem in most areas of the country, rust in general really. There may also be cracks in the frame, usually on Disco II's. On Disco I's the swivel balls need a good look. Some later 4.6 litre engines seem to have a problem with cracked head bolt holes in the upper row in the block, which can leak and seem like a bad head gasket. Other than these, just make sure it's gone over in the conventional way; does everything work, does it seem odd when you're driving it or stopping it, does it look and sound right, does it have maintenance records, are there electrical troubles... Oh, check the drive shafts, especially the front one. (I don't know how I could have left that problem out, it broke on my wife's DII and took out the transmission and the cat, as well as the hi-lo shift cable and vent lines.) I liked my wife's Range Rover better than her Disco II, more room and more power.(They suffer from the same Land Rover quirks.)

'99 Disco II
'95 R.R.C. Lwb (Gone...)
'76 Series III Hybrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S

[pgajim]

Thank you for the help, I am currently looking at 3. 98 disco 50th anniversary or 99 disco runs good or 99 range rover 4.6 needs driveshaft and exhaust and it has been converted from air bags to springs. That one is a $1000 the discos are 2 grand each or best offer. Any thoughts?

[mearstrae]

It's always best to look up the repair costs for these beforehand, it could cost you nearly 2 grand for the exhaust system and drive shaft for a Range Rover (or any Land Rover). I take it that the '98 and '99 are both Disco I's. I like the heavier wheel bearings on these compared to the Disco II's non-fixable hub set-up. (You just change the whole pricey unit and not just the bearings or seals). Pick the best one you can find, if you're not sure, have a mechanically inclined friend look it over, or get owner's permission to take it to a certified mechanic for an inspection. Also, if you do drop the hammer on one of these...Get a repair manual or a RAVE repair disc or program on-line, it will save you many headaches and will be money well spent and pay for itself the first time it saves your bacon. (And the RAVE manual is sometimes available for FREE download, Google it.) For electrical troubles I use a dedicated iCarSoft scanner for Land Rovers, saves lots of time and trouble, as well as money.

'99 Disco II
'95 R.R.C. Lwb (Gone...)
'76 Series III Hybrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S

[Les Parker]

The better of these 3 would be the 98 DI, especially if is the Willow Green LSE. The P38's seem to be fraught with electrical problems and can be a nightmare.

[pgajim]

The better of these 3 would be the 98 DI, especially if is the Willow Green LSE. The P38's seem to be fraught with electrical problems and can be a nightmare. Les, I am going to look at a 99 range rover 4.0 se, it has the suspension conversion done but I'm not sure if they have any service records. It has 130 thousand and the ad say it was taken in on trade and this guy selling it is a wholesale broker. Asking price is $2700. anybody have any thoughts?

Thanks for the input

[mearstrae]

Make sure you check it out completely. Fixing these is expensive, especially if you can't do it yourself. I'm not trying to be funny but...This is what I tell folks who ask about Land Rovers, "If you can't fix it yourself, buy a Toyota, at least there are more dealers that can service them."

'99 Disco II
'95 R.R.C. Lwb (Gone...)
'76 Series III Hybrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S

[mearstrae]

OK, it's been a month since I posted my last comment. It seems it was taken badly. I'll explain, a friend of mine "Thought" he wanted a Land Rover Disco II; first he paid top dollar for it, next he found the engine needed head gaskets (in the first week of ownership!). He had to pay someone (unfamiliar with these...) to change the gaskets, needless to say he had to have it re-done (why don't service centers seem to know that all aluminum heads need to be straightened and re-machined). He wasn't in the least happy with his Disco, as one could imagine (it's sitting beside his house presently, as other problems arose). He finally took my advise and bought the Toyota, now he's happy with that... I don't understand folks who want these as a status symbol, and never use them as they should anyway.

'99 Disco II
'95 R.R.C. Lwb (Gone...)
'76 Series III Hybrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S

[pgajim]

The better of these 3 would be the 98 DI, especially if is the Willow Green LSE. The P38's seem to be fraught with electrical problems and can be a nightmare.

Hi Les

I haven't given up on buying a Rover yet, Going to look at a 2000 range rover. Guy says it runs good and has 160 thousand miles on it. I know the suspension is suspect, anything else to check before I buy? Guy is asking 1600 or best offer