Pre-buy list for Disco I?

[llesniak]

I previously owned a Series Rover and am now looking to fill the void left by its sale with a Discovery I. Why specifically a I? Nothing in particular other than the fact that there are a couple available nearby. As I start to look these Rovers over I was hoping that someone here on the forum could point me to a consolidated pre-buy issues/check list that I could use to get a better idea of problems to look for and maintenance that should be documented. There are several very useful stickies at the top of the list and I've found a couple of other points in reading the posts (i.e. sunroof drains, hub rebuild, etc.) but is there a complete list somewhere that I could quickly and easily use?

My old ex-MOD 109 was a great vehicle that's now in the hands of a fellow Rover fan who's carrying out a complete restoration. Since it left I've been wanting another Rover but the family would like something a bit less spartan so the Discovery is the next step up the Rover family tree for us. I'm hoping to find something soon as we're in the grip of another snowy winter here in western PA and I'd love to have the capabilities the Disco would give us. Any help or info you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Larry

[AU_88]

Whenever I buy used LR's I like to get maintenance records. These are crucial to a long lasting Land Rover. In my mind, if someone has really taken the time to keep a truck looking nice (taken care of interior/exterior, just a really clean truck) they have probably taken care of the maintenance, but history is very important. Check for that. On the test drive, listen for any noises that the truck may be making and make sure it shifts smoothly and that you can shift in/out of hi/lo range. A big thing is overheating and head gasket. The head gasket can be a costly repair and an engine that has been run while over heating may be in bad shape. Check fluid levels and maintenance intervals. Also, look for rust, all over, door jams etc.

[Wander]

Make sure to pull up the rear carpet and the thick rubber(ish) mat that cover the floor. This mat doesn't breath so if there was a leak the water can pool in grooves on the cargo floor and rust will follow. My DI did not have rust in any of the usual places but the cargo floor is toast, set my build back already.

The 94 and 99 seem to be prefered-the 94's for the 3.9 with the dizzy and the 99 as it was the last of the breed. The 4.0 came with coil packs so trail repairs are a little tougher to do. Search for an SD model and you will avoid the sunroof issue, most of these come with manual seats which is also a plus as the seat switches aren't great.

[Les Parker]

Also check the LH and RH floor panels, under the mats/carpets.
DI's seem to be prone to leaking windscreens, with the water pooling under the super absorbent mats, again causing corrosion.
The heaters do not seem to leak as much as the Classic's, at least something improved !

[Dashface]

I got a Disco I about a year after getting my Series, and it certainly is a night and day difference. Getting into the Disco is like stepping into the next century compared to an old 109. Still, as pointed out, there are plenty of niggles.

I would suggest just checking the pages. I hear a lot of horror stories, but so far aside from the damn seat switches and my heater fan, nothing has packed up on mine and at almost 200,000k it's still cruising along. Seems to be almost all electrical issues - mechanically Disco Is seem to be really solid, at least as far as I can tell.