Looking at a '99 Series II Discovery...

[scottrocks]

I have an opportunity to buy a neighbor's '99 Series II Discovery and welcome the thoughts from the collective on things to be checking for and general thoughts on this model. This post is somewhat cross posted as I'm trying to get as much insight as possible.

Having wanted a Discovery for years and bored with my '03 Saab wagon, the timing seems right to jump in. But trying to look before I leap, I greatly appreciate members thoughts on the relative merits (or demerits) of buying this particular Disco and what I'm likely in for in terms of "regular" maintenance in the next 12 to 24 months.

Here are the particulars:

1999 Series II Discovery with ~43k miles and an asking price of $10,000. Owner says the engine was replaced in July 2002 and at 32,000 miles (problem was noted as "seized bearing" on the then under-warranty invoice). After a daylong test drive, I had the following notes with the number 1 concern being that while travelling ~30 mph and pressing on the gas consistently gave an audible "clunk" as the transmission(?) engaged - is that a bad sign?

Other less pressing things were:
-rear door was really hard to open;
-in fact all of the doors seemed to open differently;
-middle seat belt was cut/removed (owner said it wouldn't open);
-windshield wiper sticks/gets stuck in intermittent mode; and
-there were a few rust spots in door jams and on the truck body.

Again, I greatly appreciate any and all thoughts on this one!

Scott

 

[NHESS81]

I thought i replied to this post before...but anyway...

doors, not a real problem, likely just need to be adjusted, which can be done easily.
seatbelt, not a problem, but really it is VERY inconvenient in my opinion
wipers, could be a bad selector stalk or maybe dirt on the contacts, not a real issue but annoying again
rust, also pretty common, but if its really bad then avoid it, why even get started, but if its just like a small line or two you can deal with it (i spray wd40 in the problem areas every once in awhile)
transmission, just about every land rover discovery will do this for sure, its common on many 4x4 and is a result of the transfer case input shaft, it is annoying but dont worry about it

it is basically, run of the mill, most used landies are going to be in this condition, so if you want it get it, just be careful, buying from neighbors can be ugly if things start to break on it...see if you can find an independant land rover mechanic in the area who will do a once over on the car, i shoulda done that (but i got mine at an auction, and it really is in very good condition for bein 9 years old)....

 

[nhveedub]

I haven't had my series 2 very long now but I have learned this: It's not a car you just buy and drive. It's something you tinker with. If you enjoy that kind of thing, it's a great car. If you'd rather not deal with silly little maintenance things like intermittent wiper problems, this is not the car for you. The things you mentioned sound very familiar with the things wrong with mine, though the items are different, they are varied and kind of odd. Rovers have a dedicated following and many many resources available on the net. roversnorth.com for example has just about any part you could ever need for the thing....

Doors opening hard: At every 30k miles the door hinges are supposed to be lubed. If you look at the hinges on the doors, you'll notice they're not like hinges on regular car doors. Their design is dare I say, old. -Not a bad thing, but noteable.- On the rear gate, the hinges are actually on the outside of the car, exposed to the elements. I would imagine a regular lubing will lighten them right up.

Oh, that price is low IMO. That car on a dealer lot, if you found one 7 years old on a dealer lot, would likely be tagged at $12,900-$14,900. Not to mention the engine is under 20,000 miles old. If all you found wrong is what you noted above, I'd say buy it. But I always say that A LR inspection is probably the right thing to do...

 

[witecaphyr4u]

Price seems pretty good. Our local dealer currently has a '00 base model with dual sunroof's for 17500 with 62K, however it is certified so 2yr warranty.

 

[scottrocks]

Getting close to buying - but what about a warranty?

Thanks to everyone for their help here! I took the Disco to the dealership today and got a pretty good report. The tech volunteered that he thought the car was in good shape (of course he's got an interest in my buying something that will ultimately require service).

The items flagged though included:

-both preheater hoses are seeping;
-the front crank seal has "minor" seepage; and
-the transmission front pump gasket has minor seepage.

Assuming the owner pays for these to be replaced/fixed, I'm leaning heavily towards buying!

One last question though relates to warranties - because the Disco is still under a LR extended warranty, I can buy either a LR 2/24 further extended warranty or a "Primus TotalCare" warranty. Both seem to be the same with the Primus ~$800 less money.

Does anyone have experience with either of these warranties?
Does it even make sense to spend $2,000 to $2,800 on a warranty?

Greatly welcome thoughts and thanks again!

 

[Moose]

Those leaks, I'm afraid, are likely to return even if they're patched up or replaced by the current owner. Assuming he/she pays for it, which is a labor-intensive job running hundreds if not a thousand dollars through a dealer.

I had an extended warranty, which was junk. It was not through a dealership and so they could find little reasons not to cover all of the labor, or just parts, or no electrical repairs, etc. The extra money for a LR warranty will be worth it in the end, IMHO. Think of it as 2 or 3 more repairs, then it'll pay for itself. Might even cover oil changes, etc.

 

[RonLynne]

Well, I can tell you our 1999 Disco Which we purchased in October 2005 with 74K (Garage Kept in Atlanta) Has so far cost: $1000 for brake job, Tune up/ belts etc $1500 and now Starter $450. So whats next?? We enjoy driving our DII and I did great in Snow this winter, but with gas at $3 per gal and climbing we may consider trading her in. I wish I would I have known the mtce expence before I bought....

 

[scottrocks]

still deciding..

Thanks to all for the input. Since people have been nice enough to weigh in with their thoughts, I wanted to give a quick update.

I still haven't decided but am still talking with the seller. The Disco has now been looked at by two LR dealerships; one that I paid to inspect and the seller's regular dealership (this is the dealer who would be doing the repairs). If I do buy, I will be getting the LR extended warranty (~$2,600) for 2 years/24,000 miles. With the warranty, my cost would be $12,100 and the Disco still has less than 43,000 miles.

I am actually somewhat concerned with gas prices and am concerned with non-covered maintenance issues (especially given the recent posts) but will make a decision in the next few days....

Scott