buying a 96 disco, couple of q's

[broke]

i went and looked at a 96 disco sd at a dealership where my buddy is the gm. the truck was 8k but he said he would give it to me for what he paid for the trade in. here is what i could tell from driving it, drivers side rear window motor was bad(you could push it down with your hand) headliner was in need of glue or replacement, the srs light was on, the check engine light was on, and the a/c switch seemed to be bad(it worked on 1 and 2 but would not change fan speeds when put on 3 and 4) the vehicle only has 86k on it and looks as though it was used on a farm by a woman(it had hay and some feed in the back but also had baby powder and a toy bottle in it) i was just wondering if this sounds like a money pit or should i just stop thinking and just start buying. i have the oppurtunity to pick it up for 4500.00 but am by no means wealthy and cannot afford to spend lots of money on fixing, thats why i sold my m3. thnx for the answers.

 

[hubris]

I would ask if you can take it to a Land Rover mechanic before you make a purchase. If the check engine light is on, they can hook it up to a computer and diagnos the errors for you. It could be as minor as a sensor needing replacement, a bad battery or it could be something major.

The SRS could also be a big ticket item to repair, or possibly only needs to be reset. Again, I would take it to a Land Rover dealer. Not "Joe Blow" mechanic down the street.

The other items are minor annoyances. The window motor runs ~180.00 for the part and is easy enough to install yourself.

Headlines run $175.00-$350.00 to have repaired at a local automotive upholsterer and something like $800.00 if you go to a dealer for a new one. In Austin, I used "Jim's Top Shop" they did a great job, pulled off the old cloth, cleaned the plastics then glued on the new liner. Looks great, has lasted ~two years so far with no sags anywhere and only cost me $225.00.

The AC switch might only need to be cleaned off...

Something else you might try is to unhook the battery for an hour or so and then plug it back in. If I remember right, the computer will run a diagnostic when it is hooked back up again and reset some of the codes if they are no longer an issue. I am not positive on that, but I remember someone saying something along those lines once....might just be an "old wives" tale.

Bottom line, for me anyway. is take it to a dealer, pay the cash it costs to have them look it over and hook it up to thier computer and make a decision from a position of firsthand knowledge.

Good luck!

 

[broke]

thanks man, will do.