buying advice needed on a '94 D1

[discostew]

hey guys,

just went to check out a '94 D1. auto, roman bronze, was fully loaded when new so leather, dual roofs, jump seats, rear air, w/ brush guards. 74k miles. started fine and drove decently, some noises but nothing strange for a 13-year-old car. seemed decent mechanically. only dash light on was abs and went off as soon as started drving. t-case works (surprisingly), goes into low and locks relatively easily. no rust or rust bubbles anywhere. everything seems straight, never in accident. 2nd owner. supposedly never overheated.

now the bad. tires are mismatched; all were in ok shape but mismatched. front sunroof doesn't slide, only tilts. rear passenger window stuck open. rear step missing. guy doesn't have remotes and only 1 key; central lock doesn't work. radio needs code. paint on hood and roof oxidizing. tiny tear in some leather. one of the running boards is missing bolts on one side so just hangs. small amount of oil seeping out under the valve cover (is this cause of concern? maybe just need new gasket?). oil looked ok but that doesn't mean much. forgot to check the steering fluid revervoir (doh!) but didn't seem to be leaking. engine bay wasn't sparkling but seemed about normal for a car this age. it's an old car, not *preserved* or anything but not bad either. i liked it. offered 3k. should i go for it?

thanks!

[apbtpetey]

You stated the central lock doesn't work and also stated the transfer case goes into low and locks, when you say the central lock doesn't work are you taking about the lever not moving left into the lock position? If so it could be a pretty easy fix. If you do a search in here you'll find a few ways to solve the problem. Just don't try to over force it into place.

The ABS light is suppose to stay on till you start moving, so thats normal.

Have to change the tires, want them all matching.

rear window is more then likely the window regulator, again do a search and you'll find how it fix that problem.

Rear step you can get from a few different places if you really want it, but if you are going off-road it, you might not want to waste the money because you'll do damage to it at some point, but if you don't plan to off-road it then you can get it from places like Atlantic-British

Radio code can be gotten from the LR dealer, just have to provide the vin#, but also try looking in the owners manual (if its still with the Disco), sometimes it gets written down in there.

A leak here and there is normal for a rover. You'll kill yourself trying to fix every single leak. Just keep an eye on the fluids. Valve cover gasket is a poor design on rovers, but are easy to change.

Price is about right, but I would offer lower and see what happens

[UsedBlue]

I have a 94 Disco I myself and from what you're saying that sounds about right! Mine has about 107k on it and has some minor problems but still runs like a tank. I had to pay $1k for a used trans case to be put in. I had to buy a radio/CD changer OEM on ebay to install b/c previous owner removed it. One of the sunroofs doesn't move. The doors in the front won't open without a good yank- the driver's side step broke off recently with me on it. The mirror switch doesn't move at all. THe A/C actually still works pretty well etc etc etc.
I don't have leather but want to get some new seats soon- but from what you describe it sounds about right where it should be for a 94! We paid $3400 for mine and drove for 3 days to pick it up!

Good luck!

[discostew]

Originally Posted by apbtpetey

You stated the central lock doesn't work and also stated the transfer case goes into low and locks

my bad. i meant central door lock doesn't work. diff lock works fine, just a little rough but nothing abnormal

[MuddyRangeRover]

How much?
Sounds like a good truck and all the issues you mentioned I wouldn't pay any attention to.
All the important stuff seems to work.