Newbie - buying Disco

[georgemason]

Hi, am seriously thinking about buying an old(ish) Disco - wanted to know what to look out for. Will be buying in the UK, so rust may be an issue - is it a big problem on these beasties? (my experience with British cars so far makes me wary of old examples that have been exposed to much damp!)

Any comments welcomed. With my budget definitely looking at a diesel, and probably a '95 at the youngest end of the spectrum.

Thanks in advance.

George

[V8_Agro]

If you open the rear door and look down where the bumper meets the car there is a plastic strip that goes over the carpet rust forms under there but if the rear bumper is rusty more than likey so is the rear body.

On the 4 door models open the back doors to see if rust is forming in the corners where one body panel meets the other ( water just sits there )

There isnt too many area's that the rust but check all the normal spots eg-chassis just to make sure


Adam

[peter3696]

Originally Posted by georgemason

Hi, am seriously thinking about buying an old(ish) Disco - wanted to know what to look out for. Will be buying in the UK, so rust may be an issue - is it a big problem on these beasties? (my experience with British cars so far makes me wary of old examples that have been exposed to much damp!)

Any comments welcomed. With my budget definitely looking at a diesel, and probably a '95 at the youngest end of the spectrum.

Thanks in advance.

George

Hi,
I'm currently on my second series 1 having just replaced my 200TDI with a later 300TDI.Depending on what you can afford,try to go for the 300TDI if you can.The engine is a lot quieter making for more relaxed driving.On early examples obviously you need to look for a full service history if possible with regular oil and filter changes with cambelts changed at 60000 miles.As far as the body is concerned,check the underside carefully for signs of rust and a good tip is to look under the rear area carpet as the rear floor is prone to rusting away.Replacement pannels are cheap but why go down that route if you don't have to.listen for any clonking or knocking noises from the transmission when changing gear and smoothness of gear shifting.The early ones are prone to synchromesh wear particularly on 2nd and 4th gears.I suppose I am a bit biased about the series 1 Discoverys having owned two but the less complicated engine electronic systems tend to suggest longevity.All in all if you pay careful attention to what you are looking at you should be OK and make sure you take it for a test drive before you buy it!