[Fritz]

Hi - 'new to the forum and new to Rovers.
Was looking at a 2002 D2: 100k miles, 1 owner (but dealer sale), nice condition, drove nicely, but have a few questions:
with engine at idle, the fluid in the power steering reservoir bubbles like boiling water - I have seen that (albeit much less rigorously) on some other cars but thought I'd check here if that's normal or any negative indicator.

Second, I wanted to check out the low gear for any strange noises, 'put the car in neutral (and tried in "park" as well) and tried to shift into low and it was impossible to move the shifter. The dealer guy (apparently a "mechanic") tried it without success either - he finally got the shifter to move after yanking on it for 5 minutes with brute force and it engaged - I drove it a couple hundred feet and it was quiet. Is it possible that the shifter linkage froze up due to non use? He mumbled something about how it should have had the handbrake applied blabla before shifting which must be BS.

Third, rear sunroof was inoperable - 'I am sure that's a minor issue

and last,
front and rear axle had minimum oil sweating and looked good but some device/housing -excuse my ignorance, 'don't have a manual yet - located to the right (passenger side of vehicle) of the transfer case was pretty oil wet with some oil drips. Couldn't really crawl well under the vehicle - maybe you guys know what I am talking about.

So the main concern is the low range shifting issue and the power steering - 'wanted to get some expert opinion from this forum before making a decision.
I am into Italian Alfas and therefore not afraid to get my hands dirty mechanically but trying to avoid obvious pitfalls.
Also, is there anyway to find out if head gaskets had been replaced - dealer has of course no svc history

thanks for all your help

Fritz

 

[Dane!]

Reservior will rush a little but no actual bubbles, like slushing water, it can be pretty fast so no worries. the shifter your supposed to be moving to shift it (1-5mph) way easier (put it in drive then neutral and coast and shift), try that see if it works, check the front drive shaft ujoints and see if they have been replaced with greasable ones, sunroof I have no idea about, in advance these cars are alot of work, but most of us land rover enthusiasts make fixing the car a hobby... But they are awesome off road.

 

[Disco Mike]

Don't even consider buying it till you send it to a Rover shop for a pre-purchase inspection. If you don't and with no knowledge about Rovers, you will be buying a can of worms.
By the way, how much are they asking for it?

 

[Fritz]

Asking $4500 with some wiggle room due to shifter issues - honestly I doubt most dealers especially small ones are willing for a potential buyer to take the car out of their hands to a rover specialist 20+ mls away to tie up the car for 1/2 -1 day for a PPI - especially for a car at that price - I think that's just not realistic in most cases