Thread: buying D2 TD5 Advice

Also...
thinking out loud after spending some more time on carsales.

discovery 1... bit cheaper, more room in the budget for some aftermarket gear... tyres, lift, bullbar, lockers etc old 4cyl.

or discovery 2.... right on budget, have to wait longer to afford mods. obviously has the 5cyl diesel instead of the 4cyl



thoughts anyone.

Either Disco are great I've seen Disco 1 with 500K+ and Disco 2 with 300K+ still going strong. Biggest thing is to check for a full service history. With the Disco 2 oil leaking into the injector harness is common and a must to check for. Timing belts on Disco 1 ask when was last changed. rear main seals leaking on Disco 1 are common and you have to remove the gearbox to repair, so check for that, Make sure they don't have the wading plug fitted to bell housing.
ABS on both can be expensive to repair so make sure the ABS lights go out. The Disco 1 you will need to be moving before it goes out. there will be HDC and TC on the Disco 2 these systems are to do with ABS as well.
Auto or manual either works well, go for a drive in both and see what you prefer. the only thing with autos service them regularly and change the filter. The service interval from LR for the disco 2 is 40K and never again, But I always change filter when changing oil.

In addition to the points made by Woko if you go for a D2 check for basic things such as making sure it has a 12v socket in the boot, is fitted with cruise control and has a centre diff lock. Also check the manifold bolts haven't sheared as they can be a weak spot and expensive to replace. Check condition of the radiator and make sure there is no corrosion anyway under any of the hoses. Finally, check all the window rubber seals to make sure they haven't cracked or perished as they can leak particularly from the rear door.

The key to a good one is condition and service history and things being done on time. If you can't evidence that walk away as there are plenty of good ones out there which will come with lots of mods for under $15k, I know I bought one recently !!!

Good luck.

Get one without oil leaks or, if there are oil leaks make sure that they're fresh and not expensive to repair.
Check from front to back of the car, engine bay and underneath at all corners and the transmission and transfer case. Old oil leaks on a car are a good indicator(not including the service history) of how a car has been looked after. If the oil leaks have been ignored, then a lot of other things on the car probably have too. Water colour of the cooling system too.
Look at the instrument cluster, dash and steering wheel. If these have been cared for then it is a good indicator that the rest of the car has been looked after.
Laugh if you want, but these criteria have worked well for me in purchasing reliable second hand cars.