Thninking of buying a cheap v8 disco am I nuts?

[snwbrd]

Hey guys,

It's been a while since I have been on here things have changed so I never ended up buying a disco. I recently had an accident so will probably be in the market for a new car soon. Im pretty much over cars in general and really cant be bothered buying anything flash.

I was thinking of a v8 discovery as they are going so cheap these days. I have found a few with less than 150k's for around the 5k mark which is very tempting. I doubt I am going to find a diesel at that price and I am not intending to drive it a lot anyway. It will just end up being a weekend/holiday car so we can do a bit of camping in remote locations. I know the disco is a very capable 4wd and I would love to show up a few of my mates in their 50k+ cruisers with my 5k disco hehe

Just after opinions on models to steer clear of. Most of the ones I am finding around the 5k mark are mid to late 90's. I just don't want a car that is prone to breakdown as I know the car will end up costing me 10k if anything major goes wrong.

LPG conversion is a likely option I will consider unless I buy one already converted. Is is possible to mount the LPG tanks under the disco's? I have seen a 100 series 6cyl cruiser with two torpedo tanks mounted under the car. My only concern there is off road, will the LPG tanks get damaged if I go off road?

With the 2k government rebate I should not be looking at more then 1-1.5 k out of my pocket Im told, is that realistic?

[loanrangie]

No not nuts, you will get a lot of vehicle for bugger all $$, try and find 1 on lpg already if you can especially with the rear twin tanks. The twin tanks tuck up neatly in place of the fuek tank and hardly effect ground clearance at all if any, if you are going to get a car converted just get a tank in the back of the car unless you are into camping and general carrying crap around.

[crump]

Possibly, but without a full psychological assessment its hard to say.:p

[snwbrd]

haha well lets not go there. :twisted:

So 5k for a 95 with the conversion already done would be a bit of a bargain? It only has 160 on the clock.

Is there anything to watch out for with these v8's? Did these discos have other issues? electrical issues etc?

I was looking a 97 (122k) that has not been converted and thinking of offering 4k for it.

I am no mechanic but know a little bit, enough to do basic stuff. I'm just concerned about buying a problematic car and ending up forking out loads to fix it!

So if the LPG tanks are mounted underneath I need to loose the fuel tanks yes? what's the capacity of the tanks when done like that? I've heard 300km range? I saw a setup with the tanks in the boot and it seems to take up most of the boot which for me is not ideal as we like to camp.

[Cap]

Mate, send Shorty a PM, hes got a 97 V8 Disco (by the way, he will be selling) and can give you hes personal opinion on them ;)

[100I]

One like this? ;)
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY S 1997 details - CarPoint Australia (http://www.carpoint.com.au/used-car/LAND%20ROVER/DISCOVERY/Queensland/csn5741035.aspx)

[mcrover]

No not nuts, find one on gas or budget to get it converted.

As long as your not planning long distance touring or swimming it through deep mud and water then there isnt much difference other than price and the loss of either the 80ltr fuel tank or the loss of cargo space for the gas tank.

[p38arover]

I have found a few with less than 150k's for around the 5k mark which is very tempting. I doubt I am going to find a diesel at that price and I am not intending to drive it a lot anyway.

I have a 1995 (facelift) 300Tdi diesel Disco auto for sale and it's around your price range. Registered to May 2009.

See AULRO Classifieds - Message - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds (http://www.aulro.com/apc/showproduct.php/product/1856/cat/9)

[big guy]

Mate
I just bought a 94 ES with 117k. Leather, sunroofs the lot.
Spend 1200 to get up to my standard.
Getting gas put on by Land Rover specialist in SA.
Doing 3 slim tanks on floor in back.I will loose one of the dicky seats but gas cuts running cost in half.
Will pay roughly 500 on top of rebate.
Its a great riding car, had 7 RRC before.
This is a lot of car for very little money.

[Hymie]

You can have this one for 5 Grand...
AULRO Classifieds - Message - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds (http://www.aulro.com/apc/showproduct.php/product/1915/cat/9)

[V8Landy]

No not crazy just get it checked out properly and make sure its been serviced regulary.I bought one that had had a lot of stuff replaced so thought that must be it.News to me was it hadn't been serviced properly and obviously wasn't looked after that well so cost me a fortune.So the next time i knew what to look for and hasn't been to bad.Still some probs but you will get that with any vehicle.Here is a link to what mine is like in the back(with gas tanks in).Cheers Brett

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/55365-b-dy-dog.html

[snwbrd]

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like I should be able to get a hold of something suitable for 5k. I was surprised to hear an LPG conversion can be had for $2500. Are things just cheaper in SA? or should I expect to find someone in Sydney to convert it for under 3k?

If anyone can recommend a good LPG shop in Sydney it would be appreciated. I may just be going down that track.

[big guy]

The gas is probably no cheaper here.
We do have a bloke here by name of Jilden Reichart.
He has done 2 rangies for me and is great.
This Disco is getting 3 tanks on floor in back which are 2nd hand but re-tested and like new now.
The expense comes when they remove fuel tank and have to fit little auxillary tanks. Most of the good LPG systems use a 1-2 second injection of petrol, helps cars start when cold etc.
Am getting the full thing with O2 sensor and the rest, he also runs full copper lines and is a engineer but a tad on the eccentric side and works from home, I am currently no 13 in line for a conversion.

I swear by gas but you must remember, its actually less econom ical in terms of consumption just that its so cheap to buy for the time being