Thread: Need advice for buying Disco I 1999 2.5 TDi

Hello, I am totally new in this and never owned a LR.

I am in East Timor and here we need 4x4 because the roads are very bad
and once out of the city,they get worse, it is the bush. I found a nice opportunity for a LR Discovery I, 1999, TDi 2.5. I saw it and everything seems fine and the owner seems a passionate, he has 2 Disco II. The car has about 79000 km and was essentially used in the city. Oil has been
changed on a regular basis (every 5000 km). This being said, there is no
way to have a record of the car...

I found a mechanic with experience with Land Rover so that's a good point. They used to service the UN Landrovers Discos. In East Timor Disco have a bad reputation as they seemed to have lots of problems with the engine and he showed me the part and mentioned that it cost 3500 $ - I saw a lot Disco at the mechanic that were just left there. No check was done on the disco, as I needed to make appointment.

To be honest, I am tempted, as I feel the car is in good shape. Nothing seems to leak, no weird noise and it seems robust and very comfortable. I will still take it for a test drive in some trails.

If I buy it it will essentially be used in the city by my wife and only
during week end and holidays we will take it for some expedition to
explore the country (outside of the city, roads are rough). I am even tempted to do an expedition with it and cross all Indo once my contract is done....

I've read they can be or are very unreliable, well is it true? The car
seemed fine and well cared of, but I am no specialist and neither a
mechanic.....That's why I am asking. Do you have any tips based from
your experience or knowledge? How much is it actually worth? Is there any parts I can order from Australia through the net if needed?

Here is the link for the add:
www.EXPATDILI.com "a place to live - a place to love" • View topic - LAND ROVER - For Sale

Thank you in advance for sharing your advices

Thank you very much for your answer, it's much appreciated. I took it to another mechanic and noticed that oil was leaking from the engine, I also noticed that the back windows aren't working. He also told me that the price is too high due to the cost of parts here in Timor (Price for a Disco here is about 3000 US$)....

Well, this being said, I really liked the feeling and it seems very strong. Before I started the negotiation, I will make an appointment to the mechanic to have it checked carefully, but before I start this process I took a few pictures of different parts so you can hopefully tell me if she looks ok from the inside or what I should pay attention off if possible. I want to be sure if I buy what I should prioritize to take care and if it is worth it as I might need to import the parts and this has quite a high cost here in Timor.

So what is your diagnosis?

Thank you.