Thread: Purchacing a Discovery S1 or S2 ?

Hi all,

I'm looking at buying a Discovery either 1 or 2. Will mainly be used for towing
small Lotus 7 and trailer ( maybe 1.25 to 1.5 ton ).

Have had no experiance with 1's or 2's so would like any info on typical things to look for and, would a TD5 do the job ?.

What I could expect to pay for aprox. 2000 model would be handy.

It's a long list of questions but any info would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Tom.

Both the D1 or D2, Diesel or V8, should be easily capable of towing 1.5 tonne. The V8 will be very very thirsty especially when towing but should be cheaper to buy in the first place. By the wording of your question, I'm assuming you are more interested in a diesel and yes a TD5 should be up to the task.

Generally speaking, the later the model, the fewer problems you are likely to have. Ideally, the pick of the Disco's is the D2a which is from late 2002 to 2004. Asking prices for these are still usually over $20,000 so they are a bit more expensive than the earlier D2 models. A 2000 D2 could be had for as low as $10,000 but km's would be high and condition would be lower than average. Asking prices go all the way up to $20,000 so you will just need to do your research and shop around.

Electrical issues give the biggest grief but mechanically the TD5 is a good strong economical and reliable motor. They will all drop a small amout of oil so don't be too concerned about the odd drip hanging off the sump or rear of the engine.

A good proven service history is essential and an inspection by a Landrover specialist should show up any problems.

Some things to check:
Oil in the injector harness - cheap and easy to fix ($150 for a new harness)
Air bag suspension can leak air with age. (new air bags could cost a grand to sort this issue)
Various warning lights can remain on when the car is running. Several causes of this issue. Doesn't usally affect the way the car runs unless the "M" and "S" lights cause the car to run in limp mode. Search this forum for "three amigos" and "M and S" for more info.
Ask if the oil pump bolt has been checked. If it fails you're up for a new motor. Not common in the D2a but has been known to happen.

You can get alot of info from recent threads on this forum. There are a few titled "buying a D2" or similar.

Cheers
Martin