Thread: Advice on new second hand Series 2 1999 TD5

OK, I am now the proud owner of a Land Rover Discovery TD5!

I went for a manual black 2001 TD5 at Graham Powell Mazda garage in Seaford. 172000Km's. Cost $20830 drive away. (Not sure if link below works, I'll maybe post a pic when I pick it up):

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/dealer/LAND_ROVER/DISCOVERY/details.aspx?__Ns=pCar_StatusSort_Int32|1||pCar_Pr ice_Decimal|0&Make=LAND%20ROVER&State=Victoria&__N ne=20&Region=State%20Wide&R=1573856&state_id=903&d istance=25&__Dx=mode+matchany&trecs=30&Model=DISCO VERY&RegionID=789&__N=4294965541+903+4294965540+78 9+834+285+258+287&__Ntk=CarAll&silo=1000&keywords= td5&__sid=111757E33660&Cr=6&__D=td5&seot=0&__Ntt=t d5&__Ntx=mode+matchallpartial

It was very clean inside, although both front seats had a gash on the side, but he'll fix them up. Paintwork was good. Undercarriage was a bit messy with oil leaks, but RWC still to be done and should sort out anything serious, plus I arranged for an RACV inspection to and requested they pay special attention to this.

So now its just insurance to sort and finance to finalise, then all the fun extras to buy, oh and then driving it of course!

Thanks for all your feedback so far, I am sure I'll be back for more advice on all things Land Rover soon.

Congrats mate

Well done mate, keep us posted as you go.

Well done.
BlackBettys little sister
May look nice and clean at the moment,but they tend to get a bit dirty,like this


Goodluck with the new Disco,you will love it!!!!
Andrew

I had a bit of a sleepless night last night worrying about the oil leaks that I saw on the car I bought yesterday!

I'd appreciate some advice on the following if possible please?

- It is written into the contract I signed yesterday "Sold subject to satisfactory RACV test". Does this mean the dealer has to fix all issues identified (apart from any minor wear/tear like small paintchips, etc)? If he doesn't am I able to re-negotiate on price and therefore get the original contract price amended taking into account repairs I'll have to do for example?

- Also in the contract in "Additional Conditions" he wrote "oil leaks" amongst a few other points, as I wanted something down about them. So the dealer should, at a minimum, clean up any oil seepages, and for anything more "serious", e.g. head gasket leak or transfer case seal or something, fix it, whether that means replacing gaskets or whatever. Is that a correct assumption?!

- What is included in the RWC (as dealer said any leak that constitues a failure in the RWC will be fixed) in terms of oil leaks? Anything specific to the Land Rover's known problems with leaks, e.g. oil in the harness/transfer case seal, etc etc?

Sorry if it sounds like I am going on about the leaks! I am new to 2nd hand 4wd car buying, and just worried about my new purchase. I want to be able to drive away happy that nothing serious is leaking only "acceptable, minor" leaks which the Disco's seem prone to. It does have a 3 month/5000k warranty, so I guess if I find anything within that period I just whip it back in and they have to fix it.....

Thanks
(Paranoid) Chaz.

You have a cooling off period of 3 working days. So if you're not happy with the RACV test; you can back out at no charge.

If it was me, I wouldn't take delivery of a $20k car that was leaking oil from various components. Ensure they haven't just degreased it too!

Good luck - remember, it's your hard earned cash you are handing over. There are plenty of cars out there...

Alastair

if the RACV come back with a huge bill,, the dealer may just offer you a lower price----

I would much rather get work done by a reputable LR workshop, and pay the extra,, than have a caryard fix it,,,

Well, I got the RACV inspection back....if anyone is interested in this, I'd appreciate some 2nd/3rd opinions:

As I suspected there are a number of leaks: Two around the engine - valve/timing cover and engine assy lower drv-side, are marked for Immediate Attention.

Other items are marked Early Attention required - oil leaks below battery tray/ECU. Oil level is also noted as overfull. Upper engine cover loose. Coolant appears diluted and is leaking on engine block pass-side. Rear tailshaft/rear coupling is starting to split. Transfer case is leaking and roadtest showed driveline vibration.

Some of the above are noted as "wetness" as opposed to leakages, but I guess its hard to tell (even for RACV) when the engine bay has not been cleaned beforehand.

Other than that the windscreen needs replacing and a headlight is slightly loose, plus the usual wear & tear comments (although personally I thought it was quite clean inside) and some other minor observations about chips/paint/clips missing, etc. Nothing I am too worried about.

The RACV overall rating was amber=caution, although they noted the car is in reasonably good condition and drove well on the roadtest.

Does it sound like a lemon to any of you guys or do you think once the RWC is done and the dealer has fixed it (its a Mazda dealer so I guess they'll do the work rather than a LR dealer), plus I'll be paying for a retest by RACV, it *should* be ok for $20k? I have read about some of the items listed as typical, e.g. transfer case leaking and the rear tailshaft joints, so hope they are easy ones to fix for example.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks!
Chaz.