Is this a good deal?

[LR3]

I turned 16 not long ago and I have started looking into a car, and my history teacher said that he was wanting to sell his 1994 Land Rover Discovery 1 for $1,500. From what I have looked up online, that is the average price for a 94 D1. His has an ARB front winch bumper with offroad lights, a safari rack with off road lights, three inch lift kit, and 35s(I think) with mathcing spare. He said that it has 200,000+ miles but it is a rebuild engine/trans. He says that the only problems are the power locks don't work, and that the windows are glitchy(sometimes they work, somethimes they don't) so it may just be a short in the system, and that it needs regular brake service. What do y'all think? I asked my grandfather and he said it sounds good despite the windows and lock.

[666]

Do you have the income to maintain a Land Rover, they can be pricey to keep on the road.

[Mr.Slave]

if you want a good first car get a volvo.
cause youll crash it

[canadianbacon]

It's a British vehicle, you're going to spend more time fixing it then actually driving it, especially since it has an electrical problem.

[K_B]

If you want a 4x4, get a Jeep Wrangler or a Toyota pickup. Stupid simple; not chock full of electronics; you can work on them yourself. Otherwise, get a Honda Civic; goes for years on a tank of gas and they refuse to die. Anything used from Europe or the UK is a money pit; especially the older stuff.

[AB8DQ]

They are reliable cars, but you have to remember that they are imports and the insurance is gonna be really expensive. Not to mention your age...Your insurance company will really love seeing your payments...

[entropy]

Originally Posted by LR3

I turned 16 not long ago and I have started looking into a car, and my history teacher said that he was wanting to sell his 1994 Land Rover Discovery 1 for $1,500. From what I have looked up online, that is the average price for a 94 D1. His has an ARB front winch bumper with offroad lights, a safari rack with off road lights, three inch lift kit, and 35s(I think) with mathcing spare. He said that it has 200,000+ miles but it is a rebuild engine/trans. He says that the only problems are the power locks don't work, and that the windows are glitchy(sometimes they work, somethimes they don't) so it may just be a short in the system, and that it needs regular brake service. What do y'all think? I asked my grandfather and he said it sounds good despite the windows and lock.

Looking at it from a few points -

1. why is he selling it?
2. do you trust the guy?
3. have you seen it personally?
4. if the tires are 35's, thats a lot of stress on the trans and running gear - plus it throws mileage off, and speedo readings off unless its been recalibrated.
5. when was the engine/trans rebuilt, and what was the mileage at the re-build?
6. what is the mileage on the re-build?
7. the combined numbers are the wear and tear on the rest of the vehicle
8. 4x4 always require more, and more frequent maintenance
9. I would think the window issues would be the switches, motors,etc. Shorts in the electrical system arent cool.
10. aside from the big tires wearing on the brakes more, is there any other reason that he mentioning it needs "regular brake service", and aside from the usual, what may he mean by that statement?
11. has this vehicle been used for a lot of OHV recreation?


additional issues

a. its a British vehicle, therefore, given that simple fact, it is not particularly reliable. Land Rovers can be tough, but they are not real dependable. I have had friends who have had all sorts of models, some multiple at the same time. They like them, but complain about reliability. Cost isnt an issue, cause they have the $$$.

b. maintenance and parts will be expensive

c. you may have some difficulties finding a good honest mechanic that wont drain your bank, families, and then your blood.

d. given your age, you may find it very hard to find someone to insure you, or if you can it will be more expensive. If your grades arent real good, it will be more expensive.


Although it sounds cool, it aint worth the cost. I have a few years on ya, and there have been cars I looked at that where in the multiple 5 digit range. I loved the cars, I could afford the cars. Problem was difficulty in service, and cost of service and maintenance. In the end wasnt worth it.

Ive had 3 Toyota 4x4's, 1 Dodge 4x4, 2 Chevy 4x4's, 1 Ford 4x4's, and 2 Jeep 4x4's. I would really try to stick to Toyota's.

Ive also had 3 German high-performance cars, so Ive dealt with the expensive European parts, maintenance, repair issues. Pretty stupid at times how much it can cost.

[aaugman]

the reason they have such terrible re-sale value is the fact that it costs to much to fix, my friend had a 98 valued at about 5500. the transmission was leaking so he spend 1300 fixing a seal then the tranny went out which cost him another 3500.

Stay away from it if you want a good reliable first car and not a project. If money is an issue its not a good deal.


Penny wise, pound foolish

a Yj jeep can be found for $2500 with a lift, thats a way better, fun first car.


It would also help to know what you goal for this car is. If its just ot school and back then thats one thing, if you want something to go wheeling or a project thats another.

[Skeeno]

my buddy has one and says everytime it needs work it's $1500.

[scx10mudder]

+1 for the toyota 4x4

my buddy has a 85 toyota pick up that has a three inch lift and thirty threes that we have beat the snot out of. it does awesome offroad, and they are very simple to work on yourself...it still runs like a top. i couldn't think of a better truck for a new driver

[Byro]

Originally Posted by K_B

If you want a 4x4, get a Jeep Wrangler or a Toyota pickup. Stupid simple; not chock full of electronics; you can work on them yourself. Otherwise, get a Honda Civic; goes for years on a tank of gas and they refuse to die. Anything used from Europe or the UK is a money pit; especially the older stuff.

^What he said.

[Highlucks]

Get a hilux and save yourself the trouble.

[WIDELOAD]

Yup...Go for a Toyota or a Jeep..

Anything British you will be f*cking with it on a regular basis.

This is because.

- Lucas electrics suck hairy nuts and constantly shit themselves for no apparent reason. (eg. See the window issue he already told you about)
This is why Lucas Electrics have the nick name 'The Prince of Darkness'

- If he has put lift and big tires under it without anything else you will be regularly replacing CV's on the front and the ring & pinion will follow shortly after.

- It will most likely catch fire (see first point )

- They are a bitch to work on in general, and parts will end up costing more than the car itself.



All in all, for the same cash pick up a toyota or jeep and you'll be fine.

[crawlhog]

if you read all the responses the answer is


NO

[untchabl]

If you want a reliable yet off-road capable suv, then get a Jeep Cherokee. For $1500 you can find one in good condition, possibly even with some upgrades already done.

The 4.0 engine and AW4 transmission are very tough and simple to work on when you need to.

Otherwise look for a Toyota pickup as the others have mentioned.

[ped453]

money pit IMO

[Boogie]

LR's are nice vehicles and can be pretty killer offroad, but I agree with others that you would be better suited to get something like a Jeep or Toyota if you want a reliable and cheap-to-fix 4x4. Those two aspects are very important, especially for one of your first vehicles like that, because you will not want to spend a lot of your free time working on your daily driver, and you will manage to break parts, whether it be from your own mistakes or simple wear and tear.

I have a 91 Toyota Extended Cab 4x4 Pickup that has 300,000 miles on it and for the most part, is stupid cheap to fix anything that has gone wrong on it. Pretty much any part I need can be ordered from a local auto parts store and won't cost me an arm and a leg....try doing that with any LR. I do admit that I love the capabilities of LR's and the looks of most of them as well, but I will likely never own one because of the upkeep...it's just not worth it to me.

[jason]

Originally Posted by 666

Do you have the income to maintain a Land Rover, they can be pricey to keep on the road.

Haha, didn't you used to have one, I think I remember seeing it once.

[crash]

I have never understood making your first vehicle a new/very nice car.

Get a decent cheap vehicle for the first one.

[demonoid369]

get a jeep with a in-line 6 engine, those things never freakin die, my mom's jeep had 246,000 miles and it still kept going, we sold it to someone else like 3 or 4 years ago and we see the guy still driving it today