Help on what to look for on used 98 Discovery
Discussion
Hi, I have recently moved to Dubai and have found a used 98 Discovery that I think could be suitable for my wife. It has the 3.9 V8 and has done 67000 miles. From the 1st look at it last night it seems clean and in good condition both inside and out. I will be taking it for a test drive and viewing it in daylight within the next few days.
Question is what should I be looking out for having no experiance with the rover engine and discovery's in general. Are there any particular things to concentrate on.
Thanks in advance, Andy
Question is what should I be looking out for having no experiance with the rover engine and discovery's in general. Are there any particular things to concentrate on.
Thanks in advance, Andy
The advice already given is sound. I owned one of the first ever Discovery's to grace the shores of the UAE and although I was fortunate not to have any problems save a gearbox leak once, I knew of many people who subsequently had all sorts of problems.
The engine is fine as far as the high mileage is concerned and you can expect to be filling it up regularly as you would be using the A/C constantly ...... but, of course, the fuel is dirt cheap so not an issue.
It will have no problem off road wadi-bashing contrary to what others will tell you but in sand it's useless in comparison to the Jap machines ......... I lie not to say that I could drive a Toyota Corolla over sand dunes easier than the Disco ......... get an electric air compressor/cigarl-lighter connection and run your tyres at 5psi for sand.
I would suggest you go to the Sharjah second hand car market and have a good look around for a Landcruiser or a Pajero, the latter being much cheaper (and smaller) but excellent machines.
Good luck.
The engine is fine as far as the high mileage is concerned and you can expect to be filling it up regularly as you would be using the A/C constantly ...... but, of course, the fuel is dirt cheap so not an issue.
It will have no problem off road wadi-bashing contrary to what others will tell you but in sand it's useless in comparison to the Jap machines ......... I lie not to say that I could drive a Toyota Corolla over sand dunes easier than the Disco ......... get an electric air compressor/cigarl-lighter connection and run your tyres at 5psi for sand.
I would suggest you go to the Sharjah second hand car market and have a good look around for a Landcruiser or a Pajero, the latter being much cheaper (and smaller) but excellent machines.
Good luck.
I've had quite a few and the current crop are the wifes 3.9v8i with 130k and my 2003 td5...
by 98 most of the gearbox gremlins were sorted and if its got to 67 k changes nicley and doesent whine the box should be ok.
make sure you can get into low box, ok
brakes were never great on the 300 series but as long as it pulls up straight theyre fine.
find a nice straight bit of road and see if it wanders, the steering box can wear if abused off road.
on that note also check for damage to the chassis.
as for the engine. check for blue smoke on start up to signify oil consumption. if the top end rattles when its warm, the cam is probably knackered as they run hydraulic tappits.. so its not a loose tappit.
and basically does it drive nice, the v8 should pull smothly and have a resonable amount of grunt.
as for land cruiser, well that would be like running a vectra in the uk, everyones got one...
by 98 most of the gearbox gremlins were sorted and if its got to 67 k changes nicley and doesent whine the box should be ok.
make sure you can get into low box, ok
brakes were never great on the 300 series but as long as it pulls up straight theyre fine.
find a nice straight bit of road and see if it wanders, the steering box can wear if abused off road.
on that note also check for damage to the chassis.
as for the engine. check for blue smoke on start up to signify oil consumption. if the top end rattles when its warm, the cam is probably knackered as they run hydraulic tappits.. so its not a loose tappit.
and basically does it drive nice, the v8 should pull smothly and have a resonable amount of grunt.
as for land cruiser, well that would be like running a vectra in the uk, everyones got one...
you neglected to point out than in the UK Vectras are common cos' theyre cheap crap and the marketing men brain wash everyone.
With the exception of America and Blighty the Land Cruiser is thought of as a fantastic,lux off roader that never fails and does exactly what its suppose to,bought by people who know a good product when they see it.As for resale prices,i wont even go there,you can't give a land rover away in Australasia....or a vectra
With the exception of America and Blighty the Land Cruiser is thought of as a fantastic,lux off roader that never fails and does exactly what its suppose to,bought by people who know a good product when they see it.As for resale prices,i wont even go there,you can't give a land rover away in Australasia....or a vectra
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