Ive bought this disco today !! your thoughts please

After a lot of searching and looking at a few 4x4s and this twice, i put a deposit down on it today and pick it up tomorrow, i know nothing about 4x4s this is my 1st !!!! to keep my bmw e30 off the road for the winter snow and ice

1997 discovery 300 TDI

5 Doors,auto, Diesel, 150,000 miles, silver, Full Service History and owners handbook, Leather upholstery, Front and rear electric windows, Remote central locking, Rear electric windows, ABS, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Anti theft system, CD, Central locking, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors,, Foglights, Head restraints, Headlight washers, Heated screen, Heated seats, Leather seats, Locking wheel nuts, Metallic paintwork, Passenger airbag, Power assisted steering, Radio, Rear armrest, Remote locking, Roof rails, Sideskirts, Sunroof, Towbar, Adjustable seats,Cruise control

the interior is mint, really really nice, all the headlining etc is superb, tyres are all excellent and a brand new spare, its having a full service and a brand new mot put on it and i pick it up tomorrow afternoon, also got 3 months all parts and labour warranty, which appealed rather than an ebay gamble

the chassis is lovely and looks like its had a nice on the road life, exterior was nice, cple of tiny bits of very light bubbling near the side windows at the top,nothing hardly noticable mind, engine bay is nice and engine looked and drove and sounded all nice, its mechanicly really sound, felt great to sit in, like a mobile front room

ive paid £1900 for it, and a £100 deposit today

il add proper pics tomorrow once its home

i thought id post a thread to get some views, and get some last min things to check up on it from some experts ??? ...so if really need be i can walk away and get my deposit back

here she is

looks good - ave you lifted the rear carpet yet ?

only faults on it....the cruise control isnt working, he said theyl look at it during the service and see if it can be fixed , if not let me know what the fault is

and this rear arch, in looking about ive read its a common issue ?

however thats being done for when i pick it up, so if its not sorted out to a good standard i can get my despoit back and walk away

is it bad /nothing to worry about concidering the overall condition of the car is lovely and interior is mint etc

Equus Ferrous Ferrous is alive and well ?

Those seats look sexy.

As for the rust, it's common on the Disco 1s. If it wasn't for that, I'd get one myself. While the arches can be fixed up, you have to question whether or not there's rust elsewhere on the vehicle, it's highly possible. Sometimes it can be hiding under the carpet and trim etc. I strongly advise you to give it a good check over. The guys here should be able to give you advice on all of the common spots.

Cheers

Rich

Sean said:

looks good - ave you lifted the rear carpet yet ?

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no ? how do you do this exactly ??

i did try but wasnt sure how it lifted

what i would appriciate...is a few things to check for tomorrow,and il check them before handing over the ££££

ie common things, what to look for, and where to check properly

and also whats "walk away" sort of issues, and whats ok/expected

i had a look yesterday and looked ok

i went and had a look at another one today ,a mate whos a mechanic his boss got one in...its a 1995 green jap import one,was imported in 2000, he showed me round that, he wanted 1800 as a mates mate price not a penny less, the interior was shabby and not leather etc, old brown style,saggy headlinging n stuff, although the wings were really nice, it didnt have all the mod cons and electrics the silver one did, engine bay wasnt as nice and clean, looking at the chassis they looked the same ! i went back for another look,and really liked it so did the deal, however should i get some good advice ehar on what further i can check tomorrow and i can find bad in it,il walk away ask for my deposit back

cheers rich...the interior was really nice, headlining was all mint and no sign of leaks/damp/water issues anywhere inside i could find etc, heated electric seats were lovely, original stereo too

i do have 3 months all parts and labour warranty and 5 months tax,years mot, not bad for 1900 ?

polsta said:

no ? how do you do this exactly ??

i did try but wasnt sure how it lifted

what i would appriciate...is a few things to check for tomorrow,and il check them before handing over the ££££

and alsos whats "walk away" sort of issues, and whats ok/expected

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Take someone with you who knows what they're looking for

polsta said:

no ? how do you do this exactly ??

i did try but wasnt sure how it lifted

what i would appriciate...is a few things to check for tomorrow,and il check them before handing over the ££££

and alsos whats "walk away" sort of issues, and whats ok/expected

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lots of rust is the walk away issue, assuming the engine/drive train etc is sound - around cills and seat belt mounts is the main problem, have a browse around on here there's plenty of images that'll point you where to look

lot of vehicle for not much money

Looks like you have bought a nice motor there to me and as you say its like driving an armchair

Enjoy it!

Bromsgrove Defender said:

Take someone with you who knows what they're looking for

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trouble is...i got 1 mate whos a mechanic and hes flat out busy, only got sunday he could go look at it, but was under a disco with him this morning he pointed out stuff to check, and i did,and it was all good

im not a total dummy, i have a 1990 bmw e30 and a 1986 xr3- both cars can have rust issues and i now what to look for on them

had a good look under and over the disco, and that wing was the only thing really, all panels are nice and the paint is nice,chassis looked great,exhaust wasnt that old a year or 2 and looked good,the diffs etc all looked ok and not covered in oil , underneath looked good

i had looked at an isuzi bighorn yesterday too for £1500- that was shagged and chassis and underneath was worse for wear

im just after some real disco specific issues

how do i check the rear floor/under carpet and what am i looking for exactly ??

aving just seen the arch pics don't part with any money until you've seen the boot floor from above

check inner wings, boot floor (lift carpet up in boot) if its been stuck down then its more than likely hiding rust. check seatbelt anchor points on rear inner wings. cills are common for rotting away and with the condition of that arch id say behind the plastic cill covers will be rotten too. im not trying to put you off but theres nothing worse thn buying a lemon

horse62 said:

Looks like you have bought a nice motor there to me and as you say its like driving an armchair

Enjoy it!

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thanks mate, i really hope i have !! just thought id do some last min things to check for and go back and check them tomorrow before handing over the reddiesl

looked great to me and cant wait to drive it and have a winter with warranty, nice to know if it breaks between now and 1st of march...il be covered

interior really was a deal breaker looked and felt lovely

Considering the very rusty wheel arch, and the side steps still covering the sills, i expect those sills to be well rusted...

if it has sun roof, i bet the soundproofing under the carpet is soaked in water and the floors rusted....

so many things you have to look at that takes ages to describe

im with Sean on this one.... if the wheel arch is that rusted, god knows how the rest is!

bet they give it a good clean, engine, interior, etc.. so potential buyers, like you, get all excited and buyt it.

I would be more interested in the jap import as there's no salt on their roads and they are usually better in terms of rust problems...

where abouts are you?

That rear arch and wing are far too heavily rusted for the rest of the vehicle to have got away with no further rust. Remember you are buying a whole vehicle, not just an interior!

Undo and remove the trim strip in the boot near the back door and lift the carpet. I bet it ain't silver anymore!

its obviously had a really good polish and steam clean. bottom of the arch where it meets the cills is rusty so behind the covers will be a nightmare! trust me!

redhand said:

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Is this an apparition, I see before me

nah I couldn't resist revelling in BOB's ignorance and stupidity.