Hey folks, I'm new to the disco world, and new to this forum too, so be gentle with me
Ok, i've got a BMW, 328i touring (estate). I'm going to be PX'ing it in the next few weeks (sooner the better) for a 7 seater disco. I've got one i want to look at tomorrow or tuesday, but i don't know what i'm looking at to be honest. so, i'd apreciate it if you good folks could give me some pointers as to what to look for, whats good, whats bad, and what i should run away screaming like a girlie from.
It's a 300 TDI manual on a 95-96 plate that i'm looking at tomorrow.
Thanks in advance for any help,
Gav.
Hi Gav, the point I would offer is - have you driven one yet? The performance difference between a 328i and a Tdi 300 Disco is HUGE!!!
Are you ready for it??
Ok assuming you are ready to go slow and get your hands dirty playing with a Disco and repairing it, I would offer the following points to aid your selection:
1. Rust - boot floor, lift the carpet, lift the rubber sound-absorbing mat and look for ANY rust. Also, feel the rubber mat for ANY damp. If there is any moisture/rust, it indicates a leak from either sunroof or one of the rear windows;
2. Rust - open the rear passenger doors (not the back door) and look on the 'c' post for rust where the wheelarch meets the upright. There is almost always some corrosion here, if there isn't it's likely to have been repaired;
3. Rust - inner & outer sills. This requires getting underneath and prodding carefully - this is an expensive fault to have garage repaired;
4. Rust (bit of a theme here!) - open the engine bay, find the inner wheelarches/wings and check for rust - any rust here can be straightforward to repair, but sometimes indicates hidden rust which is more complicated/expensive to resolve;
5. Mechanicals - engines, good & strong if well maintained, check for leaks, smoke, undue noises, poor performance. Straightforward to service/repair yourself. Gearboxes, normally good, transfer boxes, listen for undue noises. Drivetrain, listen for knocks, play and undue noise.
Good service history is paramount - when you buy imo first thing to do should be a major service, preferably done by yourself so that you know what's been done, including all filters, engine oil, gearbox & trannsfer box oils, axle oils - so that you establish a baseline to move forward from.
You may come across a Disco that is supposed to have been serviced recently, as I did, but when you do the above mentioned full service you are likely to find that the axle & gearbox oils haven't been changed since God was a boy !!
Hope that helps
Cheers
Dave