Issues with Dealers

Hi Guys,

Long time listener first time caller. I've owned three land rovers in my time, two of them still in my possession, and they were all purchased from private sellers with no issues (other than my own lack of experience in the first case).

Having recent experience of a well looked after ES Spec Disco 2 TD5 Auto, I've been looking at buying one myself. I am looking at spending between £6-£7K. From what I've seen I consider this to be towards the top, if not the top of the price range and therefore I expect the condition of the vehicles to reflect this. Especially considering that I have been looking at specialist dealerships. I am not expecting unreasonable things such as zero scratches on the body work, some of these vehicles are 14 years old after all.

But when I come across descriptions that include the phrase 'immaculate condition' and the first photograph clearly shows two headlamp units that are so fogged up and have so much condensation in them you would be lucky to see your way home. Is this not something you would expect a dealer to fix before he asks top dollar for a vehicle? This particular landy was up for £6K at 142k miles.

I've had a description saying 'tyre condition good', not singing from the rooftops that they are brand new but good is good. Checking the MOT history of the vehicle shows that the day previous to me running the check the disco had failed an MOT. Two of the advisories were 'Nearside front tyre nearing legal limit' or words to that effect and 'Offside read tyre has a nail in it'! What am I supposed to take from that other than that the dealer was clearly miselling?

And an issue I have noticed across all dealer adverts especially compared to private sellers is that they never, NEVER, mention the condition of the chassis. One of the most if not the most important factor in deciding the condition of a disco 2. When I call up to ask about the chassis condition the answer I get 9/10 is, "well it went through the mot" or even 'there were no advisories about it' and when I go to see the vehicle I wonder if the inspector even looked!

I don't think I am being unreasonable with my expectations for the condition of the vehicle I am looking for considering the price range I am looking in, but the main point of this thread is I don't think I am expecting too much of dealers. Have I just had several bad experiences and no good so far? Very interested to hear other peoples experiences and thoughts on this.

Thanks for reading.

Jon.

It's a case of buyers beware. A dealers use of language cannot be relied upon. For example the chassis point misses them entirely-if the vehicle has an MOT that's good enough for them for purposes of a sale. There's legislation about sale of goods but they push the boundaries to the limit. Trick is not to be mislead into thinking a description is accurate. At that price range and mileage I'd be ignoring anything they say cos the vehicle is unlikely to be pristine and likely to be in a condition that may look cosmetically ok but as you point out is actually likely that it's got underlying issues. At that mileage peripheral things such as electrical systems sensors switches are at the end of reliability spectrum. Chassis will almost certainly have issues unless it's already had attention. Engine n gearbox may be ok if it's not been thrashed. Rest of drive train will have some wear. Problem is there are buyers out there that will take it all on face value and buy accordingly!

Any faults you find are a bit more leverage for you to knock the price down. If the motors worth buying it wI'll be worth fixing minor faults. If it's not go to the next dealer

I have bought vehicles from dealers with recent M-o-Ts, but which in my opinion should never have passed. I do sometimes suspect a degree of collusion. Items included driver's side wiper with about 30 degrees of movement, one headlight loose and the other mis-aligned. One dealer lost the M-o-T certificate and did a new test. The previous test on the DVLA website had a long list of advises; the new one had none. Don't believe a word they say!

as above charlatans 99% of them ,will never buy from a dealership im lucky I have a family member who is a top mechanic so ive always bought private

Thanks for all the replies guys, really appreciate it. It looks as if my views on dealers are starting to echo yours. I think I will keep looking at dealers trying to find a diamond in the rough, just a case of being hyper vigilant and not believing a word they say! I will however look more at private sellers as it would appear, especially as some would be a part of LR community, that they are far more trustworthy!

Jon.

Personally I'd not be spending 6 or 7K on a D2. A lower mileage better condition D3 can be had for that money, if bought privately. That won't have rust issues and will likely be better looked after too. The D2 is a dinosaur by comparison to the D3. So that's where my money would go.

In

Nodge68 said:

Personally I'd not be spending 6 or 7K on a D2. A lower mileage better condition D3 can be had for that money, if bought privately. That won't have rust issues and will likely be better looked after too. The D2 is a dinosaur by comparison to the D3. So that's where my money would go.

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I'd do the same if I was after a disco.

Nodge68 said:

Personally I'd not be spending 6 or 7K on a D2. A lower mileage better condition D3 can be had for that money, if bought privately. That won't have rust issues and will likely be better looked after too. The D2 is a dinosaur by comparison to the D3. So that's where my money would go.

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Unfortunately I think D3s are ugly as sin! How would a D3 cost the same with less mileage and in better condition? Unless you are comparing dealer D2 prices to private D3 prices?

They're not the best looking LR, especially from the back. Not so sure about the low mileage.
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/55-LAND-ROV...%3A6257f37c15a0a2af569818a9fff06bd5%7Ciid%3A2

6k is right at the top of D2 prices but dont fall into the trap of thinking spending more will get you a better car as its not always the case

Im in the same position as looking for a new eurobox for the missus ,cars can be got cheaper on the private market but there is little to no comeback on a private sale so im not sure about spending 8k + on a private sale ,but as has been said alot of dealers are far from honest !!

Nodge68 said:

Personally I'd not be spending 6 or 7K on a D2. A lower mileage better condition D3 can be had for that money, if bought privately. That won't have rust issues and will likely be better looked after too. The D2 is a dinosaur by comparison to the D3. So that's where my money would go.

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£2 to 3k tops Shirley. Land rovers used to be more supply than demand on the south coast.

Thanks for all the advice. I did end up buying from a dealer in the end. Picked up a very tidy unmolested '53 D2 TD5 Landmark 72K for £5800 with 4 brand new boots on it.