New "USED" vehicle questions, problems before. don't want to go down same road.

I am currently looking for a "new" USED vehicle. I currently have a 1997 Jeep TJ 6cyl, and have three kids. I do not have enough room for all of my family, plus travel gear. The Jeep is ok, works well off road, just a few minor problems.

I owned a 1997 Disco I, (purchased it used) ,that I sold. I had multple problems out of this vehicle. The four wheel drive "AWD" did not work, I had the motor rebuilt, due to a "knock" and multiple oil and fluid leaks fixed. But still had very little power, as in trying to pass someone, medium hills, etc. I had to replace the power steering pump, pulleys, belts, hoses. The transmission also acted very strangely. The vehicle had right at 80,000 miles one it.

Is this normal, or did I just end up with a lemon. I loved the interior, and the space for my wife and kids. I would like to get another used Disco 1 or 2, or Range Rover. But, I am very wary of them right now, due to my past experience, and reading some of the post on this board, about their problems.

I guess I just need some assurances on looking at another Land Rover product. My requirments are: Room for my family of 5, oldest is 11, youngest is 4. Room for camping equipment. Power in an engine, hills, passing, etc. Off Road ability. I do not plan to attack the Moab or Tellico, but would like to be able to go most places, and snow when needed. This will also be my daily driver to work, kids at school, etc. I am not looking to spend over $10,000. for a used vehicle for my purpose.


Please give me some vehicle ideas...years of the vehicles, benifits, problems, etc. Off road capabilities. I will also be wanting to add aftermarket equipment. ie lights, roof rack, larger tires, etc

Thanks for your help.

Have you tried looking at the Jap Import dealers? Mine is like new and well within your budget.

Yes, your first Disco was a lemon.

I bought a Disco 1 a month ago, and have just had the head gasket and down pipe replaced (head gasket went and downpipe had a heath robinson bodge repair, so whilst the head was off, thought it'd be a good idea to replace the pipe too). Plus, I had the curly dash repaired too, with the aftermarket dash strips (not glue!). Cost me £695 in total, and included all the oils, gaskets, filters, breathers eals, etc. Not bad, but not a great introduction to Disco ownership.

However, it wasn't the disco's fault. the head gasket had previously been repaired with an inferior aftermarket type, and it went at the usual no. 4 pot, pretty bad. The newer gaskets have a modified ring at the no. 4 pot, so hopefully that won't happen again. To cap it all though, the previous repair outfit only tightened the head bolts finger tight. Not even hand tight! It was a failure waiting to happen.

I digress. My Disco is a '94 300 tdi auto, and it is in such good condition, that this minor mishapp has not put me off. As you state, its a true seven seater, and with the recently purchased roofrack (£40 from Ebay) I can travel anywhere with my wife and two nippers, and if I need room in the rear area, I can use the roof rack with a roof box.

Mine has 105,000 miles, 80,000 of which had full Dealer service history. It also came with a print out of the stuff done at LR, and I have to say it is the most comprehensive and involved history I have ever seen, right down to the suspension replacement at 50,000 miles.

I think you will be fairly safe with a 300 tdi, as long as it has full dealer service history. When you go to look, pay a local landrover independent specialist to come with you and test drive it. I had to look at a couple before I settled on this one.

I've added some nice bits to the Disco, the standard stereo was broken by Halfords when they fitted the bluetooth carkit, so the replaced it with the upgrade version Xplod Sony unit (tape to CD for free!). The downside was that the Xplod has red neon lighting, so I went with it and replaced the interior roof lights with red neons. Looks nice at night! I have also replaced the headlamp bulbs with Xenon bulbs (the proper Osram type). I'm adding a bit of clear sealant around the alpine windows, as I have scraped a bit of rust from under the seals. They weren't leaking before, but better safe than sorry.