The Better Kind of Disco: 1995 Land Rover Discovery
The original Land Rover Discovery was an off-road capable family car introduced in 1989 that ditched some of the off-road prowess of the Defender, but was very similar in size and capability to the Range Rover. It was only the third new product line from Land Rover since their inception in 1948 and their first model positioned as a “family” car, but many families used the Defender and Range Rover over the years…so it was more of a “marketing” position. Today’s example is a cheap and equipped with a manual box. Find this 1995 Land Rover Discovery offered for $5500 in Loveland, CO via craigslist.
From the seller:
1995 land rover discovery
cylinders: 8 cylinders
drive: 4wd
fuel: gas
odometer: 206000
paint color: green
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: SUV
1995 Land Rover Discovery – 5 speed manual / Coniston GreenIt runs and drives but will need some love to be a daily driver.
206,000 miles
The Good:
Pretty rust free
Newer exhaust
New clutch slave and master cylinder
Has rear jump seats
Rare 5 speed manual
Rare color for a discovery
Looks cool & gets tons of compliments
The Bad:
Clutch engagement seems rougher than it should be and there’s a little noise
Power steering not working
Emergency brake not working
Speedometer not working
Has some fluid leaks
Drivers side rear window only goes up when it wants to
Needs most maintenance items. (It’s been sitting for the past 2 years)
Windshield cracked
Tip of the key is broken in the ignition (still works fine)
Probably more… If you’re looking for a daily driver that’s ready to go, this probably isn’t the one for you.
I bought this truck about a year ago with intentions of restoring it for myself. It’s just been sitting in my garage and now I’m preparing to move so it might be best to let it go.
A very clean example of a nearly identical discovery recently sold for $33,500
Asking $5,500
See a better way to drive green? tips@dailyturismo.com
6,300 lbs and 182 hp. Dog of dawgs in the acceleration dept. My ex bro-in-law bought a very clean used one and it could barely get out of it’s own way. That being said, it was actually pretty trouble-free for a long time, felt like a tank and probably saved his life in a head on collision. Front end was utterly destroyed, but the cab was in amazingly good shape considering the engine had been pushed half way back into the transmission well…
I shopped these a while back looking for some off road fun. I’m relatively handy with a wrench and figured between that and the Land Rover specialist guys nearby I could manage to keep it going. Then I saw it took premium and only gets 12-16mpg. 14mpg in my jeep with regular is bad enough but at least its regular gas.
I have a friend with three Cortinas, one ’70s Datsun and a Fiat. He got rid of his Disco because it was unreliable. Let that sink in.
Wow. He should consider stepping up to late 70s Saab to improve his fleet reliability.