93 Land Rover Discovery - looking to buy but need advice

[davway]

The Disco in question is a 93 V8i, which i would assume is the 3.5L (forgot to see if its a Nov+ build) and is auto as well.
It has 120000km on the clock and the books are still there as well - even though the last service that was filled out was 40000km ago.

Now, its sitting at the local Toyota dealers as a trade in - sold AS IS for $2450 but i reckon i could get it for $2000.

will have to go back monday as he couldnt get it started (no big deal, i have a car like that too), so at this point i havent heard it running nor have i driven it. it does turn over though.

General condition inside is pretty good, no worn carpets or trims and no apparent water leaks either.
didnt check if the windows all worked but i will on monday.

Body is straight all round, paint a bit faded on the bonnet - again, no big deal.
Windows havent got rust growing around them yet, nor has the roof sill but it is just starting as tiny bits of surface rust - no big deal either.
Both front doors have a rust hole on the inside lower corner closet to the front but the door bases themselves have no signs of rust on the outside.
rear doors were fine from memory.
the drivers rear roof corner at the sill has a big rust hole, maybe 4cm big but it hasnt eaten the sill itself - did have a lot worse in a panelvan i once owned.
The rear bar itself is toast - rusted through pretty bad - replaceable but a bit concerning.
Wheel arches appear to be rust free as does a look underneath the body as well.
a closer more detailed look might find some more rust but none stood out.
in my experience, when there is rust like in the rear corner, it is usually all over the vehicle - is this the same for landy's or do they only rust in particular places and the rest is usually fine?
The engine bay also appears to be rust free.
the passenger side knuckle (correct me if that isnt the name) appears to be leaking rather bad as the rims itself is caked in grease - i assume a bearing seal maybe?
engine didnt appear to be leaking, maybe the gearbox and transfer case had a weep of oil but nothing drastic - no oil on the ground underneath the car anyway.
Shocks are toast so they will need replacing too.

Im happy with the rust situation, im happy to fix it myself and ive done it may times before, i just need to know other places to look so i dont get a shock and find a massive hole in the floor or something - advice would be good.

rear bar is just a bolt off thing but where else in the rear should i look and what else should i look for - rubbers, bushes etc?

how much would it cost to stop the knuckle leaking - guestimate?

are brake pads/rotors expensive/hard to find?

Springs i can get for $300~ but i would need shocks as well.
would a 2 inch spring lift be just as easy?

tyres all have good tread but are stocky looking items - RWC anyway.

What else do i need to look for and what tests should i do on it to make sure it isnt a complete box.

I know some would be walking away already but im happy for the cheap outlay + a few repairs, im not looking for a road queen, this will be for offroad use anyway.
cheap means i wont be shattered if i rub it against a tree or break something.
I dont want to buy something and then have to spend another $3000 on it because it was crap to start with and i dont want something that will always need money spent on it either.

any advice or comments/answers to my questions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Loanrangie]

120k is nothing so motor should be ok, its an auto which is better than the crappy lt77 5spd box. Suspension is easy to sort out , a few new bushes and springs/shocks can transform a wobbly boat to a good handling road/offroad vehicle - go for a 2" lift. A worn rear balljoint will make it rear steer and clunk on takeoff, also check the steering box for leaks and wear, plenty of wrecks around if you need spares. For that money if its looks generally clean and drives ok and your'e happy with any visible work thats required then go for it.

[davway]

Thanks for the reply.
i should have mentioned the leaking knuckle is the front passenger, not the rear.
probably doesnt make much difference i dont think it would cost a lot to fix it.

Is there any other specific areas i should check for rust?

[matthewK]

the rear windows on the roof sorta it was pointed out to me they rust there as well also i was told the foot wells somtimes the heater leaks?? and they rust there as well, just what i was told by these guys anyways

[davway]

here are some pics - thoughts?

[garrycol]

It is a 3.5v8 - the 3.9s have orange V8 decals.

Garry

[davway]

I ran the VIN and it came back as 3.5L, which i expected anyway.

[Loanrangie]

Thats some serious rust in the roof, only ever seen it that bad in UK disco's. You could probably find a complete replacement roof easy enough as fixing that one would be expensive to do properly, pretty tidy otherwise from what i can see.

[TRobbo]

To me it looks like that vehicle has a lot of rust in it. early Disco's regularily come up in that price range without the rust so I say make sure you do your homework on what it would cost to fix the existing rust.

I would also be suspect on the left hand side roof having been rusted out previously and fixed either properly or patched given the amount in the rhs. Be worth a closer look.

[Rovernaut]

A hell of a lot of rust on the rear bumper, has this one done a lot of beach work??
What you see is only the visible rust, the back floor in the cargo area should be checked to see if it is rusted, I seen pommy mags where there was severe rust behind the front mudguards where the fire wall is. only visible when guard was removed
I looks like it could be a walk away.... as said before plenty of that vintage without rust.