Bad idea??

[preacherman]

I have been talking with a guy a few hours away that has a 1995 Disco 5 speed with 134K, a 2" lift, bilstien's, MT's, rocksliders, diff guard, and a detroit in the rear. He say's it burns coolant and needs the top end rebuilt. He is asking $2000 but says he is "motavated" to sell, so I think I could pick it up for less. I am good with a wrench but have never even lifted the hood of a disco so I don't know much about them. Would this be a good project or a bad idea?

 

[stevenmd]

"burns coolant"... ask him if it's ever been overheated, if so, offer him $1000 so you will plenty of money left for a new engine. once they overheat, you can consider a total rebuild is needed.

post more information and some pics, we can give you a more accurate assessment... over the internet... do you know a local mechanic? where are you located?

 

[MuddyMudskipper]

That's a cheap price for the truck which leads me to believe it might need a little more work that the guy is leading you to believe. For the most part the mechanics of a Discovery Series I are basic and a relative breeze for a DIY'er. Used parts are abundant. For example, there are a couple of complete "spares" trucks for sale locally (CA) on Craigslist that are cheap. One has a blown headgasket and a missing front bumper for $1400 and the other has the motor removed for $600 and neither have body damage. I'd be hard pressed to pass a truck up for that price.

There's a lot of good info in this thread.

 

[preacherman]

yeah, if I go for it I was thinking of offering him somewhere in the 1000-1200 range. Since he lives a few hours away I have not seen it yet. I am going to try and get a buddy to go by and look at it. He did say there was no coolant in the oil. I just e-mailed him some more questions.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

I would buy it assuming the rest of the truck is in decent shape. If it were me I probably wouldn't bother with rebuilding the top end of the engine, I would just source a used engine or one from a 300TDI take out or a wreck or junkyard special for $500 or $1000 or so, which is what you'll be into a head gasket and/or machine work and/or any potentially warped or cracked heads...

 

[stevenmd]

I would buy it assuming the rest of the truck is in decent shape. If it were me I probably wouldn't bother with rebuilding the top end of the engine, I would just source a used engine or one from a 300TDI take out or a wreck or junkyard special for $500 or $1000 or so, which is what you'll be into a head gasket and/or machine work and/or any potentially warped or cracked heads...

i agree 100%!!!!!:coffeedrink: