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mileage.. does it realy mater....?


freeagent

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right. cards on the table... i've got about 3k to spend on an early 300TDi, base model Disco...

they seam to vary wildly in price, from very reasonable to very silly.. :rolleyes:

what i cant make up my mind about is... does mileage (within reason) realy matter if the vehicle has good service history and no obvious faults... <_<

i've seen a couple of 1995 disco's at around the 100k mark, with service history... for around £2500.. :)

.....and the odd one with about 70k on the clock, again with history for about £3200... <_<

i wouldn't go for one with much over 100k no it, but then again my Dads has done 160k and goes realy well...

what would you buy... and why... :huh:

i wanted an Auto, but i think i'm going to go for a manual...

cheers

m@tt.

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Hard to say, much of the wear and tear depends on the quality of the connection between the seat and the steering wheel... a lousy driver does so much damage to a LR, IMHO...

I wouldn't go for anything over 100k personally, but many will disagree with that. If you reckon you can get one with 70k for £3200 I'd be aiming at that sort of level I think.

Bear in mind also that the engine gets thrashed a lot harder with an auto -- though the flip side is that the rest of the drivetrain gets an easier time if it is used by a lousy driver.

A well driven manual would be my choice, look for one with minimum backlash in the transmission, usually a badly driven one loosens up quite a lot, same is true of Defenders, the "bang it through the gate and drop the clutch style of gearchange merchants" usually leave some clear signs by that mileage!

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Hi

I know you said you don't want to travel far but as i work in both ends of the country and study auto traders quite alot ( i know, i should get out more) I would say you will get more for your money up here in scotland. There are some crazy prices down there.

Geoff

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You're a student, Matt? When I was in Uni 2 years ago I had £3k to spend and found a 300 ES which had been lightly rear ended. It took another £500 or so for an alignment check and a new rear bumper, then it was good as new. I'd guess you should be able to find a straight low-spec model for similar money.

I'd expect a £3k Tdi to have had all the modifications done by now (or have died getting there!) I'd say use the mileage as a guide but the condition is much more important. Chassis rot, footwells, rear floor and sills are corrosion areas, as are any leaks from sunroof(s) and heavy breathing/excessive smoke from the engine.

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:o I was lucky if I had £3 to spend, kids of today don't know they're born these days... :ph34r:

Well, if we're going to get bitchy, it was £3k that was left from the £9k I borrowed as my 'interest-free' student loan. By getting a job and paying taxes, as well as being lucky enough to have parents who would help support my rent, I had enough left to buy a cheap Disco, crash it run it for a while and then sell it for a profit to offset (some of) the interest on the interest-free loan.

Less than 12 months from graduating, it now looks like I'll be giving them £12k back. Meanwhile, the rules have now changed and my youngest brother can now "take advantage" of this loan to pay his student fees up front too. Imagine a world where we helped to support the people who will go on to earn the country some money in the future, eh? :rolleyes:

None of this is getting Matt his Discovery though... :P

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My 90 had 94k on it when I got it

other than a turbo rebuild everything else has been just maintenance.

high mleage doesn't bother me

overall condition/servicing is more important, by servicing I mean proper services with reciepts for items, not just a stamped service book.

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thanks guys, my last truck had 100k on it when i bought it, and it lived for another 6 years, (and is still going strong) with only routine maintenance... i just like the idea of something a little nicer, that hasn't been used on 4x4 play days, etc... :rolleyes:

there were loads about before i sold the 110.. now i'm carless the choices seam a little more limited. :(

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I bought my Defender three years ago with 124,000 miles on it.

An Ex BT motor.

Apart from normal servicing this week is the first time I've had to spend real money on it.

New callipes on the front and new brake pipes and master cylindr.

We're on 165,000 miles now.

I eat rat poison

mike

I can cause trouble in an empty house !!!

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As I recently discovered to my cost you need your wits about you when buying from an auction but I would nevertheless suggest that a bargain is to be had. M,N,P reg disco Tdis seem to go for about £2-3k. I have been here a few times.

My one top tip is: Never buy a privatly entered car. It must be there for a reason as it will be worth more as a small-ad sale and is hideing something. I bought one and learned this to my cost. Furthermore; almost any car entered by a fleet/lease company has only gone to auction because it has come to the end of it's lease agreement. It will have been serviced properly too and I would buy one again - had a couple with no worries. Most are only 2-4 years old though. Some are repossesions and may come without V5, keys etc. Main dealer trade-ins are a bit of both, you take an educated gamble. IMHO most are traded simply to buy a newer, better car. Most have service history too, perhaps they are just the kind of people who buy new cars, have main dealer service and trade in as it is the easiest option.

Chris

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IMHO most are traded simply to buy a newer, better car. Most have service history too, perhaps they are just the kind of people who buy new cars, have main dealer service and trade in as it is the easiest option.

Chris

thats a good point, i'd never thought of that, i guess the big dealers just get rid of all their part-ex stock straight to the auctions... and the sort of people who part-ex a car at the main dealers is the sort who probably gets that same dealer to service it, no expense spared. :rolleyes:

i've always liked the idea of buying at auction, i do enough on ebay, but i'm a bit of a ditherer.. and like the idea of a test drive/ walk round the block to think about it.... :blink:

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i've always liked the idea of buying at auction, i do enough on ebay, but i'm a bit of a ditherer.. and like the idea of a test drive/ walk round the block to think about it.... :blink:

At Brightwells (and most other auction houses) you can watch them start the cars (not for the squeemish or those with mechanical sympathy a lot of the time!), here them run, feel the brakes, clutch, steering, gears, look at oil and water levels - check for head gaskets and heavy breathers and WATCH the cars being driven slowly. IMHO, as long as you make all the checks you can and buy sensibly the worst you will end up with is a duff gearbox/axle as those components cannot be tested or inspected properly. You also have protection against the car being a ringer, write-off etc. with most auction houses.

If you want to go to Brightwells I will come along and hold your hand - as long as you promise to hold my wallet. :) Don't trust my buying advice though. :):rolleyes:

Chris

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