At $4,995, Is This 1999 Land Rover Discovery A Real Find?

The seller of today’s Nice Price or No Dice Disco says they “just pulled it out of my warehouse to sell it.” That almost makes sit a barn find, but we’ll have to see if it will cost the farm to buy.

2023 Range Rover Sport | Quick Drive

The ad for yesterday’s 2005 Lexus SC430 was full of lovely shots of the car surrounded by lush, colorful plantings set against a waterfall backdrop. According to many of you, though, those surroundings couldn’t mask the inherent homeliness of the Lexus’ lumpy-fumpy style. As nice as the car seemed to be otherwise, that was too much to overlook (or have to look over on a daily basis), making hard work for its $23,950 price tag. In the end, that price didn’t work, leading to a narrow but not quite ugly 57 percent No Dice loss.

Do you collect things? I try not to be a hoarder, but I do have a penchant for collecting old car magazines, with cabinets and shelving in my garage plum-full of years of Road & Track, Car and Driver, and Britain’s CAR magazines. However, my magazine miscellany is small beans when compared to the 23 Land Rover collection gathered by the seller of today’s 1999 Land Rover Discovery II SE7. That’s a lotta’ Land Rovers. 

As daunting as the thought of 23 cars full of electrical issues and oil leaks might be, this Disco. might just fulfill a “best for last” scenario, as it seems to be in solid shape for the most part. According to the ad, it was pulled from a warehouse and then brought up to daily driver usability. There are 148,000 miles on the clock, so it’s neither underused nor overworked, and it will come with four brand-new tires on its factory alloy wheels.

The seller warns that the truck’s aesthetics are not the best, however, noting that the clear coat is crapping out all over the alloy bodywork. They recommend a wet sand or a wrap, noting that a respray probably isn’t in the cards. On the plus side, it’s all claimed to be straight, and there are “Zero scratches, door dings, or dents anywhere on the truck.” It also has aftermarket front and rear bull bumpers and full running boards. All the glass, badging, and trim appear to be intact.

Things are seemingly better in the cabin, with just some minor wear on the driver’s seat and a single tear on the passenger seat to mar the overall appearance. A common bugaboo on these trucks is a saggy headliner, but the ad claims this one to be still sticking it out. New window motors and door handles (both additional pain points on these) have been fitted. Now, all the switchgear is said to work, and the truck is claimed to have “Zero electrical issues.”

These also suffer from a slew of mechanical issues if not properly maintained, but this one’s 4.0-liter V8 and ZF-sourced four-speed automatic are claimed to be without any major issues. Backing that up, the 4WD system also seemingly works as it should. The engine even received a recent oil change as a going-away present, or so the seller says.

This being a ’99 makes it a Disco II, with the longer rear end to accommodate a bigger load area and those cool rear-most jump seats under the even cooler safari windows. Land Rover originally crafted the Disco as a lower-end model slotting under the Range Rover as the older model had crept upmarket over the years. Land Rover used a LOT of Range Rover parts in its creation, and the family resemblance is pretty obvious. Interestingly, the Disco was only the third new model that Land Rover had ever introduced up until that time. Today, these first-generation Discos are about the cheapest way to get into a traditional Land Rover driving experience.

At 24 years old, this truck is certainly old-school but is still young enough that Leonardo DiCaprio might still date it, if only for one more year. It’s legal, too, as it comes with a clean title and current 2024 California tags. Another tag—the price tag—is $4,995.

What’s your take on this Disco and that $4,995 price? Does that feel like a fair deal for the truck as it’s described in its ad? Or is that too much to ask for the humble beginning of your own Land Rover collection?

You decide!

Van Nuys, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Don R. for the hookup!

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