Discovery price estimate - help please!

Hi,

I have an opportunity to buy a Land Rover Discovery, 2000 model, with very
low mileage, less than 10,000 miles on the clock. I know its history,
mileage is genuine and there is a good reason why its so low - the vehicle
has not been on the road since early 2001.

The model is an XS, TD5 2.5L diesel, 7 seater, good internally and in only
fair condition externally, has not been properly stored and the paint is a
bit scratched etc.

My dilemma is this - I have a chance to buy this vehicle at a 'fair' price
from the current owner. I want to pay a realistic figure and am not out to
get a bargain at the expense of the seller. I am resident in Australia and
would be exporting the vehicle there, so long as the price paid made sense
compared with the local price - it will cost me about 2500 pounds to ship it
and put it on the road here.

Questions are :

1) Anyone care to estimate what a fair price is for that vehicle? Any
suggestions how best to find this out?

2) If the current owner sells at auction, what is the current going
commission rate they would be charged by one of the major UK auction
companies?

3) Any recommendations for a good vehicle shipping company? Preferably north
west of england based but I guess I can get the vehicle transported anywhere
in UK fairly easily. I thought about putting it in a container but I guess
that will be more expensive than roll-on roll-off, anyone know?

4) If the vehicle has been off the road without being prepared properly for
storage, what maintenance items should I specifically have checked out? I
always reckon cars fare better if they're used regularly or is that just a
myth?

Any help appreciated!

Thanks,
Neil.

N composed the following ...

> 1) Anyone care to estimate what a fair price is for that vehicle? Any
> suggestions how best to find this out?

I'd look at Autotrader for what people are asking, at eBay for what people
are paying, and visit an auction or two and a few Landrover salesrooms, main
dealer and general sales, to see what's available and at what cost.

> 2) If the current owner sells at auction, what is the current going
> commission rate they would be charged by one of the major UK auction
> companies?

http://www.bawtryauctions.co.uk/
http://www.british-car-auctions.co.uk/

> 3) Any recommendations for a good vehicle shipping company? Preferably
> north west of england based but I guess I can get the vehicle transported
> anywhere in UK fairly easily. I thought about putting it in a container
> but I guess that will be more expensive than roll-on roll-off, anyone
> know?

Dunno, but there seem to be loads after a cursory search on the interweb ..


> 4) If the vehicle has been off the road without being prepared properly
> for storage, what maintenance items should I specifically have checked
> out?

I'd want to change all fluids, including cooling, gearboxes, diffs, brake,
power steering and clutch fluids and check that all
pistons/valves/components on such systems work correctly. New seals might
be in order too very quickly after re-starting working. I'd also want to
change every fan-belt, drivebelt, whatever. I'd check all wheels and tyres
for pressure and sidewall splits/degradation. I change the tyres on the
caravan every five years whether they look worn or not, and I reckon it'd be
an insurance policy to do so on a vehicle stood for more than a year or so.
The battery might need replacing, and all electrical systems need checking
thoroughly. If any wires, or the fuse boxes, have had condensation in them
they may not now be operative.

Before running the engine I'd hand-crank it a few times to get some oil
moving round it. At first 'real' start-up I'd let it run at just above idle
for a good while before trying anything with it. Indeed, I'd make sure it
runs on all cylinders at all before doing anything with it .. then I'd run
it up and down slowly a few times in all gears, making good use of the
brakes to clear surface rust and crap from the discs. I'd make a point of
having new pads ready to replace the ones that had been stood, there is a
chance they could get badly contaminated if there's a lot of rust on the
discs.

When everything is thoroughly warm only then would I start trying any
diff-locks, low boxes, transfer boxes, traction controls etc etc. Every so
often whilst it's running for the first few days I'd also check underneath
for any oil leaks or fluid leaks that the new movements might cause.

> I always reckon cars fare better if they're used regularly or is that just
> a myth?

I'd agree with that, and would rather buy a vehicle that has been used
regularly, against one that's been stood. Certainly one that's been stood
longer than a couple of years anyway ... If it's been stood as long as
you say it ought to be pretty cheap, and might possibly need more doing to
it than is immediately apparent.


--
Paul ...
http://www.4x4prejudice.org/index.php
(8(!) Homer Rules ...
"A tosser is a tosser, no matter what mode of transport they're using."

"N" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I have an opportunity to buy a Land Rover Discovery, 2000 model, with very
> low mileage, less than 10,000 miles on the clock. I know its history,
> mileage is genuine and there is a good reason why its so low - the vehicle
> has not been on the road since early 2001.
>
> The model is an XS, TD5 2.5L diesel, 7 seater, good internally and in only
> fair condition externally, has not been properly stored and the paint is a
> bit scratched etc.
>
Between £10,300 to £12,700 depending on condition i.e. poor to good.

Peter.

If you don't go for it, I'm on the lookout for one after rolling mine just
before Xmas.

cheers
Mark


"N" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I have an opportunity to buy a Land Rover Discovery, 2000 model, with very
> low mileage, less than 10,000 miles on the clock. I know its history,
> mileage is genuine and there is a good reason why its so low - the vehicle
> has not been on the road since early 2001.
>
> The model is an XS, TD5 2.5L diesel, 7 seater, good internally and in only
> fair condition externally, has not been properly stored and the paint is a
> bit scratched etc.
>
> My dilemma is this - I have a chance to buy this vehicle at a 'fair' price
> from the current owner. I want to pay a realistic figure and am not out to
> get a bargain at the expense of the seller. I am resident in Australia and
> would be exporting the vehicle there, so long as the price paid made sense
> compared with the local price - it will cost me about 2500 pounds to ship
it
> and put it on the road here.
>
> Questions are :
>
> 1) Anyone care to estimate what a fair price is for that vehicle? Any
> suggestions how best to find this out?
>
> 2) If the current owner sells at auction, what is the current going
> commission rate they would be charged by one of the major UK auction
> companies?
>
> 3) Any recommendations for a good vehicle shipping company? Preferably
north
> west of england based but I guess I can get the vehicle transported
anywhere
> in UK fairly easily. I thought about putting it in a container but I guess
> that will be more expensive than roll-on roll-off, anyone know?
>
> 4) If the vehicle has been off the road without being prepared properly
for
> storage, what maintenance items should I specifically have checked out? I
> always reckon cars fare better if they're used regularly or is that just a
> myth?
>
> Any help appreciated!
>
> Thanks,
> Neil.
>
>
>

That's great Paul, thanks for the assistance.


Neil.


"Paul - xxx" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> N composed the following ...
>
> > 1) Anyone care to estimate what a fair price is for that vehicle? Any
> > suggestions how best to find this out?
>
> I'd look at Autotrader for what people are asking, at eBay for what people
> are paying, and visit an auction or two and a few Landrover salesrooms,
main
> dealer and general sales, to see what's available and at what cost.
>
> > 2) If the current owner sells at auction, what is the current going
> > commission rate they would be charged by one of the major UK auction
> > companies?
>
> http://www.bawtryauctions.co.uk/
> http://www.british-car-auctions.co.uk/
>
> > 3) Any recommendations for a good vehicle shipping company? Preferably
> > north west of england based but I guess I can get the vehicle
transported
> > anywhere in UK fairly easily. I thought about putting it in a container
> > but I guess that will be more expensive than roll-on roll-off, anyone
> > know?
>
> Dunno, but there seem to be loads after a cursory search on the interweb
...
>
>
> > 4) If the vehicle has been off the road without being prepared properly
> > for storage, what maintenance items should I specifically have checked
> > out?
>
> I'd want to change all fluids, including cooling, gearboxes, diffs, brake,
> power steering and clutch fluids and check that all
> pistons/valves/components on such systems work correctly. New seals might
> be in order too very quickly after re-starting working. I'd also want to
> change every fan-belt, drivebelt, whatever. I'd check all wheels and
tyres
> for pressure and sidewall splits/degradation. I change the tyres on the
> caravan every five years whether they look worn or not, and I reckon it'd
be
> an insurance policy to do so on a vehicle stood for more than a year or
so.
> The battery might need replacing, and all electrical systems need checking
> thoroughly. If any wires, or the fuse boxes, have had condensation in
them
> they may not now be operative.
>
> Before running the engine I'd hand-crank it a few times to get some oil
> moving round it. At first 'real' start-up I'd let it run at just above
idle
> for a good while before trying anything with it. Indeed, I'd make sure it
> runs on all cylinders at all before doing anything with it .. then I'd run
> it up and down slowly a few times in all gears, making good use of the
> brakes to clear surface rust and crap from the discs. I'd make a point of
> having new pads ready to replace the ones that had been stood, there is a
> chance they could get badly contaminated if there's a lot of rust on the
> discs.
>
> When everything is thoroughly warm only then would I start trying any
> diff-locks, low boxes, transfer boxes, traction controls etc etc. Every
so
> often whilst it's running for the first few days I'd also check
underneath
> for any oil leaks or fluid leaks that the new movements might cause.
>
> > I always reckon cars fare better if they're used regularly or is that
just
> > a myth?
>
> I'd agree with that, and would rather buy a vehicle that has been used
> regularly, against one that's been stood. Certainly one that's been stood
> longer than a couple of years anyway ... If it's been stood as long as
> you say it ought to be pretty cheap, and might possibly need more doing to
> it than is immediately apparent.
>
>
> --
> Paul ...
> http://www.4x4prejudice.org/index.php
> (8(!) Homer Rules ...
> "A tosser is a tosser, no matter what mode of transport they're using."
>
>

N composed the following ...
> That's great Paul, thanks for the assistance.

No worries.

Let us know what you do and how you get on with it .. It might be a good
project, 'how to restore a new, but been stood for three years' Landrover ..


--
Paul ...
http://www.4x4prejudice.org/index.php
(8(!) Homer Rules ...
"A tosser is a tosser, no matter what mode of transport they're using."

A bit unusual for sure - if I was in UK and able to have a good look over it
myself I would feel a lot better about spending the $$ to ship, I reckon
that it will cost me about 2000 pounds for the shipping, and if I don't get
dinged for import duty and tax I should be ahead - so long as it turns out
not to be a lemon.....

Otherwise I'd be better off spending my money here - according to local
press ads I can pick up a 2000 Discovery for around 14,000 pounds equiv so I
need to get it here and save enough to pay for the 2K shipping and about 500
pounds locally for registration and compliance testing costs. Mind you the
local one would have about 100,000 kms on it, not 10,000 miles.

Flip the coin time.....



"Paul - xxx" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> N composed the following ...
> > That's great Paul, thanks for the assistance.
>
> No worries.
>
> Let us know what you do and how you get on with it .. It might be a good
> project, 'how to restore a new, but been stood for three years' Landrover
...
>
>
> --
> Paul ...
> http://www.4x4prejudice.org/index.php
> (8(!) Homer Rules ...
> "A tosser is a tosser, no matter what mode of transport they're using."
>
>

N composed the following ...
> A bit unusual for sure - if I was in UK and able to have a good look over
> it myself I would feel a lot better about spending the $$ to ship, I
> reckon that it will cost me about 2000 pounds for the shipping, and if I
> don't get dinged for import duty and tax I should be ahead - so long as
> it turns out not to be a lemon.....

Whereabouts in UK is it? If it's anywhere near Doncaster, Sheffield, Leeds
area I'd have a "Lawyer speak, without prejudice, warranty or guarantees of
any kind" look at it .. and I'd guess there'd be many folks prepared to also
have a look for you if it's elesewhere, and at least give you the benefit of
a second, unbiased, set of eyes ..

> Otherwise I'd be better off spending my money here - according to local
> press ads I can pick up a 2000 Discovery for around 14,000 pounds equiv
> so I need to get it here and save enough to pay for the 2K shipping and
> about 500 pounds locally for registration and compliance testing costs.
> Mind you the local one would have about 100,000 kms on it, not 10,000
> miles.

Having looked at prices around here and online etc, I'd suggest that this
seems about £8k to £12k area, so might just be a bargain ...

> Flip the coin time.....

Heheheh, your choice ..

--
Paul ...
http://www.4x4prejudice.org/index.php
(8(!) Homer Rules ...
"A tosser is a tosser, no matter what mode of transport they're using."