Hello,
I'm from Canada, and am looking at purchasing a 1996 Discovery, SE7. It has the 4.0 L v-8, with auto tranny. It has 307,000 kms on it. Considering the amount of kms on it, what issues might arise at this point in it's life? Also, I understand that it requires premium fuel. Is this true? I want to make sure I put the proper fuel into it. Also, is the body completly aluminium, or is it a combo of some alum parts and some steel? If so, which parts are which metal? Where I live, rust is a major concern with steel parts. Also, How are the frames? I know older series have galvanized frames. Is this true of the Discovery? Any info you can provide will help. Thankyou....DD

I believe the fuel in North America is slightly less octane rated than that of our fuel, so I do belive to get the equivelant to our fuel you need to use your top stuff...

Thanks DiscoMania,

I purchased the Disco the other night. The Disco was located 1 1/2 hour drive away with a good steep climb on the way. I had filled the tank half full with regular fuel (I hadn't seen your message yet). I found out that regular grade fuel is 87 octane, mid-grade about 89, and hi-test is around 91 octane. However, I did not experience any knocking or pinging when I climbed the big hill at speed. I realize that fuel in the UK is quite high in price compared to the rest of the world. A little over a year ago, the price of fuel hear was under 70 cents per litre. Now, it is around 1 dollar and 15 cents a litre. Hi-test is well over $1.20. When you a used to the lower price, the new much higher price is quite the shock.
I will be posting another thread with questions about some other issues I have with this new Disco.

Yeah it probaly would run fine. Get your tank low and put in a gallon or 2 or the good stuff, it will proably make a bit of a difference.

Having said that, the engine will no doubt be tuned slightly differently to cope with the lower octane fuel.