1994 Land Rover Discovery - Trail Ready! Low Miles! Fully Serviced! 7 Seats! on 2040-cars

Hi everyone! What a treat to offer the truck that started it all here in the US. 1994, first year for the Land Rover Discovery in the US! The Range Rover Classic was a great off road truck but often found itself in the parking lot of the local country club instead of articulated in MOAB. Then along came the Discovery. Already successful overseas, the Discovery was a luxury truck that was geared directly at the adventurist. Based on the Range Rover chassis, it boasted the same incredible off-road abilities, but was now packaged in more adventure ready body. More cargo space, more windows, 7 passengers option, and moreover a layout meant entirely for the off roader and adventurist. Excellent outward vision, high seating position, easy to reach shifter, range selector and emergency brake (which brakes the the transfer case, not the rear wheels - a life saver in tricky situations off road). There are map pockets above the visors and in the doors, storage nets in headliner, and pockets everywhere for gear.

This truck also looked like nothing else on the road. Its home clearly was in the Serengeti, the Sahara, the Amazon and the Alps. However, Land Rover did not make this a utilitarian vehicle only like a Wrangler. They gave it leather seats, a leather wrapped steering wheel, power windows, dual sunroofs, dual zone climate control and rear air conditioning. This truck was meant to cross the Pan American highway and do so in comfort. Let's face it, if you are getting beat up all day while wheeling, you make mistakes and you fatigue more quickly.

So on to this truck!

No Ordinary Discovery...from the Factory....

Lets start from the factory:  First of all this truck was ordered in a very rare and gorgeous color called Teal Blue Metallic.  It is quite hard to capture what it looks like in person, but it has a metallic hue and although bright is not at all obnoxious.  It is a highly sought after color both for being striking and for being rare.  Later, Rover made a color called Cobar Blue, which is nearly the same and is still rare, however a true Teal Blue Metallic truck is VERY RARE.  The truck came from the factory with the early US spec gray Castor wheels. These gray factory wheels were only on early Discovery.  They too are a rare find.   The truck was then optioned with rear air conditioning which allows for separate controls and vents for the rear seats and 6/7th seats.  This was a fairly pricey option for the time.  This truck has the very sought after manual adjustable seats (Simple and reliable!).  And even better, it was optioned with rear folding jump seats.  I like to think of them as safari seats - I can just picture the truck on the plains in Africa with National Geographic photographers sitting back there clicking away under the Alpine windows. The truck also was optioned with dual sunroofs.

No Ordinary Discovery...After the Factory....

This particular truck was dispatched from Land Rover on April 11, 1994 and after shipping, customs and transport to the dealer, was sold on July 31, 1994.  After that it led an incredible life both in where it has gone and the care that it has received. 

This truck has been PROFESSIONALLY maintained and serviced! First lets discuss its servicing then we will move on to its mods. 

Let's start on the engine and drivetrain:
This engine has INCREDIBLY LOW MILES as a result of the pride and care of this adventure truck.  Only 101,000 miles appear on the odometer - this is VERY low for any D1 (first generation Discovery 1994-1999) let alone any car from 1994.  This truck averaged only 5,000 miles per year for 20 years!  It's life was only this: to be the truck to adventure to the old owner's and my own door step.  This was never a coffee getter, nor was it a trail beater.  This truck was setup and driven exactly how it was meant to - as a luxury adventure truck.  All of the proper care and feeding has occurred throughout its life - this is NOT a trail beater.  This is the truck to take you to Costa Rica and set up camp and return in comfort. 

-HEAD GASKETS
As part of the preventive service schedule and given this trucks desire to be far from home, it received brand new OEM head gaskets and OEM headbolts.  They were installed by a master Rover tech with several decades of experience.  The truck runs COOL as can be and has never overheated. 

-UPPER AND LOWER ENGINE GASKETS
While being serviced, the valve cover gaskets, valley pan gaskets, valve stem seals and upper intake gaskets, were all resealed among a few other minor seals.  NONE of these were leaking, but were done in order to keep with the same high regard and care. 

-RADIATOR
The radiator was cleaned and rodded in order to keep maximum flow and keep this beauty nice and cool.

-BATTERY
Newer battery which cranks great and holds a no start charge for a long time!

-IGNITION
Brand new Champion coppers (the RIGHT plugs) and wires. 

-COIL
Brand new OEM coil. 

-DISTRIBUTOR
Brand new Distributor cap and rotor

-BELT
New serpentine belt

-FUEL FILTER
New fuel filter

-TRANSMISSION/TRANSFER CASE
The trans was just given all new fluid and shifts great!  New transfer case fluid and ready to rock!  Remember this is a central diff lock truck too with the LT-230 transfer case, so locked and low and you can climb any Himalaya you choose!

-DIFFS and DRIVESHAFTS
New gear oil in the diffs and lubricated u-joints

-SWIVEL BALLS
Fresh grease, serviced and shims

-BRAKES
Brand new OEM master cylinder.  The factory cylinders tend to get worn and this is a brand new replacement for the older original unit.  The truck brakes great.  No ABS lights! 

Let's continue to the exterior:

-RUST FREE
This is a Southern California truck no rust or rot on the truck.  Exactly what you would expect for a SoCal ride!

-PAINT
The paint is nice.  It is a 8 out of 10. There are some minor flaws on the hood and roof and a couple other minor flaws as seen in the pics, but keeping a nice coat of wax on it does wonders in terms of longevity and looks.  It is a killer color and shines up nice and bright. The hood and lower rear quarter drop offs have been painted with Bed Armor paint.  Partially for looks and partially to protect the underlying metal from damage.  It looks the part for sure as the hood mimics the Camel Trophy trucks.  Also on the hood, there is an hommage to the military roots of the Land Rover (and meaningful as to no ruin your hood!) "NO STEP" stencil.  It is one tough hood!

-WHEELS
The wheels are in great shape with no major flaws or curbing - these are the rare factory gray Castor wheels that are becoming nearly extinct!   

-GLASS
Not to let a pebble defeat this truck, a brand new windshield was installed to alleviate the stone chip it suffered in Baja, Mexico recently.

-TRAILER HITCH
The Disco has a factory trailer hitch and is wired up and ready to tow your supplies trailers or your off road toys

Onto the cabin:

-SEATS
The seats are in nice shape.  There is only minor wear on the drivers seat (no holes or broken seams).  The other seats are near perfect.  Rear seats look unused. 

-JUMP SEATS
Just to make this even better, the jumps look unused.  They are in wonderful shape with zero tears or issues. 

-DOOR PANELS
One of the big things with Discos is the top of the drivers side door panel gets cracked...not this one!  All of the panels are free of dents or defects. 

-HEADLINER
Another Disco trait is for the headliner to begin to sag as the OEM glue ages.  This truck's glue found a similar fate with just a hint of a sag, so rather than let it come down the truck just received a BRAND NEW OEM color headliner.  And without the OEM glue to go bad this will last a lifetime. 

-AC/HEAT
AC is ice cold and Heat is earth core hot! 

-MIRRORS
Power mirrors work perfectly and the center mirror is perfectly clear and works great!

-WOOD
No chips in the wood.  The finish is perfect and the stain is smooth

-MISCELLANEOUS
The OEM roof rack bars are in their bag under the seats and the original jack and ramp are are the hood

Now the real good stuff...the mods!!!

Where should I start?  All of the mods really take this Discovery to the next level!

Let's start at the engine.  Not only was all of the factory service completed on the engine as discussed above, but the truck received a healthy bump in power.  We all know the 3.9L engine is torquey and can climb a mountain, but it needed an additional kick in the pants!

-CAM
This truck has a brand new Crower 50230 cam installed in it.  It, like all of the other services, was performed by a master Rover tech.  This is the cam to have!  It is an aggressive cam to see NOTICEABLE power and shift in the power band to make this thing torquey and powerful.  But not too aggressive that it needs crazy head work, won't idle or makes your power brakes non existent. It is the best cam for the 3.9 in my opinion.

-LIFTERS
Along with the cam went in brand new OEM lifters.  They are quiet and as great as can be.

-EXHAUST
The truck received a Dynomax exhaust which has the perfect tone.  It is not too loud and does not drone at all.  It highlights the thump from the cam with a mild increase in noise and very nice increase in flow. The truck has OEM Rover catalytic convertors and for those in CA passed the incredibly hard STAR emissions test recently with flying colors!    They dont rattle or knock either.

-PURELY AESTHETIC
The 3.9 was cleaned and upper intake and valve covers are painted in a super high temp dark gray to give a clean different look, but still fall in line with the later GEMS black covers/intake. 

Onwards to the exterior!

-BUMPER and WINCH
This bumper is a Rovertym Engineeing Slimline bumper with full brush bar and Bosch Halogen fog lights and mounts.  This bumper alone is nearly $1500.  And add another $100 in fog lights.  And we still havent gotten to the winch!  Hidden behind that beautiful Slimline bumper is a Warn M8000 winch.  With a retail of $600+ for the winch, this bumper setup alone would cost you at minimum $2200 to replicate.  I'm not sure if you have priced shipping on a couple hundred pound bumper and 75lb winch, but its not cheap either!  The bumper really looks and does the part.  Its slim profile allows for tremendous approach angle and the winch is compactly hidden away and out of line with approach.  Winch remote works perfect as well. 

-ROOF RACK
This truck also comes with a Wilderness Basket Style roof rack.  Ready for your jerry cans, tents, shovels, hi-lift jacks or anything else you can throw up there, this rack allows for LOADS of gear on your adventures. This is a $900 roof rack in retail cost and really gives the truck that extra use and look. 

-ROOF RACK LADDER
Also although equipped with these from the factory, this truck includes an OEM roof rack ladder for easier access to upstairs. 

-CB ANTENNA AND MOUNT
Allowing for solid off road communication (and some entertaining trucker convo when on road), this truck is sporting a Firestik MK-M2 side pod antenna mount and matched very nicely with the Firestik FL3-BK 3 foot antenna.

-WORK LIGHT MOUNT
Opposite the antenna in the back is an antenna mount that I use as a work light mount. 

The suspension and drivetrain!

-TIRES
The truck has been fitted with 5 Goodyear Wrangler ATS tires which have 80%+++ tread on them.  They are in 245/75/16 size and are an ideal tire for this truck and ideal size.  They allow for big clearance without feeling ponderous or wandery.  And keeping in mind sometimes people put odd ball sizes on trucks that are too big, it becomes hard to find extra tires should you run out in say, rural Mexico.  These tires are fantastic off road and on.  They don't howl on the road and they dig like crazy off road.  $700 in retail

-SHOCKS
What's the first word that comes to mind when you hear shocks?  Bilstein?  It is for me, and there is a reason why - they simply are fantastic shocks.  I run Bilsteins on my Baja 1000 race truck, that's how good they are.  So guess what this truck has on it?  Yep you guessed it.  Bilstein shocks in all four corners.  They are valved perfectly and allow for no ponderous or under dampened feeling many off road shocks give especially with a lift.  This trucks handles the bumps with ease both on and off road.   $400 in retail

-SPRINGS
The truck has been lifted with another big name in the off roading world.  Old Man Emu.  This setup is ideal for all but those hunting elephants.  They ride wonderful and add a 3" lift to the truck.  The Bilsteins control them really well and they handle the extra weight of the winch bumper, winch and loads of gear NO PROBLEM.  $400 in retail costs

The Cabin!

-CB RADIO
To pair with the Firestik antenna is a Uniden Pro505-Xl CB Radio.  It is a digital screen, 40 channel with weather band and emergency button.  This is a GREAT radio, is compact and literally a life saver in the wilderness.

-RADIO
Gone is thee stock radio and in its wake comes the Kenwood CD/AUX/MP3 radio head unit and Kenwood speakers.  They sound great and pair very well together!  No more security code to remember too!

-AIR COMPRESSOR
The truck has a small onboard air compressor.  Perfect to set up however you please - either for emergency air for tires, run an onboard tank or just for a supply to fill your air mattress when you sleep below the stars in the desert.

-POWER OUTLETS
The truck is wired for two different outlet styles:  L5-30A and a 6-15P.  Both wired under the driver seat.

-CLINOMETER w/COMPASS
To aid in your off-roading at a glance, a SmittyBilt Clinometer is installed on the dash that will show incline, pitch and heading/compass.  Its a quick helpful tool in a pinch. 

-MAP LIGHT
In addition to the map lights in the headliner, there are also visor lights and an additional removable light from the cigarette lighter. 

-FLOOR MATS
The truck also has a set of brand new Goodyear rubber floor mats with deep grooves for dirt/snow/mud/water etc.  They trap it all. 

-It would take you OVER $15k in service and modifications to replicate this truck NOT including the price of a VERY LOW MILE first year Discovery. 

The Adventure!

This truck is ready to take you to Panama, to the Yukon, or just to go show off wheeling to your Jeep friends - wait until they see what a Rover can do.  In that same spirit, it's the Land Rovers that were first to transverse Darien's Gap and there is a reason they are the truck of choice in every country for rescue, medical, aid, safari and more.  Because they will go anywhere and get you there in one piece and in comfort. 

Tax season is coming up - don't waste your refund on modding your truck and being able to get one or two little mods out of it.  This truck is ready to rumble with all the mods you could want, winches, bumpers, racks, performance, handling, coms - you name it.   IT IS THE MOBILE COMMAND CENTER!   I am literally not kidding here - as I have been writing this ad sitting on my front porch on a sunny Southern California day, a man and woman walked by and looked at the truck in my driveway and the guy comments to his wife "Wow!  Now that's a rig" His wife agreed.  No more than 10 minutes later, a woman and her child walked by and the youngster just said "Wooooooooowwwwwww.  I like the lights!"  It's infectious this truck - young and old , men and women.  Go see the world in this truck!!!!  It's brought me to some amazing places and I hope and can't wait to see others find themselves in odd places speaking languages from a dictionary and watching the center of the Milky Way coast gently by at night around your beautiful Rover and your campfire.

My standard disclaimer/mantra for any car regardless of service or price: The truck is sold with no warranty.  You are buying a used car.  Eventually every car will break, if you find one that doesn't please let me know.  I do my ABSOLUTE BEST to offer only cars that are of TOP NOTCH service.  I am not a dealer, just a guy who loves Rovers (among other cars) and hope to pass along my passion and fervor for these trucks.  That said if ever you encounter an issue I do my best to provide advice, direction or even parts if I have them.  This truck is an adventure and lifetstyle truck that will take you near anywhere.  But it does not mean literally everywhere and like any other car they need care and don't like to be abused.  Please understand that it is a used car and will have minor signs of use.  Please only bid if you intend to buy.  Sorry to have to give the boring speech.

Feel free to ask any questions at all.  Title is clear and in my name and ready to go.  Smog done.  Registration done.  This is a NO RESERVE AUCTION!!!  Highest bid walks away with this AWESOME ADVENTURE truck.  Don't let this slip by!  You could wait a life time for another LOW MILE, TRAIL AND ADVENTURE READY Disco like this.  And it would cost you dearly to replicate it and service it as robustly and as thoroughly as this truck.  These trucks don't come along often!!

Happy bidding and happy Rover-trails!

;