Alex H replied:

G'day,
first off - is it a Defender or a Disovery? As far as the mechanicals go that doesn't really matter, except that the v8 and auto gearbox are only available as standard on the Discovery, but it may have some bearing on whether thats a fair price or not.
Regarding the gearbox, up until 1996 (approx) there was a fault with the manual 'boxes that meant they failed if they got too hot, so its not down to the original owners bad driving - if it was replaced in 2000/01 it should have got the newer 'box and will therefore have no problems. If, however it was just replaced by the same unit from a wrecker who knows what may go wrong?
The easiest way to tell between the old and new boxes is where reverse is on the shift pattern - on the old ones it is beyond 1st and up, on the newer ones it is below 5th. Unfortunately I can't tell you whether landrover put the new box in when the old one failed or whether they just used a modified version of the old box. If Reverse is below 5th that answers my question too!
Apart from that the price sounds good - check for play in the rear diff - which may indicate worn splines where the half-shafts fit into the side gears - this is a problem with some of them -I'm not sure on the fix, as I've never had that problem with my Defender.
I can't give an overall opinion over the net, but if you're in Perth get Russell Booth at ARB Osborne Park to check it out - what he doesn't know about Landy's probably isn't worth knowing
Cheers,
Alex.

Brad and His Disco replied:

Price sounds good,

First of all youll enjoy the comfort, power and willingness to go anywhere of the discovery. It is a good towing vehicle and if you have kids it provides excellent vision from the rear. Folding down rear seats provides enough room for a queen size air matress for those quick getaways. It sounds good with that many km on it.

As with any car it is advisable to check the following common problems:

Get engine mounts checked
Check drivers seat, bracket may break.
Check for potential rust near the roof windows
Check that the back retractable step retracts (if not you can getthem regassed or just remove the step).
Flush out radiator and replace radiator hoses.

Enjoy your new discovery.

Fraser .... Here we come