Home » I Sold My Unreliable Land Rover And Somehow Made A Profit

I Sold My Unreliable Land Rover And Somehow Made A Profit

Goodbye Creaky 3
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Folks, I did it. I finally sold my 2001 Land Rover Discovery. I already covered why I was selling it in a previous post,  but I left a key reason out: I’m having surgery. By the time you read this, I will have already had my heart surgery. Post-op, I cannot drive for at least two weeks, meaning my already-unreliable Disco would have sat even more if it were still floating around. So I sold it. For many other reasons as you are already aware. Shall we get into my selling story?

I Sold It For a Profit

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That’s right. You read that correctly. Did someone profit from the sale of an old Land Rover? Yup. I bought my Discovery for $6,000 in early July 2022. Up until the day I sold it, May 2nd, I put on about 4,500 miles during my ownership. I also spent roughly $2000 total on maintenance/parts. Throw in a tow that AAA refused to cover, another $100, and then insurance costs/gas/tea/tissues, or whatever else Land Rover owners budget for. Figure that brings me to just about $8500-$8600 in total Disco costs. Guess how much I sold it for? $8750. I made a profit. Like, 100 bucks. Who would’ve thought? [Editor’s Note: How did you pull that off?! I’m genuinely impressed! -DT] A Discovery that stranded me four separate times, beaten up from NYC, and as crusty as a barnacle underneath ran me a profit! I can buy like, two Pontiac Aztek coolers with that extra dough! Maybe I should be a salesman instead of a teacher, eh? I’m just kidding. I’m an honest seller! I disclosed everything that needed attention in my advertisement. Of course, any buyer could have just looked up my name and found a collection of “Rob at The Autopian” articles detailing my horror stories with this truck…

Who Bought It?

Land Rover Discovery Advertisement
Land Rover

I truly believe that my buyer’s occupation makes them perfect for owning an old Land Rover. For privacy reasons, I will not disclose any personal information, but I sold it to a flight attendant. I won’t be surprised if my Disco’s new owner will be 3,000 miles from home, 40,000 feet up in the air, while the Disco sits in a shop somewhere awaiting major service work. Plus, like, long-term parking? That’s perfect for letting an old Rover rest. Plenty of time to sit there, slowly leaking oil, coolant, and power steering fluid staining the pothole-ridden parking lot of Laguardia Airport…

Do I Miss It?

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This is a tough question. Yes, I miss the strangeness of my Disco. It drove like an MTA bus, chugged gas like a Soviet T-28 tank, and ran like a three-legged centaur. I miss the attention it got, all the “cool Jeep” comments, and the joy of looking at it sit in my driveway, too afraid to drive it.

I feel a bit of relief that I am now back to owning one car, my Toyota 4Runner. Gone are the fears of my car blowing up. The 4Runner also gets the same fuel economy as a hyper-milled Honda Insight with a feather-pedal driver going downhill. Well, at least in comparison to my Disco. I’ll take 17MPG over 11MPG in mixed driving…

The Selling Process

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Selling this thing was a hassle. This was the first time I have ever listed anything to sell online, let alone a car. A car, I should say, that should come with a built-in sleazy lawyer like Saul Goodman to pawn it off on some other sucker. Bring A Trailer and Cars and Bids rejected my Land Rover – an intelligent decision by them – so I was left to Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and a “For Sale” sign in the window.

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I kid you not, no one wanted it. I had it listed for a very fair price considering what these trucks are fetching, and right before an upcoming summer season of Hamptons and Nantucket beach trucks. It sat on Marketplace and Craigslist for a while. I was extremely thorough in my description, provided plenty of pictures of the undercarriage and imperfections, and even slightly dropped the price. I got a lot of texts and messages consisting of, “Hello, is this still available?” “Have you done head gaskets?” and “Does Jeep have warranty?” My answer to all of those? No, but you can find out!

I even tried negotiating my Discovery for a Rolls-Royce which was unsuccessful, as I’m sitting here, a Rolls-Royceless 20-year-old writing articles for The Autopian, sad. But writing articles for The Autopian under my Rolls Starlight Headliner would be a nice gig. David, can I have a raise?

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Luckily, I finally found someone who was interested. The person who bought it previously owned a Hummer. This was relieving to hear: a Hummer owner must understand the life of poor fuel economy and the difficulties of parking a brick in New York.

My buyer found it off my Craigslist ad, took the train to see it, and came back the next week with a wad of cash for me. I signed off on the bill of sale, transferred the title, and took my “CREAKY” plates off my Disco. I watched it drive away for the last time, hearing its creaks and rattles shaking along the uneven asphalt.

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What’s Next?

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As I recover from surgery, I won’t be able to drive for a bit as previously mentioned. Therefore, a secondary car would just be foolish. Though I have thought about a second car but will probably wait until the end of summer. For now, my trusty 4Runner does what it needs to. It’ll remain my commuter, beach rig, and blast-Vampire Weekend-as-loud-as-possible car for the time being. I have been seeing a lot of Porsche 944 content on my social media pages… a contender there. In the meantime, I’ll have plenty of time to browse the web for weird cars for. LaForza, anyone? Perhaps another Discovery? I mean, I’m sure my Disco will reappear for sale soon or on Copart as my buyer comes to learn the truth about these old Rovers.

 

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JDE
JDE
1 year ago

since you have a reliable ride, maybe get a BMW ID3 and report on how that is to get around in and keep charged in Nuevo York. Bonus, you get to suck up to DT and he will already know the costs of ownership, so that might help your case about a raise if your battery is shot, or maybe hurt your case if everything is good on the one you get.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-BMW-i3-New-York-d2263_L22938#listing=355236077/NONE/NATIONWIDE_SHIPPING

Mr. Fusion
Mr. Fusion
1 year ago

I Sold My Unreliable Land Rover

You can just say “Land Rover”.

Stef Schrader
Stef Schrader
1 year ago

I can confirm that the parsh is good, as is the “gut fish, not houses” sticker. (Viva la tile bathrooms!)

Good luck on the surgery!

Last edited 1 year ago by Stef Schrader
Stef Schrader
Stef Schrader
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob Spiteri

hells yeah

Parsko
Parsko
1 year ago

Good luck with your surgery!

“Gut fish, not houses”

As a person who has rehabilitated two homes now, gutting homes is a VERY good thing, but must be done right. Old homes contain bad shit, and are not efficient. Gutting them allows us to remove said bad shit and bring the efficiencies up to a modern level. This will become more important as our heating costs begin to skyrocket, and our wages don’t follow.

Did you put that there? If so, please explain your take on the subject matter.

Last edited 1 year ago by Parsko
Stef Schrader
Stef Schrader
1 year ago
Reply to  Parsko

I had to look up the campaign, and it’s a preservationist thing: https://historicboston.org/the-challenges-of-being-historic-nantucket/

…which is great! I’m tired of seeing historic homes have all the historic features ripped out only to end up like every other generic new-build greige bore in existence. If you want new, buy new. If you buy a historic home, definitely upgrade some of the risky bits, but have a lil’ more respect for the house when you do so.

N54don'T
N54don'T
1 year ago

Hopefully you have a speedy recovery, and congrats on your big profit!

As for your next AAA trailer queen and speaking as a 944 owner – I’d skip unless you really want one. I absolutely love mine, but even early ones that don’t need a ton of work are $10k+ now which used to be Turbo, S2, or 968 money. Since you’re in the NE, make sure you pull off the door vents and the battery to look for rust. I cannot stress this enough: CHECK/REPLACE THE FUEL LINES! Clutch jobs are a two-day affair. If you get an NA and it’s still on the original be prepared to replace it as they’re rubber centered, and they get pretty sloppy as they age.

The good news is that if you can profit $100 off a rusty DII, you should be able to at least double it to $200 on a 944.

My vote since you have plenty of time to search: any of the Volvo Rs.

Anyway, back to the topic of finically ruinous British vehicles: Even after reading all the comically tragic stories, yours included, I still really want an ’04 DII or a late P38. I just can’t bring myself to actually sell something to make room. I compromised and traded in my Grand Cherokee for a Disco 5 and….. it’s so infectiously charming. Luckily, I have Maxcare since the refrigerated center console is broken, and the LCA bushings are starting to go. Not sure I’m going to beat Doug on coverage total, but darn it – I’m gonna try!

Zeppelopod
Zeppelopod
1 year ago
Reply to  N54don'T

I’ve heard good things about the P38, just watch out for that tail flutter in a steep dive.

N54don'T
N54don'T
1 year ago
Reply to  Zeppelopod

Tail flutter – Is that when the the split rear tailgate flies open descending a steep hill?

For real though, good warbird joke.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago

I think at this stage in your life, without a garage, and without storage space, I’d skip the project car bug. If you get one, get an 80s/90s Honda Civic/Integra/Prelude or something that will just REFUSE to die, so it’s always mobile and not out of commission.

Porsche 944? Nope, avoid. Brilliant cars, amazing styling, great to drive, not very reliable, quite expensive parts, and ultimately really slow. The biggest CON is that they made tons of them, and it’s an uphill battle to break even or make money on them; you’re just competing against so many, and so many are in MEH condition.

Say it with me: 80s/90s Honda. Go find a local enthusiast, make friends with them, get a ride, then ask to drive it. You’ll be a believer.

Jason Smith
Jason Smith
1 year ago

How…
Wha…
The world really doesn’t make any sense and I’m scared and confused…

Thomas Metcalf
Thomas Metcalf
1 year ago

So for the heart, can you say you got a valve job done on yourself?

Jason Smith
Jason Smith
1 year ago
Reply to  Thomas Metcalf

I hope, for his sake, they thoroughly clean-up all the lapping compound…

MikeInTheWoods
MikeInTheWoods
1 year ago

Great article Rob. I need to sell my 99 Amigo 4×4, 5spd with both hard top and soft top and an OME lift. I was toying with the idea of painting it white and putting one of those 90’s Solo hot beverage cup stripe decals down the side. Then I could name it Mi Solo Amigo.
Why don’t we do it, take it to some RAD car show and you can sell it and we split the profit?
I have too many vehicles here and that one needs to go.

Lincoln Clown CaR
Lincoln Clown CaR
1 year ago
Reply to  MikeInTheWoods

I saw an Amigo cruising topless a few days ago. I can’t remember how many years it had been since I’d last seen one.

Zeppelopod
Zeppelopod
1 year ago

Can I just say, “ran like a three-legged centaur” is magnificent writing.

JurassicComanche25
JurassicComanche25
1 year ago

Rob- congratulations! Small profits add up- thats how I went from a rusted mercury tracer to a minty Ford Crown Vic to a SVT Contour to a Sable to a Pilot to a Mustang GT and finally a nice Accord in college.

Marc Fuhrman
Marc Fuhrman
1 year ago

Wait, selling a car for a profit? That’s actually possible? Surely you jest!

Congratulations on the sale and here’s to a speedy recovery!

StillNotATony
StillNotATony
1 year ago
Reply to  Marc Fuhrman

A profit? Is it possible to learn this skill?

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago
Reply to  StillNotATony

Yes, only buy desirable vehicles, and only ones that are cosmetically clean but need light mechanical repair, and buy it at the right price. Follow those 3 rules and you’ll do alright.

Dodsworth
Dodsworth
1 year ago

Heart surgery? Welcome to the Zipper Club. I’m sorry it happened to someone so young but glad you were fixable. I hope you don’t have a Lucas pacemaker. Congratulations on getting rid of two heartbreakers. Best wishes.

Slower Louder
Slower Louder
1 year ago

Speedy recovery, dude.

Shooting Brake
Shooting Brake
1 year ago

Congratulations on the ending of your dysfunctional relationship with the Disco! 😉
How the H*LL did you pull that off? sold at a profit??

You might want to consider being a day trader on the NYSE 🙂

Anyway, what is this talk of “heart surgery”, that is something that Old Dudes like me go through!! You are young buck and I hope that all is well with you, as I truly enjoy your your content here and I look forward to many years of your articles in the future..

Last edited 1 year ago by Shooting Brake
Shooting Brake
Shooting Brake
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob Spiteri

Wow! Todd Rundgren’s (Something/Anything) album, you have an old soul, which is a good thing.

Anyway, I would think that after your recent operation that you would exclusively listen to Heart albums. 😉

(Yeah, I know, what a terrible pun)

Last edited 1 year ago by Shooting Brake
Shooting Brake
Shooting Brake
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob Spiteri

So, since you’re a musician with an old soul, give this a listen/look and tell me what you think
(it’s Luciano Pavarotti, James Brown – It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaB9F3R9cIY&list=WL&index=23

TheStever
TheStever
1 year ago

Still wearing Subbie tees? Get this man a Salt Life t-shirt! Good luck with the operation.

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
1 year ago

> I kid you not, no one wanted it

Huh, imagine that.

CSRoad
CSRoad
1 year ago

I won’t tell my story, it’s 19 years old.
Listen to the doctors, don’t drive yourself home, do any rehab that’s available.
Oh yeah congratulations on parting ways with the Land Rover. (-:

Parsko
Parsko
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob Spiteri

Agreed, please share. There is never enough advice.

TOSSABL
TOSSABL
1 year ago

I hope you’re at least allowed to play the piano while recuperating: that should help while away the time. Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery

DMod65
DMod65
1 year ago

Good luck with the surgery and speedy recovery!

Geoff Buchholz
Geoff Buchholz
1 year ago

Rob, wishing you an easy recovery and an eventful search for your next car!

Canopysaurus
Canopysaurus
1 year ago

You sold your Disco to a flight attendant? Oh man, that’s so mean. That’s like teasing a kitten with a flashlight beam, they just don’t know any better. The only thing worse would have been selling to a yoga instructor, or a flight attendant who’s also a yoga instructor. Based on this, I’m guessing your surgery is to have a heart implanted.

Just kidding about the heart thing, Tinman (but not about the perspicacity of flight attendants). Good luck with your op and hope you’re up and writing in double quick time.

Canopysaurus
Canopysaurus
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob Spiteri

Impressed by the E.A.P. reference and – given your youthful age – astonished you’ve even heard of America.

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
1 year ago

“Guess how much I sold it for? $8750. I made a profit. Like, 100 bucks. Who would’ve thought? [Editor’s Note: How did you pull that off?! I’m genuinely impressed! -DT]”

You only need one:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_fool_theory

Crank Shaft
Crank Shaft
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob Spiteri

I think reality would probably go more like, ‘I’ve got $20k into this thing and it’s still only worth $9k?’

You got out smart.

Crank Shaft
Crank Shaft
1 year ago

I wish you a speedy and complete recovery. Congratulations on the sale.

Remember, chicks dig scars (if you swing that way). Perhaps time to hit the resale shops for some ’70s shirts just in time for summer. 🙂

Crank Shaft
Crank Shaft
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob Spiteri

Don’t forget the push-ups (when you no longer hurt from getting your chest cracked open of course).

Shooting Brake
Shooting Brake
1 year ago
Reply to  Rob Spiteri

Just tell any inquiring minds that your scars are the result of a barroom fight that ensued after a heated discussion on Land Rover reliability. 🙂

Joseph Kinney
Joseph Kinney
1 year ago

Good luck on your recovery from this Discovery!

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