One-owner-from-new Disco V8 for sale

So the Land Rover Discovery celebrates its 35th birthday in 2024. You might have missed the announcement at Goodwood, given there was so much on and diesel SUVs aren’t top of anyone’s list on FoS weekend, but Land Rover marked the occasion with a 35th Edition. Very nice it sounds, too, with a new 350hp straight-six diesel and 20-way adjustable seats. But so it should be for £80,000. 

Anyway, we thought that the Disco’s big birthday deserved a bit more of a party. Not only is it a really good run for one nameplate, but the model has proven hugely important both for Land Rover and the wider segment. Arguably this is the car that began the transition from fairly agricultural Range Rovers and Defenders to the more road-biased, luxurious models that characterise the line-up today. And that’s worked out pretty well for Land Rover. There’s also the fact that the Discovery offered seven-seat practicality and a family-friendly interior back when the alternatives were Land Cruisers and Jeep Cherokees. It would be a while before many others cottoned on and offered seven-seat SUVs of their own. 

Because the first Discovery was capable of carrying lots of people lots of places, a family bus par excellence, the attrition rate was always going to be pretty high. Especially as they became older, cheaper and rustier. Nobody was going to fix up a Disco for more than it was worth when there were others available. Including the later Discovery 2, a heavy evolution of the original. Meaning, as with so many other interesting old cars, numbers are now very thin on the ground. 

Most are diesel, of course, because the torque and the fuel economy advantage would have been useful as a family wagon. Ditto the automatic gearbox’s ease of use. So what’s for sale here is a real unicorn-spec original: a manual, V8, one-owner-from-new 1996 Discovery. Properly low mileage, too; though the advert suggests that it’s been a workhorse, it’s only covered 34,000 miles in 30 years. Gentle work then. 

The overall condition would suggest as much, the interior in particular looking almost museum-grade with its original radio, chunky (yet unmarked) switches and smart leather upholstery. The outside looks similarly well preserved, without damage to the acres of glass or inconsistency in the paint. The new Discovery 35th gets 22-inch wheels; this one is sitting pretty on 16s. 

Speaking of sitting, this Land Rover has been without an MOT for a few years (since 2020), so it might be worth factoring in a bit of recommissioning to the budget. For the moment it might not be considered an everyday usable modern classic, though on the other hand it doesn’t look far off either. Certainly it has enjoyed careful use throughout its life. What a pleasure it might be to continue as well, complete with V8 woofle and that unmistakable design. Just make sure you have passengers chip into the fuel fund.