Land Rover Repair: 96 Disco purchase, auto salvage yards, lucas electric

Question
I have a wonderful opportunity thanks to my uncle. He has decided to buy a new(er) Disco and sell me his 96 for only $5000.00.  It has 76000 miles, new tires, brakes, shocks, and he is immaculate in his care of vehicles.  Interior and exterior are near perfect.  There is only one problem he knows of and I'm wondering if you have any insight on it.  The A/C and or heater keeps blowing fuses.  I'm aware of the "Prince of darkness" joke about Lucas Electric (working on Alfa Romeo's, MG's and Triumphs gave me plenty of experience) but Land Rovers are an entirely new territory for me.  Does this problem warn of future system wide electrical problems or is it a well known issue?  I have no aversion to taking the vehicle to a Land Rover authorized mechanic if necessary.  Thanks very much for your time.

Answer
Hi Ken,

nice price for a well-maintained Disco with low miles.  I would not panic with the AC or heater blowing fuses. Could be as simple as a shorting wire.  

A new AC compressor is about $1000 installed...or you can find a cheaper replacement on-line from one of hundreds of auto salvage yards.   Same with the heater blower.

I am currently having some problems with my own heater/AC console.  Seems the blower switch is shorting out and I'll have to replace the entire unit: $265 new, not sure yet about used.  I can replace this unit in about an hour.

The trouble with any electrical is finding the fault.  This can be very timely and expensive.  I'd take the gamble and have the dealer do the dirty work.  It'll cost you several hours of labour but you'll know where the problem is and from there you can decide to swap out the part and install either new or used.

Best of luck with your purchase,

JohnMc

NB:  Merry Christmas!