The Land Rover Discovery is one of our favorite SUVs. Well, at least one of the writers here at Top Gear Philippines likes it (Clue, it’s the one writing this story).
Casually browsing Facebook, we came across a rather clean looking example of the first-generation model for sale. But what caught our attention was the claim: It’s said to be owned by Ely Buendia. Yes, THAT Ely Buendia.
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Our first reaction? No way. Admittedly, we’re usually skeptical when a car for sale is said to be owned by a celebrity. It’s easy to say that it was owned by said famous person, but until we have proper proof and paperwork, we won’t believe it.
The thing is, we came across the same Discovery for sale in Facebook Marketplace. When we saw who the seller was, let's just say we were blown away.
We have to give props to Ely Buendia for going for a ‘90s Land Rover, particularly a Discovery. It's an uncommon choice of SUV (whether new or used) and one that's hugely underrated in the country in our book. You can click on these blue words to see the listing, or you can check out the screencap of it below:
Interested? Here are a couple of things you need to know about it. This particular Discovery is a ’94, meaning it features the newer look of the Series 1 models. It’s also a V8 gas model, and as it’s the facelift, it comes with a 3.9-liter instead of a 3.5-liter. It’s good for 182hp and 314Nm of torque and shifts with a four-speed automatic.
Other interesting details? We reckon it’s in the best color you can stick on a Land Rover: Dark green. If you want to be exact about it, this shade is called Easton Green, meaning it automatically gives it Brouge Brown interior. You really can’t go wrong with green on tan if you ask us. It also appears to be the V8i variant given the cloth seats (great for hot days) and the lack of a dual sunroof (guaranteed no leaks). Oh, and the driving lights are a nice touch, too.
Mind you, the listing is over a year old although a Facebook post does claim that this SUV is still for sale. It’s currently listed at P480,000, which we think is a fair price for a gas-powered Land Rover Discovery of this vintage.
Good color, good spec, and it had a load of work done to it already. As much as this writer wants it, he also had to remind himself that he has a family to feed and bills to pay. But we think whoever gets will be a winner, and it’s not just because of the person selling it.
If, by any chance, Ely Buendia reads this, we wish him luck on the sale and we hope this Disco goes to a good owner and keeps it on the road for years to come.
Oh, and please don't spam the listing and try to have a casual conversation with the man himself. He's just trying to sell his SUV. And no middlemen, as instructed by the seller.
