Off to buy a Land Rover Discovery 3 tomorrow

Stinky · 22 Nov 2013 at 20:53

Hi all

So i sold the M3 and am now on the look out for a Discovery 3 for work. I'm going to look at one which has a FULL Land Rover main dealer history.

All servicing done an time, and the 105,000 mile cam belt change has been done earlier this year.

Its really in mint condition, 2005 with everything done, (cam belt, suspension, all bushes, new tyres, 12 months MOT, 1 months tax and 3 months MAJOR Warranty cover)

is there anything else that i should be looking out for, i will be testing all electrics, air suspension etc. but anything obvious i might be missing? its going for a price of £13000 interior and exterior is very good condition.

thanks all

NoNameNoNumber · 22 Nov 2013 at 20:57

Sounds like you've already made your mind up

Hope it's as described!

mikeh501 · 22 Nov 2013 at 21:17

great cars. later ones got more reliable, but early ones fall into better tax bracket.

EPB and air suspension compressor are very common faults.

At 105k its definately due a refresh on the suspension as they are very hard on bushes. i believe its a body off job done properly but transforms the vehicle.

Luke · 22 Nov 2013 at 21:17

Urgh, one of the first D3's? Rather you than me!
I'd be looking at a Land Cruiser, and that's as a landy owner and fan!

Stinky · 22 Nov 2013 at 21:27

Oh really?? Whys that?

Stinky · 22 Nov 2013 at 21:28

Fresh MOT expires November 2014 with no advisories

Just had major service with belt changes and many other items replaced at a total cost of £2400:

• New windscreen washer bottle

• Both rear lower suspension arms replaced due to worn bushes - completed under warranty

• Front lower suspension arm also replaced due to a worn bushing - completed under warranty

• Full suspension alignment performed after replacing components - completed under warranty

• New glove compartment fitted due to broken handle - (3 year old boy is too strong)

• Brand new 6 CD stereo system head unit fitted (Fitted FOC by the dealer) since it was damaged during the last service

4 brand new Pirelli Scorpion Zero tyes just fitted

Recently also had new rear brake pads and the Electronic handbrake serviced in October 2013

New battery fitted in October 2013

New front wheel wheel bearings fitted in May 2013

Gearbox oil was changed (megaflush) at 70,000 miles so the gearbox has been well looked after runs very smooth indeed.

No advisories from the service so this vehicle is ready to drive and enjoy with the benefit of the warranty so no surprise bills

Low cost road tax (band k) since it was registered pre March 2006 at a cost of £270 per year.

This is what's been done recently

mikeh501 · 22 Nov 2013 at 21:34

no suprise bills lol. i guess they arent a surprise on a D3 though

I think every issue about D3's is documented here with plenty of "how to" type fixes. Either that or make sure you get the mother of all warranties with it.

http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/technical-d3-vf2.html

Edit: the above list looks pretty credible. they are honestly fantastic vehicles, but be under no impression they are super reliable. Id own another but the later ones are too blingy. id like the D3 look with the D4 reliability and engine

Stinky · 22 Nov 2013 at 21:39

mikeh501 said:
no suprise bills lol. i guess they arent a surprise on a D3 though

I think every issue about D3's is documented here with plenty of "how to" type fixes. Either that or make sure you get the mother of all warranties with it.

http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/technical-d3-vf2.html

Edit: the above list looks pretty credible. they are honestly fantastic vehicles, but be under no impression they are super reliable. Id own another but the later ones are too blingy. id like the D3 look with the D4 reliability and engine

Hmmm I thought I had done my research!

Any other recommendations then?

I need a 4x4 something that's real good off road! And looks good! £13000 max budget

Snax · 22 Nov 2013 at 22:21

Hilux or defender. Go full bore!

Stinky · 22 Nov 2013 at 22:34

The issue with a defender is they seem to lack any comfort over 50 miles haha I'm likely to be doing some hefty mileage at times! I have driven hilux's and do really love
Them they are bullet proof, but I just really like the feel of a LR3

Hmmmm what to do

geekman · 22 Nov 2013 at 22:59

Stinky said:
Hmmm I thought I had done my research!

Any other recommendations then?

I need a 4x4 something that's real good off road! And looks good! £13000 max budget

Jeep grand cherokee? My dad paid £8500 for a 2006 5.7 V8 with an LPG conversion and it's been pretty good. Not the last word in interior quality but its comfortable, has lots of gadgets and is very competent off road.

mikeh501 · 23 Nov 2013 at 10:51

Stinky said:
Hmmm I thought I had done my research!

Any other recommendations then?

I need a 4x4 something that's real good off road! And looks good! £13000 max budget

To be honest, there isnt anything as nice as the D3 out there at the kind of price point/capability level your looking at. In HSE trim its really a nice place to be.

Obvious other options are from Mercedes, Audi and BMW but non of those just have the same honesty as the D3.

Nissan Pathfinder is a good shout, but its not a D3. No air suspension, 4 pot engine and most are manuals and the auto isnt great. Much more reliable though and has the "look" and space. Toys are good too.

Buy the D3, just know what your getting into. It was a 60k vehicle at the top end and its got running costs in line with that. The Nissan was a 25k car new...

theleg · 23 Nov 2013 at 11:08

Get a landcruiser and do it right.

GSDog · 23 Nov 2013 at 11:19

What spec is it? S, SE, HSE? £13,000 seems like quite a lot to be honest...

My brother has a 2006 D3 with 70k miles on it which he bought for £6.5k as it had a seized/destroyed engine. We re-built the engine on the driveway and replaced the clutch, flywheel and refurbished the turbo, etc. The D3 is a royal pain in the backside to work on; the dealership would usually remove the body to remove the engine. The turbo is also located right at the back behind the engine so if that goes it is very expensive to fix due to its location.

It's been a fantastic car. Just make sure the turbo and engine are good!

Conanius · 23 Nov 2013 at 11:21

I really like the idea of a D3. The problem is, you pay quite a lot of money for them really. Some are not far off 10 years old, and cost over £10k. These aren't all singing all dancing trim models either, and nor are they low miles.

For me, if I wanted one, I'd want an SE/HSE, sub 60k miles, and the 7 seat model. There are some nice ones, but its close to £20k. That is a hella money really.

Edit - http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...s/model/discovery/radius/100/page/1?logcode=p

This is what I mean. Excuse the fact the dealer looks a bit shady. £15k for an 8 year old car. The problem is, getting a high miler only saves a couple of grand.

Conanius · 23 Nov 2013 at 11:22

GSDog said:
What spec is it? S, SE, HSE? £13,000 seems like quite a lot to be honest...

My brother has a 2006 LR3 with 70k miles on it which he bought for £6.5k as it had a seized/destroyed engine. We re-built the engine on the driveway and replaced the clutch, flywheel and refurbished the turbo, etc. The LR3 is a royal pain in the backside to work on; the dealership would usually remove the body to remove the engine. The turbo is also located right at the back behind the engine so if that goes it is very expensive to fix due to its location.

It's been a fantastic car. Just make sure the turbo and engine are good!

You got that absurdly cheap because the engine was screwed. I don't think its really fair to say £13,000 is a lot to pay - other than the fact the mileage is 'quite high' at 100k. A car that is broken isn't a fair price comparison.

Luke · 23 Nov 2013 at 11:25

2004 was one of the earliest D3's and was plagued with issues. They didn't really get it right until the D4, but they are still far from perfect.

GSDog · 23 Nov 2013 at 11:28

Conanius said:
You got that absurdly cheap because the engine was screwed. I don't think its really fair to say £13,000 is a lot to pay - other than the fact the mileage is 'quite high' at 100k. A car that is broken isn't a fair price comparison.

I wasn't comparing it to what my brother paid for his. In fact, when you add up what my brother had to spend on parts he probably could have bought a perfectly good running one. However, he now knows that everything has been replaced so it was worth it for piece of mind, plus it was a good learning experience.

There are quite a few 2006/2007 cars with 60k - 80k miles available for less than £12k. The OP may decide he wants to spend a bit extra knowing it's had some of that works done though.

Conanius · 23 Nov 2013 at 11:32

GSDog said:
I wasn't comparing it to what my brother paid for his. In fact, when you add up what my brother had to spend on parts he probably could have bought a perfectly good running one. However, he now knows that everything has been replaced so it was worth it for piece of mind, plus it was a good learning experience.

There are quite a few 2006/2007 cars with 60k - 80k miles available for less than £12k. The OP may decide he wants to spend a bit extra knowing it's had some of that works done though.

In SE/HSE trim that aren't on the tip of Scotland? Interested in seeing links to those.....

Jez · 23 Nov 2013 at 11:35

Forgive my ignorance here, but why would you buy one of these over a Range Rover Vogue/Vogue SE/Autobiography? They command similar money, but the Range Rover is clearly a much nicer car both in and out? Both are good off road, both are great towing vehicles, they do exactly the same task.

FWIW I bought a 2005 Range Rover Autobiography for this kind of money with only one previous owner, FLRSH, etc.