D3 Buying Advice

[craigw]

Hi
presently have a d2 01 v8 , seriously thinking of upgrading to a d3 , have found a 4l v6 05 s with front bar ,snorkel , and side steps , 89k and looks in ex cond , would prefer a 2.7 diesel but the price on the this looks great, and its the colour i love , white , was wondering what i should be looking for as far as issues , also will i miss the air susupension and terrain response , by the way can i still lock the centre diff without it ? really want it only for off road and outback excursions as i have another city car ,
any advice would be much apreciated and an idea of fuel consumption compared to my old d2 especially

[Ashes]

I think you might miss the air suspension and TR but if it is really an offroader and doesn't see much town travel or daily driving I'm sure you can set the suspension up for offroad work if that hasn't been done already.

There will be a debate on petrol vs diesel but that will come down to personal preference so you might need to have your own view on that. If you get it and don't like it, you might find it difficult to move unless the price is really competitive. Range is probably the big factor with the petrol which can be mostly solved with a long range tank.

Service history is important. Not aware of any major systemic problems with the D3's but each individual one tends to have its own nuances:)

I have 06 v6 SE and love it. I'll probably upgrade mine in 2-3 years on a 2-3 year old D4 diesel.

good luck with the search

[craigw]

I think you might miss the air suspension and TR but if it is really an offroader and doesn't see much town travel or daily driving I'm sure you can set the suspension up for offroad work if that hasn't been done already.

There will be a debate on petrol vs diesel but that will come down to personal preference so you might need to have your own view on that. If you get it and don't like it, you might find it difficult to move unless the price is really competitive. Range is probably the big factor with the petrol which can be mostly solved with a long range tank.

Service history is important. Not aware of any major systemic problems with the D3's but each individual one tends to have its own nuances:)

I have 06 v6 SE and love it. I'll probably upgrade mine in 2-3 years on a 2-3 year old D4 diesel.

good luck with the search

Thanks , yeah dont really need the rear seats etc , but am worried about range , what highway l/100k can i expect ?

[Ashes]

Today on the highway we averaged 13lt/100km. In the sand you can expect to use between 20-35lt/100km depending on how hard you have had to push it. If you are doing a outback trip you will probably be loaded up as well with camping gear so that affects economy.

The best arguments I've heard for diesels is the extra range and stability of externally stored fuel. Extended outback trips weren't a priority of mine so I went the petrol (it was also a far cheaper purchase). If you are seriously looking at long distances it will pay to look at the advantages of diesel.

[grumpa]

Hi
I bought a D3 S 4L petrol about 9/12 ago. Love it! I got my suspension raised so it could cope with sand. I recently did a 2,500km trip and the Disco didn't miss a beat! We got just over 12L / 100km. Best car I have ever had. I would only change it for ann SE - if I could afford it!
Grumpa

[craigw]

Hi
I bought a D3 S 4L petrol about 9/12 ago. Love it! I got my suspension raised so it could cope with sand. I recently did a 2,500km trip and the Disco didn't miss a beat! We got just over 12L / 100km. Best car I have ever had. I would only change it for ann SE - if I could afford it!
Grumpa


Hi
am now thinking of paying a little more and going for the se , and maybe the deisel , whats the difference with the 06 update , would that be worth going for ,all rather confusing ?

[powella]

I saw a d3s on car sales, tdv6, with air etc....

It may be worth a look
Ap