SWMBO, must be obeyed.

[Sully]

Well... It's a bit of a sad state of affairs lads.

SWMBO has spoken and it looks like the Disco is going. She wants something a bit smaller, a bit newer, a bit posher, less brutal on the hip pocket for fuel, something that makes her feel as though she's not going to breakdown at any given moment.

All fair points really. I'm all for the saving money part given that it's going to start seeing quite a bit of use whenthe baby arrives in about 4 weeks, but my lord, I'm going to miss that Disco and the V8 grumble...

Now I guess it's time to start saving up for that Range Rover I've always wanted.

I'm not going to say farewell, as I will still visit the forums and offer advice where I can.
To all of those that have helped me along the way with the "issues" I've faced with the Disco - thanks, you're all bloody wonderful!

And let's face it... The Disco hasn't gone yet.... It's still hanging in there, for the moment anyway.

[p38arover]

Well... It's a bit of a sad state of affairs lads.

SWMBO has spoken and it looks like the Disco is going. She wants something a bit smaller, a bit newer, a bit posher, less brutal on the hip pocket for fuel, something that makes her feel as though she's not going to breakdown at any given moment.

All fair points really.

That's not a fair point. The dollar difference in what you'll spend on fuel on the D2 vs a new smaller car will take a long, long time to save with the new car. Take into account the depreciation on a new car cf. the D2 and that buys a lot of fuel.

Now add the cost of insuring a new car, etc. and that makes it worse.

Fuel is one fo the lesser costs of owning a car.

[twodoors]

Mmm just remember a sale only draws interest depending on the quality of the advert!..... ;) If u know what I mean...

James

[Sully]

All fair points Ron, apart from I'm not looking a a brand new car. I'm looking at a newer than 1999 new car. Probably around 2003 or 2004. Something that's roomy, comfortable, economical. swmbo has her eye on a Saab at the moment. :o

At the moment the D2 is costing around 250 a month on fuel and approx 80 in maintenance. Insurance should also be less for the new second hand car.

That's a lot in anyone's language.

The repayments and running savings on fuel/maintenance are considerably less than the above. To me, that's a pretty immediate saving.

James, I'm pretty lazy when it comes to selling cars. I usually just trade them.
Unless of course anyone is interested in it, let me know and I'll tell you all about it.

[imatt]

Hi Mate,
Be careful with Saabs depending on the model you are looking at, the convertibles are very popular and seem to hold value well but the other models especially 9-5 have one of the highest depreciation in cars, although this makes them very affordable second hand. The engines I believe were designed for premium unleaded and require synthetic oil, I have read about oil sludge issues in the 9-5. If looking for an estate then you would be better off looking at volvo V70.
Cheers Matt

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

You think the D2 is brutal on the hip pocket, sell the missus and see how much the cash-flow improves!!!
Just need to be careful how you list her on eBay :p

Simone wouldn't dare run the gauntlet and ask me to sell any of mine! :cool:


I am not a moderator, I am a human being!!!

[Sully]

Thanks for the info Matt. I'm talking about a 9-5 and am aware of engine issues on the pre 2002 models. Apparently the newer models are quite good and can get my hands on one with a 3 year warranty and 12 months servicing included.
I'll check out the V70's too. Not a bad suggestion.

Hahaha! Sell her on eBay. Not a bad idea there. Unfortunately the D2 is hers, so I've got to pay attention. I've got an 08 Subaru Liberty as my daily driver.

[spudboy]

swmbo has her eye on a Saab at the moment. :o



"Out of the frying pad and into the fire..." springs to mind!

Love SAABS, but gawd you'll take a hit when you come to sell it. I might suggest a Golf, as well as agreeing with the Volvo suggestion (although the Golf is a whole size smaller than the V70).

[Sully]

True to a point. I don't really care about resale value as long as it's a good car that I can keep for a long while. I care about initially getting a good deal on a good car.

A golf is too small for our purposes.

I do appreciate your all of the input though. It's all good stuff to consider.

Specifically, she's looking at a 9-5 Linearsport Estate. 2.3t, 5 spd auto with 76000k's, full Saab service history, 3 year Saab dealer warranty, 12 months servicing included, tan leather all the bells and whistles. Seems like a good rig??

[landcol]

Ha my problem is I love land rovers but I can see your point they are high maintenance but unlike me from your many posts you know how to work on them.I have to pay a specialist.so I'm in the same boat my wife(and I agree)will be selling our td5 in the coming weeks just getting the k"s up starts to cost.need something with a little less k's.but problem is ill be looking at getting a low k td5 defender.I need to start buying with my head.not heart.it's a problem

[Sully]

Hey there. A TD5 disco into a TD5 defer? Very different cars with similar maintenance requirements. Maybe you're right about thinking with your head instead of your heart. if you're unhappy with a disco, I doubt a defer will cure your woes.

Yes, I know how to work on the D2 to a point. I'm only lmited by a lack of tools and my own workshop.
Working on it myself has certainly saved many dollars, but the continual maintenance is a little tiring, I must admit. Even more so when it's not my daily driver and is not beng used as a proper offroader.

Dare I say that I'm looking forward to a weekend that I don't have to do some sort of maintenance on it?? After all, the moke, the merc and the defer to play around with anyway. ;)

Don't get me wrong here. I love the D2 to bits, it's just not practically suiting the needs of my missus and I can totally see her point of view. I'll keep my project/toy cars and retain two easy to run and peace of mind inducing daily drivers. Unfortunately the disco isn't fitting that bill.

[Tombie]

"I'm going to buy a new vehicle because my current one is going to cost"

How can paying off a loan for a vehicle be cheaper than a mechanical birthday on a known vehicle????

It makes no economical sense!

[Sully]

It does cost and will continue to cost more as it gets older. Approx $350 a month to fuel this thing and keep it running is too much, the missus thinks it's too big, too unreliable and it should go.
Economic sense comes into it when my calculations indicate that I'll save up to and over 3k a year in getting something more practically suited for the lady. You can't argue with those figures... That's a holiday, or a lot of m&m's.

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

"I'm going to buy a new vehicle because my current one is going to cost"

How can paying off a loan for a vehicle be cheaper than a mechanical birthday on a known vehicle????

It makes no economical sense!

I kept the Rangie, bought the D2 and even with payments I'm still ahead!
For what I spent in fuel a week on the RRC just to and from work Monday to Friday, I get 2 weeks running from the TD5 including weekends! The second week of fuel in the RRC pays for rego, insurance and the loan on the D2.
Rangie only costs me rego of about $500 a year, has used $100 of fuel in the last 12 months and pay Shannons about $120 a year based on usage for full protection from undesirables who are dumb enough to jump my fence and try to get past the pitbull and Amstaff :cool:

Andrew

I am not a moderator, I am a human being!!!

[Sully]

There you go! An example of economic sense. Thanks Andrew.

The money spent on the D2 at the moment will well and truly cover any repayments e.t.c. with left over to burn. The only difference here is that I won't keep the D2. I've already got plenty of other cars to play with.

Anyway, let's not forget that economics are only part of the equation here. It's also coming down to a sense of reliability, size/practicality and keeping the lady friend happy.

[p38arover]

True to a point. I don't really care about resale value as long as it's a good car that I can keep for a long while. I care about initially getting a good deal on a good car.

A golf is too small for our purposes.

I do appreciate your all of the input though. It's all good stuff to consider.

Specifically, she's looking at a 9-5 Linearsport Estate. 2.3t, 5 spd auto with 76000k's, full Saab service history, 3 year Saab dealer warranty, 12 months servicing included, tan leather all the bells and whistles. Seems like a good rig??

Get a Forester.

[Hamish71]

Im giggling at the use of SAAB in a conversation that involves "lower costs, reliability, insurance, resale etc"....

by all means, buy one, but try a different argument like

"I just want one".....or
"they are cheap to buy"....or
"come on, my grandmother was swedish".

because there is no way you are going to achieve your stated objectives with a SAAB. Take your own advice...buy another Subaru!
My wife has an XT Forester....she loves it, I love it...but it does get a little cramped in the front with a full size baby capsule in the rear. Doesnt bother me, I drive the D2, and when Im in the Forester, I drive...its the passnger seat that gets cramped.
Go a Liberty Wagon...you know they are reliable, safe, and they perform.

[clubagreenie]

Just ask her what she'd rather be driving if someone runs into her, a saab or Disco.

[p38arover]

My wife has an XT Forester....she loves it, I love it...but it does get a little cramped in the front with a full size baby capsule in the rear.

We're on our third Forester: 2005 , then 2009, now a 2010 XT. The later bodied 2009-onward does have a lot more room in the back. Our daughter now has the 2005 Forester. She say she sometimes misses her Disco, though.

[Sully]

I would love her to get a forester. She's not won over on them though. I'm more than happy to get back on that bandwagon.

[p38arover]

I would love her to get a forester. She's not won over on them though. I'm more than happy to get back on that bandwagon.

LOL!

In our house, it the other way around. Elisabeth loves hers, I don't like driving them - not even the Turbo (which she wanted).

Sorry we've taken this post off track but what else can you expect on AULRO! :D

[Sully]

This post isn't off track... It's running perfectly well. Something would be wrong in the world if you lot didn't offer advice on your experiences! Proceed!

[Basil135]

Have you considered a Freelander?

[twodoors]

Well if we are going all swedish... Volvo xc90, safe,reliable and can climb a kerb...

James

[p38arover]

Have you considered a Freelander?

:o

:eek:

:eek2:

:banban:

:bat:

:rocket:

:bangin:

[FishSlap]

[Tombie]

An LPG install isn't viable to get running costs down?

Disco isn't much different in size to a Saab (except higher)
In fact it's not much larger than the new RAV my mother gets around in...

I'm just offering options...

I like Subarus too ;)

[Sully]

LPG isn't really an option in the sense that the car is apparently too big and too unreliable. It's not all about running costs. As well ss that a good LPG system is quite expensive!

I'm with Ron on the freelander idea. No thanks!

In terms of a Saab being as big as a disco... I don't quite agree on that one. Saab's are about as big as my suby, which is smaller than the disco. Considerably. The only difference is the suby has a slightly longer load space.

An xc90 would be nice, but maybe a little out of our price range.
Even commodores are looking good at the moment.

[biggin]

An LPG install isn't viable to get running costs down?

Disco isn't much different in size to a Saab (except higher)
In fact it's not much larger than the new RAV my mother gets around in...

I'm just offering options...

I like Subarus too ;)

Spot on Tombie,
Surely the perfect solution is to swap your Sub for the D2, then put it on gas.

[Sully]

Spot on Tombie,
Surely the perfect solution is to swap your Sub for the D2, then put it on gas.

Haha! Swap the Suby for a D2 on gas? The chances of that happening are buckley's and then none.

[landcol]

I think it's not only the fuel your worried about,sounds like your disco will be over ten years old by now and in parts servicing and quite a few things needing replaced over months/years you will be up for $$.on me getting a defender I've always wanted one just got a good looked after disco for a good price.am looking at 300tdi which have a lot less to go wrong than a td5disco.even the td5 versions.Axels etc aside

[imatt]

I would have to agree with you that there is no point having your wife driving a D2 daily if it is only on bitumen, it then just becomes like the fair majority of other 4wds out there that have heaps of accessories but never leave sealed roads. You have your 90 for play so you might as well keep her happy (as said, happy wife, happy life), Saabs are good value second hand and well specced, but they do lose value quick. I have driven foresters and have not liked the lack of space in back seat, I struggle to fit my feet under the front seats. Volvo are the epitome of estates, ok people will say they are boring, but they are comfortable, well specced and safe, they were designed to do a job and do it well, if you look for a V70R you will get AWD and turbo. The only downside to volvos is usually they are high mileage, but from what I have read the 2.5lt engines are bullet proof.
Cheers Matt

[Sully]

Thanks for the input. I'm glad that you can see the sense in getting rid of it. I do have the defer for play, so the D2 is just a bit of a luxury.

The Volvo's are certainly attractive, but when it comes to initial value for money at purchase time, the Saab is looking very attractive. With only 76,000 odd k's, a 3 year 175k dealer warranty, full history and 12 months servicing included.... It's worth paying attention. I'm aware of the depreciation of the marque, but it would be held onto for a long time, making any particular gains in resale vale kind of moot.

As far as Foresters go, the missus doesn't like them. She thinks they are ugly and boring. Bless.

[imatt]

Take the saab 9-5 for a spin and then check out the vovlo V70, I looked at a saab 9-5 estate last year (good price) but wasn't overly blown away when I looked at it, but I never drove it, I just wasn't happy with the overall condition (aprrox 80,000ks). Side by side I reckon the V70 looks better.
Cheers Matt

[Sully]

Yep. Will be doing exactly this on the weekend!

[clubagreenie]

V70's will fit a toyo 1JZ and that means a whole new world of toys, 1000HP shopping cart?

[Sully]

Hahaha! Can you imagine?

The Saab can take a TD04HL-15T too, either one would be veryquick, if you're into that kind of thing.
Not for me though.

[ramblingboy42]

I'm just a little puzzled about your having to work on your D2 "every weekend" Sully. In 220ks my D2 has only had what I call normal maintenance requirements vis...starter motor solenoid, alternator failure, fuel pump and fuel regulator. Most cars I've owned have had similar maintenance requirements as their mileage mounted up. I get my D2 td5 fully serviced every 10ks costs around $350 each service and I have absolutely no problems anywhere......I've just got back from a 5k trip on some of australias worst roads and grumbles grumbling happily away......no issues....nil.

[Discobaker]

Sully is a perfectionist, it wouldn't be the first time he's been accused of looking for trouble rather than waiting till something actually went wrong :) lmao!

[RRV80]

Our disco is currently for sale at the moment for the same reasons, as it gets more k's it cost more money, by the time we go around australia in april it will have toomany ks and Be worth nothing, on the other hand the pathfinders were looking at have the same features, are 5 years newer and have 150,000km less and cheaper rego for a 4 cyl, i love my land rovers, but after 8 ive had enough for a while

[imatt]

It all comes down to using a vehicle for what it is designed for, sometimes we buy something we either believe is good value or believe we will need but end up not using it for what it was designed for. LR's in general are great off road, some have great on road manners too, but why drive a constant 4wd with solid diffs if it rarely leaves the black top. My disco spends at least 50% of its time off road but would be lucky to clock up more than 100kms in a week, its great cruising the highway and flexing it up off road but if I was to drive it daily I would choose something else.
Cheers Matt

[Sully]

I'm just a little puzzled about your having to work on your D2 "every weekend" Sully. In 220ks my D2 has only had what I call normal maintenance requirements vis...starter motor solenoid, alternator failure, fuel pump and fuel regulator. Most cars I've owned have had similar maintenance requirements as their mileage mounted up. I get my D2 td5 fully serviced every 10ks costs around $350 each service and I have absolutely no problems anywhere......I've just got back from a 5k trip on some of australias worst roads and grumbles grumbling happily away......no issues....nil.

Well, we all know that not every car is the same and not everyone uses their cars for the same application.
I can't speak of the condition of your car and can't speak for what you might perceive to be acceptable maintenance.
This thing has had constant problems since I bought it, which I put down to poor maintenance from the previous owners.
The missus and I have decided that although the d2 is a lovely car to drive, it's not suited to us as a practical car for her to drive around in every day, is too expensive to run, is too expensive to maintain and presents reliability concerns.
We'd prefer a car that's backed by a dealer warranty, has low k's and is suited to city driving. We aren't going to do any serious off roading.
It's a no brainer really.


Sully is a perfectionist, it wouldn't be the first time he's been accused of looking for trouble rather than waiting till something actually went wrong :) lmao!

Mat, you're not too far from wrong! I prefer to know that everything is functioning as it should be.
Found any nice blue ovals yet?

[Discobaker]

Haven't really been seriously looking matey, it's a great car & now I KNOW everything is in good running order as a result of my own maintenence, I'll just keep on with her till something pops up. I'm in no rush :)

[Sully]

A brief upate for you lot... Today I went with SWMBO to look at a 2002 Saab Linear SportEstate.

The experience was very underwhelming. I didn't even bother letting her have a drive.

Saab's are now off the list!

[Sully]

Well, the weekend consisted of looking at Saab's, Volvo's, Commodore's, Falcon's Territory's, Captiva's and several other random cars.

It's tiring stuff really.

After all of that, the Disco is still sitting in the driveway at the end of the day. Nothing else seems to really stack up compared to the D2.

I dare say that it will be sticking around for a bit longer!

[Sully]

The hunt is on again after breaking down on the way to hospital for the delivery of our new little girl (cute as a button!).

It's also developed a slow leak from the brake fluid reservoir. That combinded with the prospect of pulling the transfer case.... I'm getting really tired of this car. It's like tempting fate with every trip.

I think that we'll have to bite the bullet and spend a bit more and get something more reliable. We've narrowed down the hunt to an 07/08 VW Passat TDI DSG Wagon, 07/08 Holden Captiva diesel, Peugeot 407 HDI Touring...
I'm leaning towards the VW.

[tangus89]

i vote VW

[Reads90]

i vote VW

I second that

I had one as a company car. Nicest car I have driven. I used to do nearly 100,000ks a year in it. And they run on a nat **** of fuel

I have had pug 405's 406's and 407's , mondeo's and vectras and the passat is the best of them all with the feel of the drive and reliable, and the feel of the quality of the build of the car

I love them and really really miss my old passat in fact was the only real thing I miss from my old job, and leaving the Uk

I now have a flacon fg for work car. Can't even compair. The falcon is no where near being in the same league as the vw


Sent from my iPhone

[Sully]

Good to know! While trolling through the forums,I'm finding it hard to find many faults with the VW.
Might be the way to go I think... And thy are pretty well priced for a relatively new diesel wagon.

[tangus89]

they (VW's) are very successful in africa, somewhere were if you break down you have a chance of being mugged, or killed :eek:, much worse than breaking down here. so they must be good :p, citi golfs over there are like corollas over here.

[Sully]

Well, I drove the Passat and it was great, what a bloody nice car.
I've negotiated a reasonable change over price and if I find the finance terms satisfactory, there will be a nice shiny black Passat in my drive next week. It's got sunroof, leather, heated seats, sat nav, stacker, front and rear sensors and is near immaculate.
The only thing that didn't work was the cruise control, which I'll get them to fix. Cruising on the freeway at 100 in silence, ticking over 1800rpm and chewing 4.0l per hundred k's felt good.

[robbotd5]

I can give you a BIG fault with the VW. The DSG transmission, if something goes wrong with this baby it means a new box at around $15k. You can not even buy oil from the usual sources either, must be genuine. This is from a mechanic friend who told me this when I suggested selling my wifes 1998 Volvo V40T for a VW Golf. I'll admit it, I am a Volvo enthusiast before I owned a Land Rover, and have never been let down majorly, (the odd flat battery) by a Volvo like I have been with the Disco that I bought new. Currently I have an original red 1969 1800S (my baby) and the family V40T as well as my 04 TD5 Disco. Apart from wear and tear and everyday service costs in my mind you could do a lot worse than a Volvo.
Regards
Robbo.

[Sully]

You're calling one of the most highly acclaimed gearboxes on the market as a big flaw?
Maybe your mechanic is way too Volvo biased or just passing on 3rd hand information?
You won't find many reports of the DSG failing and if you do, I can bet you that they've seen some serious neglect.

With a 3 year warranty on this VW, I'm not worried about a fantastic gearbox failing.

[catch-22]

g'day Chris,

Have you looked at the Skoda Superb. More room than the disco and Passat. They loose money when bought new but are cheap new and they are trying to establish a name so offer some awesome deals. Built on the same platform at the VW....Well worth a look at as a new model can be had for the same price as a second hand Passat.

Cheers

BTW - I am also starting to be worried about the Disco and something major happening and costing a motsa....so I'm with you and keen to see what you end up doing here..

edit: actually Skoda has a heap more features such as umbrellas in the back door and active xenon headlights.....has a few more too.

[series3]

Hi Sully.

The first thing I would be worried about is finding what you want from a car. Maybe you have not been specific enough yet?

From what I have gathered, you want a roomy, reliable stationwagon. Do you want something safe? Nice to drive? Impeccably finished? Individual? I think it is important to really lay out what you are looking for before you start picking at options. Do you have a ballpark price range?

Sam

[Sully]

g'day Chris,

Have you looked at the Skoda Superb. More room than the disco and Passat. They loose money when bought new but are cheap new and they are trying to establish a name so offer some awesome deals. Built on the same platform at the VW....Well worth a look at as a new model can be had for the same price as a second hand Passat.

Cheers

BTW - I am also starting to be worried about the Disco and something major happening and costing a motsa....so I'm with you and keen to see what you end up doing here..

edit: actually Skoda has a heap more features such as umbrellas in the back door and active xenon headlights.....has a few more too.

Thanks for the post. I did look at the Superb, but they aren't as cheap as a used Passat. Mostly over 35k versus mid to high 20's for a Passat.
As for features, they are pretty close to each other. The Passat (which I purchased btw) has leather seats, sunroof, dual climate control, sat nav, phone, cruise, heated seats, auto lights, auto wipers, 8 speaker stereo with 6 disc and aux input, chilled glove box, 17 inch alloys including spare, dark tint, a tow bar and numerous other little features I'm yet to discover, including the umbrella holder in the drivers door.
Size wise; the skoda is only slightly longer by a few mm, is narrower and has a smaller track. It's also heavier and slightly more thirsty.

Both good cars, but VW won out purely on value for money. There's a lot of kit for a sub 30k car in the Passat.

Just for kicks, here's pics of the purchase.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/06/957.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/06/958.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/06/959.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/06/960.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/06/961.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/06/962.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/06/963.jpg

Hi Sully.

The first thing I would be worried about is finding what you want from a car. Maybe you have not been specific enough yet?

From what I have gathered, you want a roomy, reliable stationwagon. Do you want something safe? Nice to drive? Impeccably finished? Individual? I think it is important to really lay out what you are looking for before you start picking at options. Do you have a ballpark price range?

Sam

Thanks for the post Sam. Initially I wanted something cheap, reliable and safe. I quickly found that wasn't going to happen, so I did what you've suggested and drilled down to the important stuff. Reliability, safety, creature comforts, economy and the potential to keep the car for many years came into play. So a relatively new diesel, mid sized to large car with lots of bells and whistles, with impeccable service history and good after ales service was what I went for.

[robbotd5]

You're calling one of the most highly acclaimed gearboxes on the market as a big flaw?
Maybe your mechanic is way too Volvo biased or just passing on 3rd hand information?
You won't find many reports of the DSG failing and if you do, I can bet you that they've seen some serious neglect.

With a 3 year warranty on this VW, I'm not worried about a fantastic gearbox failing.
Good luck with that. :o

[catch-22]

Good choice on the Passat but the back seat space does not come close to the Superb. But they are similar in other ways.....in fact near the same car.

I don't know why but I thought you were going for a newer model. Either way, top car there....

[LSD_AUTOMOTIVE]

It's a bit late now but I was going to say if you've got a little one almost here I'd definitely not be having them in a defender or disco. It's a right PITA, not enough boot space for all their paraphenalia (especially if you ever want to accomplish food shopping while having a pram in the car) and very very tight having them rear facing. Our son couldn't fit in the defender rear facing, he had to wait until he was old enough to forward face...by which time they're not so fragile and it's not as scary for the resident SWMBO ;)

Sarah

[Sully]

Good luck with that. :o

Hmmm...

Thanks so much for your positive and ever so informative input. If there was an "unthanks" button I'd press it.

Surely you can't blame me for thinking it a bit strange that your third hand information is a bit harsh given that you have no real proof apart from stating that a transmission, which is critically acclaimed worldwide, is a "big flaw" based on what some "mechanic mate" told you.

I've had "mechanics" tell me all sorts of things in the past that turned out to be either complete crap or a personal opinion because they didn't know any better.

In any case, I've trawled through all sorts of reports on the VW's and didn't find any reports on the DSG being troublesome.

If you're unable to provide any constructive feedback and just feel like poking at me for the sake of covering up for your posts of useless information, then take it to the soapbox thread.

You enjoy the magic that is the Land Rover 4 speed clunker and I'll enjoy the silky smooth "flawed" 6 spd DSG. I'll be sure to toot and wave if I see you on the side of the road after your inhibitor switch has failed, or the transfer case has imploded, or the CDL locks up, or the DCJ explodes... What were you saying about flawed gearboxes?

Moving on....

Catch-22 - Yep, an 07 model was as far as the budget would stretch and time really isn't on our side now that the baby has arrived.
Leg room isn't really that important at the moment as it's just us and the small one, so the mid sized car will do just fine.
If I did have more money to throw at it, I would have looked at the new Superb's a lot more closely.

Sarah, thanks for that info, I agree. In the short time we've had the baby, it's been a bit of a pain for the missus to be climbing in and out of the back seat.
Although I will miss the Disco, I'm sure that the choice we made is a good one.

[LSD_AUTOMOTIVE]

Sarah, thanks for that info, I agree. In the short time we've had the baby, it's been a bit of a pain for the missus to be climbing in and out of the back seat.
Although I will miss the Disco, I'm sure that the choice we made is a good one.
Yes, climbing in and out a normal height car is bad enough, in and out of a 4wd with a newborn in the centre seat wouldn't be a lot of fun.

Don't worry, our boy loved the Defender and now rides in our D1...there will always be another Rover. I had to tell that to Mr LSD repeatedly, selling his 'fender a few months back was really hard for him. Your child will appreciate it more when they're a bit older anyway

I swear a love of rovers is genetic...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/06/916.jpg

[clubagreenie]

Not necessarily when you have 3 girls. Trying to justify buying a set of SWB S1, 2 & 3 to restore for them for when they drive. Certain other members look decidedly unhappy at this prospect.

[Sully]

Not necessarily when you have 3 girls. Trying to justify buying a set of SWB S1, 2 & 3 to restore for them for when they drive. Certain other members look decidedly unhappy at this prospect.

Now that's some good negotiating skills you've got there! Good work. ;)

Yes, unhappy is one word that springs to mind. Oh well, we can't please everyone all of the time can we?

[isuzurover]

In any case, I've trawled through all sorts of reports on the VW's and didn't find any reports on the DSG being troublesome.


While I agree the other poster's comments were made poorly, and the DSG is probably not a bad box overall....

You couldn't find ANY reports??? What about the recall of ~15000 '09 and '10 models to replace faulty sensors, which in a worst case scenario would make it shift into neutral unexpectedly.

Lots of people reporting noise/clunks. Some people reporting major failures...

While most of these appear minor, and are probably a small percentage of those sold, I fail to see how you can't find any of these...

[Sully]

While I agree the other poster's comments were made poorly, and the DSG is probably not a bad box overall....

You couldn't find ANY reports??? What about the recall of ~15000 '09 and '10 models to replace faulty sensors, which in a worst case scenario would make it shift into neutral unexpectedly.

Lots of people reporting noise/clunks. Some people reporting major failures...

While most of these appear minor, and are probably a small percentage of those sold, I fail to see how you can't find any of these...

Thanks for that info. I'm not getting an 09 or 10 model, so that recall doesn't matter so much to me.
I've bought an 07 model and nearly all reports have been that it's a solid unit.

I guess it's like most things on the Internet, you'll always hear the bad instead of the good.

In any case it's a way better suited car for us and a big step up in build quality than the D2.

[isuzurover]

Thanks for that info. I'm not getting an 09 or 10 model, so that recall doesn't matter so much to me.
I've bought an 07 model and nearly all reports have been that it's a solid unit.

I guess it's like most things on the Internet, you'll always hear the bad instead of the good.

In any case it's a way better suited car for us and a big step up in build quality than the D2.

Some of the '07 models seem to have had a problem with the mechatronics unit. However if yours is fine then seems like it is one of the good ones.