Thinking of buying a D3

[yumpet]

Hey guys i have been thinking of getting a larger 7 seat 4x4, was looking at Patrols and Cruisers and have not considered a disco till i seen how cheap the D3s are getting. Are they as good as a tourer as a patrol or cruise? i know this is a LR forum so it will be a little biased :p i have not heard much about them touring around at all, are they good as a tourer/city driving/long distance family car? advice, comments?

Also i would love to see some pics of some modded up ones if i could

[TerryO]

Hi Yump,

Might be best to go drive several D3's and gauge for your self because your the one spending the money.

Yes I'm biased, I believe Disco's are much better vehicles then Cruisers / Patrols etc especially when driving long distances and I base that on owning the three Disco's that I do now. A number of years ago I owned a 60 Series Cruiser and it was a good fun vehicle but to drive from even Nelson Bay to Sydney was a real chore as the old girl was a real basic old thing. I have also test driven plenty of Crusiers and one or two Patrols in that time.

Compared to a D1 the 60 ssries was really ordinary, as far as I can see nothing has changed over the years. The D2 is a much better drive then a 100 Series and a D3 with a few options drives like a luxury car compared to a 200 series.

Note I don't even bother comparing them to a Patrol, I'm not having a go at the Patrol because they are very good basic wagon but they drive pretty much like a old 60 series rather then a new 4x4.

As for geared up D3/4's just go up to the sticky 'Show us your Disco / Sport' section up the top of this page. There are some very good bits of gear on show there.

It would seam compared to other Disco owner sections on Aulro there seams to be plenty of previous Crusier / Patrol / Pajero owners who have moved on and now own a Disco 3/4. So maybe a few of them might offer their opinions.

cheers,
Terry

[WhiteD3]

You're right...we are biased but...


not considered a disco till i seen how cheap the D3s are getting. ...

I assume you mean the petrol D3's. They are 10-12k cheaper than equivelent diesels but are, apart from engines, the same vehicle.

[jonesy63]

Hi Yumpet,
No - the D3 are not as good a tourer as a patrol or cruiser... they're infinitely better! :cool: Biased? No - just the truth! :D

They eat up highway KM like you would not believe. My dad has a bad back (even after operations to fuse vertebrae, screw them together, etc), and can travel for hundreds of KM without distress. I've taken him a few times from Kiama to Lake Eucumbene and arrived as fresh as a daisy!

Through traffic - they are a 4WD. :angel: Slow off the line, slow braking, but still I ended up with around 11L/100km. Of course, traffic takes its toll on brake wear and probably the transmission. I had no issues driving from Bangor to West Pennant Hills and back a couple of days a week.

Anyhow, I traded in my 07MY SE TDV6 last week - and was quite sad to see it go. It is a true landmark vehicle in my mind - so advanced for its time and will be remembered as a classic. The D4 TDV6 I replaced it with is just a little bit more refined. :cool:

Cheers,
Rob

[NomadicD3]

HiYa Yumpet,
Well I guess I can only reinterate what the previous posts say. The D3 is in a completely different league when it comes to offraod capability and touring finese.
I have friends who have spent thousands on their patrol GU and 80 series cruisers with 35inch tyres and huge suspension lifts etc and when out on a challenging 4wd weekend my D3 with no mods just KM2 tyres matches them in every situation.
As far as touring goes there just isn't any comparison. On every occasion the previously mentioned vehicles and I went on 1000+ km weekend trips it the D3 that clearly has the advantage in both fuel economy and comfort, so much so that my friends wife and daughter opted for the D3 as their vehicle of choice for the return home leg, needless to say my mate wasn't too impressed doing the last 400 or so KM's by himself :D
Good luck and I hope you see in a Disco 3 or 4 soon:)

[Neil P]

Yumpet,

What do you own now ? What would you consider "expensive"
if it was the bottom line on a mechanics bill ? How many kms
a year would you be driving ?

[Neil P]

No - the D3 are not as good a tourer as a patrol or cruiser... they're infinitely better! :cool: Biased? No - just the truth! :D

They eat up highway KM like you would not believe. My dad has a bad back (even after operations to fuse vertebrae, screw them together, etc), and can travel for hundreds of KM without distress.
..

.... I'll take a Sahara seat ride to FNQ any day over my crap D3
seats. This is the ONLY aspect of D3 that I consider rubbish quality.
But I'm glad to know someone benefits from the hard LR furniture :D

[Wilbur]

..

.... I'll take a Sahara seat ride to FNQ any day over my crap D3
seats. This is the ONLY aspect of D3 that I consider rubbish quality.
But I'm glad to know someone benefits from the hard LR furniture :D

I think it depends on the back in question. Many people with crook backs find soft seats a disaster. Firm seats give the support needed - the (leather) seats in my Disco are perfect for me. Four ruptured discs over the years leave my back liking a litle support.

[Neil P]

If you intend to have 3rd row occupants , and there's NO aircon
back there ( and NO opening window either ! ) , it won't be pretty
cleaning up the vomit from car-stick passengers in the heat.
You'd better be damn sure that suits you !

[connock]

Neil P
If you dislike your D3 so much may be Yumpet could be interested in buying it;)

I love the seats, nice and firm, and if you are going to be carting people around in the third row get a D3 with a/c in third row.

connock

[Neil P]

Maybe you'd like to buy mine , or shall I just send
around a couple of people so spew in the back of
yours?

[jonesy63]

Neil - maybe it was your driving rather than the car! :p

[Neil P]

That's what my mother use to say . :lol2:

[Graeme]

Perhaps Neil's vehicle needs new shocks and perhaps the dangly bits don't move as they should.

[gedaso]

Yumpet,

I use mine for daily commute through city stop-start traffic and (apart from high fuel consumption, which is kinda inevitable with a heavy 4WD) it is excellent. No sports car, but comfortable with good vision.

For long highway drives, I much prefer it to my wife's BMW sedan which, odd though it might seem, is noisier and has a harsher ride than the disco.

Oh, and don't forget it is pretty good off-road too...

[TerryO]

Hey Neil after you get rid of your crappy D3 you could always go driving with Superquad he is always raving on about how great is 'old Paj' is compared to any LR product. ;)

I don't mind admitting I find my D3's captain seats very comfortable and if I ever let people sit in the back chances are they will enjoy the rear zone airconditioning as well. :)

Now where has Yumpit gone? ...he hasn't said much since his first comment.


cheers,
Terry

[connock]

I find that when I have people in the third row there is a esky in the middle of the two in the second row, All five passengers can reach the beers:D

Yes Terry where has he gone?

connock

[dominicbeirne]

Drove to Longreach for the weekend in 2010, when I lived just next to Kings Cross. Did the run home from Longreach to Kings Cross in 17 hours on 28 June last year. Left Longreach at 6:30 AM and was home tucked in bed in Kings Cross at 11:30 PM. Sent the wife and kids by plane, much more relaxing for me.

Car was very comfortable, fuelled up at Longreach, St George, Narrabri and Rutherford. Highly recommended car for the trip, but make sure you talk nicely to the truckies, they saved me a number of speeding fines that day.

Dom

[TerryO]

I find that when I have people in the third row there is a esky in the middle of the two in the second row, All five passengers can reach the beers:D

Yes Terry where has he gone?

connock


Chances are Yumpet will return again in another couple of years and ask the same questions all over again about buying a LR and then disappear as he has done twice previously. :angel:

cheers,
Terry

[rangietragic]

what are leather d3 seats like compared to a d2'the second row in my d2 are not much better than the rears in my defender 130.drove from maryborough to the daintree and return in my 130 and seats are better than most people say.suits my back anyway.:)

[connock]

what are leather d3 seats like compared to a d2'the second row in my d2 are not much better than the rears in my defender 130.drove from maryborough to the daintree and return in my 130 and seats are better than most people say.suits my back anyway.:)

I went from a 130 to a D3 and my kids ( teen agers ) say there is no comparison, the best rear seat in a defender is the center one , you can streach your legs out over the console:)

connock

[Deal Madrid]

Hi Yumpet, I'm not a long time owner yet, its only been 4 months, but my late diesel 05 D3 with 240k on the clock has been great so far. Its been used as a family car mostly, with planned touring trips once our youngest gets a bit older (she's only 9 mths). All the kids love all the seats and believe me they have tried every one. The third row is large enough for my 6'1" frame and the fuel consumption is reasonable around town. I was lucky to have bought mine from a LR enthusiast which has helped my experience I think.

[Mully]

Yep, seat wise the leather luxury with armrests of the D3 HSE is a massive step(s) up from the '98 D1 we still have and love AND a step up from the once owned D2 TD5 that was actually quite a comfortable ride.

The kids in particular absolutely love the D3 seating due to the ones in the extreme back making them feel like royalty along with the individual headphone jacks. The front seat with the electric controls and armrests still make me shake my head at the luxury we are getting around in.... leg room in the passenger seats is quite good also and the folding of them all is pretty straight forward once your arms grow that little longer to get to the back ones. :)

Cheers.