what to look out for?

[Crimdog]

hello everyone,
i had another thread going a little while ago asking advice on weather i should purchase a newish base model disco 4 or go for a 2010 HSE. i have decided to go for the 2010(ish) as i only have $70 to spend.

i haven't bought a second hand car in a while so my question is, what do i need to look out for?

i will get a pre purchase inspection done on what ever car i narrow it down to but is there anything i should look for while i'm shopping around that would instantly rule out a car?

thanks
CD

[BMKal]

hello everyone,
i had another thread going a little while ago asking advice on weather i should purchase a newish base model disco 4 or go for a 2010 HSE. i have decided to go for the 2010(ish) as i only have $70 to spend.

i haven't bought a second hand car in a while so my question is, what do i need to look out for?

i will get a pre purchase inspection done on what ever car i narrow it down to but is there anything i should look for while i'm shopping around that would instantly rule out a car?

thanks
CD

A badge that looks anything like this one .................

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/7905/tnuv.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/tnuv.jpg/)

:wasntme:

[Crimdog]

Haha nice, thanks for the reply and for such sound advice! :D

[PaulGOz]

From my experience check to see if it has the revised air suspension compressor. If it has not really been used much it may still be running the original which will die once you start using it. The later model hangs a little lower in front of the passenger rear wheel. Best to compare with a current model and it should be obvious. If you can mention how many kms the car has others may be able to advise on upcoming service items.

[dazray]

From my experience check to see if it has the revised air suspension compressor. If it has not really been used much it may still be running the original which will die once you start using it. The later model hangs a little lower in front of the passenger rear wheel. Best to compare with a current model and it should be obvious. If you can mention how many kms the car has others may be able to advise on upcoming service items.

I agree about the compressor, as I have just had mine replaced at 24 months service. I don't use mine often and was still only getting intermittent normal height only error which goes away after a restart. I can see how some people would not worry about getting it looked at if they don't use it much. It just happened to do it to me on the way to my service as I had the car in access height that morning and they said they code was compressor taking too long to fill the tank.

[Crimdog]

So to clarify, there 2 different versions of the compressor? (Old and new) and I should be looking for one with a new version because it lasts longer?

Can I ask all those that have a d4' what is the life span of the compressor from new with average (weekend warrior style) off road use? And what is the cost of replacement? Most of the cars I am looking at are just out of warrantee so if something fails I am up for the cost!!!

[~Rich~]

Don't be scared off by the older type compressor, I use mine for height changes everyday and mine has lasted well.
Of more concern is if the vehicle has towed larger vans / trailers be more wary of auto fluid changes every 50,000k I don't tow and still do this every 50,000 to prolong the torque converter life. The compressor you can change yourself if you have any mechanical skills for less than $900, the gearbox if not looked after might cost $8000!

[Crimdog]

Thanks Rich,
There is one for sale on car sales at the moment that has bee imported from the UK! I have had a look on TOPIx to check the build specs and there are a couple of things that concern me. The tow hitch is a swan neck not a receiver like the aus version! And it says "normal temp zones" rather than the "tropical temp zones" it usually states in aus build versions. The guy said it has a qld road worthy cert so it must be all good but....
Are swan neck tow balls legal in aus?
What do you think about the temp zones?
Anything else I should be concerned about with it being a UK build vs aus build?

[~Rich~]

All D3's & D4's are made in the UK!

[Graeme]

Does it have an ADR compliance plate fitted? I suspect it would have to have one but you might like to be sure.

[Crimdog]

Haha yes Rich I know they are all built in the UK !:D This particular one was built for the UK market and later imported to Australia by the owners.
Thanks Graeme, it does have a current road worthy certificate but good point, I will check.

[MR LR]

Well we use a swan neck hitch off one of the very first demo D3's in the D4... (Had a few of them we kept). We use it because we don't fancy that abortion they made for the Aus spec cars. Does the job, probably some legal issues but look at everyone that fits a Mitch hitch...

[lpj]

If its a "grey" import, then you should be paying considerably less that the the 2nd hand market value of a comparable Aussie delivered vehicle. Considering they payed about half of what we pay here, I would say half the market price would be where you'd start. Then think about trying to move it on after you have had it for a few years.
It would want to be immaculate and much cheaper, otherwise I'd stay away.

[Crimdog]

Lpj, its not so much a grey import from what I can gather but a family that moved over here and decided to bring their beloved D4. Im yet to inspect it but I think your right in that because it is not an aus spec it will be harder for them to move and therefore I should be able to get it cheap. I plan on keeping it for a long time (5-7 yrs) so I'm not that concerned about residual value but still worth keeping in mind.

Thanks for your thoughts crew, keep it comin ;)

[Graeme]

I suspect customs fits a compliance plate to every direct import once they determined that it met applicable ADRs.

[Mike_S]

I suspect customs fits a compliance plate to every direct import once they determined that it met applicable ADRs.

Nope, you're sent a 'personal import' sticker or plate to affix to the vehicle which has the VIN number on it and the month/ year of import on it. It should be either on the bulkhead or front slam panel.

Disco's & RRS are made to a worldwide spec so meet all the ADR's applicable in their year of manufacture. The engineer that I had to get to sign off all my import paperwork here in VIC was massively ****ed off not to get any additional work out of my bringing the car in :cool:

As for valuing them at half the Aus value, get real. Chances are you're getting a higher spec vehicle, there's no need to be offensive at the same time. A little cheaper, maybe, but not half the value.

As for the swan neck hitch, the only difference is it's only rated to 150kg noseweight, as opposed to the 350kg of the Aus tongue. I still use a swan neck, I have no intention of ever dragging something with a noseweight more than I can comfortably lift

[~Rich~]

Also the person who went to the trouble to import their car must be a car enthusiast and loves it. Therefore it's been looked after. ;)

[Crimdog]

Mike you are right, there are certain things in the build spec on TOPIx that would be advertised as optional extras if it were an aus spec vehicle.

Rich, funny you say that... The guy I talked to didn't even know if it had 19" or 20" wheels on it!!! He said he knows NOTHING about cars, haha. I think it has been the wife's pride and joy though.

2 things...
-How important is rear climate control? seems its not standard on uk spec HSE.
-It only has a "mini Steele" spare wheel... Mmmm I'm not sure about that, I could pick up a spare alloy pretty cheap though right?

[Graeme]

-It only has a "mini Steele" spare wheel... Mmmm I'm not sure about thatJLRA thankfully specified the full size spare as standard equipment for our vehicles.

[lpj]

Speak to anyone who has been in the 2nd hand car market and they will set you straight about what "grey" imports are worth (i.e. without Australian compliance plates). For the most part, they won't touch them. That doesn't mean you shouldn't, just don't pay more than you have to. I had a great little 88 Golf GTI that was imported from Sth Africa and it worked well for me. The dealer wanted 25k- I pointed out the lack of compliance plate and they dropped it to 15k on the spot.

To get good idea of what you should be paying, check out the local sites from where its from for similar cars. The owner won't be any worse off if you pay less because they paid less- much less. The level of depreciation percentage wise is the same for them.

[Crimdog]

So I ckecked out the car today, looks pretty good. Some wear and tear but I guess that is to be expected. Going to get a mechanical inspection done on it tomorrow and see how that goes. The guy has $69k on it, I Think pending the result of the mechanical I will offer him about $63-$65k. Considering the wear and tear ( stain on one of the fold down seats, one rim has a 3-5cm slight kerb mark, couple of small nicks on the wheel arch and some slight damage on the door cards) I think that is a fair price!?!?

Doesn't quite feel the same as buying a new car, but then again..... I'm getting a disco:D pretty stoked.