Thread: Convinced myself to buy 03/04 TD5 Disco

Hi

$15k should get you a good 03/04 V8. It might be stretching it for a td5 though. The V8 will drink a lot more fuel. Maintenance wise all things being equal there is not a lot in it between the diesel and V8. That said a good documented service history and pre purchase inspection are essential and budgeting $1-2k for repairs after purchase is a good idea, especially if it is purchased privately.

7 seats does get the air rear suspension and it is worth having. With a young family your wife will love the extra seats as you can fit in extra kids/parents.

I'm not sure about ACE in SE models I think it was an option on all except the HSE.

Anything with less than 12-13k per year would be lower than average Kms.

Cheers

Steve

Originally Posted by striking

Hi guys,

My first car was a Suzuki Sierra, I then upgraded to a 93 GQ Patrol, then to an 03 GU Patrol, but the wife did not want to drive it once we had the baby so we went down to an Aurion.

I am in the market to buy a new 4x4 before the end of the financial year (tax reasons) and have a budget of 15k. I have never owned one but I am keen to jump into a Disco II TD5.

The vehicle will be my driver, but probably only a few times a week as I mainly work from home. The second reason is now that our youngest is a bit older (4) we are keen to start camping and getting away for the weekends.

I have a few questions regarding these vehicles:

1. I have seen some nice condition low Klm V8 variants, are these just too expensive to run and re-fuel? How far can you get before you need to fill up?
2. The 7 seaters come standard with Air suspension, is this any good? is it worth keeping an eye out for the 7 seaters for this reason? We have 3 kids, so don't "need" 7 seats,however it could be handy.
3. Is it the SE that came with ACE and extra features etc? Is it worth holding out for this model?
4. What is considered "low" Klm's in for this age range?

Thanks guys, really looking forward to my first landy purchase!

1. I can't comment on the disco v8s, but I went from a 3.5l 1987 Range Rover v8 to a 2003 TD5, as I can get a better range out of the same fuel quantity (actually the RR had a 72l tank, vs 95l for the TD5 so less range to start with), as it uses about half the fuel. (TD5 a bit more than 1/2 around town, definitely less than 1/2 on the beach / 4WDing) On the beach etc a turbo diesel auto beats a petrol any day for fuel use, range etc. Service intervals are longer than equivalent petrols and most diesels of the same age as well. Also cheaper at rego time, although 5 cylinder is treated as a 6 in QLD.

2. I have air suspension on mine. Doesn't matter if I have 2 or 7 people on board, as the computer keeps it level. I've had air bag failure (pin hole in a fold) and the associated compressor stop working, but if you consider the airbags as wearing / consumable items and replace them every 5 to 6 years, they are worth the money. The compressor is a bit expensive and pretty poorly spec'd. I didn't want a 7 seater either, as my children had their own licences when I purchased it, (it would have been useful when they were at school, due to trips to parties with friends, sports events etc) but I have used it to pick up my children and their friends (5 to 6 people) from the clubs at night, save taking 2 cars to a restaurant (6 people), or a short run to the beach (7 people) etc. So, worth it for the versatility. Not friendly for long runs for adults but I reckon up to 30 minutes is good. I also have the screen in the second row hooked up to the front replacement DVD player, so I can play music DVDs. The front row can hear it, the second and third rows can also see it.

3. Others need to comment on ACE, but I do have ACE envy. From what I have heard, it is brilliant.

4. Get one with a good service history. Lower kms help, but if it hasn't been looked after, then it will be more expensive than one that has. Either way, budget some money in the first year for repairs.

BTW: whereabouts in BrisVegas are you? I'm at Carindale.

Hi,

I'd never get a V8 again after owning a 3.9 D1 then getting my Td5 D2. Comes down to fuel economy, range and reliability.

I specifically wanted a non airbag model so that the suspension could be easily upgraded and less likely to fail.

Can't comment on ACE as I've never driven one with it, but can't complain about mine not having it.



Matt.

If you can hold out for one with SLS and ACE, you won't regret it

Not sure about the V8, ( I have a Td5), but no matter what you get it costs money to drive it, just weigh up the initial cost saving of the V8, against the fuel savings of the Td5, probably not much difference, depending how long you intend to keep it?

Thanks for the comments all.

@bsperka - I am actually towards the Gold Coast (Coomera Waters). How does the air suspension perform off road? Can you manually increase the height if needed?

@Rok_Dr - That is what I am finding, hopefully I can find someone that just wants a quick sale, I know how painful it can be trying to sell a second hand car... Regarding the ACE, that is what my research has also turned up ACE is standard on HSE and options on SE, have not found a TD5 HSE yet.

@Datt, Although I won't be driving it daily, I like the range of the TD's especially on weekend trips up the beach, nothing worse than having to fill up every day at Bulwer or carrying extra fuel. Send the photos and details mate, happy to have a look.

@SliddersC - I will probably hold it 3 years, but not more than 5, I have considered the lifetime cost of the TD5 and V8 but have not yet done that calcs, for me it is more about the range on a tank.

For 15k, you probably won't get an outstanding D2a. Could get a pretty good D2, but then that's not a D2a then is it.
I got mine with no SLS or ACE for 12, paid too much for it but that's okay.
If you could find a D2 with some goodies, ACE, SLS, etc for under 15k it would probably be a good buy.
If your budget is limited to 15k, You're getting a lot more for your money with a V8.
BUT.
As mentioned, is it worth spending less on a good V8 if you're going to make up what you saved in fuel costs very quickly?
My old man had a V8 back when petrol was under a dollar a litre, and it was expensive then!
I guess my advice would be if you want a good Td5 D2a, you're better spending a bit more or you're taking a gamble.
If you're prepared to go for a V8, 15k should net you a good example.
Cheers
Muppet

@Disco Muppet - I started with 10k budget, then quickly rose to 15k to get into a Disco 2 TD5... Will pushing to 15-20 get me into a decent D2a?

You will easily get into a D2a Td5 for 15k, but as with all vehicles this age there will be things that need sorting.
Depending on what they are, they could be good bargaining tools?, if you are handy on the spanners a lot of savings are to be had by doing the repairs yourself

The most important thing is picking the right on in the first place, they will all have issues, some minor some major, trick is balancing this with the cost of purchase and repairs.

There are some good ones out there, very realistically priced