Thread: Buying a D4 - prices reduced?

Hi aaardvaark,

I too had loved the look and performance of the Disco series over the years. I had a few friends that owned them and I was amazed at how they just ate up the terrain with comfort. Unfortunately there were mixed results on these Disco's reliability. These were 1s & 2s.

I read reports for years after seeing the D3 come on the market....looking for the same issues. I eventually came to the conclusion that just like theresanothersteve stated before....there are lots of 'I know of a guy who knows a guy' type stories. I even started analysing sites like the Land Rover Hell website 'cause I was initially shocked. When you look closely at these, you'll see how few vehicles are actually being talked about...out of all the ones sold. It sux if you are the owner of said vehicle....but! Most of the complaints were about crappy LR service and often in countries that aren't exactly renown for any sort of service at all…..not that Oz can boast in all LR service stories….LOL! There are also lots of stories around that can be put down to operator error or ignorance. There are also a lot of blatant lies.

I put my money down almost a year ago on a 3.0 SE D4 and have still got the permagrin. A couple of niggly issues, nothing came close to stopping it going….suspension issue (good 90% of the time), some broken light fittings and squeaky rubber - all now fixed. I can’t say that I’ve been overwhelmed with a sense of car stopping issues in D3s and certainly not in D4s.

Resale issues?…..You pay a massive LVT on the car to start with….is that a one off? If so….you’d have to expect a large hole in the resale value wouldn’t you? However, in so saying, when I bought the D4 I was actually looking for a 2009 HSE but was blown away but how much money even the 2008s were getting and mainly by how few were for sale…..I spent the extra and bought the D4 because of that. It’s not a decision that I regret!

There are issues with the D3 and D4…it’s unfortunately a fact of life…..but blown engines, transmissions and crap performance are not on the list. There are thousands of BS stories circulating the web…

Cheers,

Kev.

same here, bought the new D4 because buying a used was simply too expensive to be an option. what's the point paying almost new & not getting the same service & warranty?

Bought one of the very last of the D3's just over 14 months ago new.
The only 2 problems have been the spare wheel winder died because I didn't know to keep tension on it when winding it up and 3 flats on the OE 19" tyres, now replaced.
Had a couple of odd warning lights (once or twice) which fixed themselves.
Even with all my playing around in mud, bull dust etc I have not had EPB problems
I did 12 months research before I bought this car, looked at 200 series & did a lot of research on it at the same time, had a look at the Prado & the Patrol.
If you look there are horror stories about all of them & great stories about all of them.
They are all basically good cars. My research lead me to believe that:
The 200 was over priced (Diesel) for what you got & it was a the same as the old model with a big engine + a bit of extra kit. Also not as well designed interior.
Prado was a bit small, sluggish & did not handle very well. Also had a lot of body roll. Very well built & quiet.
Patrol was just old, not as good as the Terracan we had years ago & was a 2005 model.
The Disco 3 had a lot of kit/gear for the money, great interior though the plastic door pulls get me, drove better & quieter than anything else, fitted all 7 of us in comfort & the salesman actually knew a hell of a lot about the car.
Disappointments with the D3: Initial acceleration is a bit doughy, I personally don't like the auto wipers much & I should have stretched the budget to center cooler box, adaptive headlights & touch screen so the RSE is a bit easier to use. RSE should be OK once the kids are old enough to operate it themselves.
I don't miss not having the rear E diff, it's got me out of all the silly things I've done so far + help a couple of others out.
On dirt roads my wife drives it like on the seal because she is so confident in it, only car she has ever done that in.
Not knocking any other car or brand but my research makes me believe the Disco is hard to go past for the dollars.
Jonesfam

Thanks everybody for the info. It's a hard business to separate individual experiences from statistical reality!

For people who share my feelings about the prices not changing at all despite huge changes in exchange rates, here's what Landrover Australia had to say:

Please allow us to confirm that our vehicle pricing is dictated by a number of factors, not only by the current exchange rate. These factors include, but are not limited to, local stamp duties, on road costs, Federal Government Luxury Car taxes, freight, insurance on freight, and import duties.

As the National Sales Company for Land Rover in Australia we have our prices agreed upon by Land Rover UK and these are based on numerous business metrics including volumes and many of the extra costs above. The pricing we have now will be continued and won't be reviewed in the near future.


Hmmm. The fact is that none of the costs they mention have increased while the base purchase price to them should have gone down 15% to 20%. So prices should be a lot lower. You can bet your last dollar that if exchange rates had gone the other way, the price would have gone up.



My remaining doubts are 1) how to get proper 17" wheels and tyres and the more economical bigger engine on the same vehicle. To put it another way, how to get any reasonable tyre with 60% or 70% profile on the SE version. What do SE owners do when they go outback - do they keep the unsuitable low profile tyres or is there some way around it?


2) reliability still. Redbook reviews that seem to be pretty fair and unbiased say "Land Rover's reliability record is not good" and "Land Rover is still behind current quality and reliability standards".



Even people who like their D4s and say they are reliable still report 'niggling' problems that would not be tolerated on other vehicles.


It's obvious I really do want to buy one, but I'm still struggling to convince myself. Thanks again for all the info and I hope everyone has a problem-free year with their vehicles.

Hi Aaadvaark,
I'm sure that there are many things that LRA failed to mention, such as currency insurance.

As you are so trepidaceous, I suggest that you go elsewhere.

Best Wishes,
Peter

Peter,
sounds like someone is a bit hungover this morning

I'm sure people don't buy Land Rovers because they are #1 for reliablity. With the gadgets and trickery, comes additional problems and cost. The upside when everything is working as designed is that the LR is such a better on and off road driver from the factory floor than anything else on the market imho.

Another factor in pricing is that it is not a day by day decision based on exchange rates. The best you can probably hope for is not a year on year increase in prices. A 20% improvement in the $ over the GBP does not mean a 20% reduction in the total purchase price.

Personally I think the pricing of the LR is pretty reasonable when you factor in what the car gives you compared to what it would cost for an equivalent spec'd up Toyota or Nissan.

Why not consider a still in warranty late model HSE or SE D3? If you are serious about setting up for outback travel, a kitted out D3 would price wise work out pretty well and you can get 17's for them.

Hi Aaadvaark,

There are no more or less "niggly" problems with the D4/RRS range than any other modern $80 000+ vehicle. It is not possible to compare a 1980's vehicle (eg D1, LC60) with a 2010 vehicle. The "issues" you will have are completely different. Recall all the howls of anguish over the D1/D2/P38 when they were released; breaking axles, CV's, head gaskets, 3 Amigos, Prince of Darkness, air suspension, main end bearings etc etc. Those you won't (shouldn't) get these days. Now it's computer glitches, sensor errors etc. And most of these won't render your vehicle a 2 1/2 tonne paperweight, as the '80s/90's cars would.

No matter what brand you look at, all modern cars are now a combination of computerised technology and superior design. Buyers need to get used to the concept, or stick with the used vehicle market.

As for price variation, there is no way you'd want the markets to vary with the exchange - you just know that it wouldn't work in your favour (look at fuel!!). Re-adjustment once every 3 years or so is the most stable option and provides some form of security for the financial and used vehicle markets.

Re reliability surveys, virtually all of them converge onto service experiences, which are so individually subjective as to have very little weight in true reliability. For example, returing your car to get the radio/bluetooth operational is not in the same league as returning it to get the block replaced, but few (if any) surveys make the distinction.

Cheers,

Gordon

Originally Posted by Ashes

Peter,
sounds like someone is a bit hungover this morning

I'm sure people don't buy Land Rovers because they are #1 for reliablity. With the gadgets and trickery, comes additional problems and cost. The upside when everything is working as designed is that the LR is such a better on and off road driver from the factory floor than anything else on the market imho.

Another factor in pricing is that it is not a day by day decision based on exchange rates. The best you can probably hope for is not a year on year increase in prices. A 20% improvement in the $ over the GBP does not mean a 20% reduction in the total purchase price.

Personally I think the pricing of the LR is pretty reasonable when you factor in what the car gives you compared to what it would cost for an equivalent spec'd up Toyota or Nissan.

Why not consider a still in warranty late model HSE or SE D3? If you are serious about setting up for outback travel, a kitted out D3 would price wise work out pretty well and you can get 17's for them.

Given that man a hand...I dont own a D3/4 but the above is the way I would sum it up.

Cheers

PS. The competition are having issues that are far worse than air suspension dropping down unexpectedly or an engine going home limp home style, or the even rarer turbo problems, and instead you are seeing engines with MECHANICAL problems of a significant variety such as engines exploding (Cruiser and Prado TD). I know which I would rather have. Just go for a drive in both and make up your mind from there, because reliability wise there just isnt enough in it between modern 4wd's to make that the main deciding point.