Thread: What to look for when buying a D3

Service History

Service History

Service History

Being an 09 it should still be in warranty.

Being in warranty you can also purchase an extended warranty.

See if you can get it inspected by an external party ie for crash damage.

Regards

Chuck

Have a good look underneath to see if it has been bashed of road.
Ask the dealer/seller why it is for sale, an 09 is fairly new, why are they selling a car that is only a couple of years old? Have they had a lot of problems? Has it had a prang? Or is it just changed life style or don't use the capability etc. If the answer is lame he is either fibbing or doesn't know, he should.
As mentioned, service history.
Check the brake booster oil recall was done, mine is an 09 & the fix was done before delivery.
They are a great car & if the one you are looking at stands up you will be truly impressed.
Jonesfam

Sadie,

Is it a TDV6 or Petrol, S, SE or HSE, just might assist in others giving you some more technical help.

As far as I am aware there are no known regular issues, but it might be worthwhile having a drive of a couple of others so you get a feel for how a D3 should feel and making sure the one you are interested in feels OK.

If it is being purchased from a dealer see if you can get a copy not just of the service history but of any faults history, as with most modern vehicles that rely on electronics and sensors every now and then one seems to have more problems than other and if it has been in the shop often for problems this might indicate it is prone to issues.

Also have a good think about how you plan to use it.

If you intend to use it seriously off road see if it has the e-diff as this is very useful and can not, as yet be retro fitted.

If it come with the 19inch wheels you might want them changed over to either 17 or 18 inch rims if you plan to use it as a outback tourer/off road weapon.

The cars also come standard with a tow hitch, stored behind the removable panels in the rear cargo area, check it is there as it could save you some $ if you want to tow.

Other than that just get ready to smile a lot when you drive it.

Good luck,

George

Thanks for the replies. For more info...

It's a Petrol SE. It's a private sale and it's a leased vehicle that they've decided to downgrade. I doubt very much that it's been offroad, though I will have a look underneath next time I see it. It does have the 19 inch alloys, and I'll look at replacing them with something smaller, but it's just had new tyres fitted so I'd probably leave them on for a while..

Do recall fixes usually get noted in the service booklet, or somewhere else?

Thanks again.
Steve

Originally Posted by Sadie

Thanks for the replies. For more info...

It's a Petrol SE. It's a private sale and it's a leased vehicle that they've decided to downgrade. I doubt very much that it's been offroad, though I will have a look underneath next time I see it. It does have the 19 inch alloys, and I'll look at replacing them with something smaller, but it's just had new tyres fitted so I'd probably leave them on for a while..

Do recall fixes usually get noted in the service booklet, or somewhere else?

Thanks again.
Steve

Steve, you can always contact the dealer / mechanic that has stamped the service book.
They should have a history of fixes / faults.
Cheers, Craig

The engine won't give you any problems , and that's 99% of
your engine worries gone ..............
The one you're looking at will however not be any more reliable
than '07 to end of run WRT anything else . DO GET THE EXTENDED
WARRANTY !
The recalls ( fixes , actually ) are nearly all diesel engine related.
New tyres suggests k40km on the clock ( ? ) , so listen carefully
to the front diff and half shafts for noise .