Thread: Thinking of buying a D3

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

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

Originally Posted by yumpet

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.

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

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. 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.

Cheers,
Rob

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
Good luck and I hope you see in a Disco 3 or 4 soon

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 ?

Originally Posted by jonesy63

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

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

Originally Posted by Neil P

..

.... 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

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.

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 !