Thread: D3 purchase advise - which year?

I'm not getting much feedback from sales people, but are there any major reasons to avoid the first model or two of the D3/RRS?
I bought one, no major issues just the normal stuff.

I imagine being an all new car they would have some problems, but how major and are they deal breakers?
Make sure it's been serviced by the book by LR or a specialist, not just any old mechanic.

All I have been told is that the early ones needed a computer update to iron out a few bugs, but that is all????
Yes that is true, it fixes alot of issues.

The 05-06 models seem to be worth a fair few grand less too - that worries me.
ie, $57000ish for a 72000k 05' HSE with sunroofs, satnav? etc. Great bang for buck I recon!
How did you guess that figure???
I paid $57,000 for 78,000k 05 HSE with sunroofs, satnav and eDiff!
I live in Sydney and bought the car unseen except for online from Southern Landrover in Perth. Got it shipped over for less than $1000.

Major point, buy it from a dealer and get an extended warranty from Allainz. It will cost you up about $2400 but it will pay for itself during the 3 yrs 60,000k you are covered for.
No it won't cover the Air Suspension and it will only pay for the first $2000 of each claim but over the life of the policy they pay up to the value of the vehicle in repairs.

Good Luck

Originally Posted by DM74

Hi guys,
I have tried a few searches and had no luck, so please feel free to tell me if there is a thread with this info and I'll delete it;

I read in a post a few weeks ago a comment on 'no one reading this forum would buy an 05' or 06' Disco' (Diesel) if I read it correctly?


On that note, anyone got one with the sunroofs? Stear clear or worth getting? A bit sus on the lack of being able to completely black them out.
Living in Melbourne I guess the climate could be much worse for sunshine....


I just want to be armed with all the amunition I need so when something good turns up I can jump on it.

thanks for you help,
Darian

Darian,

Like most first run models inevitably there are a few issues that are generally ironed out in 2nd and 3rd iterations of the model, that is probably why most say if you can get the youngest one possible.

The early D3's had issues with ball joints, now fixed. Also being very reliant on complex electrics these can and have caused some issues.

The older, higher mileage models can and have had some problems with transmission (check back through the threads as a number of people have reported shuddering transmission under load that) if caught early they can be helped by flushing and replacing the transmission fluid, if not they are a very expensive fix.

Generally I think the concern would be that as the early models are the first run there is no prior knowledge of how they will age and how expensive they will get to own, run and repair as they accumulate plenty of miles.

Additionally assuming someone is looking to get a bargain by buying a "cheaper" 2nd hand D3 or RRS you might get badly burnt if the D3 starts shedding stuff left right and centre (not that that has happen much to date) as they can be bloody expensive to fix and that cheap D3 might turn into a money pit.

Regards the sunroof, I have the factory sunroof and I have had no problems with it being to hot. I think if it came with the sunroof and alpine glass roof then to also has the rear a/c which works a treat to keep things cool. To date I have not had or heard of any issue, maybe a few with leaks caused by blocked drainage holes but that should be easily fixed.

Like Rich said, make sure it has been maintained by the book, had all the recalls performed and buy from a reputable dealer if possible.

Hope this helps.


George

Hi Darian,

Whatever you do ensure the vehicle you're checking out has more than the stamps in the service book. Find out who actually did the servicing and get the full list of everything done by them.

A friend of mine bought an 05 SE D3 with only 42k; it passed a few inspections and he bought it unseen. It's turned into one long nightmare, despite being a truly brilliant car when it's working. I won't go into the $$$.

He received the full service list after the first batch of problems (uneven idle) started showing and it revealed a car that had lived most of it's life in the shop, often with recurring issues. The local specialist now reckons it was drowned early in it's life and that's why there were so many electrical faults. Plus the fuel system was full of metal shards - WTF?? But it's amazing how well the engine adjusted itself to be nearly smooth with some injectors running at twice the pressure of others - that 2.7 is a truly great motor.

But don't let this scare you off D3's. On the whole they seem to be very reliable and the few issues should be well sorted by now. Another mate has an 09 model and it's perfectly reliable: Fuel up and go.

I've driven them off road in tricky situations and they're amazing, with amazing space inside; premium sound system is awesome too. I found the cornering on the road to be a bit rolly for me, so I bought a D2a with ACE!

cheers,

bidds

Originally Posted by bidds

Plus the fuel system was full of metal shards - WTF?? But it's amazing how well the engine adjusted itself to be nearly smooth with some injectors running at twice the pressure of others

This sounds as though it got a sufficient dose of petrol to damage the high pressure fuel pump and then the injectors and therefore should have been injector faults recorded to indicate this.

I have a high mileage 06 D3 HSE that I bought very cheap. Yes it has cost quite a bit to get up to the standard I wanted and to fix some issues but it was still a lot cheaper than $50K.
My philosophy is always to steer clear of sun roofs if possible as in my experience they add unwanted complexity and avenues for leaks. Unfortunately I got one with this vehicle and have already had leaking problems. The sunroofs also have a problem with the plastic mechanism cracking and causing problems which is documented on the Disco3 UK forum. I examined my mechanism and it has indeed cracked. It is working fine for the moment but my solution is to not open the sunroof in future to avoid any problems this may cause.
From my experience with the sunroof the shades keep the heat out fine and the extra aircon in the back certainly gets the car nice and cool quickly.

Hiya Darian....

I've had an '05 HSE diesel for about 30 thousand Kms now and have discovered most of the (now) known issues with it. As it currently is I would take $50k for it in a heart beat and trade to something more basic BUT that is only personal preference.. the D3 in good nick of any year is a formidable beast of a vehicle, this thing will go anywhere!

The recommendations of others here are very valid and it will always be hard to know if any service mob has done the services etc correctly... being forewarned so as to investigate things for yourself is the biggest weapon in your attack I believe.

With what is known of these trucks now, there are no reasons to steer clear of them if you know what you are looking for and prepared to stay on top of any issues either present or pending.. a lot like most vehicles, just the first couple releases took a while to show their faults but by about 150 thou, they should be present I'd expect. Sadly, some can be costly.

Happy hunting!