Thread: Disco 3 or Toyota Prado

I have never heard of that with the d3 or 4.

As for ride, style and handling LR has always been ahead of the Japanese made 4wd's... This is not a d3 or 4 phenomenon. I think the dilemma for some is that they would give up those things for better reliability but as noted above Toyota no longer have the last say on that head.

Cheers

Ive started looking for a replacement for the D2, havent got to the test drive part yet, just reading up online.

Check out the reviews on the Land Rover Australia website

The World's Most Awarded 4WD | Land Rover Australia

Theres some good comparisons against the 200 Series and some reviews of the D3 and D4. They all come out on top against the Toyotas in a lot of aspects, hence all the awards.

We are looking at moving to the Pilbara, and my only worry about owning a Land Rover is the lack of Land Rover agents in remote towns. But then like it has been said, you can buy diagnostic tools to get you out of the sh"t, and is a damn good idea to take one if you are heading away in a modern 4wd. So it shouldnt be such a problem.

Plus there is always AULRO members more than willing to offer advice.

Resale value is better for a Toyota, but your initial out lay is a lot more. There are some pretty good priced TDV6 D3's on car sales, and they do come a lot more spec'd than the prado's.

Initially when a brand new LR model comes out spare parts are horrendously priced and it scares the crap out of everyone like what happened when the D3 first came out.
From my limited observations as time goes on, usually about five or so years later, many of the silly priced parts dramatically come down to a reasonable price.

For instance a shock strut and airbag cost well over a thousand dollars, now you can buy them for round five hundred each and often even less than that. Same for injectors they are less than half the original price for a TDV6. All be it now you buy these parts from aftermarket suppliers, but often they have the same makers brand name on them as the original factory OEM parts used to have.

This may not be the case with every part but from what I have seen it has followed similar trends with both my D2a and now the D3.

Now often the major cost is labour but even then there are many private LR mechanics around who do a good job for a reasonable fee.

While no true 4x4 is cheap to keep on road, a secondhand D3 shouldn't scare anyone away from the brand, just make sure you bought a well serviced one in the first place and all should be good. This where forums like Aulro come in so handy, there is such a collective wealth of information on tap to assist members that it's hard not to find a easier or cheaper way to get something fixed or put in place preventative maintenance.

I'll stand corrected if others have had different experiences on parts pricing.

Cheers,
Terry

Originally Posted by TerryO

For instance a shock strut and airbag cost well over a thousand dollars, now you can buy them for round five hundred each and often even less than that.

I've just paid my customs invoice for 4 new D3 shocks c/w airsprings which will take the total price to $1675. These are for my D4 that's out of warranty with no extended warranty. The D4 is here for the long haul.

Hi Graeme, are you able to advise the source of this purchase?

Cheers

Just remember.

The car starts out as the tech job, expensive etc...

You WILL need to upkeep a high end vehicle regardless of age.

So be prepared to spend some cash on a regular basis on ANY "fancy" vehicle.

Oh and on the Playdo fuel tank - 180l and 1200km... That's no load!

Originally Posted by lrdef110

Hi Graeme, are you able to advise the source of this purchase?

They're coming from Famous Four but I could have paid only about $200 more from Karcraft except that they wont have any until mid Feb. As the current shocks (refitted D4 originals) somehow seemed to have gone really soft after being stored for 2 years, the car is woeful to drive so want replacements ASAP.

PS. I'm not very happy that the rear air-springs had internal cracks at 95k kms although the suspension travel gets a good work-out where and how I drive. Yesterday 1 rear lost its air whilst parked at access height so it really is timely getting new air-springs.

Originally Posted by Argonaut

Thanks for all the information very much valued and informative. I noticed that a quite a few people have extended warranty taken out, I know it's good insurance but when the warranty runs out do people normally trade up or keep the car ? The reason I ask if I do get a second hand one it may not have warranty, and I am planning on keeping it for a while, does this indicate that fixing a D3 if anything goes wrong, is going to be a costly exercise. I have read that some latter model 4WD's (Prado 120 series) require new injectors at 130-150K km, is this the same with the D3 ?

Argonaut

When I got my D3 the guys I got it from told me front suspension at 100k and timing belt at 150k. I am unsure about the HP fuel pump belt but guess same time as timing belt. Haven't heard of injectors.
I have done my front rotors but I class these as a wear and tear item and are cheap and very easy to replace.
Which ever you choose good luck

Cheers Ean