Buying advice for 2005 D3 S

Paul as someone that actually owned one of these for a number of years, not just test drove one I can tell you that the manual is fine. The clutch issues arrise when people forget that they are driving a manual and towing heavy loads. The power delivery on these engines is not really suited to a manual if you are doing lots of stop start towing. I used to use low range in mine a bit on steep hills etc to take the load of the clutch and it was fine.

I also had a 40mm Dobinson lift in mine and still prefer the way that drove to the D4 that I replaced it with. To a certain extent the 17" rims that I had on mine would have contributed to the ride but it was just so bloody smooth compared to the bags on my D4.

Finally with regards to TR, there is much to be gained if you are doing a significant amount of offroad work but based on what you have been saying it will still be able to go most places as the traction control part is still in there. The upshot of the S is that it is very easy to replace the stereo with an aftermarket unit as there are none of the issues with the dash on the flasher versions either. I had a pioneer double DIN unit in mine with reverse camera, DAB+, DVD and could run iPhone Apps as well as a bunch of other stuff that I never bothered with. I will never be able to get all that in my D4 without interface issues.

I sold mine for $25k but it only had 134,000km on it and was a very good condition with a lot of new/replacement bits on it.

Cheers
Paul

Thanks for the input Paul, it is fantastic to hear from someone who owned one. You have shed a lot of light onto some of the concerns I had. I am basing my decision on an inspection now. I will be going up to Sydney this weekend! Hopefully all is well and I can become a Land Rover owner

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the clarification. When I had the chance to test drive both D3's side by side, they both had a 1.8 ton caravan attached. What you said makes perfect sense.


Cheers,

Cripesamighty

Andddd I contacted the dealer today, credit card at the ready to place a holding deposit on... "Sorry sir, we sold the car this morning pending an inspection"



Damnnn

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Originally Posted by PaulG

Andddd I contacted the dealer today, credit card at the ready to place a holding deposit on... "Sorry sir, we sold the car this morning pending an inspection"



Damnnn

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Don't despair Paul. When we were looking for our first Land Rover in 2013 we missed out on 2 demo cars that we had our hearts set on and ended up with a new HSE that was actually cheaper than the demos were by several thousand. The demos were outside of Sydney where we live whereas the new HSE was in Sydney :)

The right car is out there, don't worry too much you may end up happier like we did.

Good luck with your search.

Martin

I started looking in April last year and finally bought in November. I missed out on several good deals as they go quick. However, it doesn't matter as another good deal will come up sooner or later.

In retrospect the first 3 months was learning about various models and features, working out what I really wanted, prices & pitfalls such as cost of outstanding services. I ended up with a great car and a deal that I haven't seen bettered.

In summary have a good long look around. New listings come up all the time. Sometimes there is a glut, next a lull. Don't stress about missing out on a deal as another will come along. The search can be frustrating. The key is to be patient. Appearance (indicating how well the car was looked after) and complete service history are important features, and get an inspection.

The problem that he is going to have is that there were only around 50 manual TDV6 sold in Australia so if you are looking for one they are few and far between. Mine was the only one in 134 D3 TDV6 vehicles when it was on carsales.

Keep looking and you may find one but the are thin on the ground.

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Originally Posted by nelpd96

The problem that he is going to have is that there were only around 50 manual TDV6 sold in Australia so if you are looking for one they are few and far between. Mine was the only one in 134 D3 TDV6 vehicles when it was on carsales. Keep looking and you may find one but the are thin on the ground.

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True.

True.I was looking at a parked D3 TDV6 once in Albany,it was a manual.The owner turned up and asked what I was doing.Told him I was a landy fan and that was my D2 parked behind him.He had to specialy order his and wait almost 6 months for delivery.Manuals are much more common in the UK,pretty sure they were still available in the early D4s over there too.Not here.
Andrew

Hi Paul

Nothing wrong with a D3 on coils, I had one for 4 years that had 50mm lift and it was a great ride. Now have a RRS on air obviously and the difference is minimal on road. RRS has lower profile tyres and I think stiffer suspension, but the D3 was great. The good thing about coils is you don't need to worry about watching the threads about compressors dying, coils always work.

But I'm sure by now there would be enough secondhand cars to find a decent D3 SE with good history, make sure it has been serviced when required. My theory spend heaps on servicing and you won't spend heaps fixing it.

Good luck

Andrew