It has been refreshing to read this thread.
While it is true that perhaps only a small percentage of D3 suffer engine failure , well perhaps more used ones have transmission failure, not mentioned here, to me it is a question of contingent liability.
IAS 37 defines and specifies the accounting for and disclosure of provisions,
contingent liabilities, and
contingent assets. Provisions. A provision is a
liability of uncertain timing or amount. The
liability may be a legal obligation or a constructive obligation.
In other words you don't know whether it will happen to you or not, and in D3s case the costs can be astronomical. How do you know when you buy the car whether you will be up for $7-10K in the first year. I recall a thread on here where someone bought a D3 , and it's crank failed on the way home. Ouch.
And why is a D3 not suitable out of the box for Australian conditions, with ridiculous 19 and 20 inch wheels and small tanks. Toyota seems to be able to offer 17 inch wheels on Prado. It's not hard.
So I have reluctantly decided that I cannot buy a D3-D4 as an unexpected cost of thousands of dollars would destroy my yearly pension and SMSF budget. I will have to stick with my D2 until I cannot drive any more or buy something like a Mitsubishi Challenger PB or Nissan R51 pathfinder if the D2 ****s itself.
I cannot buy a Range Rover L322 either as it is almost certain that the transmission will die at 160K or earlier at fabulous cost, which is probably why they are worth nothing. Or maybe the steering column will fail and not be fixable with the drilled hole and oil, cost what $4K?
It is a real pity and PITA that Land Rover decided to screw over its traditional customer base in favour of the Europeans. And what has it ended up with? losses of $500 million because suddenly the Euros don't like diesels.
Regards Philip A
