Discovery 3 Buying Help
Discussion
Good morning. I'm thinking of changing our 535d for something more dog friendly (again, haven't done anything about it yet) and am considering a discovery 3. I've been reading about the potential pit falls so this post isn't about that. What I'm wondering is is there any point in spending more of a 2007 car than a 2005? Are the changes in the engine in terms of fuel economy sufficiently big to make it worth spending the extra money? I really don't do many miles at all so unless there's other big differences or it doubles the fuel economy or something like that it doesn't seem so. I don't really want to spend the money required to stretch to a 3.0 so it will be the 2.7.
I only commute a couple of miles each way and do the odd longer trip at the weekends. I want a much bigger car so we can get our new dog in along with all our stuff when we go away and having something bigger to tow my track car around and still have a lot of room for spare wheels and tools would be a massive improvement over the bmw. The bmw is also garbage in the snow and I have to be careful where I park the track car trailer so I don't get stuck on wet grass or mud.
Any advice would be very welcome.
Thanks,
Mark
I only commute a couple of miles each way and do the odd longer trip at the weekends. I want a much bigger car so we can get our new dog in along with all our stuff when we go away and having something bigger to tow my track car around and still have a lot of room for spare wheels and tools would be a massive improvement over the bmw. The bmw is also garbage in the snow and I have to be careful where I park the track car trailer so I don't get stuck on wet grass or mud.
Any advice would be very welcome.
Thanks,
Mark
We have just traded our Disco3 in and got a 4.
The 3 was never an issue at all in the 3 years/ 25k miles we did in it.
I used it many times to tow the Radical to trackdays. didnt even notice the trailer was their most of the time unlike the l200 i use now.
Infact its prob not a bad buy now we traded it for £10k,
http://rogermbass.com/#/discovery-27td-hse/4577379...
The 3 was never an issue at all in the 3 years/ 25k miles we did in it.
I used it many times to tow the Radical to trackdays. didnt even notice the trailer was their most of the time unlike the l200 i use now.
Infact its prob not a bad buy now we traded it for £10k,
http://rogermbass.com/#/discovery-27td-hse/4577379...
The V8 really needs the hardened valves fitted to run long term on it, flash lube etc can be used to help but it's not a total cure.
the difference in 05-07 is really just spec, same car but with the specs played about with a bit more.
The 07 does have an oil pump issue, easy fix as when it's due it belts done at 7 years or 105k, whatever comes up first, it should get a new pump fitted. There are updates to the parts.
Basic checks are to listen for clunks etc from the suspension, knock over bumps are front lower ball joints, knock under braking is front lower arm bushes. Change the arm and bolts to solve, very common issue.
Rear upper arms can go as well. Jack car up, support properly and give wheel a shake, if it moves, you need new rear arms. From personal experience, when you change the upper, fit RRS arms as they are a stronger bush design, plus change the rear lowers and the 4 hub bushes as well. Get it all done in one go and you don't have to rebook into garages to get it sorted and wheel alignment done.
Drop links and arb bushes can go with age, very easy to sort out, just buy new ones and new bolts to go with them. Driveway job.
Wheel bearings can go grumbly with age, bank on 100k or so and you will be fine.
They do like good alternators and batteries. A working, but dying batt or alternator can throw up lots of start up errors etc.
Understand that LR's love a bit of maintenance and hate neglect, so may require a bit of work every now and again.
I gutted mine and did a full overhaul at 117k, that was a year ago and it's been fine. I forgot to change the hub bushes at the time so i need to get them done now at 131k.
Buy genuine parts as well, i need to replace my front lowers again after 18 months due to them not being genuine, they were "All Makes" ones and are knocking already. You can usually find genuines on ebay for the front lowers and try a parts department for the rest. You can haggle on the price a bit and save at least 10% on stuff.
What's the budget?
the difference in 05-07 is really just spec, same car but with the specs played about with a bit more.
The 07 does have an oil pump issue, easy fix as when it's due it belts done at 7 years or 105k, whatever comes up first, it should get a new pump fitted. There are updates to the parts.
Basic checks are to listen for clunks etc from the suspension, knock over bumps are front lower ball joints, knock under braking is front lower arm bushes. Change the arm and bolts to solve, very common issue.
Rear upper arms can go as well. Jack car up, support properly and give wheel a shake, if it moves, you need new rear arms. From personal experience, when you change the upper, fit RRS arms as they are a stronger bush design, plus change the rear lowers and the 4 hub bushes as well. Get it all done in one go and you don't have to rebook into garages to get it sorted and wheel alignment done.
Drop links and arb bushes can go with age, very easy to sort out, just buy new ones and new bolts to go with them. Driveway job.
Wheel bearings can go grumbly with age, bank on 100k or so and you will be fine.
They do like good alternators and batteries. A working, but dying batt or alternator can throw up lots of start up errors etc.
Understand that LR's love a bit of maintenance and hate neglect, so may require a bit of work every now and again.
I gutted mine and did a full overhaul at 117k, that was a year ago and it's been fine. I forgot to change the hub bushes at the time so i need to get them done now at 131k.
Buy genuine parts as well, i need to replace my front lowers again after 18 months due to them not being genuine, they were "All Makes" ones and are knocking already. You can usually find genuines on ebay for the front lowers and try a parts department for the rest. You can haggle on the price a bit and save at least 10% on stuff.
What's the budget?
Thanks for the advice, that's great.
Budget, ideally around 10k, can stretch a bit if needed. I have a 55 plate 535d msport saloon at the moment and it was fine until we got a dog. I'll trade that in and put a little bit in if needed but would prefer to spend money on the track car unless it's needed to get me a much better Discovery.
Cheers,
Mark
Budget, ideally around 10k, can stretch a bit if needed. I have a 55 plate 535d msport saloon at the moment and it was fine until we got a dog. I'll trade that in and put a little bit in if needed but would prefer to spend money on the track car unless it's needed to get me a much better Discovery.
Cheers,
Mark
An 05 or 55 that's had the 105k/7 year belt change done might be better prospect than an 07 that hasn't, but it'll be close to needing new brake lines. The detail differences between them are otherwise very limited: shop around and buy the nicest example you can find - and locate a good indy specialist, too.
Brilliant machines! I find mine surprisingly fun to drive and extremely useful. It's an 05 HSE for towing (horses) and general mobile skip duties. A few electrical niggles - parking sensors and abs sensor. I think you'll be fine looking for an 05-ish one. I'd recommend an HSE, they don't tend to cost much more than a basic spec at that age and the toys are far better (if you're bothered by those sorts of things).
Brilliant cars but don't get one where the owner has scrimped on maintenance. They are not cheap to run but if you accept that and stay on top of servicing you will be fine. Mine's an 05 SE auto with 140k miles which is not a lot (some have more than 250k) and I've sunk a fortune into it to keep it tip top, mostly on brakes and suspension components which need to considered consumables if you do a fair mileage. Electrical bits once initially sorted seem to be pretty reliable so when you buy check everything works and look for evidence of regular maintenance from a main deal or reputable independent.
Newer ones don't seem to be much better than old ones and there aren't any mechanical changes worth talking about, buy on condition, not age or even mileage. There's a cam belt change at 105k miles and lower arms and rear anti roll bar links give up around the same time, as do wheel bearings. Check these have been done.
They are fantastically practical, comfortable motors. I'm currently looking at nearly new D4s and will shift mine on at some point but now is not the ideal time to buy as prices are inflated for winter. If you can, wait until spring when prices relax a little.
Newer ones don't seem to be much better than old ones and there aren't any mechanical changes worth talking about, buy on condition, not age or even mileage. There's a cam belt change at 105k miles and lower arms and rear anti roll bar links give up around the same time, as do wheel bearings. Check these have been done.
They are fantastically practical, comfortable motors. I'm currently looking at nearly new D4s and will shift mine on at some point but now is not the ideal time to buy as prices are inflated for winter. If you can, wait until spring when prices relax a little.
Bill said:
When I last looked at these (5 years ago) the received wisdom was that post 06 were much more reliable, is this still thought to be the case? Only I really want a V8 and they're all 2005.
You could get a decent V8 but with the age it will want some attention in the suspension area's now.However, for a grand or so in parts you can buy the parts to refresh the full lot with new genuines. Look at a day or so in labour and give it a box flush.
Plenty of running advice now and the parts supply for them is great.
Go for it! ( i love making other people spend their money
)Bill said:
Yeah, I've seen what you've got up to so have a good idea of what to expect. 
I can send you the full list of part numbers you need to bring one fully up to standard again.It's only 2 pages long of dealer paper...
However, totally worth every penny and it's had quite a few people get in it and comment on how good the ride quality is on it. Even the mobile indy who fitted it all said it rode superbly compared to his. So he followed my lead with sorting the rest as well.
Where's Red? He's usually sniffing around with some abuse for my log burner engine, elegant wing mirrors and tasteful interior.
What dog have you bought that 'doesn't fit' in a 5 series estate?!? Irish Wolf Hound?
If you can, I'd hold out on your purchase till the spring. Prices of 4x4s are always more expensive this time of year. Also, something maybe confirmed on the D5 next year, so expect prices to fall on the D3/D4.
I've been looking at buying a £10k D3 for a while. Electrical gremlins and suspension ware seem to be the main issues. The D3 forums are worth a read. Lots of fixes on there for the multiple problems that could/will appear.
Electronic handbrake can seize up as road crud clogs it up. The purists say this is dead easy to clean out with an air line, yet, I don't think LR do it as part of the routine service. My point being, the service history is all well and good, but there are so many things that can go wrong with these cars, a stamp in a book isn't going to help you much when the the electronic tail gate fails! (common fault).
SE gets you leather, Satnav and heated seats. Obviously a bit cheaper than the HSE. Popular options on the used market are the upgraded stereo and Xenons. The Xenon lihhts look much better than the standard lights. The interior will feel incredibly dated compared to a 5 series. IE lots of buttons everywhere and the satnav is very crude compared to today's offerings.
I drove a manual car recently. It was very poor. Gear change was more like something out of a 1990s transit van. Stick with the auto if you can.
If you can, I'd hold out on your purchase till the spring. Prices of 4x4s are always more expensive this time of year. Also, something maybe confirmed on the D5 next year, so expect prices to fall on the D3/D4.
I've been looking at buying a £10k D3 for a while. Electrical gremlins and suspension ware seem to be the main issues. The D3 forums are worth a read. Lots of fixes on there for the multiple problems that could/will appear.
Electronic handbrake can seize up as road crud clogs it up. The purists say this is dead easy to clean out with an air line, yet, I don't think LR do it as part of the routine service. My point being, the service history is all well and good, but there are so many things that can go wrong with these cars, a stamp in a book isn't going to help you much when the the electronic tail gate fails! (common fault).
SE gets you leather, Satnav and heated seats. Obviously a bit cheaper than the HSE. Popular options on the used market are the upgraded stereo and Xenons. The Xenon lihhts look much better than the standard lights. The interior will feel incredibly dated compared to a 5 series. IE lots of buttons everywhere and the satnav is very crude compared to today's offerings.
I drove a manual car recently. It was very poor. Gear change was more like something out of a 1990s transit van. Stick with the auto if you can.
I have a 5 series saloon, not an estate and we have a lurcher. He fits on the back seat but my two daughters aren't too keen to have him sat on them.
Thanks for all the advice.
The best bit I think is to wait until spring. I have winter tyres on the bmw so that's definitely doable.
Cheers,
Mark
Thanks for all the advice.
The best bit I think is to wait until spring. I have winter tyres on the bmw so that's definitely doable.
Cheers,
Mark
piecost76 said:
I know of an immaculate 55 plate black D3 HSE with excellent history & belts/bushes all done. 105k miles approx
It's near West Malling in Kent if you're interested & he wants £10k for it
The OP should go and look at that car. I can tell you now, that is a very good price for an HSE Auto (is it an auto?) and most £10k D3s have usually done 120-140k and that would be the SE model! It's near West Malling in Kent if you're interested & he wants £10k for it
Worth checking the state of the tyres as they are very expensive at £130-£150 a corner. The HSE alloys look great but they are 19in.
I have an 07 Xs we've owned for 7 yrs. now at 90k so probably time for something newer but it's such a great car still. No leather but plenty of other extras make it a relatively perfect every day spec. As with all d3s its not cheap to run (it's in the garage currently for ball joint, brake pipes, electric handbrake and suspension pump). So probably costs 2 or 3k each yr in repairs and servicing - maybe more. But has only let us down once. A fab all weather vehicle that cosetts the family. Amazing in the snow. Still think it looks great. Mpg is poor. But hey it's a big heavy premium off roader that happens to also be an excellent mile muncher. Not sure what to replace it with. Hence why it is still here. Buy one where the owner gets things attended to. There are plenty where people don't want to pay the bills.
I'm just about to buy an 06 D3, and am doing an insurance quote - it has a couple of what I think are going to be classed as modifications, rather than options, but wondered if anyone could tell me if they were in fact options on a D3 (HSE) back in 06?
It has a supercharger style grill, and the alloys are 19" Overfinch style ones - anyone know if these were actually options?
Thanks
It has a supercharger style grill, and the alloys are 19" Overfinch style ones - anyone know if these were actually options?
Thanks
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