Discovery 3- Are they the Pits or are they Perfection?
Discussion
Needing a tow car for my old car fleet, I started to think about another old Land Rover that would spend much of its life living in the car port waiting for weekend fun. I didn't really want to spend £70,000 on another brand new depreciating toy.
I have owned just about every flavour of Defender over the years. They are OK as long as you dont want to get to the other side of the country and back again in a day.
In my mind, I had written off the Discovery 3 as being unreliable Chelsea tractors that had now sunk to the automotive depths of the old banger used car market. Just driving it down the road was inviting the engine to blow up or the suspension to collapse, the youngest examples now being 14 years old.
How wrong I was proved to be.
Then I remembered a long motorway drive I had in a manual gearbox LR3 around 2009. The thing had just gobbled up the miles in silence at 80 mph and 2,000rpm in 6th achieving 30 mpg. A 3.5 tonne towing limit, air suspension. A Land Rover that could go serious distance in comfort.
But they are horrifically unreliable? yes? So I forgot about the idea.
Then I stumbled across "LR Time".Its all Christian and Veras fault on the LR Time Youtube Channel.
Christian is a proper automotive engineer who works for the main German brands. I think he makes the machines that make cars like Mercedes,
He loves the LR3, so I was curious to know why?
I watched the channel and found out why the LR3 has a reputation in the trade for problems and more importantly how the problems be solved now.
I found out about infant mortality of crank shafts at 60,000 miles, the difference between the reliability of the LR3 and the LR4, oil pumps, air suspension, 5W dumbass 30 and 5W 40, and a whole host of issues that convinced me I could get myself a reliable rig for under £5k with the help of my local specialist.
So I started to look for a candidate. The idea was to have all the jobs Christian recommended done at once, so the car would be reliable, drive like new and last forever.
To that end I wanted the following spec
Non HSE (who do you think I am, Hyacinth Bouquet?)
Reg date Pre March 23rd 2006- Cheap road tax and a situation that I think might get even worse for heavy emitters.
No rust- Check the MOT history. These things rust in the floors and sills.
Mileage- not too bothered. If they last 60,000 miles they seem to last forever. The Highways agency ran these up to 400,000 miles before they were sold off in fleets back in the day. Christian says they can take it
Cloth Seats- because the LR3 is actually the new Defender
Manual Gearbox- because it is actually the new Defender and I dont like automatics.
7 Seats- because that is fun for the kids and airport runs for the grown ups.
Avoid Trucks- I dont want a truck that has been worked to death. I wanted a reasonable body and interior.
So I looked at a silver one advertised for £2,750. It looked presentable until I looked underneath. Rust everywhere. I walked away. I checked the MOT history afterwards and that quite clearly pointed out rust advisories in the sills and floors for years of MOTs. Should have avoided it.
I would say about 60% of the vehicles advertised had the same problem. Rust on the MOT check underneath, shiny on top.
Then I remembered I am a BCA account holder. They had 10 part exchanges in, most with 6 owners+
One however was guided cheap because it was pov spec. with a slipping clutch.
Cloth, manual, grey, March 2006, A clutch problem and one owner form new.
Who keeps a car these days from 2006 to 2023??
The MOT check was clear rust wise but 173,000 miles on the clock with 11 stamps in the book.
£1,400 and 3 days later and it was sitting on my driveway having been delivered on a car transporter from Farnham.
Visually it was smart with original paint but it had a declared long crease down the side of one door and quarter.
Underneath it was exceptional with no underseal and original factory finishes. The interior can only be described as mint with some dog hairs.
It drove terribly with a slipping clutch and a nasty vibration from the engine. So I Booked it in to Pete the Land Rover man.
I left him with the instructions to do everything including hot wax injecting the chassis ,sills and wheel arches.
So he did, EGR delete, all the belts, fuel pump belt, oil pumps, clutch and flywheel, suspension bushes, brakes and discs, fluids, filters, injector clean, tensioners, ac condenser and recharge, new gear lever rubber. About £3,000 worth including labour. The engine vibration was a disintegrating flywheel.
I made the detachable towbar safer by bolting it through the rear cross member with M14 bolts and removing the quick release arrangement.
I bought an Android head unit and fitted it for sat nav and music streaming. It was about £120 and does about everything the big screen in my old Tesla did.
I also found an interesting film about an Australian who had bolted on new Defender Steel wheels to an LR3 from a 2023 model, giving the LR3 a wider stance and a bit of lift. Michelin Latitude tyres are fine for me for now for road trips. A trip on Ebay found whole new take off sets of steel wheels and tyres for under £500.
The local body shop took out the crease on the rear quarter and made the body almost like new again.
In the meantime I spoke to the original owner. It was a family who spent time between Guildford and of all places Gibralter!, So the vehicle literally spent its life on the motorway which is why it was good underneath. It had never had tow bar fitted.
So what is my £5k D3 like?
Well 2,000 miles later the verdict is unanimous. Everyone loves it.
It is a superb vehicle. It is very practical and capacious.
The engine is creamy smooth, whilst, not a quick car, it gets up to beyond motorway speeds and is very relaxed. MPG is around the 32 mark
No squeaks, rattles groans. No bearing noises. No whistles.
Everything works, the air suspension is very comfortable and the rubber bellows look in fine fettle.
The gear change is fantastic and smooth.
I love the chunky styling in the interior and grill on the early models too.
The rear seats give passengers and excellent view. It is a very well designed vehicle and has lots of interesting features, including a diesel powered water heater under the bonnet.
In all I cannot believe I have such a nice thing for such a relatively small amount of money.
So my advice is-
Yes do it, if you are careful.
Do it now before the D3 becomes the new "Defender". It has a very Land Rover Square design to it, maybe more so than the current stuff.
Oh, and they are fairly flipping enormous too.
Finally, it is superb for really long towing adventures.
So I will report what happens next.
I have owned just about every flavour of Defender over the years. They are OK as long as you dont want to get to the other side of the country and back again in a day.
In my mind, I had written off the Discovery 3 as being unreliable Chelsea tractors that had now sunk to the automotive depths of the old banger used car market. Just driving it down the road was inviting the engine to blow up or the suspension to collapse, the youngest examples now being 14 years old.
How wrong I was proved to be.
Then I remembered a long motorway drive I had in a manual gearbox LR3 around 2009. The thing had just gobbled up the miles in silence at 80 mph and 2,000rpm in 6th achieving 30 mpg. A 3.5 tonne towing limit, air suspension. A Land Rover that could go serious distance in comfort.
But they are horrifically unreliable? yes? So I forgot about the idea.
Then I stumbled across "LR Time".Its all Christian and Veras fault on the LR Time Youtube Channel.
Christian is a proper automotive engineer who works for the main German brands. I think he makes the machines that make cars like Mercedes,
He loves the LR3, so I was curious to know why?
I watched the channel and found out why the LR3 has a reputation in the trade for problems and more importantly how the problems be solved now.
I found out about infant mortality of crank shafts at 60,000 miles, the difference between the reliability of the LR3 and the LR4, oil pumps, air suspension, 5W dumbass 30 and 5W 40, and a whole host of issues that convinced me I could get myself a reliable rig for under £5k with the help of my local specialist.
So I started to look for a candidate. The idea was to have all the jobs Christian recommended done at once, so the car would be reliable, drive like new and last forever.
To that end I wanted the following spec
Non HSE (who do you think I am, Hyacinth Bouquet?)
Reg date Pre March 23rd 2006- Cheap road tax and a situation that I think might get even worse for heavy emitters.
No rust- Check the MOT history. These things rust in the floors and sills.
Mileage- not too bothered. If they last 60,000 miles they seem to last forever. The Highways agency ran these up to 400,000 miles before they were sold off in fleets back in the day. Christian says they can take it
Cloth Seats- because the LR3 is actually the new Defender
Manual Gearbox- because it is actually the new Defender and I dont like automatics.
7 Seats- because that is fun for the kids and airport runs for the grown ups.
Avoid Trucks- I dont want a truck that has been worked to death. I wanted a reasonable body and interior.
So I looked at a silver one advertised for £2,750. It looked presentable until I looked underneath. Rust everywhere. I walked away. I checked the MOT history afterwards and that quite clearly pointed out rust advisories in the sills and floors for years of MOTs. Should have avoided it.
I would say about 60% of the vehicles advertised had the same problem. Rust on the MOT check underneath, shiny on top.
Then I remembered I am a BCA account holder. They had 10 part exchanges in, most with 6 owners+
One however was guided cheap because it was pov spec. with a slipping clutch.
Cloth, manual, grey, March 2006, A clutch problem and one owner form new.
Who keeps a car these days from 2006 to 2023??
The MOT check was clear rust wise but 173,000 miles on the clock with 11 stamps in the book.
£1,400 and 3 days later and it was sitting on my driveway having been delivered on a car transporter from Farnham.
Visually it was smart with original paint but it had a declared long crease down the side of one door and quarter.
Underneath it was exceptional with no underseal and original factory finishes. The interior can only be described as mint with some dog hairs.
It drove terribly with a slipping clutch and a nasty vibration from the engine. So I Booked it in to Pete the Land Rover man.
I left him with the instructions to do everything including hot wax injecting the chassis ,sills and wheel arches.
So he did, EGR delete, all the belts, fuel pump belt, oil pumps, clutch and flywheel, suspension bushes, brakes and discs, fluids, filters, injector clean, tensioners, ac condenser and recharge, new gear lever rubber. About £3,000 worth including labour. The engine vibration was a disintegrating flywheel.
I made the detachable towbar safer by bolting it through the rear cross member with M14 bolts and removing the quick release arrangement.
I bought an Android head unit and fitted it for sat nav and music streaming. It was about £120 and does about everything the big screen in my old Tesla did.
I also found an interesting film about an Australian who had bolted on new Defender Steel wheels to an LR3 from a 2023 model, giving the LR3 a wider stance and a bit of lift. Michelin Latitude tyres are fine for me for now for road trips. A trip on Ebay found whole new take off sets of steel wheels and tyres for under £500.
The local body shop took out the crease on the rear quarter and made the body almost like new again.
In the meantime I spoke to the original owner. It was a family who spent time between Guildford and of all places Gibralter!, So the vehicle literally spent its life on the motorway which is why it was good underneath. It had never had tow bar fitted.
So what is my £5k D3 like?
Well 2,000 miles later the verdict is unanimous. Everyone loves it.
It is a superb vehicle. It is very practical and capacious.
The engine is creamy smooth, whilst, not a quick car, it gets up to beyond motorway speeds and is very relaxed. MPG is around the 32 mark
No squeaks, rattles groans. No bearing noises. No whistles.
Everything works, the air suspension is very comfortable and the rubber bellows look in fine fettle.
The gear change is fantastic and smooth.
I love the chunky styling in the interior and grill on the early models too.
The rear seats give passengers and excellent view. It is a very well designed vehicle and has lots of interesting features, including a diesel powered water heater under the bonnet.
In all I cannot believe I have such a nice thing for such a relatively small amount of money.
So my advice is-
Yes do it, if you are careful.
Do it now before the D3 becomes the new "Defender". It has a very Land Rover Square design to it, maybe more so than the current stuff.
Oh, and they are fairly flipping enormous too.
Finally, it is superb for really long towing adventures.
So I will report what happens next.
Love it. Great write up.
Our 59 plate D4 is still going strong on 145k. It also is used primarily as a tow vehicle but also airport runs and when 7 seats are needed. They are such versatile vehicles.
I also find that YouTube channel useful. It's great how he applies an engineering brain to the issues so you can understand things better and work out the risks.
Interested to see your mod on the tow bar. I've just fitted a Witter fixed towbar after the removable one started getting a little loose in the cross member socket. I should get the cost of the Witter back by selling the detachable tow bar hopefully.
An Android Auto head unit is on the list for mine, especially since the DAB radio has now died.
Keep us updated please.
Our 59 plate D4 is still going strong on 145k. It also is used primarily as a tow vehicle but also airport runs and when 7 seats are needed. They are such versatile vehicles.
I also find that YouTube channel useful. It's great how he applies an engineering brain to the issues so you can understand things better and work out the risks.
Interested to see your mod on the tow bar. I've just fitted a Witter fixed towbar after the removable one started getting a little loose in the cross member socket. I should get the cost of the Witter back by selling the detachable tow bar hopefully.
An Android Auto head unit is on the list for mine, especially since the DAB radio has now died.
Keep us updated please.
Interesting write up, thanks.
Remember back in 2009 I was living in a rented cottage in the country, the owner had a business that needed a tow car. He swopped the D2 for abrand new D3. It spent more time in the dealers than with him. When going it was brilliant but that wasn't very often.
I keep getting ideas about a D2 but like al LR it seems they dissolve very quickly. Chap came to my house yesterday, with a D2, he's replaced the rear half of the chassis, the air suspension with normal stuff etc. Maybe not for me.
Remember back in 2009 I was living in a rented cottage in the country, the owner had a business that needed a tow car. He swopped the D2 for abrand new D3. It spent more time in the dealers than with him. When going it was brilliant but that wasn't very often.
I keep getting ideas about a D2 but like al LR it seems they dissolve very quickly. Chap came to my house yesterday, with a D2, he's replaced the rear half of the chassis, the air suspension with normal stuff etc. Maybe not for me.
You're a brave man to buy a diesel, and I wouldn't have gone full 'burlap sack' spec with cloth and manual, but I do recognise a lot of what you find attractive about it. I'm also of the view that they are basically a Defender for wimps like me who need creature comforts. Looks great on those wheels too!
Earlier cars tend to be less likely to suffer with cranks snapping (anecdotal evidence only), but just keep up with more regular oil changes than the service light suggests. If you're planning any long journeys, check your intake hoses and egr valve, as they are two common things that bring them to a halt.
Finally, spend 40 quid on an Autel AP200 obd reader. Phenomenally helpful thing that can code keys, clear codes/lights and perform various things like suspension calibration.
I bought a petrol V8 D3 (also one owner from new!) last year because the diesel wasn't ULEZ compliant. Sadly your lovely wheels don't fit over my bigger brakes. If you're feeling brave, my thread here has the first year's running costs broken down.
I hope this one serves you well!
Earlier cars tend to be less likely to suffer with cranks snapping (anecdotal evidence only), but just keep up with more regular oil changes than the service light suggests. If you're planning any long journeys, check your intake hoses and egr valve, as they are two common things that bring them to a halt.
Finally, spend 40 quid on an Autel AP200 obd reader. Phenomenally helpful thing that can code keys, clear codes/lights and perform various things like suspension calibration.
I bought a petrol V8 D3 (also one owner from new!) last year because the diesel wasn't ULEZ compliant. Sadly your lovely wheels don't fit over my bigger brakes. If you're feeling brave, my thread here has the first year's running costs broken down.
I hope this one serves you well!
Edited by C70R on Friday 4th August 07:57
braddo said:
I love the idea of a D3 with cloth seats and manual gearbox. It sounds like it's the only combination with reasonable fuel economy too; I didn't realise 30-35mpg could be possible in a 3/4 disco.
Great car and thread
To be honest, I don't know that the auto and manual give massively different economy in normal driving. It's a 2.4T lump with the aerodynamics of a council tower block.Great car and thread
Why didn’t you want the HSE?
I have an 09 V8 HSE and love it. Great cars. Don’t think I’d want a manual though.
Looking to change it and can’t really find anything that suits. The LR4 v8 only went to 2013 and the L405 RR came in at the same time which is a significant price hike over the L322. Seems daft to change to a car only a few years younger and like you I don’t want to spend ‘proper’ money on a tow car, but there really is nothing in the league of an LR product imo.
I have an 09 V8 HSE and love it. Great cars. Don’t think I’d want a manual though.
Looking to change it and can’t really find anything that suits. The LR4 v8 only went to 2013 and the L405 RR came in at the same time which is a significant price hike over the L322. Seems daft to change to a car only a few years younger and like you I don’t want to spend ‘proper’ money on a tow car, but there really is nothing in the league of an LR product imo.
I got asked some more questions, so this is what you get with a 2.7 V6 "S".
The dash and controls appear to have been designed for the 3. They have a distinct chunky feel and appear very hard wearing and high quality, like a Mercedes W123. I wasn't expecting that. Not sure what got carried over from the 2.
Everything is very analogue, the A/C controls are intuitive, everything else is very well thought out.
On the subject of the AC, it started to lose its cool over my 5 month period, so I have just replaced the condenser. 2 options £50 or £150 with a dryer, so I went with the more expensive option. It was a straightforward job as the front end comes off quickly and the cooling suystem does not have to be drained to remove it.
The automatic headlights, cruise control and steering well controls are as good as anything you can buy to day. I detest active-cruise and I hated Auto pilot. All invented to help the driver fall asleep.
I wasn't expecting much from the radio, but it turns out it is a LR branded Alpine unit with a fibre optic connection to an amp under the drivers seat. It sounds superb and the advantage with this unit is that it allows aux inputs from the Android unit, so it all works nicely streaming from your phone. There are loads of speakers too.
The doors have a very solid feel, the door cards come with loads of storage space for drinks in the pockets. You get 2 glove boxes, one above the other.
The gear change and steering controls are super light weight and feel lovely. No rattles or squeaks anywhere. Somehow the steering has some feedback. Not sure how the engineers pulled that one off.
The whole dash obviously took a design team a very long time to get right. It is very nice, in a Land Rover type of way.
The cloth seats are a subtle hard wearing grey cloth in two types of grey material. They are very comfortable and after 175,000 miles have no rips, tears, sags or collapsed foam. No stains either, very supportive.
The rear seats are higher than the front giving the rear passengers a good view over the front. The third row seats are full size too. The folding mechanism for the seats is heavy duty, giving a few different permutations including a few feet of legroom for third row passengers if required for fun.
The rear load area, even with the middle seats up is cavernous, with room for 2xV6 Maserati Engines at once I have found (I have a load liner).
Discos are well proportioned and they hide their scale well. We have become so used to seeing them on the roads in the UK, we hardly notice how large they are. This is my hand on the rear light. I have quite large hands too. The rear lights are huge. I think it might weigh 2.7 tonnes.
On this particular vehicle, all the nooks and crannies are as it left the factory, no rot. Guess it must have avoided the salt.
The engine is leak and rattle free. It shows no sign of impending doom whatsoever. The service history showed 1 oil change every year. I have changed to 10W40 as Christian has advised. Here is the Eberspacher Heater. I might alter it to heat the interior up remotely on a snowy day, apparently someone sells a kit to do just that. If you look closely you can even see its little exhaust pipe.
I like the front face with the three solid grill bars.
The slightly larger Discovery steel wheels now mean the speedo is accurate as opposed to optimistic. The track is slightly wider now as well. The best thing though, is that I have round wheels with quality Michelin tyres, unusual in a 17 year old car. At 100 mph she is as smooth as silk, no vibes.
So I would say there are very few vehicles you can purchase at any price that have a large engine, air suspension, a manual gearbox, that can tow 3.5 tonnes and carry 7 people, let alone something like this for less than £5k.
I suppose running it means you have to be a bit more savvy, but the best things in life are never easy in my experience.
So far it has been as easy as a 71 plate Zafira. Then again my other car is a Citroen SM.
The dash and controls appear to have been designed for the 3. They have a distinct chunky feel and appear very hard wearing and high quality, like a Mercedes W123. I wasn't expecting that. Not sure what got carried over from the 2.
Everything is very analogue, the A/C controls are intuitive, everything else is very well thought out.
On the subject of the AC, it started to lose its cool over my 5 month period, so I have just replaced the condenser. 2 options £50 or £150 with a dryer, so I went with the more expensive option. It was a straightforward job as the front end comes off quickly and the cooling suystem does not have to be drained to remove it.
The automatic headlights, cruise control and steering well controls are as good as anything you can buy to day. I detest active-cruise and I hated Auto pilot. All invented to help the driver fall asleep.
I wasn't expecting much from the radio, but it turns out it is a LR branded Alpine unit with a fibre optic connection to an amp under the drivers seat. It sounds superb and the advantage with this unit is that it allows aux inputs from the Android unit, so it all works nicely streaming from your phone. There are loads of speakers too.
The doors have a very solid feel, the door cards come with loads of storage space for drinks in the pockets. You get 2 glove boxes, one above the other.
The gear change and steering controls are super light weight and feel lovely. No rattles or squeaks anywhere. Somehow the steering has some feedback. Not sure how the engineers pulled that one off.
The whole dash obviously took a design team a very long time to get right. It is very nice, in a Land Rover type of way.
The cloth seats are a subtle hard wearing grey cloth in two types of grey material. They are very comfortable and after 175,000 miles have no rips, tears, sags or collapsed foam. No stains either, very supportive.
The rear seats are higher than the front giving the rear passengers a good view over the front. The third row seats are full size too. The folding mechanism for the seats is heavy duty, giving a few different permutations including a few feet of legroom for third row passengers if required for fun.
The rear load area, even with the middle seats up is cavernous, with room for 2xV6 Maserati Engines at once I have found (I have a load liner).
Discos are well proportioned and they hide their scale well. We have become so used to seeing them on the roads in the UK, we hardly notice how large they are. This is my hand on the rear light. I have quite large hands too. The rear lights are huge. I think it might weigh 2.7 tonnes.
On this particular vehicle, all the nooks and crannies are as it left the factory, no rot. Guess it must have avoided the salt.
The engine is leak and rattle free. It shows no sign of impending doom whatsoever. The service history showed 1 oil change every year. I have changed to 10W40 as Christian has advised. Here is the Eberspacher Heater. I might alter it to heat the interior up remotely on a snowy day, apparently someone sells a kit to do just that. If you look closely you can even see its little exhaust pipe.
I like the front face with the three solid grill bars.
The slightly larger Discovery steel wheels now mean the speedo is accurate as opposed to optimistic. The track is slightly wider now as well. The best thing though, is that I have round wheels with quality Michelin tyres, unusual in a 17 year old car. At 100 mph she is as smooth as silk, no vibes.
So I would say there are very few vehicles you can purchase at any price that have a large engine, air suspension, a manual gearbox, that can tow 3.5 tonnes and carry 7 people, let alone something like this for less than £5k.
I suppose running it means you have to be a bit more savvy, but the best things in life are never easy in my experience.
So far it has been as easy as a 71 plate Zafira. Then again my other car is a Citroen SM.
Edited by politeperson on Friday 4th August 19:43
Love the D3 especially on defender steels, the ride on the big 70 profile tyres is just wonderful!
I have a 2015 D4 that has been trouble free now for 60,000 miles and 2.5 years I’ve had it 100,000 total and I just can’t bring myself to replace it, new disco does nothing for me and the defenders are silly money! Keeping it forever seems the sensible plan! They all love use as well full throttle every day I drive it seems to keep it happy, only ever thrown a warning light when my wife was eco driving it for a week!!
Just fitted a set of 31 inch AT3’s over the 19’s (big as a D4 can run) and it’s great!
Will be following the thread, thanks OP
I have a 2015 D4 that has been trouble free now for 60,000 miles and 2.5 years I’ve had it 100,000 total and I just can’t bring myself to replace it, new disco does nothing for me and the defenders are silly money! Keeping it forever seems the sensible plan! They all love use as well full throttle every day I drive it seems to keep it happy, only ever thrown a warning light when my wife was eco driving it for a week!!
Just fitted a set of 31 inch AT3’s over the 19’s (big as a D4 can run) and it’s great!
Will be following the thread, thanks OP
Why didn’t you want the HSE?
I have an 09 V8 HSE and love it. Great cars. Don’t think I’d want a manual though.
Looking to change it and can’t really find anything that suits. The LR4 v8 only went to 2013 and the L405 RR came in at the same time which is a significant price hike over the L322. Seems daft to change to a car only a few years younger and like you I don’t want to spend ‘proper’ money on a tow car, but there really is nothing in the league of an LR product imo.
I have an 09 V8 HSE and love it. Great cars. Don’t think I’d want a manual though.
Looking to change it and can’t really find anything that suits. The LR4 v8 only went to 2013 and the L405 RR came in at the same time which is a significant price hike over the L322. Seems daft to change to a car only a few years younger and like you I don’t want to spend ‘proper’ money on a tow car, but there really is nothing in the league of an LR product imo.
Welcome to club D3.
I wasn’t sure what model you had as it was either a base seat 7 or an S from your original description.
Yours is a later S as earlier ones had xenon headlights as standard. A worthy retrofit for the car as combined with an upgraded xenon bulb, you’ll have a great headlight with superb night time performance.
My old boss had a 55 plate S, which I drove before buying mine way back in 2012. Loved the car but I personally hated the manual gearbox, the lack of sunroofs and the seats…
So I bought a 54 plate HSE tdv6 auto, which the original owner had sprinkled with some lovely options.
Like the adaptive bi xenon headlights. Which remain the best headlights of any car I’ve ever been in.
Owned mine 11 years this month.
I wasn’t sure what model you had as it was either a base seat 7 or an S from your original description.
Yours is a later S as earlier ones had xenon headlights as standard. A worthy retrofit for the car as combined with an upgraded xenon bulb, you’ll have a great headlight with superb night time performance.
My old boss had a 55 plate S, which I drove before buying mine way back in 2012. Loved the car but I personally hated the manual gearbox, the lack of sunroofs and the seats…
So I bought a 54 plate HSE tdv6 auto, which the original owner had sprinkled with some lovely options.
Like the adaptive bi xenon headlights. Which remain the best headlights of any car I’ve ever been in.
Owned mine 11 years this month.
politeperson said:
I suppose running it means you have to be a bit more savvy, but the best things in life are never easy in my experience.
For me, you just have to be prepared to spend money. It's an old complicated car, and some of the design is compromised as a result.They have a poor reputation because many people buy them, as you did, for buttons, and then don't maintain proactively. Any complicated, old car will bite you in the backside if you do that.
Very true, however compared to the problems the rest of rest of my cars throw at me, an LR3 in 2023 is a piece of cake to run, believe me. Well, it has been so far anyway.
If I was living abroad I might think twice about an D3 because of spares supply and knowledge.
What makes life palatable for me, on this particular car, is that spares are everywhere now.
A complete 7 seat leather interior can be purchased off ebay for £400. A complete engine £500. So parts are reasonably priced and the labour rates at my experienced local garage are reasonable too.
It seems everyone in the vehicle recycling business is breaking up a D3. The attrition rate must be very high at the moment.
Buying and LR3 in todays market is like buying a Porsche 356 in 1971, an E type in 1978 or a classic Defender in 2001. No one really wanted them then, however they have become sort after now.
If cloth and manual is good enough for well heeled Defender owners, it is good enough for me. To me, this truck is more of a replacement for a van or Defender. I am also not too bothered about glass sunroofs, although they do look like fun. Bet they leak and squeak on a 17 year old though. I suppose it depends what you consider cool or not.
As far as the ZF 6 speed automatic box goes, I prefer manual gearboxes full stop but also I do not want a torque converter sapping my power and MPGs. It adds a whole new level of complexity and potential unreliability to the overall ownership situation. When the automatic box is going to pack up, it might not give much warning.
The only potential issue with the ZF 6 speed manual as far as I am aware it the potential for losing 6th reverse through a selector detent issue, and of course having to change clutches every few years. It is a very nice gearbox IMO.
As far as Xenons go, they do provide good illumination, however as I rarely drive at night I prefer the option of replacing a £4 bulb than fathoming the intricacies of yet another failed igniter/ ballast module. I might have a go for fun though.
So I am thinking about the whole thing as more of a Defender than a Range Rover.
If I was living abroad I might think twice about an D3 because of spares supply and knowledge.
What makes life palatable for me, on this particular car, is that spares are everywhere now.
A complete 7 seat leather interior can be purchased off ebay for £400. A complete engine £500. So parts are reasonably priced and the labour rates at my experienced local garage are reasonable too.
It seems everyone in the vehicle recycling business is breaking up a D3. The attrition rate must be very high at the moment.
Buying and LR3 in todays market is like buying a Porsche 356 in 1971, an E type in 1978 or a classic Defender in 2001. No one really wanted them then, however they have become sort after now.
If cloth and manual is good enough for well heeled Defender owners, it is good enough for me. To me, this truck is more of a replacement for a van or Defender. I am also not too bothered about glass sunroofs, although they do look like fun. Bet they leak and squeak on a 17 year old though. I suppose it depends what you consider cool or not.
As far as the ZF 6 speed automatic box goes, I prefer manual gearboxes full stop but also I do not want a torque converter sapping my power and MPGs. It adds a whole new level of complexity and potential unreliability to the overall ownership situation. When the automatic box is going to pack up, it might not give much warning.
The only potential issue with the ZF 6 speed manual as far as I am aware it the potential for losing 6th reverse through a selector detent issue, and of course having to change clutches every few years. It is a very nice gearbox IMO.
As far as Xenons go, they do provide good illumination, however as I rarely drive at night I prefer the option of replacing a £4 bulb than fathoming the intricacies of yet another failed igniter/ ballast module. I might have a go for fun though.
So I am thinking about the whole thing as more of a Defender than a Range Rover.
Edited by politeperson on Saturday 5th August 09:40
Edited by politeperson on Saturday 5th August 09:41
Edited by politeperson on Saturday 5th August 09:42
There are plenty of things to worry about on these cars, but the xenon lights and gearbox aren't high on the list.
As you say, so many are being broken that xenon lights can be bought very cheaply on eBay.
The gearboxes go on to herculean mileages with periodic servicing, which is cheaper than changing the clutch on a manual. Lots of US owners (where diesels weren't sold) have taken them well past 200k miles without issue.
If you prefer to drive a manual, it's great that you have the choice. But I wouldn't write off the auto to reliability issues.
As you say, so many are being broken that xenon lights can be bought very cheaply on eBay.
The gearboxes go on to herculean mileages with periodic servicing, which is cheaper than changing the clutch on a manual. Lots of US owners (where diesels weren't sold) have taken them well past 200k miles without issue.
If you prefer to drive a manual, it's great that you have the choice. But I wouldn't write off the auto to reliability issues.
Great write up. Love the steelies, will they fit a D4? Have been sorely tempted by a D4 as a family bus to cart the copious amounts of stuff young children come with. However we’ve got a Mk2 3.0 tdi V6 Touareg instead, had about a year now, super torquey and can tow well to, however it’s not all that big IMO, can just about take x4 on a holiday but it’s packed so much the rear view mirror is obscured, the main issue for me though is ride let’s it down on standard 20s. Which makes me think what we really need is something on air suspension. Seven seats are always a bonus too. However I’d have to go for a D4 HSE for the driver left arm rest alone!
That said I don’t know if I could live with the bork factor. I’ve broken down on a sleety motorway in my Defender 90 300tdi (TBF to it we had just driven through an icy river on Salisbury plain) and it was really sketchy. The thought of a crank just going out of the blue and that happening now with offspring on board keeps me from pulling the trigger. Maybe I’ll give this YT channel ago to recalibrate my preconceptions. Or find a JDM V8 import, but they are a lot of money. Other unpopular option is a Shogun, LCs are a little pricey for what you get.
My neighbour has a 14 plate D4 in a tech/GS spec i.e. cloth interior like yours. It’s super low mileage (<28k), he swears by very short service intervals too. Tows his 8m RIB in and out on soft sand no trouble at all with diffs engaged.
That said I don’t know if I could live with the bork factor. I’ve broken down on a sleety motorway in my Defender 90 300tdi (TBF to it we had just driven through an icy river on Salisbury plain) and it was really sketchy. The thought of a crank just going out of the blue and that happening now with offspring on board keeps me from pulling the trigger. Maybe I’ll give this YT channel ago to recalibrate my preconceptions. Or find a JDM V8 import, but they are a lot of money. Other unpopular option is a Shogun, LCs are a little pricey for what you get.
My neighbour has a 14 plate D4 in a tech/GS spec i.e. cloth interior like yours. It’s super low mileage (<28k), he swears by very short service intervals too. Tows his 8m RIB in and out on soft sand no trouble at all with diffs engaged.
Edited by jwwbowe on Saturday 5th August 17:10
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