Buying a Disco 3

So from a previous post where I said I wanted to get a Disco 2, I realised that it was in fact a Disco 3 I was after.

With that in mind, I presume they are not any more fuel efficient than the Disco 2? However, are they more reliable or do you have to be rich or an enthusiast to be able to afford one of these ones as well?

As mentioned in my previous forum, I've never owned a Land Rover before and I'm in no way mechanical - just need a 4x4 that is reliable and looks good. I know a Disco 3 looks good, just need to convince the wife that they are reliable and fuel consumption isn't too bad (I've heard they are around 25-30mpg is that right?).

Anyway, got £12,000 to spend, will that buy me a decent one? What are the signs I should be looking out for when purchasing one, ideally under 85,000 miles?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

I've never owned a Land Rover before and I'm in no way mechanical

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Recipe for a few expensive problems methinks!!!!

Thinking is that the Disco 1 is nice and simple and cheap to maintain as it is mainly mechanical stuff. Disco 2 is more electronic but is nt too bad, but the Disco 3 on with the V6 engines etc are nicer on the road, less capable off road and if (when) they go wrong much more expensive to repair, such than many are speculating they wont have a long service life because repair costs are prohibitive.

It would help to know why you want a 4x4, is it status, off roading or (as in my case) the need to tow a dirty great horse trailer?

There is also a dedicated Disco 3 forum out there you may pick up some useful info on there.

The main reason is getting to the Scottish Highlands during the winter months - currently drive a BMW 1 Series and spun it twice earlier this year up there in the snow.

Considering 4x4 estates such as an Audi, but as we've got a dog, like mountain biking and do a lot of camping, just thought it would be most practical and sophisticated enough for my wife to enjoy driving.

£12,000 will get you on the bottom one or two rungs of the Disco3 ladder.

They aren't without their troubles, the most common being the parking brake (EPB). They aren't as good as earlier Discos at the offroad stuff, but to be honest, you'd have to be really in the mire to find that out. They are a lot better on road though.

Have a look at this site, dedicated only to Disco3's and 4's and spend a fair bit of time perusing the logs and you'll get a feel for them. Bear in mind that posters usually post because they've got a problem and not often when they don't. There is occasionally the odd one for sale there too.

DISCO3.CO.UK - Index

disco 3 and 4 run away if you get one for 12 k you may live to regret it where would you think would be the worst place to put all the wireing connectors on an off roader ??
go on have a guess

m500dpp said:

Recipe for a few expensive problems methinks!!!!

Thinking is that the Disco 1 is nice and simple and cheap to maintain as it is mainly mechanical stuff. Disco 2 is more electronic but is nt too bad, but the Disco 3 on with the V6 engines etc are nicer on the road, less capable off road and if (when) they go wrong much more expensive to repair, such than many are speculating they wont have a long service life because repair costs are prohibitive.

It would help to know why you want a 4x4, is it status, off roading or (as in my case) the need to tow a dirty great horse trailer?

There is also a dedicated Disco 3 forum out there you may pick up some useful info on there.

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Me too, with towing a dirty great horse trailer! Had the budget for a disco 3 (just) but opted for a disco 2 facelift with contingency funds left over as, if she goes wrong I have the deep pocket required as I can't do the work myself. I'm not disappointed, I got a fab D2, high spec, low mileage. No regrets

Also don't be thinking that the diesel is good on fuel,my cousin has one and driving around locally averages about 18mpg(auto) which is similar to what my manual 4.0 v8 disco2 does. I will say though that they are lovely vehicle to drive.

my old man gets about 21 mpg round town

we've got a disco 3 and couldn't be much happier with it, we use it mainly as the family car and for the tow vehicle for our buisness, grantede we bought it new so can't give too much advive about how an old one will be but its on 70000 miles after 4 years, mpg when i drive around 28 when mum drives 26 . ., you won't find a better vehicle for towing, you can barely tell when there's 3.5 tonne behind it, comfortable and easy to drive so good for the missus , one of the better offroad vehicles out there the electrickyness could be a problem but its amazing where it will go with standard kit. theres lots of space inside so good for camping too, i don't know how it would compare to a d2 which you would be able to get a much higher spec'd vehicle for the same money, and similar offroad performance and efficency but i wpould reccomend one,

we have had the elecrtic hadndbrake problem twice, but fixed it ourself's (engineering buisness) and a large batch had to be recalled due to brake seal failure, basically the brakes don't work, this happened to us 3 times before it was fixed, now no problems,

there a great vehicle and perfect for what we need it for but its up to you, thats our experience with them

Discoteq said:

So from a previous post where I said I wanted to get a Disco 2, I realised that it was in fact a Disco 3 I was after.

With that in mind, I presume they are not any more fuel efficient than the Disco 2? However, are they more reliable or do you have to be rich or an enthusiast to be able to afford one of these ones as well?

As mentioned in my previous forum, I've never owned a Land Rover before and I'm in no way mechanical - just need a 4x4 that is reliable and looks good. I know a Disco 3 looks good, just need to convince the wife that they are reliable and fuel consumption isn't too bad (I've heard they are around 25-30mpg is that right?).

Anyway, got £12,000 to spend, will that buy me a decent one? What are the signs I should be looking out for when purchasing one, ideally under 85,000 miles?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

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The DIII is a better overall vehicle on and off-road than a DII but has the potential to be a money pit.

Example1. Cambelt V cam chain. The DIII has 2 cambelts that need changing at 75,000 (from memory) which is an expensive garage job. The DII TD5 has a cam chain - should last for the life of the vehicle.

Example 2. Suspension: air V springs. The DIII has full air suspension whereas the DII has springs alround or just air at the back dependant on model. Air systems are great if they are maintained, however you in your budget will probably be on a 3 owner car and they are unlikely to have been FULLY maintained.

Example 3. As all LR products get older they fall into the hands of the DIY-er which is often a good thing if the owner is enthusiastic. Also the after-market pârts industry swings into action for the older cars. The effect of this is that in general, parts for a DII will be cheaper than parts for a DIII.

Example 4. Fuel consumption on an level playing field manual for manual; auto for auto; basis DIII will be about 10% better on fuel.

You can see that there is a lot to think about. My main worry is that you are considering buying a vehicle that needs intensive pro-active maintenance, that you yourself will not be able to give, so you will be reliant on expensive dealer maintenance.

The very best of luck to you

Dave