What Landie to buy?

Looking for some advice with regards to buying an secondhand Discovery or Defender or an Range Rover.

I'm wondering what i need to be looking out for when buying these used, i've got a budget of perhaps 3grand tops, and i'll be towing about 2.6Tonnes on a regular basis behind it.

Not too bothered abotu which of the three models I go for, or mileage as long as it'll be fairly reliable, so again advice on what sort of life can be expected out of a vehicle of that sort of price range

Any advice would be appreciated as i'm an absolute numpty where cars are concerned

Depends really on how far your travelling, what your running cost budget is and what level of comfort you want. All three are supurb towing machines, but each would have a benefit over another in terms of comfort, running costs and engine options. It really is a compromise of these factors when you decide what to get. The only time I can imagine you wouldnt have to decide on a model before you started looking was if a specific vehicle was offered to you at a reasonable price and condition. If this isnt the case then ask yourself what do you really want/need before looking. One other issue however is what condition vehicle you're willing to live with, because 3 grand wouldnt necessarily buy a great defender, (due to their appeal as an off roader and workhorse, they hold their value well) but would buy a really tidy range rover classic which would tow well with a V8, but it would be more expensive to run than a deisel. There are many factors to influence your decision.............!!

If you want to pull (trailers that is) then it would have to be diesel defender, these are the ultimate in pulling power and durability. defenders can pull up to 3500kg on or off road,
, but as cjsaunders said £3000, would not go far, but for a few more thousand you could perhaps pick one up with an low mileage recon tdi engine. This could last you for many years or a lifetime if well looked after. Also have a look at www.ebay.co.uk you can sometimes find defenders in fairly good condition in your price range but be sure to se the car and have it checked over by mechanic before you buy. You can also reduce risk by not paying online and paying cash on arrival.

Freind of mine has been looking for a Defender on a similar budget, we haven't half looked at some c$%p, seems like defenders are gold plated looking at some of the asking prices.

Anyway, in conclusion we have both decided that you can currently get a lot better Disco than Defender for £3k.

Dave

Check auto trader; 3k will get you an awful lot of disco for your money. You'll be pushed to find a good Tdi defender in that price bracket, and besides that you'll find that most discos are already equipped for towing!!!

Er, I know this is a Landy forum and all that - but if just towing ability and value for money is the criteria, and not serious off roading, I would opt for a 2.8TD LWB Mk1 Isuzu Trooper which will be anything up to £2K, or a newer 3.1TD, K reg ones will be about £2.5-3K. Not as good off road as the Landy but my last one I sold with 170K on the clock and it drove like a dream, towed well and was bullet proof. On that budget a 3.1TD would be a great vehicle too, and you would get a very tidy one at that. Just an idea you understand....

However, if you want to stick to Landy, then a Disco is the route for you!