Discovery 3 - Is it possible to avoid a moneypit?

I've sold my 3.9L V8 Discovery 1, having owned it for quite a few years, and most of those years its been broken.
I daren't work out how much it's cost me, but if I had to guess, my total spend has to be in the 5-figure region, which is insane given I only managed 6000 miles in it, in the less than 2 year period it was running.
The problem is, I really liked it. I made some friends that I simply wouldn't have met had it not been for that big daft red brick.

A very long time ago, my parents had a manual TDV6 Discovery 3, which my mum won on ebay "by accident" having put in a low bid that happened to win. It was an early 54-plate car, up in Aberdeen if memory serves. Anyway, we kept that for several years, I learnt to drive it around the field as soon as I could see over the steering wheel and reach the pedals, sadly I couldn't drive it at 17 because insurance was £9000. It was sold as spares or repairs with a decently long and expensive MoT fail sheet, including a perpetual ABS warning light, and many other things besides. Every green oval product that any of us have ever owned has left for the last time on a flatbed or a trailer. I looked up the MoT history, and its now on over 220k miles, having done 50k between the 2019 and 2020 MoTs (smells dodgy to me, might be rung)

Anyway - I want another 4x4, something that I can take down the really tough greenlanes on the weekends, and still commute in during the week, but preferably without getting 15mpg, and not something so slow that I've aged 30 years by the time I get to wherever I'm trying to go (so virtually every really old 4x4). I don't NEED an offroader, I have no justification for one, infact, we rented a mini digger not long ago, and I pulled it up and out of the field with my low-slung, sporty Subaru on high performance summer tyres and sporty Bilstein suspension, without low range, - a 750kg twin axle trailer with a 1200kg digger on it - right at the legal limit, but it towed very well. Sure, if it was January and the ground was soaking, it might have been a problem, but then I guess we would have just driven the digger out of the field and pulled the trailer empty. I'm saying this because I'm not really prepared to compromise on the comfort/practicality/economy of running a "normal" car to have an offroader as a toy, but if I can, I'm considering trading the fun of driving very very quickly for going greenlaning.

So, is it possible to buy a Discovery 3, and not end up spending several times the value of the vehicle on repairs? I'd be very happy with the most basic spec, manual, coil springs, no extra gadgets etc. Does the locking rear diff make a big difference offroad? How can I identify if a car that I'm looking at has it fitted? Or am I better off buying a very early Discovery 4, with the 2.7L TDV6 and the manual gearbox? (The 3.0 was only ever sold with an automatic gearbox)

Or am I being daft, and if I want something that'll be reliable and cheap to maintain I should buy a Land Cruiser or a japanese pickup?

You are going to have to spend to get it good.... then you can maintain it without a money pit ever year.

All depends what the start is like but if you spent 5 k on it you could easily spend an extra 5k fixing thing.... BUT you have to see that those things wont break for a long time if done right.

I have had my d3 for ten years and reckon 1k a year on parts alone! that includes tyres etc.
£700 a year road tax, 25mpg average.
Never failed to complete a journey under its own steam.
That said if something big goes I reckon it will be the end of it.
It has just clocked 170k.

ER1C said:

You are going to have to spend to get it good.... then you can maintain it without a money pit ever year.

All depends what the start is like but if you spent 5 k on it you could easily spend an extra 5k fixing thing.... BUT you have to see that those things wont break for a long time if done right.

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There seem to be ample for less than £2000, now obviously expecting one of those to be reliable is probably daft, but I'd bet that most of the £7000 ones are the same 2 grand cars being sold by dealers after a polish and some tyre shine.

What goes wrong to the tune of 5k? If I buy one that's already had a turbo done and doesn't have air suspension, has decent service history including the timing belt, and hasn't got a million miles on it.

lynall said:

I have had my d3 for ten years and reckon 1k a year on parts alone! that includes tyres etc.
£700 a year road tax, 25mpg average.
Never failed to complete a journey under its own steam.
That said if something big goes I reckon it will be the end of it.
It has just clocked 170k.

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1k in parts a year? That sounds really expensive, would it be easier to list the parts you havn't replaced?
£735 road tax and 25mpg is roughly what I'm currently paying, although my Subaru is a very early 06 plate, so it's "only" £435, and if I buy a D3 I'll do my best to get a lower tax band one.

Plus 1

Also enclosed a post I done a while back in what to look out for


Alas the 2.7 engines can snap a crank or spin shells in a heartbeat leading to a 5k bill , regardless of servicing etc they can still fail , The considerably better engine is the 4.4 petrol V8 D3 ,

Indeed if u can service it yourself u will save a lot of money, along with having a decent diagnostic reader , tools etc

Plus of course the higher the model u go up , ie HSE etc the more expensive the insurance will be

At the end of the day they are gorgeous motors to drive, very comfortable and eat the miles on a motorway as there also very quiet , just need to ensure there’re well looked after and to fix any issues that arise as soon as possible

Hope that also helps u along with the buyers guide , plenty of us here to assist with questions etc

gstuart said:

Plus 1

Also enclosed a post I done a while back in what to look out for

Disco 3 (LR3) - Buyers guide inc video

this is work in progress for the TDV6 , apologises i can't comment on petrol engines as i haven't owned one accept no responsibility, i put this together in the hopes it may help , this is only a general guide from personally owning a D3 and from learning in what to look for . Choose carefully...

www.landyzone.co.uk

Alas the 2.7 engines can snap a crank or spin shells in a heartbeat leading to a 5k bill , regardless of servicing etc they can still fail , The considerably better engine is the 4.4 petrol V8 D3 ,

Indeed if u can service it yourself u will save a lot of money, along with having a decent diagnostic reader , tools etc

Plus of course the higher the model u go up , ie HSE etc the more expensive the insurance will be

At the end of the day they are gorgeous motors to drive, very comfortable and eat the miles on a motorway as there also very quiet , just need to ensure there’re well looked after and to fix any issues that arise as soon as possible

Hope that also helps u along with the buyers guide , plenty of us here to assist with questions etc

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I hate to think of the thirst of the 4.4L petrol... probably cheaper to buy a new car every time the TDV6 dies than it is to feed a 2.7 ton 4wd 4.4L V8...

In terms of servicing it myself, is it significantly more difficult than say a Subaru, (which is quite easy, although some jobs are a bugger) or an MX5 or an older Land Rover? I'm talking about regular maintainance, so fluids, filters, brakes, etc.

Thanks!

Mileage, if high and on original engine, I would suspect it was one of the engines made with a good crank. AFAIR 3 suppliers, 1 duff, 2 OK.

I would buy a Focus, mine was very good for 24 years..
I guess if you buy cheap and afford to throw it away every year, and buy another, when it fails the mot you should be ok.

MJI said:

Mileage, if high and on original engine, I would suspect it was one of the engines made with a good crank. AFAIR 3 suppliers, 1 duff, 2 OK.

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Is there any way of telling them apart?

Anaconda said:

I would buy a Focus, mine was very good for 24 years..
I guess if you buy cheap and afford to throw it away every year, and buy another, when it fails the mot you should be ok.

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I don't want a Focus, if I stick with a normal car, I'll stick with my Subaru, because it's excellent.
If I buy a cheap one and have to dispose of it within a year, I won't be buying another one.

LetsHopeItFits said:

Is there any way of telling them apart?

I don't want a Focus, if I stick with a normal car, I'll stick with my Subaru, because it's excellent.
If I buy a cheap one and have to dispose of it within a year, I won't be buying another one.

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No idea, need a D3 expert to say.

Gotta remember these were high end vehicles despite being cheap now. I’ve had very few premium vehicles that have had much change left after a grand in maintenance.
A d2 with a good chassis wouldn’t cost the earth to maintain? 15p with good history. Yes there’s annoying faults with them but none are engine out and most can be solved with nanocom. Faster than a 300tdi but just not as good

I 3.0D4D hilux is a good buy. Mine was tough as nails and really reliable

resto_d1 said:

Gotta remember these were high end vehicles despite being cheap now. I’ve had very few premium vehicles that have had much change left after a grand in maintenance.
A d2 with a good chassis wouldn’t cost the earth to maintain? 15p with good history. Yes there’s annoying faults with them but none are engine out and most can be solved with nanocom. Faster than a 300tdi but just not as good

I 3.0D4D hilux is a good buy. Mine was tough as nails and really reliable

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The D3 started from 27k when it was first launched, my Legacy was 27.5k when new, both launched in 2004. A grand in maintinance would be a very bad year, that would have to involve a center diff (which normally lasts about 150k miles) and 4 tyres, most years its about £100-200, oil, filter, maybe some brake pads or a windscreen wiper becuase its 20 years old. An ebay wheelbearing cost me £35 and I fit it myself in a couple of hours, with hand tools.

A D2 doesn't float my boat, that's leaning a bit too far towards an offroader for everyday use. A Hilux is a sensible choice, again a bit too crap for daily duties, and expensive compared to alternative japanese pickups.

LetsHopeItFits said:

The D3 started from 27k when it was first launched, my Legacy was 27.5k when new, both launched in 2004. A grand in maintinance would be a very bad year, that would have to involve a center diff (which normally lasts about 150k miles) and 4 tyres, most years its about £100-200, oil, filter, maybe some brake pads or a windscreen wiper becuase its 20 years old. An ebay wheelbearing cost me £35 and I fit it myself in a couple of hours, with hand tools.

A D2 doesn't float my boat, that's leaning a bit too far towards an offroader for everyday use. A Hilux is a sensible choice, again a bit too crap for daily duties, and expensive compared to alternative japanese pickups.

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A D2 is no more an off roader than a D3, unless you like to bolt big wheels and lift kits to them.
If you are paying labour then you can easily spend 1k a year no problem.

D2 is a great daily drive, lovely and comfortable, can't see a Hilux being a better car for either road, or laning.

Here we go again .

Look if you couldnt sort the "small" problem on your D1 then how are you going to approach a D3 with all its tech?

Buy a Jimmy and have done with it.

J

Anaconda said:

A D2 is no more an off roader than a D3, unless you like to bolt big wheels and lift kits to them.
If you are paying labour then you can easily spend 1k a year no problem.

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Its taller, has a shorter wheelbase, solid axles, less power, old school steering, etc etc.
Yes, but I do my own labour where possible. Even changing a center diff on my Subaru Id attempt myself.

MJI said:

D2 is a great daily drive, lovely and comfortable, can't see a Hilux being a better car for either road, or laning.

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No, but I wouldn't want to drive any of them if I was in a rush. A D3 drives very nearly as well as a big Audi SUV on the road, obviously its no hot hatch, but for its size and weight, its quite impressive. Whereas old Land Rovers, and I'm speaking from experience here, are absolutely lethal if you try and drive them a tad quickly. Infact my abiding memory of the steering in my V8 was that it was only possible to drive in a straight line with one hand on the steering wheel. I love them to bits, and if you're never in a rush to get anywhere then they're great, but as soon as you start to hurry they become terrifying.

marjon said:

Look if you couldnt sort the "small" problem on your D1 then how are you going to approach a D3 with all its tech?

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Neither could the so-called specialist land rover garage I took it to, and neither could the local garage it went to before then.

And a D3 has an OBD2 port

marjon said:

Buy a Jimmy and have done with it.

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Do you want to daily drive a Jimny? Or do any sort of long trip in one? I'm not saying you can't, I'm saying it's crap.

LetsHopeItFits said:

Neither could the so-called specialist land rover garage I took it to, and neither could the local garage it went to before then.

And a D3 has an OBD2 port

Do you want to daily drive a Jimny? Or do any sort of long trip in one? I'm not saying you can't, I'm saying it's crap.

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No We dont want or need a Jimmy.
We own a very well maintained and reliable 4.4 L322 for the long stuff and a D90 for the fun stuff.

Then obviously your "so called" landy specialist wasnt.
What are you going to read it with and do with the info that comes out of the OBD port?

J

A D3 is a Land Rover.
Any Land Rover can be a money pit.

You don’t need any particular Land Rover to go green laning (save for the really technical stuff).

marjon said:

What are you going to read it with and do with the info that comes out of the OBD port?

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A bluetooth OBD2 reader I bought off ebay for £7 a few years ago. It spits out a code/codes, you type them into google and find out what the code is telling you, and work from there.

Freddie17 said:

You don’t need any particular Land Rover to go green laning (save for the really technical stuff).

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Yeah, I want to do the technical stuff. Strata Florida and the Horseshoe aka Bastard lane were a lot of fun. I had no problem at all doing it in a bog standard D1, if anything it was overkill. Low range is definately something you need in order to avoid damaging the car though. An ordinary Subaru with a small lift and some chunky tyres on 15" wheels would probably be fine, but that wouldn't be as nice on the road as a D3.

I want a D3 - but not badly enough to re-live the ownership expence of my previous Disco. So, what I'm asking is, if I shop carefully, and buy a well maintained example with the fewest toys I can find, are the odds in my favour of dodging the massive repair bill that seems customary for most owners?