Hi Dave, just reading this thread through from the beginning so if anyone else has answered this, I apologise.
We use our TD1 300 as a daily driver so I have no doubts that it will do the work, BUT I would advise maintenance to be upgrade from once a year.
This is what I do:
1. Every 5,000mls:- engine oil change including oil filter air filter and fuel filter. (The filters cost £6.28+vat for the set from Paddocks)
2. Every 10,000mls:- main gearbox, tranny box and both diffs oilchange. You'll need 6 ltrs of EP80w-90 plus oil for whatever main gearbox you have (auto or manual). PLus clean out the fuel sedimenter.
This is what I would call a medium service régime and will keep her running sweet.
3. Cambelt:- every 3 yrs or 30,000mls.
To keep the battery in good order through the winter, take it off the car every other weekend and give it a good charge up overnight and you'll never have any early morning start issues.
Just to prove how sad I am I keep a spreadsheet of all the work I do on my cars, so come the time to sell the new owner can see how well the car has been looked after.
Cheers
Dave