Hello out there in Land Rover land. My first post on this forum. I've owned a couple of Disco 2s and a Freelander but am thinking about getting a Disco 3. I've got £15-20k to put in to one. The only issue is that I've heard from various people (including my old garage) that they can be very expensive to maintain - much more than the Disco 2, for example. I've also heard that the earlier models should be avoided at all costs.

I hasten to add that I'm not a DIY mechanic so my local independent Land Rover specialist is going to get my business. I'm afraid, however, of investing in a money pit.

So, should I go ahead and get a Disco 3?

By when did they iron out the initial teething problems - model year wise?

What sort of things should I be looking out for?

I'm a big LR fan and I'm sure the D3 will be a big jump on from a D2, but I just need that bit of reassurance. Over to the experts!

 

On this forum mainly we only have the petrol version so our opinions on the drive train might be a bit pointless.

The Jag v8 has been fantastic.

There were some differential issues, most of those should be sorted by now.

The lower control arm bushings wear quickly. A few have switched to the poly bushes with great success.

The suspension compressors die but there is a upgraded set up for better longevity.

The suspension itself can have issues but is generally easy to diagnosis and fix.

As a whole they are more reliable than the older Disco's ever were.

 

Ditto to above. Even if you aren't DIY now, do try to learn a few things, it is actually easy to get into regular maintenance. The labor rate for a shop (depending on what it is) will probably be the killer factor. Forums and youtube wil teach you 99% of what you need to know to fix almost anything.

We mostly have the NAS petrol engines, BUT the diesels you lot can get are fantastic too, and I have seen a few on the disco3 forums go 500,000mi and up with good care. Plus better fuel economy. If I could I would get the TDV6 to swap in when my current V8 dies... one can only dream

Reliable trucks, really well-rounded. Several known issues but easier to deal with than the D2's.

I'd say go for it.

 

I agree with what has been said. My LR3 is approaching 225K, granted it is gas but it JUST started to leak one drop of oil a day! So if I could get the diesel i would jump all over it as long as I felt the current owner took decent care of the truck.... Can you find out if the driving was local or highway? This is my second LR and I would never drive anything else....