I am considering buying a used Disco 3 and I want to know which is better in terms of reliability and maintenance cost - V6 diesel 0r V8 petrol.

 

shop manual in links below. Guys here in the US would love to have a diesel. But either model is capable of draining your wallet with things other than the engine. As for maintenance cost - that is a place where the ad men write these frugal service intervals.... like the differentials lube being re-newed at 150,000. The diff of a D3 is 1/3 the volume of a D1. The unobtanium lube is about $35 a quart, but takes less than beer can full. And the diff will cost about $2200. So we have a heavier vehicle, with a more powerful engine, and a smaller oil capacity diff, which uses splash lubrication, and we expect to maintain it once in the average life of the vehicle. Right.

Take the attached maintenance list from the shop manual, and cut all the fluid related ones to more practical values and you will extend the life of the vehicle.

 

Thank you very much for the valuable info. Now I will make an informed decision.