cossiestu

Got a third baby on the way in the autumn and going to need a car big enough for three child seats across the back, without them all being crammed in. The wife's got her eyes on a Disco 3 and as she's driving it 99.9% of the time, don't mind what she has, as long as it's got isofix.
Currently got a Vauhall Zafira. Horrible car, uncomfortable to drive, cramped inside, won't be sad to see it gone, yes it's a seven seater, but about as practical as a slinky in a bungalow...
Anyone got / had experience with Discoverys? Been looking about at other cars, but not finding much that we like, with a big enough rear seat and a boot for buggy and shopping...
Any advise/ideas greatly received!!

3i Jim

Very practical and good to drive . But a friend of mine has got one and had nothing but problems with it. His one loves ball joints, shocks and head gaskets. But like any car, you get good ones and bad ones.

cossiestu

I've read to watch out for the 90 - 100k cars, as that's the big service interval?

Was also considering maybe an X5, but middle rear seat didn't look that wide...

3i Jim

Steer well clear of X5's. I use to work for BMW, fucking awful things. If you've got money to burn then get one. Lol.

cossiestu

Lol, definatly not got money to burn regarding this! Hoping to afford it without having to sell the Saff!!

tony66

iTrader: (7)

what to bear in mind is that the body has to come off for major repairs...
its also easier to change the turbo with body off...engines can sometimes grenade-so you find yourself looking for an old or hit s type diesel to rob the engine from
the later oil pump bodies where the timing belt tensioner bolts on are prone to busting off-just after a belt change with the increased tension[after 2006]
in a lot of ways the pre 06 cars are better-you can blank off both the egrs without it throwing up a light-the oil pump body is stronger,and its cheap to tax-all engines sound crap-a lot better with a wee bit of two stroke in the fuel though

as before-bushes[and the bolts seize] look out for transmission judder on autos,air pumps,rust-they rust for fun underneath-and electrical gremlins
i dont do a milage that helps fuel consumption-but i got around 28mpg
great things to drive though,with seats etc down its like a big van
avoid manual-short clutch life and ruins the refinement
read up about them on the disco forums-they aint the most reliable thing on the planet,its not if they will go wrong its when

that said -i like them and would have another if i needed a 4x4

cossiestu

Thanks for that, gives me a better understanding of them!?
I've never been into them till now, nearest thing I've ever worked on is helping my dad do clutch changes etc on his S3 Land Rover, when I was still at school, donkeys years ago, so shows how out of my depth I am with one of these!

fuzzy

I had a 2010 kahn kitted disco4 on 22's for work....first time ive spent £270 filling a motor up 3 times in a day!
nice place to be on a long drive but I wouldn't like the running costs if it was mine!

Acac

iTrader: (1)

Had one for 3 years ( disco 3 ) , fantastic all round car felt like it could go anywhere , only had a height sensor go wrong and that was only £25 from LR .
Make sure gearbox oil been changed at 60k latest as if not will screw up auto box , LR say body off to change diesel pump belt but my mechanic done it in situ so can be done , pre 55 plate egr valves can be blanked off but after that there wired to Ecu so will put an engine management light on dash , bushes on lower wishbones wear causing knocking , sunroofs leak if drain holes/lines aren't opened up and cleaned but easy diy job .
All sounds a bit horrendous but all cars have faults just got to know what to look for , sold ours with 120k on the clock and felt like it would do the same again , got an x5 now 😞 , would much prefer the disco back .

cossiestu

She won't do mega mileage in it and it won't tow anything, so hoping it won't be TOO bad to run

pjv7771

A lad at work has a rr sport and he says the bills when something needs doing are eye watering so I'm guessing the disco won't be a lot better, have you thought about a shogun ? I've had one for years and it's been the most reliable car I've ever owned

Caddyshack

The local specialist can get the body off in 3.5 hours now so not that bad if it really does need it.
We are about to get rid of a Volvo XC90 and that has been a great 7 seater. It has rear DVDs for the long journeys and we get 36mpg all the time. It isn't fast but it is not too bad.

They can be expensive to service as they wear bushes and engine mounts but as long as you find one done then good to go. Ours has done 130,000 miles due to driving through France in it a lot. They are brilliant in snow too.

cossiestu

Thanks lads!

Had considered a Shogun, but thought the price of parts/repairs done would be worse than a Disco? Hadn't really looked at the Volvo, but will do, didn't think it would be within the budget...

tony66

iTrader: (7)

a rangie sport as said is essentially a disco in a dress-but more cramped,with the upside of better looks and image[dependant on how you view it]

there is a specialist near me who can get body off quick too-but it adds to the labour cost hugely,the rear pump belt isnt hard at all,just a few scraped fingers to do it..and if it fails [the rear one] its just a pump drive so car stops-no damage
as said-lots run these with minimal issues-some have nightmares
i would only ever buy a 4x4 now if i needed one,its a lot better to be running a nice diesel auto car tbh

Cos500

I've got a 2006 discovery 3 tdv6 SE.
Bought for the same reason, Vauxhall is terrible, x5 and volvo thing rubbish.
It's been reliable and after having it re-mapped I can see 40 mpg in some cases.
Common faults, suspension pump for ride height, auto handbrake adjuster, brakes as it weighs a lot, steering column can rattle, nothing over expensive for the type of vehicle.
Ignore body off comments for fuel pump etc as it can be done without, make sure it has good history with regular services and you want to see bills not stamps.
I'd stay clear of base models with cloth etc unless your a farmer, interiors are poo.
I went for SE as it has a lot of toys but not too many like HSE that all go wrong, also I have no sunroofs as they leak.
Overall it's great, had it a year and will be with me for a good few years yet.
I made a few changes that I think make it stand out, it has 20 inch Range Rover sport wheels, disco 4 rear lights, clear side repeaters, side steps so the kids don't struggle and scratch it getting in and out, tinted rear windows and the re-map.

pjv7771

I've had my shogun for 5 years now and it's knocking on a bit, most expensive thing I've had done is the bottom pulley and belt changes and that was about 500 quid, probably similar repair costs to the disco but i don't think they go wrong as often, the trade off is that the shogun is a bit more agricultural than the disco

cossiestu

Thanks again, I'll have a look around and see what's out there for the money...

Tony: I don't want to rule out going for a decent size car, it's just finding something with a wide enough back seat to fit the car seats in without jamming them in like sardines!

liammcl

iTrader: (4)

I've got a 2010 Discovery 4.

Its only done 45k and it needs new front lower wishbones. An independant garage will charge up to £600 to change these including wheel alignment.

Dont expect more than 30mpg on a run and as low as 18mpg pottering around town. Regular servicing can be expensive. There is a big service at 7 years or whatever mileage which includes the belts. Some will tell you its body off job but thats not true, althought there are jobs which will need it off.

It is the best car I've owned as far a practicality etc goes but I would own one without a warranty of some sort.

Caddyshack

You are welcome to come and try the xc90 if you want. They have a centre seat that pops up to become a booster seat so you can get two adults in the very rear two, then two isofix seats in the middle and still sit a 6 yr old in the booster. They have elec memory seats etc.

I reckon ours is only worth £5.5k so £7k should get a medium miles one?

cossiestu

Thank you for the offer, if I lived nearer, I'd take you up on that, pity I'm not down in Surrey anymore that much ...wall:

Sounds a lot more practical the the Vauxhall bus, the rear rear seats are pointless if you got child seats in the middle row.
I didn't even think about them, as I'd always assumed they'd be much dearer...

strada84

If you want a car for practicality and kids, the Volvo XC90 knocks everything else into a cocked hat.

studabear

I viewed 4 xc90's for a good customer of ours, priced upto 10k 3 of them were dogs, the only half good one was a terrible colour and the trader was a bell who the guy looking to buy said "I would never forgive myself if I gave him my money"

cossiestu

Just looking at some on AutoTrader, masses of boot space in them in 5 seat mode!

slammedorion

Old chap has a Disco 3 (05 reg)
From his point of view, he loves it...
I maintain it, I hate working on it... Everything needs cutting off, everything snaps when undoing...
Just awful to work on... Parts can be expensive, but if you shop around and do your homework, you won't have your pants pulled down...
06 plates > hit the higher road tax rate...

cossiestu

Sound like nice cars till they go wrong?! I read somewhere, something like the 2.9D was the higher tax and the 2.7D and V8 petrol was lower?? I thought at the time, surely a gas guzzling V8 can't be in a lower bracket?!

james kiely

iTrader: (5)

i have a 2010 xc90 that the wife drives and she loves it .practical safe driving and returns about 30 to the gallon.i cant ever see me getting her to move into something else.
they are prone to wheel bearing failure and tyre wear can be a issue [like most 4x4]

but it tackles all road condtions including comfortable motorway driving withe ease.

also worth coinsidering the xc70


i do love my volvos lol

tony66

iTrader: (7)

the tax is all about the age-around march 06 onwards most big 4x4 are £500 a year to tax nowadays...

james kiely

iTrader: (5)

i think my volvo is £285 for the years tax