After years of dreaming, months of research and weeks of searching, I am about to finally do the deed and buy a D3. Budget is ~£8k and I plan to do as much of the maintenance and modifications as I can. I've narrowed my selection down to 2 specific D3s and would like your advice and recommendations, contentious or otherwise, to help me make the final decision on which one to buy...probably this weekend!!
So, options are as follows:
- 2005 D3 TDV6 HSE / Silver w/black leather / 51K / FSH / Belts done 2012 but now due again / Fantastic condition and obviously very well looked after / https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ad...on=at_cars
- 2009 D3 TDV6 HSE / Metallic Bourneville Brown (beautiful colour!!) w/cream leather / 119K / FSH / Belts just been done / also fantastic condition and well looked after / https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ad...on=at_cars
I've done a few pros and cons over and above the basic details above:
PROS
2005 Silver
-Very low mileage!
-Comprehensive Service History
-Cheaper road tax (£325)
-No DPF
-Can easily blank EGR if not already done without needing to recode ECU
2009 Bourneville
-Beautiful to look at, especially with colour coded bumpers
-Interior much lighter and more pleasant place to be
-3 x Belts already done so 7 more years without worrying about that
CONS
2005 Silver
-Early model - possibly subject to more 'niggles' or 'gremlins' that were not ironed out until later MYs
-Need to do all 3 belts ASAP. I will probably do this myself having seen some excellent posts in the forum and also got the Haynes Manual; it looks like a very achievable job for not a lot of money considering!
-Not the most attractive to look at, especially when compared with the metallic brown on the other
2009 Bourneville
-Has DPF and will need to get specialist to blank off EGR
-Expensive Road Tax (£570)
-Much higher mileage
So, the question to you all is...which would you buy and why?
TYIA!!
p.s. a few other bits if you were going to suggest:
-I'm not interested in an early D4 right now - i can't find a low mileage HSE for much less than £12k and that's way out of my budget of £8k
-I'd rather start with a D3 and work on it at less risk of getting it wrong than a v expensive D4
-I have looked at other vehicles but need to px a VW Polo that's worth about £6k so need to buy from a trader and not private. That also probably rules out Forum Members' vehicles for sale unless you want to px
Last edited by manganaj on 30th Jan 2020 1:13 pm. Edited 1 time in total
Welcome along, sight unseen I'd take the Bournville car as it's much newer, and looks better iMHO. Not bothered about the mileage if the service history is good.____
Gone: 10MY L320 RR Sport HSE, Ipanema Sand
Gone: 20MY Jaguar iPace HSE, Silicon Silver
Gone: 17MY RR Evoque SE Tech, Loire Blue
Gone: 08MY Discovery 3 XS, Stornoway Grey
Gone: 07MY FFRR TDV8 Vogue, Stornoway Grey
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
NJSS - Not aware that either has yet been done. I'm aware of the issue with cases that fail, particularly after belts are being done, which is something that I will investigate thoroughly to ensure it has been changed to the stronger case. If the 2009 Bourneville car has not been upgraded yet, especially seeing as the belts have just been done, that may swing it to the 2005 Silver as the timing belt will have to come off (and probably be replaced again) to sort that issue.
Thanks!
30th Jan 2020 1:10 pm
riverblanche
Member Since: 31 Aug 2010
Location: retford'ish
Posts: 2210
Hi,
agree ^ not bothered about mileage its service history and recent stuff that counts
I dont like low mileage cars if they have only done 2 miles 4 times a day on a school run
Bourneville is a great colour
sell your car to EvansHalshaw and buy private or forum at that age car you should be better off (the dealer does have to make a living)
why must you have a HSE? keep your options open and buy the best (an early SE has loads of spec)
Member Since: 11 Jul 2019
Location: Bracknell
Posts: 33
I had the same type of decision last year, should I buy a newer model for not a lot more or go for a nice Silver 55 plate TDV6, 108k base spec, with all the important issues sorted and amazing service history I'd found. I was advised to stay away from the HSE as there is just so many expensive things to go wrong.
Finally the cheaper tax and the ability to add quite a lot of the extras if really needed swung them.
Since I've had it I've had to have a front hub, front diff, transfer box, EGRs blanked, costs of 4k+
So the bottom line is you'll never be able to know for sure if all is good
Go with which ever one ticks the box for you 👍
Hi,
agree ^ not bothered about mileage its service history and recent stuff that counts
I dont like low mileage cars if they have only done 2 miles 4 times a day on a school run
Bourneville is a great colour
sell your car to EvansHalshaw and buy private or forum at that age car you should be better off (the dealer does have to make a living)
why must you have a HSE? keep your options open and buy the best (an early SE has loads of spec)
Thanks for that view, I had a look for an SE and found a couple of very good examples, both exactly what I'm looking for. I think that the service history is key and everyone is saying that. Beyond SH, I think I do need to walk out of the front door every morning and love the look of the car, so the dark metallic colours really are doing it for me right now!!
Ivan - that's broadly my plan. I'm in a good position and I've done my research so am more than prepared to walk away from any vehicle that doesn't stack up.
I got copies of the service book for the 2005 Silver and rang the garage that had done the last 5 years of servicing. They were very helpful and informative so I got a lot from that conversation. I plan to do the same with the 2009 Bourneville this afternoon.
30th Jan 2020 2:35 pm
Sea Raider
Member Since: 01 Nov 2016
Location: None
Posts: 4450
Cheap one, less to lose and more to make when you break it for parts
Member Since: 01 Nov 2016
Location: None
Posts: 4450
advice comes from experience I'm afraid
30th Jan 2020 2:59 pm
JackNorris
Member Since: 06 Jul 2012
Location: Beds/Bucks Border
Posts: 1877
Yep, i 2nd that.Unless there is a burning desire for one over the other. Get the cheaper after youve priced in the immediate work required.MY2023 Discovery 5 R-Dynamic 3.0
MY2020 Discovery 5 Landmark 3.0 - SOLD
MY2005 Discovery 3 V8 4.4 HSE - SOLD
MY2019 Discovery 5 SE 3.0 - LR Replaced !
MY2005 Discovery 3 S 2.7 - SOLD
MY2016 Discovery 4 Graphite - SOLD
MY2015 Discovery 4 SE Tech - SOLD
30th Jan 2020 3:27 pm
robpenrose
Member Since: 12 Jan 2016
Location: Surrey / SW London
Posts: 2136
For the money you're looking at spending on the Blue D3, i would be having a poke around a few D4s:
I don't think any UK D3s had a DPF did they? my D4 hasn't!
Current: D4 HSE
Previous: BMW Z4M Coupe
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30th Jan 2020 3:29 pm
darrind
Member Since: 04 Jul 2008
Location: In A World of My Own!
Posts: 2863
The 2009 D3 is outside of the range that had the Oil pump issue so that shouldnt be a worry, but try to use it as a negotiating tool if you can....Must stop buying shiny toys....
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