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Denroyd
Member Since: 08 Dec 2006
Location: Perth
Posts: 16
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Hello all
This is my first post on the site. I am strongly considering buying the V6 SE advertised at the drive away price of $63990. My main requirements when looking to buy a new car were 7 leather seats and more space. I am considering the Toyota Kluger (chalk and cheese) I hear you all saying. But it is not as big and my wife likes it. I have looked at the Pradeo but hate the fact that the third row of seats sits up at the sides of the luggage space when not in use.
I will not be using the car off road much but want it for long trips (with 3 kids I would like the extra room). I know everyone on this site is likley to be bias towad sthe D3 but some constructive comments may just be enough to tip me over the edge as I am getting lots of people telling how unreliable the D3 is, that servicng costs are high and any trade in value in X many years is peanuts in compared to many so called more popular cars such as the Pradeo
Any comments will be most welcome
David
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 8th Dec 2006 2:53 pm |
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nwoods
Member Since: 04 Apr 2006
Location: Southern California
Posts: 563
  
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Those comments are mostly correct. The Land Rover is more expensive to maintain over time. Brakes and Tires particularly
It is not any less reliable, but you may encounter niggly things now and then. The LR3 will never leave you stranded, but there are items that Land Rover is always tweaking in the software to make it better.
I don't know the Prado very well, they don't sell them here. Howver, the D3 is likely to be more versatile, and considerably more comfortable on the road. the seats are better than Toyota seats, the squared off window ledge is brilliant for an arm rest, the rear lift gate is marvelous in praticlality and function. The D3 holds copious amounts of stuff, rides increadibly smooth, and is amazingly easy to park and navigate tight spaces. It does not drive like a big vehicle.
It is far more a premium "feeling" vehicle than a Toyota appliance. And you can do really fun things with them! (check out my website)
regards,
NW
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| 8th Dec 2006 4:39 pm |
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razzle
Member Since: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Tas
Posts: 170
 
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I know the issues you are dealing with when considering the D3. I made a few post under the "lots of d3's on the road lately" and received some biased and balanced views on the D3.
I am happy to say that I placed an order for the MY2007 D3 SE TDV6, 2 weeks ago after a lot of reseach and test drives. The D3 ride, room, ability off road and safety features sold me. You pay a premium for it, but when you consider you get air supension, TR,Bi Xenon head lights, HDC, DSC, ARM etc it starts to compare more that favourablely with other 4wds.
Plus the D3 is the best combination of family car and bush basher on the market plus it has won a  load of awards.
I deliberately waited since April 2005 release to My 2007 model to purchase to allow time for all the bugs to be ironed out. From time spent on this forums, alot/most of the problems are fixed. it appears only in a few cases the problems are major. (if you have any major problems give Naomi a call Today Tonight).
As for resale, I think I spotted on the UK forum that they had a thread on resale trying to find the cheapest 2nd hand D3. From memory the cheapest (diesel) was a 2004 model and it was sitting at 80% of original purchase price. (Petrol will always have a lower resale than Diesel).
I can also remember reading on a UK web site that the SE has the best resale of all the models.
I also know that Australia being such a small market is having trouble getting supply of some models. So forget about waiting to buy a cheap one second hand.
It may be a good thread to start up here: Whats the cheapest D3 available 2nd hand in Australia
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| 8th Dec 2006 10:43 pm |
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Tony
Member Since: 20 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide Hills
Posts: 183
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Hi David,
Welcome to the group!
Don't underestimate the Prado - it is a great vehicle for the uses you intend. But it does not have the prestige or the ultimate comfort and ability that the D3 possesses, and the Landy's reliability issues seem to have been sorted out. (The Prado, like any car, is not without it's troubles too!) It's a bit early to comment on relative resale values, but running costs are comparable. We covered around 100,000km in our Prado and now have done 25,000km in the D3 so can give a pretty good comparison. Which would I buy next time? The Disco!
Cheers,
Tony. Ex Defender 110 200Tdi owner.
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| 8th Dec 2006 10:46 pm |
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Denroyd
Member Since: 08 Dec 2006
Location: Perth
Posts: 16
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Thanks all for taken the effort to reply in such a constructive way. I have done some further research on the car pricing today, and the equilivant model to the SE in the UK (XS)(they are not exactly the same) works out at around $84000, so the Australian drive away price of $63990 has to be good value. I appreciate that there are differing taxes, but even so there is a big difference in the cost for what is in essence the same car
David
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| 9th Dec 2006 2:22 pm |
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norto
Member Since: 10 Apr 2006
Location: batemans bay
Posts: 1605
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Denroyd
That sounds very cheap.
Is it a petrol or diesel.
If you can get it for that price grab it you wont be sorry
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| 10th Dec 2006 12:27 am |
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dochummer
Member Since: 02 Nov 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 69
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The prado is actually the GX470 in the U.S. I've driven a GX, and it has a very smooth ride, however, I still felt as if I was driving a Toyota - albeit a little more luxurious. With the research I did, the D3/LR3 made more sense, and it satisfied the "luxury" aspect I was looking for. Gotta figure, if you're going to spend that much on a vehicle, it had better feel like more than just a dressed up 4Runner... I also enjoy the LR3, because there are VERY few of them around here. In fact, the only one that I've seen since I purchased mine a month ago was a Bonatti Gray from Oregon. The split tailgate on the D3 was also a deciding factor...I did not like the huge/heavy swing gate on the GX....
For pricing purposes, I paid just over $35k for a used 05 SE - loaded with everything except DVD and bluetooth and only 17k miles... 2005 Zambezi V8 SE
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| 10th Dec 2006 12:55 am |
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Denroyd
Member Since: 08 Dec 2006
Location: Perth
Posts: 16
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norto wrote:Denroyd
That sounds very cheap.
Is it a petrol or diesel.
If you can get it for that price grab it you wont be sorry
It is for the Petrol. Thanks for the advice
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| 10th Dec 2006 7:56 am |
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LeighW
D3 Decade
Member Since: 31 Jan 2006
Location: Brisbane, AUS
Posts: 916
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I have only owned and driven the diesel version of the D3 and think it is a superb combo with the auto. I decided against the petrol version (back in May 2005) because of the way fossil fuels seem to be able to be 'controlled' and I intended to keep my purchase for a long time. I was worried about rising costs of refuelling as I approach retirement.
Articles about biodiesel had me thinking that there was a viable alternative to what comes out of the ground. I have just recently read about a fuel called SunDiesel that is derived from straw and is a direct replacement for diesel from the major suppliers.
My use of the D3 (after migrating from a petrol Pajero) is essentially the same as before and even though it doesn't have the immediate response of the petrol engined Pajero, I am more than pleased with it overall.
And on top of that I still wear a permagrin after nearly 12 months of ownership. I'd be looking for a TDV6 at the special price... LeighW
The old girl is on her third engine...
* first ran a bearing (design failure in original engine)
* second had a failure of the water outlet on top of the engine (pls check yours)
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| 10th Dec 2006 10:45 pm |
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norto
Member Since: 10 Apr 2006
Location: batemans bay
Posts: 1605
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Denroyd
check out how much you can get a diesel for
it will serve you better in the long run for a lot of reasons
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| 11th Dec 2006 4:01 am |
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caverD3
Member Since: 03 Jul 2006
Location: Oberon, NSW
Posts: 6922
 
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I have an SE and couldn't be happier. Occasional visits to dealer to have minor issues fixed.
The SE spec is good and is a must for off road where it excells over the competion in ability and especially comfort. I have improved the sound by replacing the speakers and added a garmin PDA which is more versitile than the LR system and is miles cheaper.
I agree though the TDV6 is better but the V6 petrol is adequate for most situations but the diesel is cheper on fuel. “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely gamesâ€
Ernest Hemmingway
D4 3.0 Active Diff, Adaptive Lights, High Beam Assist, Surround Cameras, Privacy Glass.
D3 2.7:Adaptive Headlights,Electronic Rear Diff,ARB Bar,Blaupunkt Speakers,JVC Powered Subwoofer,Removable Snorkel,Mitch Hitch,Pioneer After Market Head Unit,Steering Wheel Control Adaptor,Remote Adjustable Supension Rod System, Taxside Dual Battery System.
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| 11th Dec 2006 5:00 am |
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Denroyd
Member Since: 08 Dec 2006
Location: Perth
Posts: 16
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Thanks again all for posting it has been very useful. I have decided on the SE V6 Petrol. I enquiried about the Diesel, but it was much much more expensive (approx $12000) so I did not think it was worth it.
I am getting a December build March delivery.
Den
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| 12th Dec 2006 12:41 pm |
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sijui
Member Since: 03 Mar 2006
Location: Rosebank
Posts: 81
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Congratulations David 
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| 12th Dec 2006 9:47 pm |
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Tony
Member Since: 20 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide Hills
Posts: 183
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Well done, Den! Congratulations!
That $12,000 will help offset the slightly higher fuel consumption compared to the diesel, as will the lower service costs. And PULP is cheaper than diesel, even in the bush - by the way, if you can't get PULP in country areas, there appears to be no noticeable difference running on standard unleaded.
So now for the loooong wait....
Cheers,
Tony. Ex Defender 110 200Tdi owner.
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| 12th Dec 2006 9:55 pm |
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300+
Member Since: 23 Nov 2006
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 189
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Denroyd wrote:Hello all
This is my first post on the site. I am strongly considering buying the V6 SE advertised at the drive away price of $63990.
A dealer in Brisbane offered me $59999 drive away a month ago. Lean on yours a little more 
Many people think I drive a RR. If your ego likes to be flattered that won't happen in a kluger or prado.
Having said that, I was strongly considering a prado grande.
Steve
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| 16th Dec 2006 11:28 am |
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