Member Since: 23 Jul 2015
Location: Ascott-Under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire
Posts: 127
Is My Love Affair Already Over...?
SWMBO convinced me it was time to sell our XC90 and buy a Discovery, unfortunately our budget wouldn't stretch as high as I would have liked...
The XC90 sold within 24 hours and with a holiday looming in a week I needed to buy quickly.
I'd been trawling Autotrader daily plus other websites, although shamefully not Disco 3!
I finally found one in Southampton and thought I'd got a bargain, an 05 base spec, 118k with full history, belts done at 112k etc, but in good condition, only concern was bubbling window trims - quick Google search and fixed for £25 per window!
Deal was done and picked it up 2 days later just in time for a trip to the Lake District.
Disco ran great, although air con was blowing cool rather than ice cold, I could if sworn it was much cooler on my test drive! Quick visit to KwikFit, I know, but fail to lower the temperature = no pay, £49 and sorted.
Service indicator started flashing, I thought it was mileage rather than time based...
Booked into Nick Kerner 4wd for its annual service, phone call nearer the end of the day and a long list of things including propshaft, wishbones, etc and I'm £2k out of pocket.
3 days driving round in an old diesel Astra courtesy car (loved the MPG though).
I have also just upgraded the 17" alloys to ones off a Range Rover Vogue 19"' which I picked up for a bargain price and are mint with great tyres, slightly dubious area and the chap had allegedly swapped them for some 20" for his RR, no sign of an RR, they were just on the back of his L200 pick-up...
Maybe once the costs cease, although SWMBO wants some rear PDC, maybe I can begin to enjoy but at the moment our relationship is certainly going through a rocky patch.
Perhaps I should have listened to that old Chinese proverb - There is no such thing as a bargain Disco 3, just some cost less than others to run!
Caveat Emptor etc!
A few small little niggles to be sorted then hopefully we can at least get back to holding hands!
As a final note, so much a better car than the XC90, although not on the finance side yet.
HFM66
27th Aug 2015 10:26 pm
GLYNNE
Member Since: 06 Oct 2006
Location: KENT
Posts: 4653
At least you know it's now sorted and fingers crossed you can start enjoying
27th Aug 2015 10:31 pm
DDDad
Member Since: 10 Jan 2015
Location: Angus
Posts: 1201
Re: Is My Love Affair Already Over...?
HFM66 wrote:
Maybe once the costs cease...
Went for a job as a human cannonball. Not the right calibre.
27th Aug 2015 11:25 pm
caverD3
Member Since: 03 Jul 2006
Location: Oberon, NSW
Posts: 6922
Re: Is My Love Affair Already Over...?
HFM66 wrote:
Is My Love Affair Already Over...?
Owning a Disco is more like marriage than an affair! “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.
27th Aug 2015 11:27 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72798
Re: Is My Love Affair Already Over...?
DDDad wrote:
HFM66 wrote:
Maybe once the costs cease...
That only happens when you sell it, it gets written off or stolen.
28th Aug 2015 6:24 am
caverD3
Member Since: 03 Jul 2006
Location: Oberon, NSW
Posts: 6922
You either have an affair with another brand or you marry another one! “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.
28th Aug 2015 6:44 am
HFM66
Member Since: 23 Jul 2015
Location: Ascott-Under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire
Posts: 127
We also recently bought a Mini Cooper S in great condition, a 52 plate, 79k but for only £600 more than I've just paid for a service...
Perhaps I should appreciate that it is 10 years old and try and fall in love with it (again)...
I'm not too sure if I was after a fling with a Discovery or a marriage, hopefully it will cost me less than our wedding did 11 years ago!
With hind sight i should have waited for the right vehicle to come up for sale on here but I need a car to get to work and SWMBO needs one to ferry our 3 children around in, I also needed the money out from the XC90 - classic problems of buying / selling.
HFM66
28th Aug 2015 6:56 am
LandRoverAnorak
Member Since: 06 Mar 2014
Location: Surrey
Posts: 1131
To be honest, your experience of buying a ten year old model doesn't sound unusual. I had a similar experience with mine albeit some issues were known and advised by the previous owner. It's still a bit of a shock though when you get the phone call about a potential bill of £2-3k.
Assuming regular servicing is up to date then once you've worked your way through the common things that just wear out (suspension components are a prime example) it does settle down a bit. However, they're still big, complicated beasts so it's unrealsitic to expect trouble free motoring from one service to the next at that sort of age and mileage.
I've spent quite a lot of time in that old Astra over the years... Darren
"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia
Member Since: 17 Mar 2014
Location: Bracknell
Posts: 1399
Mine just came back from Kerners with an £1800 bill. Ouch.
The way I look at it is a new(er) car will set me back an additional £10-£15k, assuming my 08 HSE is worth £12k and I want a significantly newer car such as 2011/12 D4.
I'm not fickle with cars and if I like it, I'll keep it until it dies (previous D2 lasted 13 years) so in the great scheme of things, putting aside £1-1.5k per year for maintenance is normal and far cheaper than
moving on to a newer model.
Great, if you can happily lose £600+ a month to have a car, then contract hire and change every few years but I have better things to spend my hard earned on.
28th Aug 2015 9:07 am
mark the spark
Member Since: 22 Jun 2011
Location: southampton
Posts: 2477
when you look at the weight flexibility and complexity of the Disco its hardly surprising that these issues arise at this age.
if you think that most cars are done in by 150K miles if not from engines then from other ancillary equipment failure then buying 2/3 rds through its life span youve got to expect big bills.
if you want hassle free then buy 1-3 yr old cars ,this is why commercial vehicles are turned over at 3 yrs as this is the end of the no worries period.
at 10 yrs your buying an old car regardless of the cost and if your going to cough at any bill over £100 then buy that astra courtesy car off themMY05 SE D3 Manual my first LR what a car
MY10 HSE D4 auto
MY14 XXV more buttons than the spaceshuttle
28th Aug 2015 9:42 am
DDDad
Member Since: 10 Jan 2015
Location: Angus
Posts: 1201
^^^Wise words! If you need/want this big 4x4 off-road tow car, it won't come cheap.
caverD3 wrote:
You either have an affair with another brand...
My other car's a male. Went for a job as a human cannonball. Not the right calibre.
28th Aug 2015 12:04 pm
Discogaz
Member Since: 17 Mar 2014
Location: Bracknell
Posts: 1399
Guess you swing both ways DDDad
28th Aug 2015 12:07 pm
DDDad
Member Since: 10 Jan 2015
Location: Angus
Posts: 1201
Me and the Vauxhall...we're just good friends! Honest! Went for a job as a human cannonball. Not the right calibre.
28th Aug 2015 12:09 pm
Discogaz
Member Since: 17 Mar 2014
Location: Bracknell
Posts: 1399
A bromance then!
28th Aug 2015 12:26 pm
HFM66
Member Since: 23 Jul 2015
Location: Ascott-Under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire
Posts: 127
I knew I was going into this with my eyes wide open - I'd spent £1k on fixing the radio / sat nav on the XC90 only 12 months ago..
I was just hoping that as it had FSH, mainly LR dealers as well, and the last service bill of £1k (including belts) I might have a bit of a breathing space before the large ones started...
Never mind, I'm sure that now its been given a clean bill of health I'll hopefully have a few expense free months, well at least one month...
I also think what didn't help is that our neighbours kindly lent us their 2 year old Disco 4 HSE and perhaps a 10 year old Disco 3 base model is slightly different / less toys to play with etc...
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