Looking for suggestions

[zebidee]

My Trooper's starting to get a bit long in the tooth at 10 years old with 130,000 miles on the clock ... needing the rear axle replaced & starting to have electrical problems.

Unfortunately our car's also going to need replacing for similar reasons (that'll teach us for getting both of them at the same time).

So what with winter coming we were thinking we'd get the Trooper sorted short term & replace our car with a 2nd hand 4x4 which would last 3-4 years & then get a replacement for the Trooper next summer.

 Whatever we get needs to be able to tow 2.5 tonne & will be used by SWMBO for her commute to work (so a Defender's out). We've got about

[zebidee]

Just been to see a 2005 Disco3 with 29,000 miles on the clock ... doesn't have the terrain specific controls but other than that think it might be a good pick.

What are the electronics like on the D3? Any long term issues with these? It seems to have an electronic hand brake and high/low box selector ... these are things which you really wouldn't want going wrong really.

Cheers.

[Saffy]

was at a lr specialist getting an MOT yesterday. Talking to a mechanic who just spent 7 hours replacing a electronic handbrake on a D3 [book says in excess of 4]! Motor burnt out but whole mechanism is replaced as one unit. big bucks for the part plus 7 hours labour.... ouch. He wasn't impressed with the d3. Also the motor failed with brake applied, but it seems lr have included a method to manually release it.... that didn't help the owner who didn't know and was left stuck.

[zebidee]

was at a lr specialist getting an MOT yesterday. Talking to a mechanic who just spent 7 hours replacing a electronic handbrake on a D3 [book says in excess of 4]! Motor burnt out but whole mechanism is replaced as one unit. big bucks for the part plus 7 hours labour.... ouch. He wasn't impressed with the d3. Also the motor failed with brake applied, but it seems lr have included a method to manually release it.... that didn't help the owner who didn't know and was left stuck.

I thought I'd heard bad stuff about the D3's electronics ... just did a search for http://www.google.co.uk/search?aq=0&oq=discovery3+ha&gcx=c&ix=c2&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=discovery+3+handbrake and loads come up about recurring issues with the EPB ... especially in manuals since people in automatics'll just put it in "Park" rather than applying the handbrake.

Hurm ... something to think about.

[dxmedia]

For the money I don't think you can beat a merc ML - Cheapest, very high spec, 3.5 tonne tow limit, bullet proof engine, and if it's for the misuses, quite soft styling.

If not, I'd shortlist X5 or a VW Toureg.

If fuel isn't an issue, a Porsche Cayenne or a range rover 3.

All can be had well within your budget and the ML / X5 / VW will all give you a real 30 to the gallon. You'll not get a diesel Cayenne, but my god they are nice inside, and the rr3, you'll get a td6 diesel for that money and it'll give you 22 - 24 mpg.

Spending that amount of money, I wouldn't touch all the honda, freelander, mitsi [!Expletive Deleted!]. Money lost on depreciation will never been seen again. Buy prestige and let someone else have the hit. Sell again in 3 - 4 years for the same money and move to the next one.

[dxmedia]

OMG - I just recommended a LR to someone !!!