3.0 TDV6 GS 5dr Auto

Love and hate in almost equal measure

I loved this car. I will never love a car as much as the Disco 4. I have just traded it in after 11 years service now the kids are grown up and I don't need the space so much. I also don't need the constant nagging fear of failure and another big invoice.
On the plus side I don't think there will be a car as good as this again now that LR has gone all soft lines, "executive" styling and bumped the starting price up £10k plus. Brilliant for family holidays and trips to the coast with 4 surfboards on the roof. The extra seats in the boot are as comfy as the rest even for a grown human. Most of the "luxury" of the Range Rover without the stigma. Magical levels of off-road ability (rarely tested but nice to know its there). Lovely utilitarian shape unlike the weird-assed new model. Surprisingly fast for 2.5 tonnes, even with 100k on the clock.
Onto the negatives; I definitely don't need the running costs. Insurance, tax and diesel consumption are not for the light-pocketed. And reliability... Over 115,000 miles oh, Lord these are the troubles I have seen. In warranty; 4 new turbos and a new engine when the turbo problem (oil smoke) couldn't be fixed. Out of warranty in order of failure; tracking at every service and tyre change (not minor adjustment either), headlight bulbs lasting no more than 6 months (and one going the morning of my MOT - which in fairness was the only time it failed) a new turbo (very nice LR Dealer replaced it for free because of previous issues); 4 wheel bearings (all wheels, 1 a year from 50k miles), rear reversing sensor, off-side CV joint, alternator and battery (that particular failure led to me featuring on a radio traffic update due to the tailbacks caused), rear onside brake fluid pipe (with offside replaced as it was about to fail). Other issues; from about 50k onwards the car would go into "restricted power" mode on motorway driving when the air temperature was over 18 deg.C and the cause remained a mystery. The same warning would light up randomly at any time of year but with no noticeable performance issues. In the last 12 months the lights would flicker and the radio go off, and recently it would occasionally take a lot of turning to get the engine started leading to some tense moments at the roadside. I kept telling myself I would hang onto it because the odd repair was still cheaper than a new car, but the brake pipe was the final straw. Traded it in for a similarly boxy Jeep Renegade with double the fuel economy and £30 car tax, but there will always be a piece of my heart devoted to the Disco.

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