Member Since: 23 Jan 2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 96
Looking to buy a Discovery 3 or a VW Touerag. Bit of advice!
Hi,
I'm looking to get either of those cars. I really want a Discovery but with my misses being the main driver, i am slightly dubious about reliability.
My budget will be around £12k but preferably less so looking at a 05/06 for both cars.
I understand that they are very different and that the LR is much more for off roading (which i would love to do) but essentially they both fit the bill of being 4WD, High seat position, Lots of space inside and both have the toys i would like.
Is it a case of buy the VW for my preferences ie, not really using it for lots of off roading or will a Discovery be fine.
Currently have a Brand new Audi A3 but i'm really not getting on with it so am looking to sell it. (luckily i should get back exactly what i paid for it)
Thanks.
Rich
23rd Jan 2013 10:15 am
pcregeen
Member Since: 02 Feb 2008
Location: Huddersfield
Posts: 421
Rich
I have owned both. They are totally different cars. What will shock you if you drive both is that actually the discovery is better on the road than VW. Especially if the VW has only the 2.5tdi.
Interior quality is not much different but the VW does feel much more car like but that was half of my problem is that it never felt special.
The final one for me was 7 seats in disco and the fact that it came with a full size spare. My VW had a spare i had to pump up and was a right nightmare to change
Just my views. Get a decent test drive in both and i think you will soon be a regular poster on here
Pete
23rd Jan 2013 10:31 am
rich89
Member Since: 23 Jan 2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 96
OK thanks.
What about the reliability tho? Is there a certain warranty to buy, If any.
On reliabilty, my feeling is the more you use a car like the D3 the better they perform, they do not respond well to sitting around for a bit then being used.
if your wife uses as a daily driver, getting a few mile in and up to operating temp, being able to stretch the turbo through th erange not just 3 miles to work or a short school run, you'll e fine.
I run a 95k mile D3 daily for work (bought at 60K nearly 2 yrs ago), 30 to 200 miles a day every day and it has to work for me, except running rerpairs you expect brakes etc, I have had to put on a battery and an alternator, and I need a new coolant header tank (circa £30) as the float sensor is stuffed.
All in not too bad for a 6 yr old car
I looked at the VW, as it was a Passatt estate that I swapped out, but as others have its not special or really a 4X4 in my book, more a car on stilts Altox GSM FBH controller thread
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23rd Jan 2013 1:51 pm
al cope
Member Since: 08 Nov 2005
Location: Oldbury, WM
Posts: 10350
I guess a few might have been swayed by the V10 diesel in the VW, but I've heard that has been one of their biggest reliabilty items.
AlVolvo XC90 B5 Plus Dark
Gone - MY18 D5 HSE - Corris on 22's with Black Pack
Now gone - MY16 D4 SE Tech, Loire Blue, Almond Leather, Privacy, plus some other goodies.
Old - MY12 D4 SDV6 XS Auto - Ipanema Sand with Almond Leather - Plus other niceties, and D4.com sticker
Older - D3 TDV6 XS Auto - Lugano Teal with Almond Leather, 20" Stormers, Shiny Tailpipes, DVD/TV - and obligatory D3 sticker
Ancient - D3 TDV6 S - Tonga with Ebony, 20" Stormers, satnav & DVD
23rd Jan 2013 2:39 pm
rich89
Member Since: 23 Jan 2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 96
It will be used every day, minimum 30 miles per day.
Luckily a dealer on the same road as my house has a Touareg and a Discovery. Had a quick look at them on the outside and couldn't believe how much bigger the Discovery is.
The VW was alot lower than i had imagined, The Disco was taller than me (6ft 2") the VW was probably about 5ft 9". Unfortuently the ones he had were no good as in the interior on the Discovery was horrible and the car just looked abit naff. The touareg was nice but not at £18k.
What should i expect to get for >£12k?
Is it just me that thinks they look odd with no tints?
Thanks
23rd Jan 2013 2:45 pm
nigel207
Member Since: 26 Mar 2009
Location: Nottinghamshire
Posts: 1359
As someone else said, only you can decide really, so you need to drive both.
However, a couple of years ago, after an Asda van ran into the back of my Discovery (causing purely cosmetic damage - bumper and lower tailgate, which was more than could be said for the Merc Sprinter!), I was given a 3.0 Touareg as a loan car. It was nippier than the 2.7 D3, but other than that I much preferred the D3. Bearing in mind that the Touareg was only a couple of years old and had done sub-20K, there were a number of things that had already failed on that - climate control only blew hot, musty air, wipers didn't work properly, etc. I was really glad to get my D3 back.
There's much more room in the D3 too. I almost felt cramped in the cockpit of the Touareg. Something else that I found irritating was that there was a reflection from the centre console onto the passenger's window, both in daylight and the dark, which at times was quite distracting.
With the 3.0 litre engine it was perhaps more nimble than the D3, but that was about it for me.
Again, as someone else has suggested, the worst thing that you can do with a D3 is leave it standing. I had a number of issues with mine (things sticking) which were all put down to the lack of use. The Touareg isn't as reliable as you'd believe either. At least with LR there are countless good Independent Specialists out there who know what they're doing.
As regards warranty, I had Warranty Direct, and never had a problem with them paying up when needed. On each occasion though, when I left the garage, the chap told me "use the b****y thing and give it some stick now and then". Oh, and I must say that the car never left me stuck. It didn't just conk out and go nowhere, it always got me there even if it was on slightly reduced power now and again.
Have a look at Warranty Directs reliability index, and you'll see that the Touareg is actually worse (obviously that's for vehicles out of Manufacturer's warranty).
23rd Jan 2013 2:55 pm
rich89
Member Since: 23 Jan 2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 96
Great. Thanks for the info...
I've just got a quote from Warranty Direct for £770 for one year. That's quite a bit more than i thought it would be. (work done at an indy)
23rd Jan 2013 3:08 pm
nigel207
Member Since: 26 Mar 2009
Location: Nottinghamshire
Posts: 1359
That's more than I paid, although to be fair it was a couple of years ago now. The best thing is to wait and you'll probably get a phone call from them offering the warranty at a reduced rate.
23rd Jan 2013 3:12 pm
Moo D3 Decade
Member Since: 13 Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 14353
Discovery. Simples.
Friends of mine have switched from Toureg to Discovery because of its practicality and road manners.
Look at the forum and see whats for sale. Their are some good motors that are known by members so you can reduce your risks.
23rd Jan 2013 3:24 pm
nigel207
Member Since: 26 Mar 2009
Location: Nottinghamshire
Posts: 1359
Oh, I also forgot to mention that my wife was initially wary of driving the Discovery because of its size, but after one drive, she loved it and found it easy to position because "you know where the corners are". I assume she meant the car's corners!
Did you expect anyone to recommend the Touareg on here?
23rd Jan 2013 3:26 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8221
I wouldn't touch a Taureg or Porsche, they are the same car, they are built for German Autobans and not going round corners. As regards Disco reliability, the majority of owners only seem to post on this site when they have a problem, when everything is running hunk-a-dory they just come to browse, consequently anyone new to the site gets the impression Discos are very unreliable, in reality they are not they are are big car and do cost above average to run, but spares are readally available and if non LR parts are fitted are comparatively cheap certainly compared to VW spares and labour charges.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
23rd Jan 2013 3:29 pm
rich89
Member Since: 23 Jan 2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 96
nigel207 wrote:
Oh, I also forgot to mention that my wife was initially wary of driving the Discovery because of its size, but after one drive, she loved it and found it easy to position because "you know where the corners are". I assume she meant the car's corners!
Did you expect anyone to recommend the Touareg on here?
If it was a good option then yes.
I'm hoping if we do buy one then she will be able to adapt quickly. It's alot bigger than our Audi A3. haha.
23rd Jan 2013 3:34 pm
rich89
Member Since: 23 Jan 2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 96
What about mileage? I am not one to shy away from higher mileage cars although my current car only has 4400 miles on it.
If looked after how long should they go on for? As in do they start falling apart after 150k?
23rd Jan 2013 4:28 pm
ronp
Member Since: 29 Nov 2006
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 15261
A point worth remembering in your choice ....
... chances are you won't get a VW Tourag forum as informative as this one.
This alone can save you a fortune by knowing what problems there may be and garages not ripping you off.
And we're a far more grounded bunch of people [except for some ]...... always on the road less travelled 🚧
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