D3 spec & tax

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hangman3
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D3 spec & tax

Post by hangman3 » Thu Jul 20, 2017 6:17 pm

Hi,
New to the forum & have had a D2 for several years but am now considering defecting to the world of the D3. Firstly though I need to know a few things about the 3. My budget is going to be about 5-7 grand so am looking at about year 05 - 06. looking through the adds, I see that some are taxed at just over £300 while others that are written in at the same spec are being taxed at over £500. Why is this?
I would like to get one with the honey come grill but all these seen to be the £500 type. I must have the £300 to be able to afford to upgrade to the 3 from 2.
Please any advise on buying one of this age would be appreciated
I do my own maintenance where possible & have a Nanocom to which I will buy the opening code for the D3 if I get one.

Hope you lot are as friendly as the D2boysclub.
Cheers,
Tim.



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anglefire
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Re: D3 spec & tax

Post by anglefire » Thu Jul 20, 2017 11:07 pm

Hi Tim,

We are pretty friendly on here :thumbright:

Tax changed around March of 06 - registered before march ~£300 after March ~£500

Nowt to do with specs!

Service history is a must - even if its own servicing, records of what was done when is a good sign. 05/06 will have had cam belts changed at 7years or 105k - if its not done, or can't be proven to have been done, make sure the price reflects it as then some as it shows poor servicing. Budget at least £700 and include oil pump change.

Suspension bushes wear out. Often squeak or clunk depending on which ones.

Brakes are easy to do - search Bodsy's Brake Bible.

Auto is best (IMHO) but make sure gearbox is ok with no signs of judder or slip. Budget £300 for gearbox flush. Unless proven to have been done in the last 30000 miles, get it done. Bodsy can help.

The usual checks apply for wear and tear.


Mark

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Re: D3 spec & tax

Post by Stu » Sat Jul 22, 2017 8:33 am

Agree with Mark, I'd just add that I'd also budget to change the oil pump so you don't have to worry about the tensioner.

Strongly agree on the auto being the best option. Spec wise if you like your toys then an SE is provably the one to go for a most things can then be enabled to get the same features as the HSE. You can always fit a different grill if you prefer the D4 style grill. Plenty have done that.


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hangman3
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Re: D3 spec & tax

Post by hangman3 » Sat Jul 22, 2017 10:58 am

Hey Guys, thanks for bothering. Seems that I will like this forum too.
I must say though that I have been looking preferably at manuals as they are cheaper to run. I see that some are advertised as transmission other. What is this? is it like semi auto where you can treat it as both manual or auto? Is your lean towards auto a personal preference or is there more to it?
Yes I do like the 4 style grill, lights & toys. I believe this would be about £300 to sort & a grand for 20" alloys with tyres. Are the light plug & play or do they not even fit?
Also, having the Nanocom means I can plug in & look for any issues before parting with cash. Anything in particular I should look for there?
Having the Nano has saved me a mint over the years with the D2 & it could make the difference between saving some cash when buying aD3 or walking away.



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Re: D3 spec & tax

Post by anglefire » Sat Jul 22, 2017 2:04 pm

I don't think getting hung over the mpg difference is one to consider - I did 25mpg average over 170000miles - from off roads to towing, urban and motorways. Might have got 27 with a manual I guess?

Auto on a big car is just so much easier - not that I've driven a manual D3 I would expect the clutch around town a PITA.

There are only 2 gearboxes - auto and manual. Other is just lazy :lol:

Manuals will need a new clutch at I'm guessing 100k? Bit less/bit more possibly. They are in the order of £1-1.5K with new flywheel - Autobox needs a flush every 50-60k and possibly a torque converter at 150k+ Similar sort of money overall - though let an auto go too long on old oil and its £3k+ for a refurb.

D4 lights won't fit in a D3 - whole bonnet/wings/lights grills are different. But you can change halogen lights for Xenon in which case you need to alter the cars CCF to suit.

Difficult to advise on error codes to look for. Air compressor faults are an obvious one - but generally a new compressor sorts that.


Mark

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Re: D3 spec & tax

Post by hangman3 » Sat Jul 22, 2017 5:41 pm

Thanks. :D :D



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