Hi all, first post as a member of the forum - and my first Land Rover.

I was told by the OH that we needed a jeep for towing horses and his mini diggers and plant trailer. I looked into buying a cheap Discovery for just the above use, but when I worked out the cost it was too much to justify a 3rd car on the road (4th between us). As such, I needed something I would drive daily and he would use as needed.

That led to a few months of research and pestering a mechanic friend about Disco 3s, Nissan Pathfinders, VW Toerags and everything in between.

After watching the trader and eBay I saw this pop up for a seeming too good to be true price. True to form, when I finally made it to Didcot to pick it up it was suffering from a slightly lumpy idle and a air suspension fault. Now the fella who I bought it from described everything as working perfectly so I bargained a bit more and drove it home via Holyhead.

Once back home I quickly discovered a torn CV boot and got that replaced. A quick trip down to see the mentioned mechanic friend for a chat saw an unplugged MAP sensor and perished vacuum hoses. MAP plugged in and it's driving 100% better.

Next up was the air suspension. A lot of googling suggested the compressor was done and I needed a new one. But, a receipt for £800 a few years back for a new compressor suggested to me otherwise. The self levelling suspension was still working, which to me ruled out an airbag leak. I took the car to my mechanic and quickly got diagnosed (for free!) with a compressor temperature sensor fault. Even more googling suggested this was rare and parts hard to come by. Luckily I described the problem to the fella on eBay who makes the rebuild kits and he told me he would have a sensor with me for £15. Miraculously, it now works!

Next up on the list is the lumpy idle which is likely an injector. Letting my mechanic handle that one as I'll likely break something. The inlet manifold needs to come off so he is replacing all the vac lines while he is there. Tow bar is also going on so she can be put to work and I can justify owning something I don't really like. I'll probably warm to it but after an E91 330D that was mapped, this is like driving a lorry. I' m sure I'll get there though !!!

Anyway, some info and pics.

2003 TD6 HSE
132K
New gear box at 115k
Usual nice stuff like heated seats, front screen, etc etc. TVs in rear headrests which I'll never use.

Very nice, welcome...

Please note a "Jeep" is an American vehicle, you drive a Range Rover and one thing it is definitely not is a "Jeep"........ Pete

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2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

very nice. My first FFRR was a 2002 TD6 HSE with all the upgrades such as Sunroof, heated rear seats etc. Best, fault-free car I have ever had (and still going strong on original gearbox at over 130,000 miles! )

Do me one favour though - Dump the fake "uplift" front grill. The wipers will then work properly etc etc. and it will look far better IMHO.

DB

Dumping the grill is definitely on the list!

Also in the driveway is a Nissan 350Z, Toyota MR2 Turbo and a Nissan Leaf. Guess which ones are mine!

I'll be honest, my best friend has had a L322 TD6 and I was never a huge fan of it but I am warming to it. For a daily driver 4x4 it's hard to beat for the price.

I tend to use the horsebox rather that towing the horses as they are faster Congrats you will be hooked very quickly, enjoy