max-ie Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Hi, I'm currently looking for a new motor to tow a 28 foot caravan around. I'm fancying an 04 plate Td5es but am tied between that and an early D3. I'm slightly afraid of all the electrics on the d3. Has anyone any thoughts on which motor is best to tow with and reliability issues. I've owned a Td5 before and liked it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Hi Max-ie, I biased and prefere my TD5. Easier to work on! Griff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mills Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Hi Max-ie. I had a disco 1 300 tdi and it towed really well. I changed it a few years ago for an 05 reg Dicso 3 2.7 d. This one tows so well it is possible to forget the caravan is there! A word of warning though.... The D3 2.7d has an "Exhaust cross over pipe". If this is leaking it costs shed loads to fix. The D3 I got was in this condition and I was unable to fix it myself and had to get the main agent to fix it. They remove the body for this job. As I knew about it the cost of buying it was lowered by £3000 to cover the repair. The main agents did a super job and I am glad I bought the D3, and I hope the people who bought my D1 are as happy with it as I was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max-ie Posted June 18, 2017 Author Share Posted June 18, 2017 Hi, yea I'd heard that the d3 can be an expensive repair when certain items wear out. I'm still tempted though. I guess I'll have to look at some to make my final decision. I'm planning on doing a lot of mileage on my travels and want to get it right without too much messing about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardy Face Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 13 hours ago, max-ie said: Hi, I'm currently looking for a new motor to tow a 28 foot caravan around. I'm fancying an 04 plate Td5es but am tied between that and an early D3. I'm slightly afraid of all the electrics on the d3. Has anyone any thoughts on which motor is best to tow with and reliability issues. I've owned a Td5 before and liked it a lot. Legally you need a vehicle over 3.5T if you're going to tow one over 23' (7m) excluding A frame, which is why the pikeys use big vans or small trucks. Check what you're planning to tow https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/weight-and-width-limits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Your issue is, with a D3, that it weighs slightly more than the Titanic, so to legally tow the max (or have the potential to) you can't actually carry anything heavier than a down filled pillow and a small Jack Russell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max-ie Posted June 19, 2017 Author Share Posted June 19, 2017 20 hours ago, Beardy Face said: Legally you need a vehicle over 3.5T if you're going to tow one over 23' (7m) excluding A frame, which is why the pikeys use big vans or small trucks. Check what you're planning to tow https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/weight-and-width-limits That's chucked a spanner in the works. Never heard of this, thanks for the info. Honiton hobbit, cheers I've looked at a few d3's and I think I prefer td5. I like simplicity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 I would suggest that if you have a sensible budget, find the best D2 you can. Have it professionally checked by a reputable and knowledgeable person. Check the service history. Buy an auto, then have the engine tweaked - for example IRB Developments do a Towing Tune for the TD5; I had one on my last D2 and it makes an enormous difference in driveability. Budget for replacement parts and a damn good first service. Black Paw 4x4 over in York have a good reputation and are about 60 miles from you. Spend your time looking though. Use 2/3rds of your budget for the vehicle and save the rest for the service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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