Going secondhand
THIS vehicle is being destroyed!” the fella exclaims in frustration, as he loads our bicycles into the back of his Discovery for the umpteenth time. They do fit, but annoyingly require a two-person slightly jigsaw, approach. It wouldn’t matter so much if he actually owned the Discovery, but he has it on one of those leasing schemes about which I knew nothing before I met him. To me, it seems a rotten deal.
To drive the vehicle of your dreams, you have to shell out a seriously hefty, nonrefundable deposit with ongoing costly monthly fees and the eye-watering insurance levied on the newer Land Rover models on top of that. You don’t own the vehicle, you never get any of that money back, and it still has to be returned in basically pristine condition.
This means that any damages – and let’s be realistic, it’s pretty hard to drive a Land Rover for three years without causing any damage – have to be covered by you. Hence the fella’s concerns about the welfare of a vehicle which really should be able to handle a couple of bikes in the back.
I have also watched his frustrations with this 2017 Discovery, during our time using it as our lockdown freedom vehicle. “Another flashing light. This vehicle always needs something!” he exclaimed one day, only a week after obeying other flashing light instructions to top-up the “Adblue” fluid stuff (without which the engine apparently eventually gives up the ghost) and inflate the tyres.
“Why not just buy a secondhand Land Rover?” I ask. “Then at least you wouldn’t have to worry about it all the time and could drive it into the ground at no additional cost.”
The fella has been doing this lease hire thing for so long, he believes it’s a good deal. However, as lockdown continues to cast its detrimental financial affects over us all, the seed I planted seems to have germinated, and he has decided he wants to buy a secondhand Discovery.
Obviously not realising my Land Rover knowledge begins and ends with the
Lightweight model, he asks for my help in finding one. In a time where entertainments are few and far between, it’s rather fun to have a Land Rover-related task to get stuck into, and so the search begins.
The fella mulls over using savings to buy a 2013-ish model but, ever dedicated to keeping old cars on the road, I suggest considering older ones, especially since there’s not all that much difference in the outward appearance, although obviously the computerised stuff inside is going to be a more noticeable step backwards.
One advert seems to stand out, for a 2007 Discovery 3. ‘Best 4x4 on the road at the moment. Full service history. Low mileage. Well-loved. Great work horse, happy on the
“Perusing Discovery chat rooms I find: ‘Don’t buy the first one you see. It’s a buyer’s market.’ My heart sinks, that’s exactly what we’ve just done”
motorway or the country lanes. So much space in the back and seven seats if you need them. Leather seats in great condition. All-round great car. Sorry to see it go.’ It’s in London, and seems reasonably priced, especially considering its 96,000 mileage.
The following day, we inspect the parkedup Discovery, while awaiting its owner’s appearance. It’s a nice-looking vehicle and the fella is clearly smitten. The owner explains that he bought the Discovery for an expedition around Norway (completed successfully), before having to replace the automatic handbrake system and becoming disenchanted with maintenance costs. Both pieces of information seem encouraging. It can do serious miles, and the handbrake shouldn’t need replacing in the foreseeable future.