The Land Rover Discovery has been the go-to car for families in need of something big, practical and capable on all terrains since the end of the 1980s. There’s no doubting the Discovery’s legendary SUV 4x4 status. A used Land Rover ‘Discovery 3’ makes a great buy; produced from 2004 to 2009, it continued to blaze a trail for the model with improved refinement and upmarket status, 

The sheer size of the Land Rover Discovery is imposing; too tall for most garages and too long for many parking spaces. Because of this, though, on the inside you’ll find one of the most spacious interiors of any SUV. There are seven seats, so you can take everyone along for the ride, and because it’s a Land Rover you can quite honestly take them anywhere.

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Granted, the most recent Land Rover Discovery is bigger, more economical and more opulent, but the 2004 to 2009 model is still extremely capable and oozes upmarket appeal despite its age. When it was released it was seen as a massive leap forward in comparison to the fairly utilitarian Mk1 and Mk2 models. So advanced was the Mk3 model, that it essentially stayed in production for 14 years, with a modest 2009 facelift resulting in the Discovery 4.

We've produced a separate guide to the Discovery Mk4, but read on for the lowdown on choosing the right used Land Rover Discovery 3 for you.

The third-generation Land Rover Discovery arrived in August 2004 and was initially offered with a 4.4-litre petrol engine or a 2.7-litre V6 diesel. Four trim levels were available at first: Discovery 3, S, SE and HSE, with XS and GS replacing the S in September 2006. There was a subtle cosmetic update in July 2008, before a more involved facelift resulted in the Discovery 4 name being adopted in September 2009. We cover that model in a separate buyer's guide.

The Discovery 3 was initially available with a 4.4-litre petrol engine (which was dropped in 2007) or a 2.7-litre diesel. The petrol engine is expensive to run – if you manage 19mpg you’ll be doing well – though some cars have been converted to run on LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas), which offers cheaper running costs than petrol alone – so don’t discount a petrol-engined Discovery out of hand. LPG-equipped cars have a second fuel tank, which is often mounted in the boot so you may find some of the versatility has been lost.