Taking the body off for any work on the engine is a total myth! In the early days of the D3, if there were turbo problems (and there were a few!!!), LR's instructions were to remove the body. However, body removal was designed into the vehicle, so was not the huge job that it sounds. Latterly, that has changed, and there is no need to remove the body any more.
Back to the original question. I owned (and towed with) a 2005 D3 SE with a manual gearbox for three years (2009-2012) after taking part in the Tow Car Awards, and realising the vehicle's capabilities. I will admit that it had its issues (all the common faults like sticking EGR valves x2, sticking turbo actuator, and a replacement air suspension compressor), which were all covered under warranty. I'd only had the vehicle a couple of weeks when the clutch failed (at 45,000 miles). Again, that was repaired under warranty, but the LR Dealer suggested that about 90,000 miles was the norm depending upon use. Obviously mine had suffered from a lot of towing/stop-start use. However, I would be wary of having a manual gearbox as the clutch is a known weak link, and not that many were sold to be honest. The auto suits it much better.
With regards to the park brake, I never had any problems with it. The most common problem with them is known as the "Disco Scream", which is generally caused by a lack of adjustment.
Bear in mind that the newest D3 is now getting on for being at least six years old, and as they are big heavy things, be mindful that suspension bushes might be getting towards needing replacing.
Don't be put off by the scaremongers. As with ANY vehicle, there are good and bad. The D3 does not have the best of reliability records admittedly, but when you look at what fails, it is usually the bits that I had. The best accessory that you could buy is a decent warranty (they are expensive vehicles to buy and run, and any repairs that might be needed are likely to be expensive too).
As a tow vehicle, (and all-round vehicle for that matter) it was excellent, and when the time came to replace it, I considered just about everything imaginable which would tow our caravan (which was a very long list indeed), but because of its all-round ability, the D4 won the day. The D3 never let me down (as in being broken down, leaving me stranded), because it still drove with the above faults, albeit with reduced performance.
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