Hey guys n00b here. I have the chance to pick up an 05 V8 SE for around 10K that seems to be in great shape, however it has 105K. We know the current owner and the mikes are just about all HW. Im new to the LR world and have a few questions. How does the LR3 hold up to high miles? Is there anything I need to be concerned with? Are there “signs” to potential future problems and finally would you recommend picking this up with the mileage? Thanks.
Anyone over 100K?
- Thread starter MIAdragon
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Houm_WA
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MIA, I will tell you what I would tell anyone looking at the LR3:
If you aren't going to go offroad, don't buy it. There are better choices for a daily driver than the LR3.
However, if the thing has a clean bill of health at 105k and you can get it for $10,000, I'd do it just to use it as a trail rig! That is dirt cheap; have fun with it.
...but find out why the current owner is selling it, first!
If you aren't going to go offroad, don't buy it. There are better choices for a daily driver than the LR3.
However, if the thing has a clean bill of health at 105k and you can get it for $10,000, I'd do it just to use it as a trail rig! That is dirt cheap; have fun with it.
...but find out why the current owner is selling it, first!
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Also find out where the owner had the vehicle maintained (if other than dealer)... If they say "dealer", then have them get a print out from the dealer of all services ever performed on the vehicle... All they have to do is enter the VIN and any work done by a LR dealer in the US can be checked...
If you do decide to get it, make sure it has had the "major" services completed... I know my Discovery has major service every 30,000 miles, but hopefully someone that has an
LR3 can tell you the intervals...
If you do decide to get it, make sure it has had the "major" services completed... I know my Discovery has major service every 30,000 miles, but hopefully someone that has an
LR3 can tell you the intervals...
toddjb122
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I would disagree with this. I do not do serious offroading (beach, snow, some rough trails) but I love the car and would recommend it even if I didn't do that.
Solid construction, safe vehicle to be in during an accident (my perception), very open roomy interior, the fold flat seats and tailgate make it SO versatile for trips and camping and an emergency place to sleep, nice ride on the highway, superb traction control for a heavy SUV if you have to slam on the breaks in foul weather, comfortable, etc. ...I could go on.
In short, if you are someone who would like an SUV anyway...even if you wouldn't take it offroad...I'd definitely recommend the LR3. And if you can get one for 10K? Sh*t, that may be a great deal. Factor some additional maintenance cost in to your budget as I'm not sure what will pop up after 100K and there is a good chance you'll have to invest something you didn't plan for in the next 20K. I'm at 60K now and everything is peachy.
Houm_WA
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...not to beat a dead horse or be argumentative with you, Todd....but I think:
1. You use it for more off-road purposes than the typical SUV owner.
2. Everything you say above is true, but many other SUVs can do the same things, with better reliability.
The one area that the LR3 really shines and beats the snot out of its competitors in, in my opinion, is offroad performance. Nearly everything else (efficiency, room, on-highway handling, electronic gizmos, even HDC) can all be matched by other vehicles. If I wanted something that was great on-road and could take me up the mountain, I would pick an X5. Lexus/Toyota has a tradition of superb reliability and offers many choices; even hybrids. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is proven and the Commander looks pretty cool.
With the SUV lineup so watered-down with crossovers and such, there is almost another subset of Sport Utes emerging, let's call them just "4x4s." These are (I'll only name a few mid-size entries):
LR3, H3, Lexus GX470 (maybe), 4-runner. Others? MB G-wagon
The distinction with these are that they have: body-on-frame construction, 2-speed transfer case, at least one locking diff. The GX gets a "maybe" because it has poor approach/departure angles and doesn't appear rugged enough to survive a moderate trail without sustaining some body damage...not sure what its belly looks like, either.
So....does MIA want a 4x4 or an SUV?
It's not that I'm discounting the LR3, it's just that it's a 5600 lb beast. Why buy a 5600 lb beast if you're just going to take it to the mall?
That said, $10k sounds like a very reasonable price and that is indeed compelling. THAT might be the one factor that outweighs everything I just said up there!
1. You use it for more off-road purposes than the typical SUV owner.
2. Everything you say above is true, but many other SUVs can do the same things, with better reliability.
The one area that the LR3 really shines and beats the snot out of its competitors in, in my opinion, is offroad performance. Nearly everything else (efficiency, room, on-highway handling, electronic gizmos, even HDC) can all be matched by other vehicles. If I wanted something that was great on-road and could take me up the mountain, I would pick an X5. Lexus/Toyota has a tradition of superb reliability and offers many choices; even hybrids. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is proven and the Commander looks pretty cool.
With the SUV lineup so watered-down with crossovers and such, there is almost another subset of Sport Utes emerging, let's call them just "4x4s." These are (I'll only name a few mid-size entries):
LR3, H3, Lexus GX470 (maybe), 4-runner. Others? MB G-wagon
The distinction with these are that they have: body-on-frame construction, 2-speed transfer case, at least one locking diff. The GX gets a "maybe" because it has poor approach/departure angles and doesn't appear rugged enough to survive a moderate trail without sustaining some body damage...not sure what its belly looks like, either.
So....does MIA want a 4x4 or an SUV?
It's not that I'm discounting the LR3, it's just that it's a 5600 lb beast. Why buy a 5600 lb beast if you're just going to take it to the mall?
That said, $10k sounds like a very reasonable price and that is indeed compelling. THAT might be the one factor that outweighs everything I just said up there!
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I bought my Land Rover because of that, it's a Land Rover... I knew I wasn't going to do "serious" off-roading with mods. and such, but I liked that idea of beaing able to... We all know that the Land Rover family is not the most reliable, yet we still love them....
I didn't buy my '06 BMW 330i to mod it and take it to the track only, I bought it beacuse it was a BMW and that's what I liked.... I like the idea of being able to hit 140mph VERY easliy, but I am not loving the run-flat tires... It's a decision that they person buying has to make...
If reliablity is the major concern with people looking at a Land Rover, then they need to keep on looking and )GASP!) get a Toyota or Honda... If looks, capability (even stock), features, and the name are what they want, then a Land Rover is for you!!!!
I think I'll get rid of my 330i and get and LR3... Besides, the entire family can't ride in the BMW - I think I just gave myself an excuse...
If you do decise to go with a Honda or Toyota, us LR guys will be sure to give you a recovery hand out on the trail
toddjb122
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Hey, I'm just tyring to continually justify my 50K purchase. It is good to practice these discussions here for when the wife brings it up.
...nah,, I love it and would buy it again. But interestingly enough, I didn't go shopping for an LR when I bought it. It was actually the features I mentioned that nobody else had. I regularly haul around a lot of sports gear (camp, bike, kite, fish, kayak) and wanted something with fold flat seats and hopefully a tailgate. (among other things) Nobody had a tailgate...and do you know that I couldn't find another SUV with true fold flat seating? They all claim it, but some of them make you take a seat out, or you have to annoyingly fold up the base and jam it againse the front seats, or it is actually folds at an angle. So, I guess I jumped up on my soapbox because I didn't actually buy the LR3 for offraod use. I wanted to buy an SUV that had features the early SUVs used to have before they all turned in to 4x4 soccer mom mini vans.In any case. Good discussion! And now that I own an offroad beast, I want to continually look for reasons to take it offroad...
Houm_WA
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I agree, Todd, good discussion. I didn't know that other SUVs lacked those abilities (fold flat, tailgate, etc). I guess I didn't consider it much, but I agree that it's a very convenient thing. I slept in my rig twice this summer! Very comfy.
I never intend to come off as challenging other people's reasons for purchasing or anything like that. With the way the economy and fuel prices are these days, I really drive each of our vehicles with much more purpose. Meaning, any trip inside of a 30-mile radius and I try to take the wife's (former) Camry. She rides the bus to work (it's very convenient). I take the LR3 on longer trips because I always get 20+ MPG on the freeway and I take it on outdoor&offroad trips of course.
I guess then for me purchasing a car is also about purpose. What do you need it to do? I don't intend to project my philosophy on other posters, but the Original Poster was asking advice, so in turn I gave my opinion.
A case-in-counterpoint is my brother, who bought an H2 and NEVER takes it offroad and seldom takes it anywhere that isn't paved. That is not only a stupid thing for him to do, but also hurts our economy as he sucks down so much fuel.
I never intend to come off as challenging other people's reasons for purchasing or anything like that. With the way the economy and fuel prices are these days, I really drive each of our vehicles with much more purpose. Meaning, any trip inside of a 30-mile radius and I try to take the wife's (former) Camry. She rides the bus to work (it's very convenient). I take the LR3 on longer trips because I always get 20+ MPG on the freeway and I take it on outdoor&offroad trips of course.
I guess then for me purchasing a car is also about purpose. What do you need it to do? I don't intend to project my philosophy on other posters, but the Original Poster was asking advice, so in turn I gave my opinion.
A case-in-counterpoint is my brother, who bought an H2 and NEVER takes it offroad and seldom takes it anywhere that isn't paved. That is not only a stupid thing for him to do, but also hurts our economy as he sucks down so much fuel.
My '05 LR3 has 51k miles, and still runs fine. I don't actively use it off road. Although some might say the roads in Vermont during ski season are off road. Regardless, I really like the vehicle. Little did I realize how much I would use and love the fold flat seats and tailgate. There is no other vehicle that can match it.
For $10k I would buy it. Even if you have to spend another $5k to $10k you should get another 100k. I don't want to spend your money, but who wouldn't pay $20k for a vehicle that runs for 100k miles?
For $10k I would buy it. Even if you have to spend another $5k to $10k you should get another 100k. I don't want to spend your money, but who wouldn't pay $20k for a vehicle that runs for 100k miles?
nwoods
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Things you can expect at that mileage:
1. Parking brake might need to be replaced/serviced (it's electronic and can fail unpleasantly)
2. Front suspension A-arm bushings, sway bar bushings, and tie rod bushings are probably shot. You can tell if there is a knocking sensation in the steering wheel over choppy roads (or gravel roads). It's not bad, but it can glass smooth when new bushings are installed.
3. Timing belt, spark plugs, normal engine stuff.
4. Have the torque converter and clutch plates checked out.
5. Diff's & Transfer box need to be serviced at that 75,000 (drained, inspected, cleaned if needed, and refilled)
6. Your serpentine drive belt will want to be replaced
7. If it hasn't had it yet, you will probably need a new alternator
8. You will need to recalibrate your headshot photos because of the permagrin you receive when driving an LR3...
Here is a link to a PDF of the service intervals and what's recommended:
http://www.houstonlandroverclub.com/Tech-Tips/Service-Schedules/05LR3tabNEW2.pdf
1. Parking brake might need to be replaced/serviced (it's electronic and can fail unpleasantly)
2. Front suspension A-arm bushings, sway bar bushings, and tie rod bushings are probably shot. You can tell if there is a knocking sensation in the steering wheel over choppy roads (or gravel roads). It's not bad, but it can glass smooth when new bushings are installed.
3. Timing belt, spark plugs, normal engine stuff.
4. Have the torque converter and clutch plates checked out.
5. Diff's & Transfer box need to be serviced at that 75,000 (drained, inspected, cleaned if needed, and refilled)
6. Your serpentine drive belt will want to be replaced
7. If it hasn't had it yet, you will probably need a new alternator
8. You will need to recalibrate your headshot photos because of the permagrin you receive when driving an LR3...
Here is a link to a PDF of the service intervals and what's recommended:
http://www.houstonlandroverclub.com/Tech-Tips/Service-Schedules/05LR3tabNEW2.pdf
