Seriously considering an LR3 for our next vehicle

[jesus_man]

New here, but figured I should join as our search for an LR3 gets more serious. My wife and I are expecting our first child. Couple that with living in CO and my wife really wants something with 4WD. SUV's in this size category have really gone downhill in what they offer, but we like what the LR3 has to offer, so this is the one we are persuing the heaviest. However, these gadgets come with risk of failure too, so I was just trying to get a feel for how many of these experience problems compared to those who don't. We are looking for a certified HSE, so major problems should be covered, but we can't afford to be without the vehicle monthly because it's at the dealership. I would appreciate any inside you might have would ease our minds are send us back to the drawing boards.

Thanks for the help!

J.D.

 

[nwoods]

http://blog.nextstepdesigns.com/?p=78

 

[roverman]

You're going to get mixed replies here. Some of us join forums because we love the vehicle and the lifestyle. Some come to vent about problems and find solutions. Personally, mine has been near perfect ('05 SE) since I purchased it two years ago. in the shop once for something minor - turned out that I needed a new battery. That said, I don't think I'd own one out of warranty. To sum up, get it! It's the perfect blend of everything. Used is a good play too, let somebody else take the huge depreciation hit.

 

[Houm_WA]

...if you want capability more than you want reliability then get it.

The LR3 will never let you down in terms of what it can do and where it can take you. That said, it is not going to be flawless. It will be in the shop...not monthly, but it will be in the shop. My '05 had its share of problems early on but they've all been resolved and for the last 2 years it has been great.

That said, if I didn't take it offroad and enjoy the hell out of what it can do, I might not be as enthralled with it.

 

[san6279]

My wife and I got our LR3 before having our first also. In fact, even before we knew she was pregnant. One thing you want to check is child seats and how well they will fit. There isn't a ton of room between the first and second row. With our child seat in place, the passenger has to put the seat quite a bit forward. Probably not a reason not to get an LR3. just make sure the car seat you buy will fit.

 

[Mhaise57]

We just had our first little one and it is a perfect setup. Lots of room and fun as hell. Only problem is when the wife gets her hands on it; you might not get it back. So we will soon have two in the garage. It is the ultimate utility vehicle.

 

[drzjoint]

We bought ours used right after number 2 arrived. we love it and love it more now with number3 on hand now. all 3 fit in the second row comfortably ages 4,2,3months . It is a blast to take on the trail as well truly a versital vehicle. I have the 05 verry few problems and have been very happy with our decision.

 

[jesus_man]

Thanks for the replies! Thanks for the website nwoods, I will check it out.

I am not getting the LR3 for it's capability ( I have a '73 bronco for that), but I will use them all someday. Like when we go get a Christmas tree as a family, or camping etc. This will be the most luxurios vehicle we've ever owned. Although what we have now is not j8nk, they are not luxury rigs.
san6279 - We took the rig over to my cousin's house when we had it for the extended test drive to test fit a car-seat. If we don't get the largest one available, we should be fine in terms of space. What I also like is that you can still sit two people next to the car seat fairly comfortably. We rode next to a friends carseat in an xterra and for three hours and that was no fun and I wasn't even the one next to it!

It seems like LR stands behind the product and I have see how flawless the certified pre-owned rigs are. That gives me peace of mind. We're hoping to find one with 30k+ miles of warranty left.

Anyone in the market for an '06 Jetta Diesel? Just got 42mpg on it with some city and highway driving .

J.D.

 

[beantmt]

LR3 might be overkill if you're not planning on more kids any time soon and are just getting the vehicle based on the fact that it's bigger than you have now. We had a compact SUV (Mercury Mariner) with one kid and it was plenty big. We got our LR3 when expecting our second kid. We have two car seats in the 2nd row. One (rear facing) is in the middle and the other (forward facing) is behind the passenger seat. There is loads of room for everyone. A compact SUV will be less expensive to maintain, and possibly even more reliable.

Another thing you mentioned was that you don't want to be stuck without a vehicle if yours is in the shop. If you get a certified LR3 from a dealer, you will probably get a loaner vehicle when yours is in the shop. This might depend our your dealer, but mine is this way (but I didn't buy mine from them, so I don't get loaners).

I've only had mine for about a month and a half, so I can't really speak to reliability issues. After studying a bit, it seems like there are common kinks that need to be worked out (during warranty) and then they are pretty solid after that.

Good luck!

 

[vladyshka13]

I bought my 05 V6 LR3 1 year ago. Gave me a few cods, replace the battery and since than just changing the oil. we have 3 children. Plenty of room for my family. Last time we went on the road trip from NY to SC, I folded back seats and my wife and all 3 children were sleeping in the back all the way to SC. I love the car and I would not trade it for something else.