Does the rep of "unreliable" still hold true?

[amongmany]

Ok, first off, I realize I'm asking a bunch of LR enthusiasts to stand by their vehicles, but help me out here. I have this ingrained notion that Land Rovers are "just plain unreliable" — particularly the electronics. That said, I'm searching for the right DD/adventuremobile and the D2/LR3/LR4 keeps cropping up in my price/capability range.

So 2 questions for the enthusiasts:
1. Are they really unreliable, or is that a hold-over reputation from the past?
2. Where's the sweet spot in the D2/LR3/LR4 line-up? What are the gotchas to look out for?
- Am I safe buying at 100k plus (yes, I understand it depends on the owner, the maintenance, etc)?
- Any particular features or models years to aim for or avoid?

For reference, I'm also considering a Wrangler JK, a 4Runner, and a Lexus GX. Thanks in advance!

 

[Campndad]

Great question. I have 2018 Lexus gx and a 2012 lr4 and I prefer the lr4 with 95,000to drive. We are planning to take it to the Pacific Northwest this summer pulling our turtleback and I am not worried at all.


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[phobucket]

I have not owned a D2, but the LR3 and LR4 are reputed to be far more reliable than their predecessors. Of these, the 2008 LR3 and 2013 LR4 may be the safest bets. I had some suspension issues with my LR3 around 100K miles, but other than that, no issues. It never left me stranded. I appreciate the extra power and better nav/bluetooth setup in my LR4.

Maintenance history is important. Also, be on the lookout for a car that droops to one side if it has been parked for a while. That could indicate a suspension leak.

I love my Land Rover because, for me, it has the perfect balance of off road go anywhere capabilities with great around town and highway driving characteristics. The smaller turning radius is especially useful in the city.

I just took my LR4 on a 1200 mile trip around CA, including remote camping in Death Valley, and had no issues whatsoever.

 

[TeriAnn]

They seem stronger than the earlier versions, but harder to fix if something does break. During the 2017 National Land Rover Rally a LR4 broke an axle on a trail. It had to be towed out to a road, loaded onto a flat bed, and driven to the nearest dealer (Denver) so the dealer could replace the broken axle. Axles are no longer a simple field repair. The LR4 owner could have been in a world of hurt if he had been traveling alone.

 

[phobucket]

TeriAnn makes a good point, but I don't tend to go remote alone. My brother has a Jeep. It is great as the Lego of trucks and you can add armor for far less than on a Land Rover. That said, he is really tired of it as a DD and wants an LR3 next. I strongly considered the 4runner instead of the LR4, but I prefer the way the LR4 drives and enjoy being a member of my local LR club. Also, most of my armor was able to transfer from the LR3 to the LR4. I recommend driving them both and seeing if you have a strong preference for one over the other. If you find you prefer the Land Rover, but are concerned about reliability, try talking to some members of the SCLR club to get their feedback. I wouldn't say the LR is now as reliable as a Toyota, but also the reliability of newer LRs is not so bad as to cancel out the other advantages pof the platform.

 

[99Discovery]

The known maintenance issues of the early rovers are well known. They can be reliable if you keep up on the maintenance. My D2 has been the most abused yet reliable used car I've ever bought. That said, I've done a lot of preventative work to it.

Even then, it could still drop a cylinder liner and I'll be moving onto a G-Wagon or Land Cruiser when that happens.

The biggest problem I see with the newer rovers is long wheelbases and crappy tire choices. You are pretty much going to be out a couple of grand just to GET 18" wheels so you CAN get some crappy off-road rubber (the choices in the 16/17" line are MUCH better than 18", IMO; and 19"+ is quite frankly a joke.

 

[LtFuzz]

I'd counter the broken axle anecdote with that being a catastrophic equipment failure that doesn't fit into a typical reliable/unreliable paradigm. LR4 axles aren't notably weaker or less well designed than, say, a Toyota or Jeep axle. If you wheel your truck you're going to break stuff. Ease of fixing things... well that's sort of in the eye of the beholder I guess. An LR4 axle is certainly more complex, no doubt about that.

To the OP -- the debut of the AJV8 and its variants marked an utter sea change in the overall reliability of Land Rover as a marque. Rover is now almost entirely in line with the other major auto manufacturers in terms of reliability. Labor and parts costs are still more expensive, however. I'd submit that the AJV8 LR3s are the best overall vehicle Land Rover has ever produced for the North American market. Great reliability, outstanding 4WD systems, semi-ruggedized interior, phenomenal fuel economy for the power, and retained the Discovery exterior aesthetic for the most part. People like the 2008s and 2009s because they updated a few systems, but my 2006 didn't skip a beat once the problem areas were addressed.

 

[ar4me]

We take our 2010 LR4 to some of the most remote areas of the south west without hesitation - just did a 1300 miles overlanding trip in Southern Utah through Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Capitol Reef National Park, and Cathedral Valley, and this past summer we did a 2100 miles trip to Sedona AZ, Durango, Telluride, Silverton, Oray in CO doing all the famous passes, and then through Canyonlands Needless District via Elephant Hill etc. UT on the way back to CA. It has never required work on the trail, and is now at 105k (I have put the last 35k miles or so on it). Despite being set up for overlanding our LR4 remains super comfortable on the street and serves duty as daily driver as well.

Having said that, if reliability is primary objective I would go with a 4runner or an older Landcruiser (for simplicity).

 

[amongmany]

Thanks for the input everyone, super helpful!

@LtFuzz — when did the AJV8 debut?

 

[Ewt01]

Hi I’ve just joined the forum in the uninog section but I’ve just come across this thread. I’ve had over 14 landys over the last 30 years. Mainly 90 and 110. Im not sure if those are the American LR3. A few rangeys and some discos aswell. Mainly used at work. Not because they’re unreliable, just so damn easy to mess around with. but and it’s a big but, The newer ones ones are brilliant for their traction with the right tyres but horrendous to fix due to all the electronics cramped into a 50 year old design. I’m covering the 90 to 150 side. The 300 tdi are the best, most reliable and easy to repair. There are very few petrol ones over here but the v8 lump was quite reliable. The Beusty of them is the aftermarket on parts. It’s very easy to buy a complete set of parts over here and build one from scratch. And that’s where landys win over any other vehicle. They do get a hammering combined with mecanno style build, so it’s hardly surprising that’s theres such a strong parts market. There’s a limit to robust build quality and cost and on the whole land rover have got it fairly right but the peak was probably ten years ago. But keeping on top of the maintenance goes a long long way. If they weren’t as tricky to repair, id go for Japanese 4x4. Brilliant build quality but generally more expensive to repair when they do go wrong.

 

[phobucket]

Hi I’ve just joined the forum in the uninog section but I’ve just come across this thread. I’ve had over 14 landys over the last 30 years. Mainly 90 and 110. Im not sure if those are the American LR3.

Welcome to the forum! LR3 and LR4 are the North American market names for Discovery 3 and Discovery 4. I for one am glad Land Rover North America has gone back to the Discovery nomenclature.

 

[JimBiram]

I’m an original owner of a 2005 LR3 now at 179k, thousands of miles of which have been on many extreme off-road trails and trips. I have unfortunately broken down three times in the backcountry and have had to limp or be towed out, two times suspension and one time overheated with blown head gaskets. For that reason I never go out to remote places alone. Expensive to repair but not more than any other luxury vehicles. Most of the time very reliable. Routine maintenance is pricey...mine is in now for upper front control arms...$1,200 or so. So if you accept the proposition that 1) it costs more to maintain an off-road vehicle and 2) the LRs are more expensive to maintain due to price of parts and labor, then the vehicle really isn’t more expensive all things being equal. As an off-road guy, I now budget a couple grand a year to maintain. If I bought a new vehicle, my monthly payments would be $7-$10k per year. So $2-3 k per year is a bargain!

By the way, the earlier comment about a broken axle on an LR4 was probably driver error. Every time I’ve seen that happen the driver was making the vehicle rev and hop, torquing the axle or cv joint.


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[the deputy]

Been doing some weekend backcountry traveling with my Dll (01). Built a sleeping platform and storage unit, and it's "work in progress". Last weekend, drove 500/600 miles round trip without issue. Rover has 134K, original headgaskets from what l can tell...and runs fine. Planning on expanding further from home as confidence builds. Would like to circumnavigate the five great lakes with my grandson, doing one each year.

I guess you have to remember, while considering a Dll, that they are getting up there in years. Mine is 17 and was rode hard and put away wet. Purchase it for 5 bills, needed trans, y-pipe and front drive shaft. I've been adding things here and there, lift, aggressive tires, winch, rack, etc...but l'm trying to keep my investment minimal. Since, like mentioned, she putting her best years behind her.

I've owned Jeeps and truth-be-told...there is something more interesting about driving a Dll. Our journey together has just begun, one year under our belt, so as far as reliability goes...l'll have to follow up with this information.

Brian.

 

[spikemd]

Drive what you want. See what truck speaks to you. If you are truly fearful about trail breakdowns, drive a Toyota. They are inherently more reliable...and more pedestrian. I used to own a Toyota 4Runner 3rd gen. Nothing bad to say about it, but it was boring.

We love rovers because we love our trucks, the heritage and the people that drive them.

 

[Ray_G]

Anecdotally you may find that there is a gulf between the Dii and D3/D4 platform in terms of reliability. The reputation earned by Land Rover for reliability was on full display with the Dii (and P38), particularly as that engine block really went past its years of good machining.

The D3/D4 platform is a completely different beast. In terms of reliability, it's head and shoulders better-there are things you'll need to account for because it is essentially a laptop with wheels but once that is accepted they can be superb trucks for your application.

If I were shopping right now? Late model LR3 or step up to an LR4-spending a little more with the intent that you'd keep it for longer.
I have a soft spot for the LR3 though so I'd probably just get another one of those.

It's important to note things like that axle break-that can happen, but by and large that's happening in places where people put the truck deliberately because they want to wheel it like that. I'd say that's a different discussion...having spent much of yesterday winching out a lot of LR3s on the intermediate trails that, once conditions deteriorated weather wise, really struggled due to lack of MTs and their weight. You can't easily overcome either the former nor the latter in that platform-so take that into account when you plan your adventures.
r-
Ray