I'm not a gear head... would an LR3 be for me?

eloist

Adventurer
I have a 2008 LR3 bought used Oct 2013 with 96,000 miles on it. I know have 174,xxx miles on it. I paid $15,500 plus tax tags title and as of today I have spent just over $20,000 in maintenance. So roughly $37000 for 8.5 years and 78,000 miles.

I have never been left sitting or had any emergency issues, but as stated about, there is always something that could use attention. I did some preventative maintenance such as the driveline fluids replaced twice so far, two sets of control arms, three sets of tires, all sorts of little odds and ends (pulleys, brake lines, gas tank shield etc). Some work I did myself, a majority by an Indy shop. I would not call the LR3 unreliable by any means as I would not hesitate to take it anywhere at any distance, but there is definately a contant stream of maintenance. My D2 was the same way but had a lot more engine related work where the LR3 engine is solid.

The first owner had the compressor replaced before I bought it and I have had zero air suspension issues so far.
Agree with this completely.

The truck is rarely "broken", but regularly "needs a thing or two".
 
Don’t need to be a gearhead; need to understand computer logic and electrical. I don’t mean need to fix all but knowledge of system interface is key.

Love my LR3 as it’s served me well. Can’t say I’ll have it forever but will never ******** talk it.
 

Dogpilot

Active member
Look, none of the present generation new cars will last very long. The EU mandated that plastics be degradable. So that means that sometime between 5-15 years, depending on the manufacturer of the accessory, your connectors and plastic component bodies will start to crumble. Then there is the EU rule of no lead in the electronics. So they upped the tin content of solder. Tin forms crystal whiskers called "tin whiskers." They grow out of the solder and short out chips and CB's. Cars are guaranteed to die now. Coupled with the manufacturers usually stopping support after 5-10 years mean no parts. Junkyard parts will be worthless due to the plastic and electronic issues on old parts.

My old Series IIa LR's could last forever. You could even make parts for them yourself. Then there is the issue of the vehicle being supremely noisy and uncomfortable. If they weren't noisy or smelly enough, they put in special flaps on the firewall to let in more noise, fumes and bugs. That never stopped me always having one. They defiantly where not chick magnets. My wife hated them. She almost died laughing when she saw "The Gods Must Be Crazy." She kept gasping for air and saying "its your car!"
 
Paid cash for my '08 LR3 but in the end, my average monthly spend to keep it on the road was approaching the equivalent payment on a much newer vehicle. Two of the best days of my life were the day I got my LR3 and the day I sold it. Just my $0.02 there. Good luck!
 

morrisdl

Adventurer
2007 HSE has every option (except HD also adds locking rear diff)
2007 SE can be any combination of a-la-carte options, and some almost as well equipped as HSE.

Biggest difference is the HSE exclusively had better stereo. Almost everything else could be optioned on an SE

Not sure if this is still true, but the SE tended to have a lower resale price (better value) since the bare bones ones would drag down the average.

At this point I would look for either HSE or SE that have the right miles and maintenance history and then specific options you want.
 

morrisdl

Adventurer
I agree that the purchase price is at best only 50% the cost of owning an LR3. This is about average for all my cars in the past 30 years.
The cayenne (and other German brand cars) were the worst ever and the Tesla S best.
The Toyotas in my history were all slightly better total-cost-ownership than the LR3, but not ever enough to make me want to switch back.
My LR3 maintenance cost graphed:

Clipboard01.jpg
 

krick3tt

Adventurer
Thanks morrisdl for your explanation.

I have the '07 HSE and find for many of my adventures the locking rear is an advantage. I have had MOGS and Pinzgauers and both had lockers front and rear that were manually operated and although they were terrific vehicles they lacked in the comfort area that the LR excels in. I find that the sport mode in the LR to also be a very useful feature and helps when going slow through rough spots, keeps my revs down.

Morris
 

douglastic

Member
$20k in maintenance?? I literally can't even.
Let me throw my wrench into this topic to show the other end of the spectrum.

I bought my 2007 HSE in Jan 2016. $15k. Impeccable documented history. Ownership over 5.5yr now.
I do all my own maintenance/repairs (see exception below).
All routine maintenance, parts, repairs, tires, downsize to 18" powder coated wheels, etc. comes to:

$5933 total
$1260/yr, or $105/mo

Exception: $2000 of that total was just last week at a shop, for some BIG items I didn't want to attempt . . . AC compressor, thermostat/housing, radiator.
I have 165,000 miles right now. Maybe I got a "good one" (knock on wood).
 

morrisdl

Adventurer
Fair enough - I should have put a big asterisk this. I offroad this truck 3-4 times per year, like this: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ybZpRsejuQRzgpXc6
My "maintenance" includes 12 goodyear duratrac sidewall splits, 3 compressors, a few sets of control arms, 2 driveshafts, AND the typical 150k miles of minor stuff:
full list:
 

krick3tt

Adventurer
I have spent more in maintenance (mostly parts) than for the purchase of the LR. I needed things when I got it but those were not at a critical level but for longevity of the vehicle. The $7K for milling the heads was very unexpected and that is for an undisclosed issue of overheating by the PO. I know if he had disclosed the issue I would have not purchased this LR, he wanted to make the sale, not cool. If I would have taken to the local dealer (where he had it serviced, I did not know this) I would have found this out. Beware, have it inspected by LR professionals before you purchase a used vehicle, the money you spend for this little adventure will be worth it in the long run.
Now basically it is a 15 year old new vehicle, although things still go out of whack. It takes, except for possibly racing fuel, the most expensive petrol out there.
Currently at just over 160K miles. I just had a new starter installed, brakes bled and all the fluids changed by a local LR shop. Operating really smoothly right now in preparation for a long trip. I did change the rotors and pads myself. Not a difficult job as there are You tube vids (private and from Atlantic British) of the procedure and parts houses that can supply the items to replace worn parts. I had done many drum brakes in the past so the procedure was not totally foreign to me.
This is the first vehicle I owned that was not already 20 years old when I got it except for a new Tundra that the dealer began to sell back to me through maintenance costs after the warranty expired. I would be hesitant to add up all my costs for this LR as it might make me feel a bit foolish for getting this vehicle but there is too much into it now to back out, I am committed.
 

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