LR3 Newbie questions.

[jewishoverlander]

Hey guys. Sorry to ask such a newbie question which clearly shows Ive done little research. The honest truth is I havent.

I was dead set on a GX 470 but the supply demand is way off and the prices have gone up about 4-6k in the last 90 days. I cant find anything good with a good service history at a good price. It makes me want to wait.

I am thinking about getting a LR3 instead for 8k or less. I dont want to offend anybody but LR has a reputation that may or may not be true but reached me.
If I am only willing to buy an LR3 where the buyer is willing to meet me at an experienced LR shop and have it checked out, adn they tell me it doesnt have any immediate problems, am I going to be safe with one of these for a year or so? At a car this price Im fine with throwing away the cost of registration and tax in order to have a car now and pick up another car once COVID and the car market is back to normal. Or I find exactly what im looking for, buy it, then sell the LR3 when that happens.

Can anybody give me a quick rundown of what I need to know?
Make sure certain parts have been swapped out at a certain mileage?
Certain parts prone to failure to make sure to have LR shop take a look at.
Is there a mileage threshold for my needs that you feel I shouldnt go over? (I am looking for low maintenance, easy trail camping and over landing and lots of far tarmac drives aka road trips)

Again I apologize for being totally selfish and not doing research, but the GX is 100% going to be sold in the next 24 hours, he has one guy looking for a loan and another guy asking just a bit less than me. So if I dont make a decision soon itll be gone. But this car is 3x the price of what these used LR3s are all over CL and FB market place. So I really dont have the time to do the due diligence research Im really hoping some nice fellas on here are willing to tell me if its a good or bad idea and what to look at for. Most of the cars Im looking at briefly scanning is 120-180k miles

 

[Blaise]

The LR3 is a really solid truck. As is the GX470 but the prices are just insane..... 200k+ mile trucks in the PNW pull 15k.

I mean, ahem, all rovers do is break down (don't go anywhere near the hate/rage thread).

A PPI is always a good idea if you're not mechanically inclined. Honestly the only LR3 specific things to look out for:

-Control arm bushings (aft)
-Trans is listed as 'filled for life' which is only true if you want that life to be a LOT shorter compared to changing the fluid. If the trans shifts well, great. Buy it and change the fluid ASAP.
-Diffs can go bad if not serviced (see above). My truck had over 100k on it when I bought it and you could hear a light whine from the front differential due to the fluid never having been changed. Just let off the gas a highway speeds and listen. This isn't really specific to the LR3 but still good to look out for as people tend to refuse to maintain their rovers and then blame them for being unreliable.

About it. PPI will cover all the normal used car stuff. If you buy one, be sure to get an IIDT/GAP tool. And learn how to deal with small EAS leaks so they don't eat up your compressor.

I've had mine for 3 seasons now. It's been fantastic, we drive it more than our other 2 cars which are far newer and with fewer miles. It's unstoppable off road and incredible for long road trips. Been all over the western US with mine and headed to Montana tomorrow.

 

[jewishoverlander]

I've had mine for 3 seasons now. It's been fantastic, we drive it more than our other 2 cars which are far newer and with fewer miles. It's unstoppable off road and incredible for long road trips. Been all over the western US with mine and headed to Montana tomorrow.

Is there a miles cutoff? I found one for 220k where the guy claims he works at a Jag/LR dealer and just bought an 80 series LC so he has no need for both. He said he has really good records of servicing

 

[Carson G]

I’ve seen several of them with well over a half a million miles. And I seem them quite regularly with over 350,000 miles. Honestly I doubt it would be much worse maintenance wise than it would’ve been at 120k.

 

[Blaise]

Is there a miles cutoff? I found one for 220k where the guy claims he works at a Jag/LR dealer and just bought an 80 series LC so he has no need for both. He said he has really good records of servicing

I just don't see why. They're all right around $5k, anywhere from 100k to 200k+. I'd rather just get the lower mileage one, unless the 200k+ one has TONS of new stuff (trans, diffs, complete susension)

 

[jewishoverlander]

I just don't see why. They're all right around $5k, anywhere from 100k to 200k+. I'd rather just get the lower mileage one, unless the 200k+ one has TONS of new stuff (trans, diffs, complete susension)

2005 Land Rover LR3

It has 223000 on it. Everything is in working order . Engine runs perfect. It is a 4.4 V8. Transmission is in good condition has been serviced 160,000 miles Has New solenoids, pan/filter and fully...

www.facebook.com

 

[Blaise]

Underglow and a 'leveling kit?'

I'd run away lol. Looks like it's got 20" wheels and lift rods, no interior pics.... idk.

 

[Carson G]

2005 Land Rover LR3

It has 223000 on it. Everything is in working order . Engine runs perfect. It is a 4.4 V8. Transmission is in good condition has been serviced 160,000 miles Has New solenoids, pan/filter and fully...

www.facebook.com

I’ve seen that truck on IG before. I’d wanna see the interior before even considering it.

 

[Carson G]

Underglow and a 'leveling kit?'

I'd run away lol. Looks like it's got 20" wheels and lift rods, no interior pics.... idk.

Under glow is probably rock lights. lift rods aren’t that big of a deal either really. The winch and ARB bumper are a huge plus though.

 

[TexasTJ]

Just put some good tires on it and get some Maxtrax. Don’t over build once the get fat your range goes to poop I have a max 300 mile range and more Realistically 250. Skip the bumpers and get a hedden winch mount, keep the tire size down to a size that will fit under the truck, if you want a roof rack sure get one. Buy the lighted rocker protection you can find. Don’t grab anything from Tactical 4x4. I have there sliders and rear bumper and they are way to heavy. Keep it Light, Keep it Light, Keep it light.
The more stock these truck are the better they are.

 

[jewishoverlander]

He does actually work at LR I saw his FB it said hes been workign there since 2018 and he had a previous job at another LR location but didnt have a date of start. He doesnt seem super knowledgeable overall but I obv wont buy without getting a PPI, im not diagnostic savvy enough and dont know ******** about LR3s

 

[gatorgrizz27]

One thing I’ve enjoyed about my LR3 is that while it has needed some maintenance/repairs (largely the same as any other vehicle that’s 10+ years old) is that most of the problems seem to be caused by one particular issue, which have been well documented and make troubleshooting very simple.

This is the opposite of the Ford work truck I recently bought with the 5.4L that could have what seem to be ~30 ish possible causes of the problem. Test, check, read codes, troubleshoot, test again, still messed up, etc.

 

[Pskhaat]

There were different engine options, no? Pros/cons?

 

[Carson G]

There were different engine options, no? Pros/cons?

In the US we got the Ford 4.0 SOHC V6 petrol and the Jaguar 4.4 DOHC V8 petrol. Both are good engines the 4.0 is the cheaper one to maintain and easier to find parts for and is very reliable. Timing chains can be a issue if the tensioners haven’t been replaced every 70k miles. It’s like a 30 minute job and is a little over a 100 dollars. The V8 is way more expensive to maintain but is just as reliable parts are slightly more difficult to get ahold of but not still not hard to do. Timing chains could be a issue if the oil changes were not done on time.

The V6 makes 217hp and 270ftlbs of torque IIRC and the V8 is 300hp and 315ftlbs of torque. Having owned a V6 for a long time the power is just fine. It’s not fast but it’s has enough torque to move pretty good around town. The V8 is obviously a bit better but it’s still not LR4 or RRS fast.

V6 Pros
Reliable
Cheap to maintain
Easy to get parts
Doesn’t care what grade fuel you put in it (in my personal experience)
Alternator is located at the top of the engine
Slightly more space to work in the engine compartment

V6 cons
Doesn’t sound as good as the V8
Timing chains can be a issue if you don’t keep good tensioners in it
Doesn’t have as much power as the V8

V8 pros
Sounds good with a nice exhaust
Reliable
Makes more power than the V6

V8 cons
Way more expensive to maintain
Harder to get parts for
Less space in the engine compartment
Even worse fuel economy
Timing chains can be a issue if maintenance isn’t kept up
I’d be more careful with what fuel I ran through it
Alternator mounted at the bottom of the engine could pose problems in deep water or mud compared to the V6.

 

[Pskhaat]

Considering an LR3 for my son who will be next to drive. I cringe a bit as I'm a cruiser guy but I love that there is interest, fantastic info, thanks.