[Samster]

Hi guys. I bought my 2005 LR3 new from the dealer. I knew at the time I bought it that there could be issues with this car. It was a brand new model and LR had a rep for reliability issues. But nothing out there at the time came close in terms of capability. I also liked the large amount of inner capacity for carrying family on long camping trips. And, LR was offering excellent warranty service - so I went ahead and bought the LR3.
It now has about 90k miles on it. It has never left us stranded, though there have been plenty of times when 'glitches' got our attention (mainly electronic in nature - with plenty of false fault displays). The longest term problem I had was with the Nav computer. It would not work properly right from Day 1 & it took LR and my local dealer about a month to figure out how to fix it. It was no big deal, they provided a loaner and I got to put a month's worth of driving on their brand new LR3 rather than my own.

So here's my question - my LR3 was paid off years ago. I'm not interested in putting out the money for another new one. Given that I now live in a more rural area, I like the idea of maybe using this vehicle for even more hardcore off road adventures than before when it was still new. Unfortunately, we LR3 owners know, just about everything you buy or have done on your vehicle is expensive ! There's not a lot of trade in value to a 2005 LR3 with 90k miles, but can this be a vehicle to keep for a long time if youre not an ace Land Rover mechanic or someone willing to throw a ton of money down a rat hole ? Your opinions on this would be appreciated. I'm trying to decide whether to keep this vehicle or just trade it in for a used pick up that I can work on. Thanks

P.S. - a guy I worked with years ago had a beautiful Jag XKE. Wonderful looking car and terrific when driving down the road. Unfortunately it spent very little time on the road . . . much more time in the shop. That guy had pretty deep pockets but after awhile he had enough and got rid of it. I don't want that to be the story of my 90k mile LR3. Its been a great vehicle for me, but I'm wondering if I should expect lots of expensive problems in the future. Your input is appreciated.

 

[jafir]

It's paid for, and it sounds like you like it. I say keep it. If you are worried about being in a rural area, buy a land rover specific scan tool like a IID, fault mate, or hawkeye. That's my plan. I cannot quite afford a NEW land rover, so picked up a 2006 LR3 a week ago with way, way more miles than yours for dirt cheap and plan on gambling with it not needing a transmission or something else expensive anytime soon. I figure anything really confusing happens I can post the codes online. There are quite a few dealer techs on the various boards that are quite helpful with the newer rovers.


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[Eniam17]

If you have had 90k relatively trouble free miles and have not had repeat issues with major items, I would definitely keep it. There are plenty of people especially overseas that have easily put 200k miles on these things. Many are diesels, but the V8's in these LR3s should be able to see miles like that if they are maintained well. My dealer has a number of LR3's and RR Sports with 150k+ that haven't had issues. These are not owned by Rover enthusiasts, they are soccer moms who do nothing but dealer scheduled maintenance. If it's an 05 have you had any diff. issues? Have you changed fluids, or replaced air suspension components? Be prepared to do all of that if you keep it, but if you haven't had recurring problems with major components, you should have plenty of life left in that thing. I have an 08 LR3 with 31k and an 08 RR Sport with 37k and I bought them planning to keep them to 150k at least. I realize I'll be replacing all the EAS components, numerous sets of control arms, etc. But it's way better than shelling out 65K or more for a brand new LR4 or Sport in my opinion.

I agree w/ Jafir about a diagnostic tool. I am going to get a IID tool for each eventually.

 

[tlt]

I asked myself the same thing a while back. Similar mileage, and same year. I decided to opt out of extra warranty coverage, and went through it and did everything that I thought needed doing, suspension, etc. I blew about 5k.

I have a virtually new 2005 LR3 with 120k on it, and it's running great and I haven't had any real issues for quite a while. Sure, I'd love an LR4, but as fast as you lose value, think of the money i'm saving now. No payment, and I can add my accessories i've always wanted, such as a winch, roof rack, etc. And I have done that.. I think, after doing a thorough refresh with a little regular maintenance I should have no trouble getting to 200k and perhaps beyond.

Not knowing what all you have done with it, there is a list of things I decided to do so I didn't have to mess with it. So as a result I did it all at once, ordered the parts online and at lucky8llc.com and it's been good.

 

[Samster]

Thank you everyone for your comments. I'll have to go back through the paperwork, but all that I recall having replaced was a compressor and maybe an air shock. Both during the warranty period. I haven't had any differential problems. All regular service was done according to the LR schedule. Its a 2005 SE that has everything on it. At the time I didn't find an HSE that had all the features I wanted available.

tlt's comments helps put things in perspective. It would be hard to find a comparable vehicle for $5,000 in upgrade expenses, that's for sure. It would be wonderful to get 200k miles out of it. 'Been there, done that' in terms of buying brand new vehicles and have them depreciate to a pittance in a few years. My brother has a Chevy pick-up that he uses every day in his contractor business that has 300k miles on it and its still going strong. He takes good care of it.

 

[tlt]

If you want, drop me a PM with your e-mail and I can send you a list of stuff I suggest, and my phone number if you want to discuss it. I don't sell the stuff, but can suggest good places to go.

 

[Samster]

If you want, drop me a PM with your e-mail and I can send you a list of stuff I suggest, and my phone number if you want to discuss it. I don't sell the stuff, but can suggest good places to go.

thanks tlt !