Anyone own a Land Rover LR3?

[bmx672]

The wife's thinking about getting one... probably used... 05-06? They are really inexpensive right now, like all other trucks at this moment. We do need a bigger car too. She works close to home so gas is not that big of an issue when it does, and it will, go up.
I'll do my research as usually, but I like hearing it from people that I know... well, people on the forums at least. I trust them a lot more.
I have no clue about Land Rovers.

[ChrisZang]

I have no direct experience, but here's what I know:

a friend of mine has a Land Rover Discovery (or whatever it's called) he loves it when it works, but well that's not too often

another buddy of mine has a Range Rover and he is planning to sue Rover for their crappy workmanship (car does all kifn of "funny" things when it rains)

Well, they are English cars, they are supposed to look good but not to work well

Maybe check Edmunds.com or so about feedback

[Aron in Toronto]

Yep,
I too was tempted to pick up a LR3, as the prices are dropping at an alarming rate.
But knowing in the back of my mind the reason for the recent prices, I took a look at Edmund's for owner reviews and it seemed most of owners can't wait for the day to get rid of them.

For a brief time I owned a '73 Land Rover, and although it was in excellent shape and had low miles, it couldn't pass up an opportunity to let me down.

I had hopped Land Rover quality and reliability had improved in the past 35 years, but it seems they hasn't.

[550spyder]

had 1 for a year alot of time in the shop. traded it in for an audi Q7.

[Topless]

My brother had one for a while, '05 I think. Dropped it like a hot rock. His thoughts have been mirrored on this forum before. Maybe steer your wife gently towards the Lexus 470.

Land Rover... If it doesn't leak oil... it's empty!

[Jeph]

Originally Posted by Topless

My brother had one for a while, '05 I think. Dropped it like a hot rock. His thoughts have been mirrored on this forum before. Maybe steer your wife gently towards the Lexus 470.

Land Rover... If it doesn't leak oil... it's empty!

Good call. I think a Lexus would be a superior alternative.

I've never heard anyone rave about Rovers. That's the kind of car you keep around with a BUMPER TO BUMPER warranty.

[jmatta]

In my area, every time I see one it's a woman driving with bleached blond hair yakking on the phone, not paying attention. I hope they do break down and keep the drivers off the streets.

[vath2001]

I have a co-worker with a Rover..... doesn't seem to drive it work alot. More time in the shop than on the street.

[SouthJerseyBoxster]

I spoke with a tow truck driver here in NJ recently and he said he has never seen an SUV that broke down so much as a Land Rover. He said he tows at least 2 a month from breakdowns.

[nola911]

I love Rovers. I had a Discovery and a Range Rover, my dad had 2 Range Rovers. The last 3 months, I have been in quest for a new SUV daily that is capable offroad and is somewhat inexpensive. I narrowed my search to q7, Cayenne, LR3, and Fj Cruiser.

I would have bought the q7, no question if I could have found a great deal on it but I never did. I loved the Cayenne but having owned the same basic car in the Touareg, it had too many little problems and a brake job costs 1200 dollars with OEM parts, which is ridiculous.

Then came the rover... I love them. I really love them. It has the perfect mix of offroad prowess, on road comfort, and towing capability for my needs and looks great. The timeless Land Rover lines transform from hip new car to classic without a step in between. The ride is unlike anything else on the road. It's full time 4x4 just feels like a tank. Did I mention I love this car? BUT I keep remembering the frequent unexpected and expensive trips to the shop. Why would a headlight never turn off? Why would a power seat only go one direction? Why would a sunroof switch turn on your windshield wipers?

Haha, the little electrical quirks of the Rover family will drive you nuts. Go to Land Rover Forums and you will quit looking at the car. I, personally, had to read owners experiences on 6 occasions to talk myself back out of the LR3. It is just so tempting at sub-20s for such a nice truck.

I bought the FJ Cruiser because of maintenance/ownership costs. I could get a new FJ for the cost of the used other 3. The ride is truly comparable, but puts a different meaning to sports than the cayenne does. It fulfills my off-road requirements and tows to my needs perfectly. Not too fast yet, but will be when I install the TRD supercharger.

If you buy the Rover, you will not be disappointed and at the current costs, you can't get hurt on it. Regarding being towed, I doubt it. The problems are usually very minor electrical glitches that drive you crazy. I think I'm talking myself into buying a LR3 and need to go read the Rover forum again.


p.s. The land rovers are top heavy and tend to flip when you get sideswiped and roll over a parked convertible.

[Tall Cotton]

Don't do it. I had a 97 Disco and after it stranded my wife for the third time in two years I punted it. I looked for a newer one to replace it and did some research on it. Ten pages of records! Not many were maintenance events. Kind of like a boat I guess. Two happiest days...

[Christian H]

I think you know what to do bmx,it sounds like a pretty resounding don't do it!
In my experience quality is patchy at best on all Rover cars be it "rangies" or "disco's" which is a shame because they do look pretty good.

[nola911]

Yeah like a boat...

Also like an abusive supermodel girlfriend. She's so hot and the ride is so good you keep going back to it even though you know you shouldn't.

[Thumper]

I have been eyeing the LR3's as well. I've done more research than I had planned and am still on the fence. The '05 and '06 LR3's have a much higher problem rate than the '07's and up as it was a new model introduction and they have been sorting out all the problems. The '07 + seem to be pretty reliable vehicles. I test drove a '08 Range Rover Sport Supercharged.......man-o-man what a vehicle. Haven't heard much bad press on these. Same platform as the LR3, but a shorter wheel base. A bit pricey, even in used form. Land Rovers newest offerings have suffered perceptually due to the terrible reliability of the previous models. The LR3 came from the Ford ownership. The largest Range Rover is from the BMW ownership days. The entire line has a very nice Jaguar engine and the 4WD system is a technological marvel. Love the air suspension.

I'm still a year away from pulling the trigger on a four wheel drive SUV, and I have been looking at quite a few possibilities. I keep finding myself back at the Land Rover dealership everytime. If I don't dive off the deep end and get one of either model of Range Rover, a LR3 HSE with all the bells and whistles may end up in the garage.

[bmx672]

Okay guys... don't get mad. Its what the wife wanted so she got the 2006 LR3. We bought an additional bumper to bumper warrantee to take us out another 5 years or 100k. It was well worth it. So we have the piece of mind with that. Everything on it was fresh, tires, brakes etc etc. It was fully certified. I did tons of research and I know that there are problems... but with the warrantee and road side etc I know what I'm getting into. Who knows, this car could be flawless. I read some horrible reviews on every make that we were looking at. My Audi A4 (RIP, sold it for this) worked perfectly for almost ten years and just under 200k! Some people think that the A4 was not reliable... go figure.
Anyway,
We looked all over for "New" third row vehicles that were under $30k. That was a tough thing to find. There were a few like the Commander, Aspen, Envoy etc... but nothing compared to the LR as far as interior OR driveability. After two weeks of ownership our decision is solidified every time we take it out in the snow or look at it in the garage. It's silver with black leather interior. It even has the AUX iPod hook up.
The wife made a good point too... since I bought my 2000 Boxster two summers ago shes been wanting an SUV... she had it coming.
Anyway, my daily is now her Passat.

All three cars are silver! haha. We love black, but the three silver cars look pretty nice in the garage all together.

[achillian]

bmx672-

I think you made a good purchase. It sounds like you did you research and you got a warranty. My girlfriend previously had a Range Rover SS supercharged, I think it was an '06. I drove a it a few times and it felt very nice! Interior was great, styling was great, and it felt very safe. It did have a number of problems but they were all minor in my opinion. As was said above, just little things, like a headlight going out, or a seat motor not working. But considering the great price you got on your car, compared to what they cost new, great value! You really get a lot of car for the buck.

I do have to say that for 400hp, the Range SS was slow! It did feel safe like driving a tank, but never has 400hp felt so weak! On the flip side I took my boxster in for service at Sonnen Porsche in Marin, CA, last week, and to my suprise they gave me an '08 cayenne for the day. It was only the base model, but I was still impressed. The sport mode in the car really made a difference. I took a long lunch that day and must have taken a few thousand miles off the tires go around turns. I wanted to really make sure I got my stealerships worth out of the car.

[nola911]

Awesome move. Congrats. Keep us all updated on maintenance. I may trade in another car for one if I can find a good warranty.

[Rob-00BoxsterS]

Wife's DD is an '03 Disco. While in was under warranty the car ran great.

The last year and a half since, the truck has been a nightmare. Intermittent Traction Control/ABS/Hill Descent lights flickering, two complete brake jobs (truck only has ~48,000 miles), Head gasket leak, exhaust manifold leak, bad O2 sensors, bad door lock, and some kind of weird sloshing noise from somewhere on the passenger side of the engine compartment (that no one can figure out but they do hear it) has cost us an additional $5,000+ in maintenance so far. That is more than my BMW, 2 Porsches, and 300ZX turbo has costs us in the same timeframe.... combined!


As a matter of fact it's in the shop right now getting some of the stuff listed above. Bill so far: ~$3,500 and they have had it for over a week.

Also, it's a big vehicle that gets really bad fuel economy but can’t hold much at all. The handling is sloppy; it brakes poorly, and accelerates like a sloth. Ergonomically it's a mess and I don't find it comfortable at all.

Oh well. It does look cool and wifey loves it so that's all that matters, right?

[kotto]

anyone here need rover parts?affordable and brand new parts here. just pm me if interested. thanks in advance.

[Splitpin]

I have one and love it