New to land rovers, would like some guidance

[gekicker08]

I'm interested into buying a LR3. I've grown massively tired of driving jeeps with amazing off-road capabilities yet worse than horrible on road manners. The compromise I've come to is residing in either a Land Rover lr3 or a land cruiser. I adore British engineering, I ride triumph motorcycles and I would like to give one of these a shot if it is an intelligent buy. What do I look for? What are the known issues? Are these reliable, I drive twelve to thirteen hours one way many times a year. How terribly expensive are the repairs and how terribly expensive are the mods? I'm a nurse who's expedition minded, I go everywhere I can on two wheels and I adventure off-road ride many times a year. i have a few lrs in mind here's one I'm interested in around here.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...&mmt=[ROV[LR3[]][]]&listingId=380636934&Log=0

Thanks for the assistance

Dylan

 

[Paul K]

Get a 2008 or newer. I had one- fantastic vehicle.

 

[nwoods]

I would say 2007 or newer, personally. There are several such questions on this forum that a quick search should bring up. Dig around a bit, then perhaps we an help you with a more specific question. Short answer for now is:
Easy to maintain, mostly basic mechanical bits. Engines are bulletproof. Trannies are VERY expensive, but rarely need service. Brakes are normal service items. Diffs need fluid changes more often than service manual states. Parts are plentiful from third party sources if you do your own work. A GAP tool should be considered essential. OEM GoodForOneYear tires are rubbish. Don't go bigger than 31.5" without a rod lift, and 32" is considered max recommended tire size. Off road accessories are very expensive because there aren't a ton of sources.

 

[Eniam17]

X2 on everything nwoods said. I love my lr3 and my wife loves her rr sport. One important thing to add - look for a vehicle that has maintenance records -very important. This way you can avoid something that has been neglected or plagued with recurring problems. And DO NOT be scared away from a newer rover due to internet thread searches. These vehicles,if maintained, are extremely reliable and are no different or more expensive than owning any other higher end European vehicle. For what you are looking for, the lr3 sounds perfect.

 

[Power Wagon Family]

I'm in the same boat as gekicker and have been shopping for an 07+ LR3. Is there a lot to worry about with the air ride suspension? Is it something that is a common failure and is it costly to repair/fix? Thanks

 

[rcharrette]

Agree with everything above. We bought our 2008 with 50K on it from the dealer with extended warranty. Within the first year we had the suspension compressor, a ride height sensor go, a wheel bearing and the E-Brake. We now have 126K on it and drive it from our base in Colorado all over the West towing our trailer. We love the power and comfort it offers on the road. I also like that although we are not hard core off roaders I can hit most trails I want to in Moab, etc with it bone stock.
My wife and I have a joke, if we need to take it in for work we just write a check for $1K at the door then add on as needed I try to do some of my own maintenance and beyond that it generally has to go to the dealer which is 3 hours down the road.
Again, we LOVE it and once we are done with this one I'm sure we'll move on to an LR4.

 

[oscar the grouch]

run