Smitten by Land Rover, Heart says yes Brain...ehhhhh

[blitz93]

Hey guys

So I have been a fan of Land Rovers since I was 12 but always been scared off by their reputation of less then stellar reliability. I am a boat guy and work in yacht yards when not in college so repairs are no biggie for me(if the systems are simple). I like the simplicity of a defender but all the clean ones seem out of my budget and the newer lr3's seem to have way to many points of failure, maybe I am wrong. The 2004 disco II seem to be the best of both worlds but that is why I am here.

I need a car that:
Is comfortable on the highway. I am a commuter student to UMBC and spend a lot of time on the road not to mention road trips.
Reliable enough that it will not leave me stranded in the road, I don't mind repairs just as long as its not super unreasonable.
drivable to Canada and back, family owns land up there and I have to take care of it quarterly.

My budget is 22k, but I want to set aside some of the money for repairs/fixing it up.
I am interested in doing the expedition off roading and camping thing out of a land rover I just have to be able to do these first few things.
So the question is there a land rover that can do all of the above?

I really appreciate it!
Evan

 

[DougC]

For 22k I'll sell you my 2007 Range Rover supercharged with 163k miles. It has been reliable as anything since I bought it at 42k miles...my mechanic and several local club members want it, but I want the 2012 supercharged and need top money! Seriously--this my third rover. If you maintain them, they are reliable. That is very true if you look at the newer land rovers with jag engines. Buying used, make sure you get them checked out first.

 

[psykokid]

Look around and take your time and find the nicest 04 disco with a bunch of documentation possible. Then use what you have left and buy a used civic or corolla for a commuter.. I daily my 97 disco, and its a pig. I usually average about 10 mpg in the city.

 

[Ray_G]

The LR3 is superior for your requirements compared to a DII. Others will chime in I'm sure but I view the Dii as a necessary step to get to the D3/LR3 platform (just like the P38 is the necessary bridge from RRC to the current RR). They tend to have problems with their engines, specifically head gaskets/porous blocks. The 04 is the best of the Dii's in the sense that you can get the 4.6l engine + CDL and it is the newest.

What you'll find with the LR3 is that if it has been maintained and you keep up with the consumables of the truck (brakes, tires, control arm changes) + have the savvy to work with an IID tool to diagnose/manage the reality that it is a laptop on wheels it is an amazing vehicle and its reliability problems are nowhere on par with what the DII's are.

Caveat: I own a 96 D1 (which, knock on wood, has never let me down and is the kind of truck that can take degredation in stride and still get me home) and an 06 LR3 which I love but am still learning. I've never owned a Dii, for all the reasons I allude to above.

With your budget I'd look for an LR3 and keep about $7k in your pocket for tires/IID tool/maint and drive it.
r-
Ray

 

[Antichrist]

I like the simplicity of a defender
snip
I need a car that:
Is comfortable on the highway.

Then forget a Defender, even if you find one in your price range. While I've driven many many 1000's of miles in them since I bought my first Series in '75 and it doesn't bother me at all, most people say they are very uncomfortable for any long distance driving.

Since you're managing land in Canada I'd look in to the possibility of having a diesel Rover that's registered there. I can't remember how long you can have a foreign registered vehicle in the US, 90 days is what comes to mind, which would work for you if you always go every 3 months. You're mileage would be in the 20-30mpg range.

 

[cassidyb45]

I have had a 97 d1 and a 99 d2 I say go for the 04 d2 as long as you stay reasonable with the lift and tires the get decent milage I averaged about 17 mpg with a 2in lift and 31s. In your price range I would wait and find a very nice one. I personally don't think the lr3 is nearly as tough or off road capable as the d2. That said I liked my 97 d1 the best but it is almost impossible to find a nice d1 anymore.

 

[DefendersNW]

Buy and register a MY-2000 TD5 Defender in Canada - NAFTA lets you keep it in the USA as long as registration is current in Canada.

Cost for a 90 should be around $20k to $24K CAD - a 110 will be a bit more but less than $30 CAD

Maintenance and repairs are easy - parts are expensive for what they are - but you can drive and care for the truck for 10 years and then import to the USA.

 

[bri]

Disagree completely about 2004 d2. 04 d2 are about the worst for slipped liners. 00 01 much better. Id do 99 d1 or lr3 but you willhave to wait for a good d1. For thed2 you could always drop a 4.6 from 00or01 in tthere

 

[Rovertrader]

As said above- go LR3, skip '05, stay under 100k miles. But at 100k just a couple items need addressed for the next 100k. Skip the Disco I/IIs completely if you need reliability. Td5 D-110 or even a nice 300 Tdi would be the king of Defenders, but unless you are committed to them, 500 to 1k mile days will make you very regretful you didn't go LR3.
Bottom line, go drive both -preferably for a full day, back to back- your body will tell you which to buy- forget the heart/brain!

 

[blitz93]

thanks guys!
sounds like the lr3 is the way to go everything else seems out of my budget or i wouldn't have enough know how to do it
is the air suspension a money pit, or is it a case of a bad reputation due to lack of owner knowledge?

 

[Derel1cte]

The air suspension is not a money pit, just plan on replacing the compressor if you get an 05-07 LR3 with the ****ty Mitsubishi compressor. Once you replace it with the AMK brand, you'll be fine. It's an easy job to do yourself if you have any amount of wrenching skill. Cost is about $600.

The 'Money pit' on the LR3 is the lower control arms. They will last 80-100K miles and cost somewhere around $1200 to have them professionally replaced. Unless your used vehicle has has a documentation that they were done recently, factor that in to your price.

Failed bags/airlines/electronics (the real expensive bits) are pretty rare.

 

[A.J.M]

As above.

LR3 would be the best bet for your needs. You can find a nice one well in your budget, leaving a few grand spare to cover some initial repairs and also some nice mods.

I wrote up a guide for what to look for when buying one a while ago. Made it from my own experience of buying and running one.
If buying from a dealer, you could get a few of the known issues checked and replaced as part of the deal.

For every person that's has one go wrong, plenty have them that give no issues.
My own has had basic servicing and changing wear and tear parts.
It's never left me stranded, never failed to get me home regardless of the weather and as I use mine for work. I need it to be reliable so it gets services every 10k and I only use genuine LR parts for wishbones etc. Pay cheap, pay twice as I've found out.

Your budget will leave enough to get a decent set of tyres, some basic under body protection and a roof rack. That would cover your needs, after that. It's down to personal needs and taste for how far you take it with the mods.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[dsm02c]

Pay cheap, pay twice as I've found out.

So true, genuine parts while expensive seem to be the only thing these trucks like. The IID tool is incredible, I would recommend springing for the Bluetooth model, the phone app is awesome.

Also the entire shop manuals for Land Rover are avaialable on TOPIX for a small fee, I use this all the time.

FWIW you can purchase compressor rebuild kits for the LR3 compressor for $100 that replace all the internal wear items, I rebuilt the compressor on my LR3 and LR4 they work like new for longer than I can recall.

 

[Antichrist]

So true, genuine parts while expensive seem to be the only thing these trucks like.

May be true for the Discovery 3, but none of mine care, as long as it's a quality part.

 

[Scott Brady]

LR3 +2006 is the easy choice. Same for a MKIII Range Rover 2006 or newer.