Ladies/Gents,

Never owned a LR but always thought about getting one. Was looking at the Lexus LX 470 due to its reliability but these are very hard to find in Canada and do cost quite a lot more. As I need something reliable to replace my winter car (a 2006 BMW X3 that I bought with 25,000 miles as a BMW CPO back in 2011) the Lexus seemed like a good idea. Plus it is big AND has all the amenities.

Then last week my son shows up at home with a 2000 LR Disco 2 that he got from an old guy that had posted it for sale in the early morning for USD 2200. As my son wakes up early he saw the ad before anyone and went immediately to check the car. The owner had every single receipt for everything done on the car and it looked new. He bought it on the spot for USD 2000. Car has 150,000 miles. Head gaskets had been done, brakes, suspension, etc. When I saw the car I could not believe it and then decided to get one.

But of course the only Disco 2 in that great shape AND at that price was gone. LOL. That is when I started looking at the LR3s. I do love the looks and from everything I am reading it is a reliable car, keeping in mind you stay on top of what has to be done AND in a more proactive way (i.e. change parts at a certain mileage vs waiting for stuff to break as you know certain things MUST be changed).

After looking for a couple LR3s I narrowed my search down to two cars: a 2006 SE V8 with 88,000 miles (5-seater, no NAV, etc) and a 2008 HSE V8 with 110,000 miles (7-seater, NAV, etc). Both with similar maintenance records (and it seems both well maintained, with the 2006 one with a bit more history and the owner seems to be more on top of everything). For example, both had the Air Suspension compressor replaced not long ago, had control arms done, etc. Everything works as expected on both. The 2008 has a crack on the dash (I have not seen it yet but should have pictures today).

Price wise they are very similar, with the 2006 one being $400 more. So the question I have for you is, which one would you recommend and why? Are there differences between a 2006 and a 2008? Is the 22,000 miles difference that much to make you lean towards the lower mileage one?

I prefer the 2008 as it is newer, has more options (including the 7 seats) and it is a bit cheaper (plus the interior is like ivory and the car is black while the 2006 is black on black). I do not mind spending another $2000 in the first year for whatever preventive maintenance that is required (I have two BMWs 750 V12s so I am used to spending obscene money on maintenance and if you think your LR has electrical issues I can trade you one of my 750s ).

Plan is to pull the plug this weekend and grab one of these on Sunday. Thanks a lot for any insights!

CR

 

Buy on condition and documented history of maintenance if the extra seats aren't an issue for you. Budget for a GAP IID tool at around $500 also. Not much difference in the 06-08 vehicles.

 

Personally I'd go for the 06.

22k less miles
Better maintenance record
Big wear items done in compressor and control arms.

And yes, either way your first purchase has to be a GAP tool. Comes close to giving you a plug in version of the dealers software

 

I concur. Not much difference between the '06 and '08. I kinda like 5-seaters better, myself.

 

I think I'd rather have the V8, but that's just me. It is a heavy vehicle. I've never driven the V6 in the LR3, but I've had multiple Ford Explorers with I guess the same V6 engine. It's super reliable. Older vehicles I tend to lean toward the one with less electronics. You have 2 750's, dude buy both of them.

 

They are both V8s. The difference is the older one is the SE trim with 5-seats and the newer one (2008) is an HSE with 7-seats. That said, I decided to go for the older but with only 88,000 miles as a better service record. The owner was very responsive and definitely took the time to answer any questions. Selling the car is he got an LR4 but was holding to the LR3 as he could not let it go.

 

LOL, yes, 750s are a beast on their own. So now I am up to 4 cars with the LR3. 42 cylinders in total. EV owners save gas, I use all their savings and more.

 

Congrats!!! At that mileage, you're at a good spot to change all fluids, including tranny....and do the spark plugs (soon). While doing the plugs, I'd do the BG Fuel treatment...just before replacing the plugs, that is. That way if the plugs get fouled up by the fuel cleaner, no biggie you're changing them anyway.

My '05 is an HSE with 5-seats. I love it. Since I ordered a 5-seater I opted NOT to get the rear HVAC. I have all kinds of room for other things, like an air compressor in the rear cubby. Good pick!

 

Ha.. my bad. I thought I read v6. You made a good choice. I have the SE as well. Less weight without the fold up seats, less electronics. I had a sport with the nav screen. Didn’t really use it much. Phone does a better job. I think pictures are in order now. Congrats and welcome to the addiction.