Hi Everyone,

I am about to buy a 2008 LR3 for my 16 year old daughter with 112K miles. Everything given, is this a smart move. What are the pitfalls I need to consider. How reliable is this vehicle?

Spencer

 

Reliable? Yes. Low maintenance? No. Good fuel economy? No.

The LR3 is a pretty darn good machine, but they are getting older and there are things that commonly need attention. Search around this forum and you'll find stuff about control arm bushings, MAF sensors, EGR valves, Mechatronics sleeves, suspension issues. None of these things are sinister, but you just have to stay on top of them. As with other pre-owned vehicles, there is going to be deferred maintenance. As long as you know what you're getting into, it should be okay.

All in all, your daughter is a lucky kid! I hope she takes it off-road and appreciates all that it is.

 

My standard answer at work is: Yes/No - It Depends

I second everything houm_wa said but would add a few thoughts.

Will your daughter be living at home?- My daughter drives an LR4 and is 770+ miles away. It gets difficult to get some of the non-routine things done.

Do you perform your own routine service such as fluid changes, brake service, broken door handles and those sort of things? - If you like tinkering in the garage doing odd jobs on cars, these things are great and will reward you with reliability and capability that will impress you sometimes.

Do you have a place that the car can sit for a day or two while you wait on that one rare part that has to come from some far and away exotic place? - If you live in an apartment (as my son does) it may be impossible to leave a partly repaired rover sitting in the parking lot for a few days.

You don't have to answer yes to every question, but it does make ownership a little more pleasant.

Jeff

 

If she is driving around town only then sure. If she is going to be on the road a lot, overnight trips out of town, no.