When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
After many months on these forums and scouring the western US, I've finally landed a 2008 HSE with just over 100k miles, one previous owner, being sold by an LR enthusiast who fixes and sells various Discos, and who's done a bunch of basic updates and upgrades knowing that I'll be driving it a long distance immediately.
I'll be heading out in a few weeks to pick it up and in so doing, will also be doing my very first fly and buy - covering 2100 miles for my first road trip to get to know the rig over 3 or 4 days. Yeah, a little bit of a "hold my beer" moment, but I trust the seller after a number of hour long convos over the last month. He's also sold to a number of fly and buy's with other Discos so it's not his first rodeo as from the seller's side of things.
...SO any pro tips for covering the first 2000 miles across middle America in a soon-to-be-new-to-me LR3, and/or doing my first fly and buy??
Some things I had when I cross country'd mine were a jug of coolant (pre mixed, you can use dexcool), a couple quarts of oil, a pack of a pillar cover clips and had a GAP tool. Basic maintenance things so you can get off the side of the road if needed
Mine was a goat, ate up 12+ hour driving days and gave me zero issues going from RI to Las Vegas. Only time I opened the hood was each AM to give the fluids a look before hitting the road. You should see 20 mpg so enjoy that.
Oh, and get a Sirius radio subscription (and look at their channel list and pre pick some stations). There's long stretches of poor to no radio reception out west and you aren't in FM areas long enough to pick a station. Just putting on a satellite station and not having to find new stations every couple hours is a life saver
I travel across the US and camp all over with the truck and it has never let me down. So indeed some spares to have are nice. You are not off-roading, so as Blackngold said the usual stuff should be fine. Although I would add that having a nice fridge would be a plus and an air compressor with tire repair kit can pay for itself. Oh, and as for camping with the truck... On most US models all the seats will fold totally flat. A 6'1" person has just enough room to lay down back there. A lot more comfy than sleeping in the front seat. Of course hotels may be what you do, but the truck does have the room for sleeping if you want to save some expenses on the trip.
You may also want to keep a link to the forum handy. If you run into an issue there are plenty of folk here to help. But really, I dont think you will have issues IF the seller is being upfront and honest.
Nice, yeah I was definitely thinking I'd probably pick up the GAP tool ahead of time given the resounding "make sure you have it" advice here on the forums for general ownership. Had also thought that coolant and some quarts were both good things to have as well.
RI to Vegas, dang that's some miles! I'm hoping to an 8 hour days and then two 12 hour days if it goes well, with a day and half of leeway.
I won't have Sirius radio but I'll have my trusty little cigarette-lighter-to-FM-radio device that I travel with anytime I rent a car or go on a road trip so that should help.
Thanks for insight, lemme know if anything else pops into your mind!
I travel across the US and camp all over with the truck and it has never let me down. So indeed some spares to have are nice. You are not off-roading, so as Blackngold said the usual stuff should be fine. Although I would add that having a nice fridge would be a plus and an air compressor with tire repair kit can pay for itself. Oh, and as for camping with the truck... On most US models all the seats will fold totally flat. A 6'1" person has just enough room to lay down back there. A lot more comfy than sleeping in the front seat. Of course hotels may be what you do, but the truck does have the room for sleeping if you want to save some expenses on the trip.
You may also want to keep a link to the forum handy. If you run into an issue there are plenty of folk here to help. But really, I dont think you will have issues IF the seller is being upfront and honest.
Oh you hit the nail on the head, I am planning exactly to make the journey and car camp my way back home using a great website I've used crossing the country a few times - freecampsites.net - and the full lay down seats are one of the things I'm excited about specifically so that I can car camp. In fact, my checked bag for my flight will be a sleeping bag, pillow, and sleeping pad.
Yeah, it seems like a GAP tool is needed for ownership regardless so even though I've yet to use one, I'll likely make sure I have it before the journey. And while I won't really be able to manage a fridge, I will be utilizing the cooler cubby and then just snagging food along the way. Fried chicken and deli sandwiches at night in the back will make for a fun adventure and save me a few hundred dollars in hotels to put towards the GAP.
Let me know if you have any other thoughts.
Also, big thumbs up for freecampsites.net, it has taken me across the country no less than 5 times in the last 10 years so if you haven't used it, check it out on your next adventure. Downside is that it's a little dated so it is much easier to use on a computer than a phone but, I typically just find a few camping waypoints on my computer ahead of time, make note of them, then choose day to day which option works for the time I'm making.
GAP - Without a doubt. Another thing to be mindful of is how many operating keys the vehicle comes with. Mine came with one original (in pretty bad condition) so I got 3 cut and programmed (via GAP) which turned out to be a blessing.
Oh you hit the nail on the head, I am planning exactly to make the journey and car camp my way back home using a great website I've used crossing the country a few times - freecampsites.net - and the full lay down seats are one of the things I'm excited about specifically so that I can car camp. In fact, my checked bag for my flight will be a sleeping bag, pillow, and sleeping pad.
Yeah, it seems like a GAP tool is needed for ownership regardless so even though I've yet to use one, I'll likely make sure I have it before the journey. And while I won't really be able to manage a fridge, I will be utilizing the cooler cubby and then just snagging food along the way. Fried chicken and deli sandwiches at night in the back will make for a fun adventure and save me a few hundred dollars in hotels to put towards the GAP.
Let me know if you have any other thoughts.
Also, big thumbs up for freecampsites.net, it has taken me across the country no less than 5 times in the last 10 years so if you haven't used it, check it out on your next adventure. Downside is that it's a little dated so it is much easier to use on a computer than a phone but, I typically just find a few camping waypoints on my computer ahead of time, make note of them, then choose day to day which option works for the time I'm making.
Yeah, its unbelievable how much the GAP can do. Between programming keys, resetting adaptions, reading live values, setting custom ride heights, turning on/off features like TPMS/back up sensors, calibrating the air suspension, etc.
In terms of car camping, like Dakota said you wont find a better rig. I car camped mine a bunch up in NH and Maine and can attest to how good it is. Perfectly flat floor and at 6' I was able to lay perfectly flat. Plus its about the width of a double bed so plenty of room for your stuff/gear and sleep space. Since they all come stock with privacy glass you get the benefit of blocking the windows without having to
Very surprised I haven't seen this posted more on the forums but, they sell a GAP IID BT G3 with a spare key (and a sticker!) for just $1 more than GAP sells the standalone IID tool.
I confirmed with Lucky8 that their kit is the G3 unit even though that's not what shows in the product photo.
Any reason to go with one of these GAP IID over the other? Looks like the Lucky8 package isn't the "G3" version and therefore not the newest available, but it also comes with a key and if they both do the same thing or a 2008 LR3 then I'll go with the spare key for an extra buck.
Not even sure what the G3 is, must be third generation or such. I have not been keeping up to date on those I see.
The cubby cooler is tiny and also keep in mind it is not a fridge by any means. It will keep already cold items cool, but not fridge temperature for perishable foods and will struggle to cool warm items. It is just a small Peltier cooler. You can fit four 16oz bottles in there I believe. Not 20oz. And I have no top phone cover cause bottles are too tall for it. But it sure is handy when one has an open beverage and it is still nice and cold when halfway gone.
For sleeping I found an 2 inch thick personal air mattress works with a 1 inch yoga mat (cheap on Amazon) on top the air mattress is a super good compact base for putting a sleeping bag on. Before that I tried everything from memory foam pads, etc. The air mattress is nice because it packs down into the size of a Monster beverage can. The mat rolls up nicely and fits onto the rear cargo box.
As for freecampsites, one resource of many just like iOverlander.com or Gaia, etc. I myself have personal resources for camping across the country and produce my own maps. I never pay for camping/hotels. Free campgrounds, but usually dispersed sites on national lands. The LR3 is really a great platform for camping from. I have mine all setup for long duration trips, even has 18 gallons of water with a 3 gallon hot water supply and full kitchen with compressor fridge/freezer - yet I still have room to sleep inside with my dog. You will love getting the truck out and find it is pretty comfortable on long trips.
Not even sure what the G3 is, must be third generation or such. I have not been keeping up to date on those I see.
The cubby cooler is tiny and also keep in mind it is not a fridge by any means. It will keep already cold items cool, but not fridge temperature for perishable foods and will struggle to cool warm items. It is just a small Peltier cooler. You can fit four 16oz bottles in there I believe. Not 20oz. And I have no top phone cover cause bottles are too tall for it. But it sure is handy when one has an open beverage and it is still nice and cold when halfway gone.
For sleeping I found an 2 inch thick personal air mattress works with a 1 inch yoga mat (cheap on Amazon) on top the air mattress is a super good compact base for putting a sleeping bag on. Before that I tried everything from memory foam pads, etc. The air mattress is nice because it packs down into the size of a Monster beverage can. The mat rolls up nicely and fits onto the rear cargo box.
As for freecampsites, one resource of many just like iOverlander.com or Gaia, etc. I myself have personal resources for camping across the country and produce my own maps. I never pay for camping/hotels. Free campgrounds, but usually dispersed sites on national lands. The LR3 is really a great platform for camping from. I have mine all setup for long duration trips, even has 18 gallons of water with a 3 gallon hot water supply and full kitchen with compressor fridge/freezer - yet I still have room to sleep inside with my dog. You will love getting the truck out and find it is pretty comfortable on long trips.
Speaking my language. Yeah I've got all the fancy lightweight but super comfy inflatable sleep system from living in Montana (Seat to Summit Comfort+ for the win) so I'll use that for the drive back, and then maybe look into a foam or thicker air pad for future car camping adventures that...I will be doing with my dog too. Lots of camping out at fishing holes and in the winter pulling some parking lot overnighters too.
Not only am I a big fan of natural dispersed camping sites, but it's almost exclusively how I camp so my dog (and us) can have some freedom, plus it's a great excuse to explore a little. I've crossed the country a few times and found some beautiful, free locations with almost nobody around and often barely more than a few miles off the interstate. I'm actually debating on if I am gonna take 94 or 90 from east to west, I've generally taken 90 when I've done a variation of this drive before. Since I'll be driving solo I probably won't get super exploratory on the drive back, but once I get home and start going on adventures with the pup I'll be really using it to car camp.
Have you come across any clever solutions for being able to stay ventilated while car camping in the summer? I'm thinking of something simple like mesh screen with magnets that fit over the windows and rear hatch cargo area but haven't looked into it yet.
Thanks for the heads up on the fridge. I'm not expecting a full cooler but do keep some beverages or a small sandwich cool while on a road trip works for me. Or, once I hit some fire roads to have a few road soda's handy
Will definitely check out iOverlander. If you haven't ever heard of OnX maps, they are absolutely fantastic for finding public lands where you can camp - you have to pay for the app but if you adventure, it's totally worth it in my mind.
03-22-2023, 06:06 PM
Baby's First LR3 and First Fly and Buy - Advice?
