Looking to replace my 200k mile Ford Expedition with something fresher and thinking about an LR3 after seeing a couple offered for sale locally.

Ideally looking for a 2007-09 V8 model with around 80-100K miles. Theres a LR specialist close enough to perform a PPI for me.

Truck will see daily driver duties with the occasional off road excursion, maybe a mild rock crawl for giggles.

Looking to drive it for 2-3 years.

Does this seem reasonable?

The itch to modify it for larger tires and may need scratching but from what I've read on here, and other forums, the drivetrains are rather robust.

Am I wise to stay away from 2005-06 models?

Looking forward to becoming a member of the community! Been lurking for a while, always had a soft spot for the Disco II trucks. Wife would prefer a full size RR (i've seen 2008-09 trucks are the preferred models of those) but I think i'd prefer the utility of the extra space afforded by the LR3.

 

I replaced my 200k mile Expedition with a 06 LR3 and couldn't be happier.

I have both a 06 and 07 in my driveway. Both are our daily driver and both have been pretty awesome.

Some basic maintenance and some preventive maintenance are key. You can still have failures as with any vehicle. Last trip to Winter Romp in Maine saw me loose a belt tensioner and some associated damage. Got it fixed and 10 hours later I was back on the road.

 

 

No its not a standard scanner. The LR tool they use is the Testbook T4 (Pretty sure). Those are 10's of thousands of dollars but luckily there is a tool made back Gap Diagnostics called the IID. You will want to own one of these and its the most important piece of LR3 kit. When looking for a 3 in your case I would say full service records are a must being that you plan to drive it 20k a year. Good luck they are great highway cruisers!

 

You can do basic codes with a cheap OBD II scanner. The must have is the gap IID tool. I don't leave home without it.

https://www.lucky8llc.com/products/g...h-connectivity

 

Good to know on the scanner.
Realy looking forward to the hunt!

 

I don't have much to add. Do the PPI and be sure to check the lists on this forum as well. Easy to test out the EAS and bushings and listen for diff noise. Check for leaks. One thing I would do as well is look at things like the Bleeder T-valve and the front diff breather. If they are upgraded, you know the previous owner was on top of things.

The IIDTool is as basic a tool as a screwdriver for the LR3. Mine stays in the center cubby and never leaves. It has paid for itself umpteen times over and owning an LR3 without that would be unnerving. I've done it....but don't remember.

 

I would not be so gung ho going from the reliability and low cost of an Expedition relative to a LR3.

Maintenance cost wise, running the 3 will be an experience for you relative to the Ford. Our 3s were Fords test bed for ideas that are now routine in the 2014 and on Ford vehicles.

In otherwords, the 3's gave Ford ten years world field experience before the design ideas made mainstream. That is the advantage of using Land Rover - the same vehicle is shipped to every third world backwater where they are never heard from again and also into North America as well as across Europe for first world exposure as well.

Purchase a 2008 vehicle and definitely not the 2009 which was a true test bed for the 4's - a real hybrid of ideas that did not quite work - new software programming language etc. Fortunately the world economy was so bad in 2009 that not many were sold.

If you get the full load HSE, you get a radio that is like having the Boston Pops in the back seat - nothing Lincoln sells even now matches that radio.

As a daily driver, maybe once a month you will know why a Land Rover is special - maybe how it stops or maneuvers; how it takes multiple sets of railroad tracks - you know why air suspension is good. You have to be careful however as everyone else is slowing down to cross them and you want to accelerate over them. It is really a computerized race truck rather than a 4x4 in the Jeep sense of the term.

I am very much against fooling around with the tyres - stock size etc - yes everyone else puts bigger on, but then they are not daily drivers. Land Rover put the size on they did for a reason and the 3 is designed around that size. If you want, purchase the factory ten spoke 18" rims and put on the factory 235 65R18 XL size.

As for having it two to three years, it will take that much time to get the bugs worked out so plan on having it quite a bit longer.

 

I daily drive my 06 LR3 with 32.5" Trail Blade XT, another guy in town is rolling his daily on 32s and my 07 was on 32.7" as daily drive. So folks are putting bigger on and daily driving.

 

Say what? Other than the Bluetooth module and possibly the Sirius receiver, what is different internally from 2008 to 2009?