Hi guys,

I'm trying to decide on an LR3 or a Jeep Grand Cherokee in the 2006-09 year range.

I need my vehicle to be:

Very reliable (assuming well maintained of course)
Up for occasional medium/medium-light duty off road use

I want my vehicle to be:

Cool/classy in appearance
A bit different from the norm
Built to last (whatever that means)

I didn't come here for you guys to tell me about Jeeps, this IS a LR forum after all, and I realize that. A bit of back story might help though: I've grown up in Jeeps and I love them. The newest one I've had experience with is a 2000 JGC limited that my old man bought in 2003. The thing has been incredibly reliable and it just starts and works without even thinking about it. <-- I need this feature in a new vehicle.

The problem is that I've really fallen in love with these LR3 Land Rovers. They are a bit different and not nearly as common as Jeeps, which is a big plus in my book. They also (in my opinion) have class dripping off the fenders. I think I want one.

I have to ask you guys, can an LR3 get me what I need? If maintained, will I get that reliability? Are they built to last? I've done some research on these forums and elsewhere about some of the issues they have, but I want to hear from you owners.

Why do you love or hate your LR3s? What do I need to know/look for when buying one? What don't I know that I don't know about them? <--- That's always the hardest to figure out.

 

I have jeeps, real jeeps not the crap they sell now imo they have not built a jeep since the yj, but really not since the cj7 but I have a cj2a and cj3b real jeeps, my sister had one of those newer Cherokees like you list above and it was always at the dealer for electrical issues they could not seem to fix


the lr3 I have not owned long rides awesome devildog is in our club and took his to rausch creek and anthracite offroad parks with our club trip in july vehicle stock is a beast friggin insane offroad stock


a documented maintained one seems to be key


engines seem to be fine till you get around 230000 mile range, rears need servicing, water leaks cause repairable electrical issues, iirc the suspension bushings realy start to die around 100k miles?


seems to be a thing with rovers, aholes with $ buy em new and run em into the ground with little or no maintenance, my d1 same way and a lot of what you read on the boards is obviously from po not keeping up with even basic maintenece


there can be issues with the air ride but if it realy pisses you off you can delete it and install springs for like $1k I am told it rides weird though so idk

imo jeeps don't hold a candle stock to a stock rover, drive one you will see

 

The thing I'm seeing is that many of the LR3s out there now have plenty of miles on them and they are a vehicle that need proper care 'n feeding. There are some common issues, but most of them are minor, really....and seem to get rectified even if replacing a part (with the same part) is the remedy. I think the parts going in now are better than the ones being supplied to LR back in 2004-5-6. There have been issues with the rear hatch, the Electronic Park Brake, the Thermostat and of course the control arm bushings. The bushings simply wear out after about 50k miles on account of the LR3's mass. Annoying, but not an indictment, IMO. The air suspension compressors, early on, were not great. They'd only last about 50k miles depending on useage. There is a means of servicing them, by replacing the dryer. ...and now there is a new compressor made by AMK (the old ones were Hitachis) and they are purportedly much better units. The differentials suffer from not holding much fluid. Many of us have learned the hard way that they needed service WAY before the LR-suggested interval. I've had mine replaced and now change the fluid every 15k miles. So listen for a vibration/groaning at highway speeds when you test drive. There are electrical gremlins, as Tom noted...but most are easy fixes, like the brake pedal switch that costs $15 but when burned up makes it look like LR3-Armageddon.

Where I disagree with Tom completely is on the notion of stripping out the EAS for coils. The air suspension in the LR3 is not like that of the P38 Range Rover or the DII. It is a brilliant piece of engineering in my opinion. Not only does it have impressive articulation (especially for an indi suspension) but with it's cross-link valves it emulates the dynamics of a solid axle, all the while providing copious amounts of ground clearance since both diffs are tucked way up into its belly.

The LR3 is ridiculously capable and yet provides superb utility with its great towing capacity, flat cargo floor and suspension that raises and lowers. I've slept in the back of mine on more than one camping trip. Hell I took mine to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory last March and drove it home 1800 miles in -19F temperatures (overnight).

So I'd say I'm qualified to speak to its durability. It's built to last!

 

I was not saying remove the air ride just stating it can be done if you want to, I agree the air ride is awesome

 

Ahhh, possible but not recommended. Roger that.

 

I recently got an 06 LR3 and I can tell you that if you go with land rover you won't regret it. On the road they ride very smooth and quiet also the power is good but what I like about it most just driving around town is the transmission. Yes it likes to keep a high gear but you don't really notice the shifts and I get around 16 Mpg in mixed city driving which I am very happy with. Im not going to talk bad about the Jeep but it doesn't compare to the land rover. Also if you think about the future and resale the cherokee is going to drop because there is alot of them and they are very basic. As far as reliability goes I can't speak on that because I haven't owned mine for more than a week however mechanically it isn't as complex as I would have thought therefore repairs can be done either by you or a mechanic friend, Plus there is alot of forum support for them so I wouldn't let that hold you back. FYI go for the HSE

 

the only real differences I see on the hse vs the loaded se is a fridge in the console, 3rd row seats, heated front and middle row seats, hid headlights, park assist and the radio controls for all rear passengers rest is the same vehicle.


unless you buy the stripped out model with no nav

 

I think technically the only differences (that you cannot option up to) are adaptive headlights and the better stereo. The thing is, for the most part the SEs just weren't loaded like that. You'd have to find one that a person custom ordered and loaded up.

 

I appreciate the replies.

What are your thoughts on buying one that's at or over 100k miles? Should I expect any major repairs at that point, or will it just be a continuation of some of the basics you guys have been mentioning?

 

I'd say the latter. I think our comments apply regardless of mileage and there doesn't seem to be anything magical about 100k miles.