Late this summer, I grounded my daughter from her car (an LR3) and her phone. Well, i decided heck while she's grounded, I'll just drive the LR3. Well, a guy ran into me and the insurance company totaled the Rover. I was thankful because I was worried about it all the time. I went and bought my daughter an Infiniti FX35. I thought she would love it. She pretended to, but my wife confided in me that she had cried several times saying she missed her LR3.

So...being the softie that I am, I decided to get her another Rover. I am buying a stock, black, 2009 HSE for $9K. it has 100K miles on it. Very clean, new Michelins. He just repaired the air suspension. I think that's low enough miles that there should still be plenty of miles left. It obviously hasn't been driven a whole lot. This is the second owner.

Did I do OK?

 

I think so. Both of mine are going strong at 165k+ on the clock. They really are solid Land Rover’s. You know the deal on maintenance already so welcome back.

 

2009 was the last of the good ones. I think the LR4s look good, but too many chain, cooling system and infotainment issues for my taste.

 

Yeah speaking of....a buddy of mine just sent me a copy of his latest invoice. $8000 worth of repairs needed (including water pump, crossover pipe and timing chain guides) in order to keep his LR4 on the road. Ugh.

 

Yeah, I've been going back and forth about whether to get another LR3 or get an LR4.

Will be keeping the current LR3 (partly because it has the factory installed Warn Winch and HD package). This will be an additional vehicle.

The Timing Chain issues with the LR4 is a real concern for me, especially because I would likely be outside of any warranty, and I've done enough research with Extended Warranty companies to know that many of them are thinly-veiled scams.

Also, that's what finally killed my 03 BMW M62 engine full sized Range Rover HSE - Bad memories...

I think I have decided to keep looking for an LR3. 08 or maybe 09 model year.

Be careful with the 09 model year - the 09 HSE has a LOWER spec vs the 08 HSE, unless you get the LUX model - something that was introduced for 09. If you don't get the LUX 09 HSE spec, you will NOT get the 14 speakers and the Driver Seat Memory (which my 08 HSE has).

Cheers, Simon.

 

I love my LR3 and want an LR4. But indeed, the drivetrain issues keep me away from them.

 

Well, I picked up this 2009 example. Any time a car has Michelins on it I pay attention - it's a sign that the owner is serious about his cars.

This HSE has 102,000 miles on it and runs like a top with no warning lights. It only had one key fob so I talked him down to $8500 cash from $9000 so I could get a new key. I think it was a very good deal. I was happy because there is no paintwork that needs to be done, although the whole thing needs to be compounded, polished, and waxed. No rips, stains, or tears on the interior, and as far as I can tell, every option works as it should.

I am going to put a new mesh grill kit on the front, new silver emblem lettering on the hood, and I am going to repaint the side air vent a brighter silver metallic this week. I'm going to add silver aluminum roof rails to match. On the rear of the car, I am going to remove the badging and repaint a brighter silver.

 

Great price for an 09 with only 100,000 miles.

My advice - don't get your 2nd key cut at the Stealership. Instead, buy a Gap Diagnostics IID Tool, Bluetooth version, and program a new Key yourself. Buy a new uncut key for about $20 from eBay or Amazon, and find a local place to get it cut.