I am looking at two LR3s and they both have about 150k miles, both have good looking carfax history of care at dealerships regularly, but one has had its suspension changed to Old Man Emu with a 3" lift.

The coil suspension is a 2006 HSE model as well, while the air suspension is a 2008 SE.
Which should I look to get? Will the non air suspension save me some headache later on? Does it not even matter?

This will be mostly for my family on weekend commutes around town as I wasn't ready for a mini van and my wife's SUV is a little too compact now a days.

 

I expect other more knowledgeable members will chime in but based on my fairly limited experience, I would say go for the one that has been better maintained if you are able to determine that in detail.

In the event that they are in equally good shape, I suppose the suspension will be what decides it for you. Mine has EAS and I love it. I have never driven one with coils before so I am not in a position to speak about that. If you are able to test drive them both, you can get a feel of how they handle and what the ride feels like. Hopefully that swings your decision to which you should get. Good luck!

 

I think the consensus in these parts is to maintain the air suspension if possible. Could it cause you a headache in the future? Yes. But as a somewhat handy person, I don't think there's anything I couldn't tackle myself in the EAS. It's effectively plumbing. I'd also be a little wary of a.) whether the coil conversion was done in such a way as to eliminate the various errors you can get when that's done and b.) the constant 3" lift of the coils. It's a bit of a commitment, and you'd lose the enjoyment of a reasonable suspension setup when you weren't doing something that benefitted from the lift.

Either way, good luck and welcome!

 

So, we got ourselves a "new to us" LR3 a couple of weeks ago. (We do have a Disco2 that we love, so the plan was to get another Landy, a bit more modern and WITH EAS!).

As Khan has stressed:
1. Find as much as you can! Service records, parts, sources for the parts, who did the maintenance (our seems that had some work done by Indy shops, not very familiar with Land Rovers as I can tell => has many things that mechanics consider annoying missing). Knowing the history and the stories makes a huge difference!
2. A well maintained air suspension gives these trucks an outstanding ride, it makes a whole difference. Many people will say that it is just a recipe for constant troubles, but if you keep up with it and plan to do the work yourself, it is great to have. You can get some oversize tires if you want just using Johnson rods.

This being said, good service records and good maintenance makes the difference! (Also check for the regular items in the check up list....)

PD: Get a GAP tool...

 

I can not verify the stories, but 3" lift is generally considered pretty harsh on the CV joints. And with lift like that, limit straps should have been installed. They prevent the arms from lowering so much that the CVs bind up. So for me, I would play safe and go with air.

 

Definitely stick with air if its mainly being used around town, you don't need a 3" lift in the supermarket carpark. Bonus with air is you can get lift rods or various electronic lifters that allow you to over ride the factory speed limited off-road height plus give you adjustability on the fly.