This will sound nuts... Cause it is. Wife and I totally spontaneously bought a Disco 2 a week ago. Now we just came across a steal on LR3. 2006 with 96k miles. So i now have 2 choices and need help to make an informed decision (which I didn't do a week ago)

1. I can keep Disco 2, spend quite a bit to cover maintenance, add CDL, lift kit, add 3rd row jumper seats,etc. I'll end up spending a few thousand easy to get where I want it
2. Buy the LR3.

But here are my questions. This is not wifes daily driver. Its our fun car, and 7 seat carpool car when needed.

We will use this on road 65% of time. Take to ski mountain, carpool, etc. 35% will be off road in mountains, moab, and desert "rock climbing" just for fun.
A must for me:

Lift kit
bigger tires (32-33")
locking diffs
good climbing ability (at least comparable to modded Disco 2's)
great highway manners

LR3 is air suspension right? Are lifts easy and common? Do they all have lockers? Or just certain models (heck, none of them may have them. Im brand new to this)

Anything else?

 

All 06 LR3s come standard with air suspension unless you buy overseas.

Not sure about the lift kits, hopefully someone else can offer their 2 cents.

Front diff is open, rear diff comes standard as open unless the first owner opted for the electronic torque managed rear diff, which technically isn't truly a locking diff.

At 96k you want to make sure the common issues have been addressed: front coolant manifold is plastic and tends to leak, small coolant bleed (t-piece) screw on top of engine between throttle body and intake manifold tends to burst and leak coolant, check for the obvious diff and trans oils leaks as those become more frequent with higher mileage

 

Air suspension compressor is common to fail and if it hasn't been upgraded to the new style compressor, you'll soon know when your air suspension light comes on.

LR3s are excellent vehicles off road, but as with any high performance (off-road) vehicle, you gotta pay to play.

 

I understood quickly, after buying my DII, then studying, that I have to pay to play. But that doesn't bother me. Im used to that. Thats why its a 2nd, fun vehicle. Thanks for the input. Would really like more input from others re: off road capability, lift options, locking diff. If these are strong off-road, I would think others out there are tricking these out quite a bit.
Any other help/advice? I've heard some say "you just don't see as many LR3 off-road because they cost more then DiscoII" BUt I see plenty of $50k Jeep Rubicons out there. So I don't know the validity of that argument. I understand replacement of these "broken" parts is probably the limiting factor.

 

First off, the LR3s do come with a locker. Yes, it's automatically engaged and it's fully electronic but it is a "locker." I suppose we can argue "technically" verus "effectively" but at the end of the day it gets the job done. Relatively hard to find though.

As for the LR3 off-road; it's a beast and the aftermarket is sufficient that you can build one that will meet your requirements. For $400 you can buy the IIDTool from GAP Diagnostics which will allow you to electronically lift it 2" and fit 32" tires.

It's more expensive because the vehicle itself costs more to purchase and maintain...and spare parts are more expensive too.

You'll be making a good choice either way, I'd say.

 

Thanks for the replies. Still interesting to me that there are no LR3's that I've found with a small lift kit, and 33" tires for a little more agressive off-roading. I haven't spent hours looking, but not many responses on here. Maybe the Disco II is the weapon of choice then. I understand the undercarriage/chassis is much more heavy duty on Disco II. Is that correct? Hard though, cause the LR3's sure are "luxurious" and my wife loves that part!

 

The DII isn't nessacarily more heavy duty, but it is solid axle, so far less moving parts in the suspension.

A lot of the guys that do put the time and money into making these more geared toward off road use tend to keep them, as they are very reliable, just have a few common issues.

They are extremely good off road, far better then the DII stock to stock. With the air suspension, it would also make it more fitting to your needs, as you can raise it up when going off road, but keep it somewhat civilized when around town, or on a road trip.

The locking rear diff is very good, it is not a true locker in the fact that it is not on or off, but it can provide full lock up when needed. If you're planing on going all out, do yourself a favor and install a new compressor, even if old one hasn't failed yet, before putting any rock sliders, as they usually need to come off to replace it, and I've had to deal with some that were a real pain.

You're right that the DII is more popular to modify and make into a more dedicated trail rig, but go back 10 years, and the DI was more popular then the DII in that respect, a lot of it is availability of the lower priced vehicle to start throwing more money at to make it into what people want.

The only vehicle I have seen off road that can come close to competing with the various electronic controls of the LR3 to aid in control in sticky situations, if the FJ. I have been in both, and prefer the LR3s control, however the FJ does have a locking front diff too.

 

Awesome response. Thanks to all of you. That really helped. I am now on a mission to find an LR3. Think I found one in Tempe, AZ I like.

Another couple questions:
Rear Locker: rear locker is an option, right? How can tell if installed? a certain button, or how can I tell. any vin number sources online that would list the build sheet?

Stereo. I found on another LR3 buying guide that there is a 230 watt stereo, and a much better stereo. The one Im looking at says Harmon Kardon. Is that automatically the good stereo, or are both Harmon Kardon and there are 2 different qualities. I know the HSE's have the good one. But don't find many HSE's out there.

Nav: worth it? Not many out there with it.

anything else I may have missed option wise? I have already researched the "bugs" to watch for

 

I apologize for the confusion on the rear diff. One thing you learn from being on the forums is there's always something new to learn about these beasts.

Easiest way to tell on the diff is by getting under the truck and looking to see if the diff has an electric motor on top of it.

There are actually 3 different kinds of audio systems fitted. Low line which is uncommon and does not have the Harmon Kardon logo.

If the one you are looking at only says Harmon Kardon, that is the high line system (300 watt 8 speaker 1 sub). Premium system says Harmon Kardon Logic 7 (600 watt 13 speaker 1 sub).

Nav isn't worth it, although if you find one that has the high line audio system or higher, it may come with it. Maps may need to be updated however. System uses a DVD based system so you would have to visit the dealer to purchase the upgrade.

 

Nav as nav is not worth it, however if you will be using it off road a good amount, there are some very useful features, cookies, 4x4 info screen...

Only other options I would look for are lighting and cold climate. Lighting package includes bi-xenon lights, front fog lights, auto lights, and rain sensing wipers, very much an upgrade over the base halogens. The only way to get the front fog lights from the factory, was with this package, so if it has them, chances are it has all of the above.

I'm not sure where you're located, but the cold climate package, specifically the heated front windshield is extremely useful if you get snow or ice, and warm weather rain for that matter.

That said, I like features, so what I find useful is by no means necessary, and may be a complete waste in other's eyes.