My wife's dream car has always been an lr3 since she was in high school and we are about to have our first of many children and I thought there is no better way to start a family than her dream mom car. The link attached is the car I'm thinking about purchasing. The car seems to be in excellent condition and all the services records kept. What price should I be asking for? I'm type of guy that is a total push over and don't want to be taken advantage of but I wanna get a good price on it. Any tips here?

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/5446378658.html

 

I'm new to the LR3 myself, as we just got one for my wife two weeks ago. The seasoned guys here can help a bunch, but the check list up top is a start. What I was told is check service records as the number one thing. Those look good but read up.. And check what might be going out soon at the mileage the vehicle is at. I bet I spent Twenty hours on here reading about this vehicle before making a decision. And don't hesitate to be patient in waiting for the right one. Travel a little if you have to.

 

The LR3 is so NOT a "Mom Car." I think people who buy one for the purpose of shuttling kids around, going to the mall and otherwise using it for daily errands just because of the cargo space wind up disappointed.

The LR3 is a big, heavy, thirsty BEAST that likes to be in the shop (it doesn't break, it just requires maintenance). If you aren't going to use it as an off-road rig, I'd move on to something that is more of an all-weather people hauler. X5 maybe?

 

yes read the tech section at the top of the LR3 area, search around for the maintenance schedules too. One of you, either you or your wife is going to need to start turning a wrench.

They're fantastic machines but they want attention.

Service records are half the battle. The other half is get it inspected then base your price on what the market value is, minus whatever may be broken/needing service soon.

 

Hoam_wa is right - you may end up disappointed if you really needed a minivan but bought this instead without knowing anything about them.

It's your money, so by all means get the vehicle you want. And trying to keep the wife happy is always a smart move. But I'm surprised how many people over the years have bought a Rover (D1, D2, LR3) thinking it was just a luxury car, interchangeable with a Merc or BMW or Volvo SUV. That's a recipe for disappointment. Those others are nice family haulers with an emphasis on street driving. The LR3 and it's predecessors (D1 and D2) are off-roaders that have been civilized for on-road use. Yes they are nice and comfy as stock 'cars', but you'll pay a high price in terms of weight, economy, on-road dynamics, cost to operate, etc for all the capabilities you'll never use as a kid hauler.

FWIW, Land Rover HAS been moving more and more in your direction. Each generation of vehicle has been less off-road capable and more street/luxury oriented. There has been much wailing and tearing of hair among us in the enthusiast crowd but the larger market (and increased margins) bears out their strategy. For your use as described, I would actually recommend the new Discovery Sport, though as it only came out last year the prices will of course be much higher. You may find one in the low $30ks I'd guess but I haven't looked.

On this particular LR3, the mileage is pretty good and it is an HSE which is nice. You may also want to look for the LUX package and/or the rear entertainment for your use. There is an HD package which is highly prized among enthusiasts as it includes a locker rear dif, but for street use or light off-roading it's not needed. I have never been a fan of these 3rd party used car lots as they never know anything about the vehicles they sell, they just pick them up at auction and re-sell them. I'm glad to hear it has extensive records from LRSJ, though I'm shocked that a lot like this even knows that. I'm sure they know nothing beyond that so you'll be 100% on your own. My gut feeling is this is a little high for an '05 model. I'd expect to be closer to $10K. All that is predicated on it being in good shape and ready to go with things like LCAs, compressor, swaybar bushings, etc all sorted. Of note, I believe 105K is a 'major service' interval per the dealer which includes a transmission service, so that's a bit of an expense coming up very quickly if it hasn't already been done.

Check through the pre-purchase checklists here and other places to get a better idea of what to look for. If you do proceed, I can recommend CT Moterwerks in Concord as a good indy shop. Colin is one of the owners and a long time Rover owner himself. Seeing the truck is in the east bay, I'm guessing you are as well.

Further, should you go ahead with it by all means consider joining the Northern California Land Rover club (NCLR). Although we're focused on off-road use we cover everything from hard core rock crawling to stock trucks and family camping. If you'd like to meet a few of us we have monthly get-togethers in Sacramento on the 2nd Thursday and on the peninsula on the 3rd Thursday as well as a day-outing to a local off-road park or other easy trail on the first Saturday that's suitable for stock rigs and a great way to get familiar with the capabilities of both you and the LR3. Even if you're not looking to take the truck into the woods we have quite a few members with LR3s and a lot of resources to help you with future questions. And maybe we'll convince you to come on out to the trail just a little bit anyway. NCLR - Northern California Land Rover Club

 

Great points written by Zelatore. Especially on the dealerships. My theory has always been...when buying used, buy one traded in for the same vehicle or brand. Our lr3 was one owner traded in for an lr4. That tells me they loved the vehicle and it's not a lemon. NEVER rush into a purchase like this.

 

Good adds, Don. I don't know if I agree with this part though:

"Each generation of vehicle has been less off-road capable..."

Change "capable" to "oriented" and I'd see what you mean. I would take an L322 RR over an P38 RR any day, for off-roading....and I'm sorry but the LR3 can wheel circles around a D2. I'm sure there is a thread on that.

Don't want to thread-jack though.

@jaynesmason: X5, GL450, Escalade, JGC. Those are for you. 6000 LR3 that is 10 years old? Think twice.

 

Don't know about prices in CA but in KY I bought an 06 LR3 SE with 79K last July for less than what they're asking. Mine has the Harmon-Kardon system, Nav, pretty much all this one does.

I would try to get them down some on the price.

 

Fair enough, stock for stock I would probably agree with you. Of course, I've been buying up older rigs for 6 months now prepairing to build a 'real' off-roader so I can stop trying to make the Grey Whale dance where it doesn't want to.

I agree the price is probably a bit high, but it's tough to cross shop KY with the bay area. Our economy is hot right now; real estate is over where it was pre-recession; SF rent is the highest in the nation - even higher than Manhatten. That's dragging everything up with it.

Hey, we didn't scare you off did we? We're really a pretty nice bunch! Really!

 

Yeah stock-for-stock is all I meant. D1 and D2 are certainly easier to "build."