Hello! I'm new to this Forum, and to Land Rover i general. So new in fact, that I don't even own one yet. However, it's been a dream of mine since I was a Wee Lad.

I need a second vehicle. I have a company truck that I drive every day, and a family vehicle for, well, the family. So for my personal 2nd vehicle, I would love for it to be a land rover. Something to drive on weekends, doing errands and the odd sidejob I do.

I live in Alberta Canada. I found a 2007 LR3 in beautiful condition (according to the pictures). I'll be going to look at it soon and take it for a test drive.

My concerns with it though, are: 1. It's age. 2007 is starting to get long in the tooth. While it's in great shape, 13years isn't a young vehicle anymore. 2. It's really high mileage. It's at about 277,000 KM (172k miles).

I know Land rover can be a very pricey vehicle to fix. And I'm not afraid to get my hands in there and fix things myself. But when a Land Rover is getting this old, should I be looking else where?

Thanks for your time and hope to hear what you have to say!

NGC

 

As long as it's been well cared for, that engine can do 300,000 miles easily. I'd look for leaks, sign of burn coolant or oil, solid EAS function....then I'd look at signs of water ingress, check for rust and also the bushings....the bushings are going to wear eventually but you might as well not have to do it sooner rather than later. Try to get service history....see if the tranny fluid has ever been changed. Spark Plugs, stuff like that. Listen for any groaning at highway speeds (differentials) or lower speeds in turns (hubs).

If it checks all the boxes, I'd say do it. As a weekend toy, the LR3 is perfect!

 

Depends on how well it was cared for. If it has a full service history then I wouldn't sweat the miles too much.

Service histories are worth their weight in gold with LRs

 

I just pulled the trigger on my 2008 LR3 HSE with 135K on it. Well cared for (it seems). We drove from Albuquerque, NM to Fort Collins, CO with my Jeep Commander for the trade-in and drove back the same day. The LR3 did marvelously....that was 2 weeks ago. I'm loving the LR3 so far. My answer to you is, do it! Just make sure to look underneath the car to see signs of any oil leakage. Good luck!

 

My 2007 LR3 has 176K on the clock. I bought it about 169K and needed to take it into the shop due to bad cats.
Work needed:
New cats and o2 sensors
New driveshaft bearing (the center bearing)
New front hub (one had been replaced)
New valve cover seals
New tie rod inner and outer
Steering rack leaks
Coolant sensor level is stuck and I get a low coolant warning on the dash (it is fine and a common problem)
Cracked drivers seat cushion
NAV screen flickers once in about ever 10 startups
Heated windshield only works on 4 lines. ( same issue on my old 2005 LR3)

First from a Land Rover Indy shot quote included:
New cats and o2 sensors (he refused to use anything buy OEM cats)
New driveshaft bearing (the center bearing)
New front hub
New valve cover seals
New tie rod inner and outer
Price just over $6K (he offered to buy the LR3 from me for cheap)

Second quote from a quality shop (they did the work for the PO including a trans pan and service) not Land Rover specific.
New cats and o2 sensors (I used aftermarket cats that I supplied and warrantied as they were installed by a licensed mechanic)
New belts
Oil change
New driveshaft bearing (the center bearing)
Due to the length of time I drove with the check engine light on, a computer reflash.
Just over $2700 and I am driving the vehicle.

Front Hub and valve cover gaskets I did myself.
Coolant sensor level is stuck and I get a low coolant warning on the dash (it is fine and a common problem) <-- I will fix this myself at some point.
Cracked drivers seat cushion <-- $100 for a used cushion (complete) on ebay
NAV screen flickers once in about ever 10 startups <-- need to clean the connectors
Heated windshield only works on 4 lines. ( same issue on my old 2005 LR3) <-- Nice to have but not needed maybe one day

Next is the steering rack and inner and outer tierods which will be about an additional $1500 from the second guy.
I look at it like this; I could have spent more for a newer vehicle and had similar or like issues. OR I can invest in a vehicle I enjoy driving and like the style and design of.
The cats were a shame and had it not been for these the cost would have been much cheaper, that said, I picked up some quality ones for less than one OEM (had a coupon and on sale).

Now lets compare this to my Yukon Denali the last time it was in the shop.
Trans flush and filter change
New trans lines
New belts and idler pullies
New tierod ends
New water pump
New thermostat and housing
Oil change
Total price at a different shop just over 3K.

I think most vehicles are about the same to fix these days. The key is to shop around for a good mechanic.

 

The key is really just one thing, you are willing to do the work. The advantage to an older vehicle is *most* problems have already come up and there are solutions to be found online. There are even really good videos to walk you through certain things. This is actually why people who travel rough places sorta prefer older vehicles, their weaknesses and limits are well established.

As houm_wa me mentioned, water ingress. THIS can be a deal breaker. The LR3 has three main water entry areas. The exterior a-pillar trim. The sunroof drain ends (rot and fall off, water goes right inside). And the windshield cowl warps letting water get into the cabin air filter, blower and cabin electrics. When this happens there can be some long term issues if the leak was not resolved quickly. You can inspect by pulling up on the interior black trim rocker/foot covers. They just pull up. Then you can sorta pull up the carpet and see if things are rusty/wet or even swimming in a pool. If the carpet is wet without even poking around, be very cautious.

So besides water issues, which are all fixable, the rest is pretty straight forward stuff.

 

I agree with @DakotaTravler some items I just would not want to tackle though (like the catalytic converters) as they are more of a pain to do.
It also depends on the working space you have. My garage door track it right in the way to do any work under the vehicle, I cannot jack it up high enough to pull an exhaust for example. That will be fixed next summer with a new door.

One of the nice things is the LR3 is relatively easy to work on, the electronics can be a bit overwhelming, However once you get past that mentally then you will be fine.
If you want to really go in deep check out this thread. https://landroverforums.com/forum/bu...3-stock-97407/

 

Living in Canada as well and having owned 2 LR3s I can tel you one thing to look for is has it been regularly undercoated. The salt on the roads is a killer to the underside, which in turn can lead to all sorts of issues when it comes time to replace or fix things as bolts, brackets and other things may be completely destroyed and even simple tasks end up being a nightmare.

Other than that you just need to use common sense when it comes to the overall condition. Its got a decent mileage, but as long as it has a good service history, you should be ok.

Biggest thing as others have said it you have to be wiling to get your hands dirty - oh and get the Gap Diagnostic (Products Archive - Gap Diagnostic) that will save you so much time and effort and more importantly money on dealer diagnostic work.

 

Hey guys! Thanks so much for all your input! I've been talking to a couple of friends who have owned LR3s and they loved them. I think I'm pretty well set on the 2007s as they changed the interiors on the 2008s. I just love the tactical, big nobby buttons and feel of the 07 interior.. thats just me.

That LR3 in question has of course sold before I had time to look at it, but thats no worry. There's always more, and all the advice given has really helped as I watch listing come and go!

Thanks for everything.

 

Interior is the same right thru to 09, only difference in earlier models is the seating between 5 and 7 seater and then rear A/C.