Hi Everyone.
Lately I've been considering purchasing another land Rover. I owned a Disco 2 for many years and really enjoyed it. My sister in law now has it. I actually thought very early on that it was a hugely underrated truck.
Now I have my eye on the LR3. I'd love to get some input on the pros and cons of the LR 3 over the LR4. As far as maintenance, I'll be doing anything that's needed. I'm not afraid of getting stuck in myself. My Gut tells me the LR3 would probably be easier to maintain due to less bells and whistles. But I'm here to learn. The very first time and only time I have driven one was at a demonstration track at the Laguna seca raceway back in 2008 and I came away very impressed. As for budget I was thinking around 5k I'm in the US.
Cheers John.

 

For $5k you're going to get a better maintained LR3 than an equivalently-priced LR4, I'd think.

Both are great; two things to consider on the LR4:

1. It has 2 sinister issues; water pump crossover pipes and the timing chain guides. You'll want to make sure these are addressed.
2. If you are going to off-road it, you'll want to make sure it has a 2-speed transfer case. All LR3s do, but later-MY LR4s had that as an option only.

LR3 has fairly basic maintenance items: EAS, bushings, etc.

 

I agree with the cost etc. I see 5k would probably be a good area for a decent LR 3. If I went the LR4 route I would expect and be willing to spend more. I appreciate the input. Would you say beyond what you mentioned already, are there any other common major issues with either engines? I'm in the US so it would most likely be the V8s. The old disco 2 4.0 had issues with head gaskets and liners etc. I'm assuming that's a thing of the past? I would also probably not be off roading a lot, just regular bad winter weather, snow etc.
Cheers John

 

If you drive an LR4 you will likely be tempted to buy it. Much nicer inside than LR3 and very fast with the 5L V8. I am not aware of any particular problems other then the timing chain guides and coolant pipes. The timing chain problem can totally wreck your engine if not fixed when needed. I have an 08 LR3 which now has about 130,000 miles. I have had to do nothing to the engine and expect to only change the water pump, hoses and spark plugs in the future. I did proactively change the belts, tensioners and idlers though. Of course nothing lasts forever, but I think you can rack up more miles with less expense than with the 5L.The 4.4 has enough power for the vehicle. If you are going to be a long term owner and don't really want to spend much more than $5k in total you probably should go for the LR3.

 

I had a D1 that I wrapped around a tree. Loved it after putting a significant amount of proactive maintenance work after it had been parked for a decade. Replaced it with an LR3 and was regretful I hadn't done it a lot sooner--and certainly wished I had done it before I wrecked The D1 as they were roughly equal in value. Anywho, The L3 is a very nice step up from your D2 (assuming D1 is similar which I think is true) and very capable. The LR4 may be another nice step up--I can't really comment on that. But the LR3 is super capable, pretty easy to work on, and very accessible from a cost perspective.

 

I am always looking at LR3's and LR4's in the local marketplace, whichever platform you decide on, right now they are bargains for the vehicle you are getting. $5K here will buy you darn near the best LR3 and a chancy LR4, if you are willing to take on a project LR4's are down to $1500-$2000 and my present LR3 daily driver was $500 and I drove it home.
LR3's are an amazing durable platform. LR4's are pretty much the same, and I am looking for a project class LR4 with the 5.0, dual range TC and it would be groovy if it had a rear locker like my LR3 has.
Go shop your $5K against just about anything else and see how far it goes. Wrangler? Hah. GC? Nope. Pickup truck-yeah you get a "ghost truck" that's a rusty shell held loosely together by the paint for that much. Toyota anything? You might find a rusty 4 Runner from the 90's or a LC that's about the same. Best bang for the buck out there.

I'm also thinking D5, as the older ones are getting down to the $15K area, which is what we paid for her 2008 LR3 7ish years ago. That was the one we sold to the company as a delivery and service vehicle and is well over 200K miles on it, still runs but the boss needs to fix the air suspension. He makes noises about selling it cheap and if he does I'm going to fetch it back. The VIN is still in the Gap tool.

 

Thanks so much everyone for the info. I'm leaning towards the LR3 because of the good reputation on the engine. The LR4 is tempting and there seems to be a lot more out there, due to the age I guess. I'll certainly let you know what I find. Personally I feel the bad reputation that Land Rover has is highly exaggerated. Mainly by Toyota fan boys. I owned a D2 for 15 years then my Mum drove it for 3 now my sister in law has it. It's actually been one of the most reliable vehicles I've owned. I'm excited to see and drive these newer ones.
Cheers John

 

We currently have a fleet or 5 LR3's and 1 LR4 in our family. If I am forced to buy an LR4 in the future it will be a 5.0 V8, I will never buy another SCV6.

IF you do go the LR4 route, avoid the Supercharged 3.0 V6. We have a 2016 and it has been a maintenance hog from day 3.

We have replaced or repaired:
Supercharger pully bearings
Intake (supercharger) to head gaskets a few times
Coolant cross over pipe (under the supercharger which needs to be removed to get to them)
High pressure fuel pumps on right lower part of engine (which required removing the alternator and loosen the right engine mount to get them out)
Low pressure fuel pump in the tank(drop the tank )
Alternator (3 times)
Front coolant hoses where the plastic connector for 4 hoses just cracked and started to leak
EVAC issues that have never been fully resolved. So, if you live in an area where emission testing is done, it could be a problem.
Replaced charcoal canister; evac pump; Purge Valve at least 4 times. fuel vent tubing from tank to fill spout: and vent connectors; EVAC line from tank to purge valve

For me: it would be an easy choice.

Jeff

 

Go drive both an LR3 and an LR4 and see what you like I've had both. I miss my LR4 a lot sometimes, I had a 2012 I bought for nothing and drove it until it died, and the 5.0 is a very fun engine on the highway, and the interior and infotainment is much nicer than an LR3. But the LR3s are more reliable long term, cheaper, and they have a more durable feel to them. I like my current LR3 but I can't lie that sometimes I'm tempted to go back to an LR4 again. I also have a 04 Disco 2 that's been rock solid for me, Including driving it on a 6000 mile road trip over the summer. So my advice is drive both of them V8s only no V6s on either truck, and then purchase the nicest example you can afford, don't go and buy a dirt cheap one unless you want to work on it.