I'm reconfiguring my vehicle stable a bit, although originally I was just going to opt for a boring (but very useful) Suburban or Tahoe, I've gotten pumped about buying a bucket list vehicle: LR3 or RR

My daily driver is a '14 Q7 TDI (full options, including tow & air suspension). Love this vehicle, it can do anything for me (tows up to 8k lbs) and daily driving averages around 25-30 MPG, but it's also a big and slightly boring vehicle to drive every day. My plan is to sell this, replace it with a fun to drive daily car (GTI) and then get my utility/family hauling needs met with an LR3 or RR (must have factory tow package).

I realize people ask exhaustingly if LRs are reliable and the uninitiated love to tell anyone who will listen how unreliable they are, but everyone says the same crap for Volkswagens & Audis. I've owned them my whole life and my personal experience has been that as long as you perform regular maintenance as the vehicle requires, it'll treat you well. Sure, things break and parts & labor can be expensive, but that's the price I'm willing to pay for driving something that makes me happy every time I look at it & drive it. I do as much as my own basic maintenance as possible and it's served me well.

Hoping I can find a decent truck with less than 150k (05-08 is what I've mostly looked at) from private party with maintenance records in the $6-10k range. Seems like plenty of options out there.

 

Welcome to the forum.
I came from a background of BMW's and VW's but always wanted a Land Rover.

 

Thanks for the welcome. I realized last night I was being so cautious about posting a super common question, that I didn't even really ask anything. I could probably benefit from some experienced advise on LR for my upcoming purchase

1. I've been mostly focused on low-ish mileage LR3s (HSE with the factory tow), meaning 130k or less ideally. Originally have just been looking locally (Michigan), since there are so many, but I think it would be better to look nationally (US) for private party sellers with documented maintenance records.
2. My price range also puts me in the realm of going for a higher mileage LR4, but aside from increased cost they also feel a bit "too fancy" for my needs (utility, occasional family/dog hauler, beach goer, camp vehicle, winter beast). I also mentioned a RR in my post but again, feels a bit too fancy.
3. My Q7 has 3rd row, which we rarely use, but when we have it's been a very nice convenience. Again, pointing towards the LR3/4 here
4. This is more of a pipe dream, but if a classic RR or P38 popped out of nowhere and was within budget ($10k -ish), I'd have a hard time not fixating on buying it. This is crazy talk right?

Thanks guys

 

Welcome to the forum.

Initial, we started our land rover obsession with the LR3. Drove several, liked everything about them, comfortable ride, nice driving position, solid feel, etc. Never pulled the trigger though, since my wife liked the looks of the Dll better. Personally, from the front...l think the LR 3 looks equal or better...but from the back...Dll wins hands down. LR3 just looks "to delivery van" in the rear for me.

Reliabiliy wise, l believe folks had pretty good luck with the LR3. Should be plenty of helpful information in the LR 3 section of the forums.

Anyhow, good luck in your endeavor.

 

RR Classics are pricey but you can probably get a really nice P38 for half or even less than your $10,000. You may find one that’s really nice, “except for...” for not much above scrap price.

 

That'd be sweet. If I could find one for barely above scrap prices I'd take it just as a tinker toy.

The electrical/water ingress issues are freaking me out a bit on the LR3, but I have to remind myself that pretty much every car I've owned has had the same problem (lots of german wagons with sunroofs). The latest one we recently got at the house is a Golf Alltrack with the panoramic sunroof (google search if you want a laugh). I was just looking at photos of the LR3 drain ends, they have all the same problems the Alltrack has. Why do people keep making these mistakes??? KEEP THE DRAINS WIDE OPEN PEOPLE