Anybody doing an LR3 as an off-road rig?

[REDROVER]

Wow! Thanks everyone for your responses! I am still thinking hard about it as the LR3 will be a HUGE step down in off road capability compared to my modded H1, but at this point I'm not sure that I actually need that much performance when my actual off-roading is light trails with the family in Moab and Colorado with the family, and the rest of the time it is used to take the family's stuff to the beach, bike trails, or wherever.


One other question-What are the major differences between the LR3 and the LR4? Do most of the LR3 after market items bolt onto the LR4?

Thanks again!

my brother got his LR3 first month when they come out, 4 months later it went back to mr land rover as lemon. however it did very well off road, ( not heavy offroad) and yes it will be HUGE step down from H1 to LR as far as offroad performance , but comfort and easy to drive part , it will be HUGE step up .

 

[MattScott]

my brother got his LR3 first month when they come out, 4 months later it went back to mr land rover as lemon. however it did very well off road, ( not heavy offroad) and yes it will be HUGE step down from H1 to LR as far as offroad performance , but comfort and easy to drive part , it will be HUGE step up .

The LR3 made significant strides in reliability for each consecutive year it was produced - the LR4 is even better.

I'd take an LR3/4 down nearly every trail I've ever ran, over an H1 - I'd actually fit.

The H1 is great for bashing through the desert, just not so good for tight trails, or parking spaces.

 

[nwoods]

WOW WOW WOW DID U SAY LR3 IS BETTER OFFROAD THEN RUBICON? HUH??????????????????????????????????????????? U DREAMING BROTHER ?

I didn't say that, but I had a 2005 LR3 and a 2005 LJ Rubicon. The Ruby could do way harder trails, but I'd rather take the LR3 over the majority of the terrain that we typically run. It was just so much more comfortable and spacious, and its off road capability never left me needing more. In the Ruby, the actual Rubicon trail was a cakewalk, finished it in a day and was a bit disappointed after looking forward to that iconic trail for so many years. It would have been more fun in the LR3, but certainly not as easy

Where the Jeep was preferred was in the big rocks or on miles and miles of corrugated roads, such as throughout Death Valley. I could tighten up all the vibration loosened bolts pretty easily simply because everything was exposed and accessible. The Jeep is not much more mechanically advanced than a common farm tractor. The LR3 is actually pretty basic mechanically speaking, but not as easy to access. The testament to the LR3 though, was that it could take the punishment of Death Valley's famously bad washboard and still not rattle or squeak 80,000 miles later. That interior was REALLY well put together. In the Jeep, everything rattled or clunked from the beginning, so hearing a new rattle was no big deal In the LR3, simple things like the common spring clip that hold bits of dashboard and side panels have a layer of felt glued onto the metal spring to keep things snug and rattle free. Loved that.

Here are two shots on the same trail.

Jeep:

LR3

 

[huskyfargo]

WOW WOW WOW DID U SAY LR3 IS BETTER OFFROAD THEN RUBICON? HUH??????????????????????????????????????????? U DREAMING BROTHER ?

I said that, and NO...I'm not dreaming. Rubicons are amazing, and I loved mine to death. I sold it in June and bought an 08 LR3, and I love it even more. It's quite impressive and will do anything my Rubicon would do. My Rubicon had to be built to take care of a lot of the factory weaknesses, especially the fact that it was way underpowered. The LR3 was really ready to go in stock form.

I went from this:

To this:

And I don't regret it one bit!

 

[tacr2man]

Comparing a Discovery with a Rubicon is a little unfair to the rubicon , as the LR stable equivalent to the rubicon is defender ,although not imported to US , the discovery is a more suburban "street " type vehicle , so a bit more cosseting with a softer environment .

 

[ebg18t]

All I know is my D2 will handle more terrain than it's driver.. Yes I still get a little nervous on the trail.

 

[REDROVER]

HERE IS HOW IT WORKS, IF U THINK THAT LR3 FITS UR NEEDS AND YOU CAN ENJOY OUTDOORS WITH IT GET IT. doesnt matter who thinks what. i would never get it,( NOT BECAUSE ITS BAD, BUT IT WONT FIT TO MY NEEDS) but many would never get what i got so its fair ,
( i like ugly trucks with balls )

 

[05LR3AZ]

LR4 has a 5.0L V8 which is more powerful, but having to run 19s is such a drag! d

I'm sure this is now more commonly known than when this thread originated but you can get 18's for the LR4 through Compomotive in the UK.

There are 3 AZLRO LR4 owners running 18's that I know of.

 

[JimBiram]

For those still looking for protection, check out Tactical Rovers. They have a pretty full line of accessories for the LR3. And an alternate to the Faultmate is the GAP-Diagnostic II-D EAS controller. Works awesome for adjusting suspension and reading and clearing various faults. Just turned 131k on my LR3. Miss seeing NWoods on the trail.

 

[kman62]

Scott what type of testing of the LR3 are you performing and were can I review the results once you're done. I've owned 3 Jeep GC in the past, mostly used as a DD and weekend light trail duty, here in SoCal . I was able to put over 125k on each of the Jeep GC's without any major issues. My last WJ was totaled and now I'm looking for a replacement, I currently considering either a 2001 - 2003 LC100, 2004 - 2007 Jeep WK Hemi or CRD or a LR3. From reading your article on Top 10 Used I'm more likely to go with the LC100 but I wanted to get some feedback on the 2006 LR3 HSE.

My plans for the vehicle are to use it as a Friday DD, South Western US expedition vehicle and moderate trail rig. I dream of running some of the trails at Moab (Fins, Hells Revenge..) and on occasion a road trip car for a family of five adults and two kids.

One question is what the reliability experience of buying a say a 2006 - 2007 LR3 with over 75k miles, am I'm asking for trouble. I read at least 100 post on the LR3's and it's split on the user's experience. So what are your thoughts? Also do you know if someone put together a guilde on purchasing a used LR3? I've seen something similar on the iH8Mud site for a 100 series Land Cruiser.

 

[kman62]

BTW if I purchase the LR3 I'm also purchasing a fault mate or similar device..

Scott what type of testing of the LR3 are you performing and were can I review the results once you're done. I've owned 3 Jeep GC in the past, mostly used as a DD and weekend light trail duty, here in SoCal . My last WJ was totaled and now I'm looking for a replacement, I currently considering either a 2001 - 2003 LC100, 2004 - 2007 Jeep WK Hemi or CRD or a LR3. From reading your article on Top 10 Used I'm more likely to go with the LC100 but I wanted to get some feedback on the 2006 LR3 HSE.

My plans for the vehicle are to use it as a Friday DD, South Western US expedition vehicle and moderate trail rig. I dream of running some of the trails at Moab (Fins, Hells Revenge..) and on occasion a road trip car for a family of five adults and two kids.

One question is what the reliability experience of buying a say a 2006 - 2007 LR3 with over 75k miles, am I'm asking for trouble. I read at least 100 post on the LR3's and it's split on the user's experience. So what are your thoughts? Also do you know if someone put together a guilde on purchasing a used LR3? I've seen something similar on the iH8Mud site for a 100 series Land Cruiser.

 

[nwoods]

Scott what type of testing of the LR3 are you performing and were can I review the results once you're done. I've owned 3 Jeep GC in the past, mostly used as a DD and weekend light trail duty, here in SoCal . I was able to put over 125k on each of the Jeep GC's without any major issues. My last WJ was totaled and now I'm looking for a replacement, I currently considering either a 2001 - 2003 LC100, 2004 - 2007 Jeep WK Hemi or CRD or a LR3. From reading your article on Top 10 Used I'm more likely to go with the LC100 but I wanted to get some feedback on the 2006 LR3 HSE.

My plans for the vehicle are to use it as a Friday DD, South Western US expedition vehicle and moderate trail rig. I dream of running some of the trails at Moab (Fins, Hells Revenge..) and on occasion a road trip car for a family of five adults and two kids.

One question is what the reliability experience of buying a say a 2006 - 2007 LR3 with over 75k miles, am I'm asking for trouble. I read at least 100 post on the LR3's and it's split on the user's experience. So what are your thoughts? Also do you know if someone put together a guilde on purchasing a used LR3? I've seen something similar on the iH8Mud site for a 100 series Land Cruiser.

kman, I am not Scott, but I do have considerable (though admittedly dated) knowledge and experience with the LR3/RRS platform. I have a wiki of sorts, dedicated to the LR3, online here: http://lr3tips.wordpress.com/ including a brief buyers advice article here: http://lr3tips.wordpress.com/2008/09/11/buying-a-used-lr3-v6-or-v8-which-options-cautions/

I would encourage you to select the 2007 model, as it is the first year to benefit from the lessons learned in the 04-06 model years (04 in the UK only).

I also encourage you to look at the forums listed here, as they are more LR3 focused with a lot of knowledge and (more current) info: http://lr3tips.wordpress.com/top-sites/

In my personal experience, the LR3 can do all that you asked with aplomb, and using a Faultmate or something like it is a great idea. There is a new gadget that just came out that offers all the same features as the Faultmate, but at a fraction of the cost. Check out http://gap-diagnostic.com/products/iidtool.html. You can find them on eBay or from Britpart.

Moab in particular is a blast in the LR3, and I have a specific article on how to reinterpret the trail ratings with respect to the LR3's traction control and limited wheel size: http://lr3tips.wordpress.com/2010/0...-rallys-in-moab-what-lr3-owners-need-to-know/

I would also encourage you to participate in SCLR and or LRCSD events. A lot of LR3 owners are in both of those clubs, and they frequently do trips and trail runs well suited for that platform. http://www.sclr.org/, and http://www.lrcsd.com/

If you have follow up questions, I would encourage to post them up on LRRforums, or send me a PM and if I don't know the answer, I probably know where to find the answer.

 

[cydonia-jacc]

Terrific resources nwoods! Thanks for posting.

 

[kman62]

Thanks nwoods,

I have been on your site and have read most of the information posted. But some how I overlook your "Buying A Used LR3 (V6 or V8?, Which Options?, Cautions?)" article. You have a great site, with very informative articles. I also have been reading some of your posts on the forum. Thanks.

My mind says " Get the Land Cruiser, its reliable.... But my soul says go for the LR3... So I'll start my long struggle of analysis paralysis and then I'll make a spur of the moment decesion based upon, being at the right place at the right time.

 

[unseenone]

The LR3 / DIII is an amazingly capable vehicle, but then so are most Land Rovers. I recently went to SCARR 2012, and it was amazing to see what every flavor of LR can do.

Here is a link to a bunch of the event pictures under SCARR; http://www.disco3.co.uk/gallery/index.php?cat=11463




PM Me for diff or drive train parts.