Some questions about an LR4 for overland travel

[Excelsior]

Hello all.

I've currently got a '10 Tacoma, lifted, bumper, winch, etc...

I'm at the point now where I'm looking at some fairly major upgrades: Suspension not made of wood, air lockers, rear and rocker armor, re-gearing, etc...

The thought popped into my mind that my parents have been driving an LR4 for the past few years, but as time goes on it makes less sense to keep a 100,000 mile Land Rover for daily driving duties, especially given the fuel economy, and so they've been considering getting rid of it in favor of a newer LR/Something different. So, I asked myself, what if I sold the Tacoma, bought the LR4 from them, and used that?

The way I see it,

Advantages: Better platform to start with (rear locked, cross-linked suspension, high intake, etc...), V8 that can actually handle 75mph speed limits at 8000 feet, not using a quarter tank of gas to go 20 miles (YES), amazingly wonderful on-road ride and interior comfort, seating for 7*, Not having to spend the whole time thinking "What's that rattle? Is that my axle vibrating? Why does this thing feel like it's going to explode?"

Disadvantages: Far smaller aftermarket, difficulty finding tires (in my experience), Less versatility for mounting things (Truck beds are nice for that), Having to spend the whole time fixing minor issues.

So far, for 100,000 miles on the "Least reliable car in america", it's been flawless. A few electrical niggles, but no major mechanical issues. That's kind of why I'm worried. If you're playing Russian Roulette, and you've won five times in a row, it's a good time to quit.

So I figured I'd ask around here; What are the odds of a "You're not getting home" serious failure, assuming regular maintenance is performed? I'm sure that there will be some rather expensive scheduled items coming up, but are there any that are ludicrous? (BMW M5's infamous VANOS service comes to mind)

Is it possible to find decent off-road wheels/tires without having to install the brakes from a 96 camry?

What sort of tire diameters can be run without serious rubbing? Is there anything obnoxious that gets in the way, like the Tacoma's body mount? I'm not trying to run super swampers for the mud boggin, but my Tacoma can barely handle a 30" tire, and I'm tired of appreciating my skidplate.

What aftermarket accessories there are: Are they absurdly expensive? As in, only one company makes this product, and they only sell 5 a year so they have to make all their profit on those five?

If these questions are stupid, ill-informed, already answered, or anything else, I apologize. I'm way tired and my battery is dying. Any help would be appreciated.

EDIT- I should mention: I mainly do trails around the high desert and the western US. No desert racing, no boulder fields, etc... I just like to get from one place to another via the fun route.

Here's the rough state of my truck currently:

 

[Eniam17]

There are two good threads going that you should check out. One about an air suspension to coil spring conversion on an LR3, and one about the Overland Journal LR4. They talk about usability, reliability, pros and cons, etc.

 

[roverandom]

I have over 270,000Km on mine. Other than EAS issues and a dead T case ecu it has only needed service items. I do all the work that does not require factory textbook myself. It's a very complex vehicle, but what isn't these days?

Aftermarket gear for the LR3/4 is still pricy and limited but you can score deals finding used stuff. My bumper, winch, sliders and roof rack were all used when I got them. When i first had them the winch had never even been used!

My 2c

 

[axels]

It's difficult to comment on higher mileage LR4s as they aren't that many around for now.

As far as mine is concerned, I have about 52k miles and all is good. As it's a 2010, it seems like I'm going to need a new compressor (going in Wednesday).

I've gone for long distances without having any problems and in a very comfortable way.

Based on research, I do believe that the LR4 is much more reliable than the LR3 has been but only time will tell.

My thought is go for it and get it ready for overland travel or anything you see fit.

 

[Ray_G]

Based on research, I do believe that the LR4 is much more reliable than the LR3 has been but only time will tell.

My thought is go for it and get it ready for overland travel or anything you see fit.

I think there is a need to be nuanced with that; i.e. the LR3-by all the research I've done and interactions I've had-is simply light years beyond the Dii/P38 era-there may be a relative improvement between LR3s and LR4's but there are some trade offs there too which, with age, may be of note too.

I would say that the LR3/LR4 had some teething problems early on like any new model does, that each individual platform has some quirks to it which seem to be well identified (water ingress, low voltage related gremlins, brake switch/bulb light ramifications, parking brake issues, compressor demise...that's the list I can think of off the top of my head) but this is still very relative to the Dii or P38 issues that seem to be more commonplace.

At least that's my take, and I concur with the notion of just going for it for overlanding!
r-
Ray

 

[Colin Hughes]

The smile hasn't left my face since I picked up my 2007 HSE last Friday. Check out disco3.co.uk. Lots of high mileage Discos on there, although many are TDv6. The trucks have wear and tear items you need to budget for and if you do, you won't be surprised and will enjoy it immensely.

 

[A.J.M]

That.

The highest mileage D3 we have in the UK, is on 568,000. The original tdv6 did 478,000 before being changed out. The original autobox and TC did 330k before it went bang.
That was before ZF released the info that the boxes ARE NOT sealed for life, and that oil changes of 75-100k should be done. 75k for those doing regular towing.

The D4 also has a better stronger compressor which may of us in the UK are swapping over to when the originals wear out. I've heard of very few D4 compressor failures.

Simple stuff for them is keep it serviced, they like good quality filters and oils. Buy a code reader as that will save you the expense of trying to get a garage to read it. The market has loads out there.

There are some parts out there to modify it, but the basic platform is very capable and hugely practical for load hauling, daily driving duties and towing. I would go for it.

You may need to check the front lower wishbones, the rear uppers, the arb bushes though as these are the parts that wear out about that mileage on D3's.