85,000 Mile LR3?

[Tooch]

So, overall I’m getting the feeling there’s not a *huge* amount of risk by going ahead with this? I’ve tried to do my homework and have been looking for one of these for awhile but they all seem to have a ton of miles on them or have been abused (or both!)

This is by far the lowest mileage decently spec’d V8 I’ve come across so far, just had some concerns about the lack of full service history - which everyone seems to say these cars require. It has everything I want except for the HD pack, but as mentioned here (and by others), it’s not an essential option. Realistically I don’t think I’ll be doing any really hardcore wheeling with it at the start anyway, I’ll mostly be using it for camping etc with the family and getting further out than our current family crossover can handle (I haven’t owned a proper 4WD in a couple years and am missing it)!

Assuming I go ahead with this and get all the basic maintenance dealt with there shouldn’t be anything that leaves me stranded by the sounds of things?

Thanks again for the advice so far! If I think of any other questions I will definitely ask. Will let everyone know how things go as well. I might have more questions after it’s inspected.

 

[XJLI]

Go for it. You’ll spend money baselining with fluids and maintenance no matter what. A clean low miles LR3 is hard to come by now, and a diff isn’t that expensive if it eventually needs it. If there’s no rust on a truck it’s worth fixing if you enjoy it. And honestly if you find yourself needing the locker, the ARB is on demand whereas the factory one is “when the ecu thinks you need it.”

I wanted a HD pack truck, and got one, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. I’m not wheeling like I used to.

 

[gabrielef]

I’d ask them to remove the Air Suspension relay and see if any of the struts leak down overnight.

When you do buy it, do yourself a HUGE favor and buy the GAP Tool, it’s essential for all the troubleshooting and functions it can perform.


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[Tooch]

I’d ask them to remove the Air Suspension relay and see if any of the struts leak down overnight.

When you do buy it, do yourself a HUGE favor and buy the GAP Tool, it’s essential for all the troubleshooting and functions it can perform.


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I like how you said “WHEN you do buy it...” hahaha! It’s all but in the bag now I guess.

GAP tool is definitely on the radar.

 

[Colin Hughes]

What part of the country (province) is the LR3 you are looking at?

 

[soflorovers]

So, overall I’m getting the feeling there’s not a *huge* amount of risk by going ahead with this?

I'd say that the majority of individuals on this forum will agree that the LR3 is one of, if not the most reliable Land Rover built in recent history. There are a significant number of members here who have 250k+ miles on their trucks without major issues. Keep a $5,000 safety net to address everything that was mentioned above, but after that you'll have a vehicle that will happily continue to add hundreds of thousands of miles to its odometer without issue. They all eat control arm bushings and compressors (it's just what they do). Early ones have shoddy diffs and you should probably go ahead and change your cooling hoses now considering they're 15 years old and rubber tends to degrade with time. Biggest PITA will be the transmission service - look that up. Air suspension risk can always be mitigated with a coil swap if you're really at the end of your rope, but I recommend maintaining the OEM air system. Finally, buy an IID GAP tool if you plan on doing work yourself. Overall, there's not much risk to this based on the limited information.

 

[gabrielef]

soflorovers pretty much nails it. I follow him on IG and he knows his stuff.

My rig is about at 272K miles and I just stay on top of everything and it has indeed been very reliable. I changed my LCA bushings to poly, but kept the others OEM, and I haven’t changed the LCA’s in years. My radiator and 6 of 8 coolant hoses I changed at around 235K miles and I prob should have changed them earlier. 3 of 4 suspension airbags were original too when I changed them at about 235K miles.

Anyway, there’s really nothing that can’t be set right on these things and they just keep going.


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[soflorovers]

soflorovers pretty much nails it. I follow him on IG and he knows his stuff.

My rig is about at 272K miles and I just stay on top of everything and it has indeed been very reliable. I changed my LCA bushings to poly, but kept the others OEM, and I haven’t changed the LCA’s in years. My radiator and 6 of 8 coolant hoses I changed at around 235K miles and I prob should have changed them earlier. 3 of 4 suspension airbags were original too when I changed them at about 235K miles.

Anyway, there’s really nothing that can’t be set right on these things and they just keep going.


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Flattered, thank you for the compliment. Just have some experience around these rigs, that's all. One more thing that I forgot to mention..... PARKING BRAKE! Make sure it's operational before you buy. If it seizes during your test or gives you issues, account accordingly because it's also a PITA to fix and will cost some $$$ to set right. In case OP don't know, LR3's use an an electronic parking brake that will seize if it hasn't been regularly exercised (T-Case on my D2 did the very same due to lack of use).

 

[Tooch]

Nice! All good info here, thanks again! Parking brake is working fine apparently, no other known electrical issues.

The car is in Vancouver and has been there since new, so likely has not seen a lot of harsh winter weather (i.e. hopefully not a lot of rust underneath from salty roads)

I actually put down a deposit on it last night... pending the results of the inspection I could be picking it up as early as next week! I mentioned to the garage to pay attention to the diffs (in addition to the usual issues).

One last question - when the compressors fail does it happen suddenly or are there warning signs?

 

[Blaise]

If the border wasn't closed I'd offer you a hand loooking it over, I'm just down the road in North Seattle. Good luck!

 

[Tooch]

If the border wasn't closed I'd offer you a hand loooking it over, I'm just down the road in North Seattle. Good luck!

Appreciate that! Man this community is awesome already!

 

[gabrielef]

One last question - when the compressors fail does it happen suddenly or are there warning signs?

There will be amber or red suspension faults popping up on the dash. You may see slow-to-raise performance. The compressor running all the time is usually a sign of a leak in the system, which is normally why they end up failing. At 85K miles I wouldn’t be to concerned yet about the three valve blocks or compressor desiccant breaking down, but it wouldn’t hurt to replace it. The valve block may start leaking and they just need new orings. You can find those for $30 for all three valve blocks. Or spend $200+ on new blocks.

If you come out to your rig the next morning and the suspension is sagging, figure it out ASAP, to save your self more costly repairs.

Arnott is a good replacement brand for the airbags and compressor, but if you’re a hard core off-roader/overlander, perhaps stick with OEM. Some people haven’t had good luck with them. Thankfully, Arnott products are lifetime warranty, which makes them super appealing.


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[Carson G]

Check the lower door sills for rust they commonly rust out there in the UK and if they’ve been around a lot of salt or water and mud they’ll rot out there. You should be able to see the back sides of them from under the truck. You can get the plastic covers off pretty easily with a regular flat head screw driver it’s a few screws and clips.

 

[Tooch]

Thanks again to everyone here - I had the truck inspected today and everything checked out. The only pressing issue is the rear brake pads and rotors (~30% left, so not even that bad), everything else looks to be in good shape. I managed to get some more history on it too. Turns out the compressor was replaced 3 years ago. Still original air struts though. Battery and alternator are about 4 years old. No codes, no leaks, suspension is tight, nothing of note with the diffs. I’m pretty excited, should be picking it up next week if all goes according to plan!

 

[gabrielef]

Thanks again to everyone here - I had the truck inspected today and everything checked out. The only pressing issue is the rear brake pads and rotors (~30% left, so not even that bad), everything else looks to be in good shape. I managed to get some more history on it too. Turns out the compressor was replaced 3 years ago. Still original air struts though. Battery and alternator are about 4 years old. No codes, no leaks, suspension is tight, nothing of note with the diffs. I’m pretty excited, should be picking it up next week if all goes according to plan!

Awesome! Post up some pics and make an IG account we can follow!


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