Couple quick car shopping questions

[antiacus]

Hi there.

Been lurking for a couple years, finally time to purchase my expedition rig

Been going back & forth between an 80, hundy, or lr3 for awhile and i'm pretty much sold on the LR3. Lots of pro's and cons, best saved for another thread.

First, my intended use:
1. 7 miles to work & back 4 days a week plus occasional trips (see below). I put about 300 miles a week on my truck.
2. General exploring. I'm into backpacking, bushcraft, etc. My 8 year old daughter & i regularly go find the wildest spot we can to rub sticks together, build forts & roast meat over fires We also do a lot of shooting & spent 2 hours getting out of a slick spot (lots of clay around here) when the 4wd on my f150 went kerbonk & i didn't know until it was too late.
3. Hunting. Avid hunter, once in awhile i'll find myself in some tricky spot on a dirt road that turned into a cat road that turned into single track that turned into turning my rig around on a dime on a steep slick hill I live in the Willamette Valley and my hunting cabin is in eastern Oregon so it's a 6 hour highway trip to get there.
4. Overland adventure camping. No trips to Argentina in the works. I think i'll start with the Oregon back country discovery route & work up from there. Honestly, with my other pursuits taking precedence i don't know how much of this stuff i can do but it's way up there on my wish list.

On to my assumptions on "what i should look for" and a couple questions:
1. 06-08 lr3 with 75k or less on the clock.
2. Maintenence records that hopefully show control arms & bushings already done. Anything else i should be looking for with regards to maintenance records?
3. 18" wheels for more options.
4. HD package? Not sure how important this is. For most of what i do 4wd is more insurance.
5. V8 motor. Seems like there is very little reason to look at a 6.
6. Any advantage to HSE trim? For my purposes does it basically equate to more stuff that can break?
7. Anything else i'm missing?
8. I'm thinking my target price for a very clean LR3 with 75k should be around 13,500 or is that low?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Eniam17]

You are looking at the right vehicle for what you want to do. My situation is similar to yours and I absolutely love the lr3. It would be highly unlikely if control arm bushings lasted 75k without being Changed to I think you will be in good shape there.

At that mileage / age you will want to have all fluids changed and hopefully most already have been even though the maintenance schedule says ridiculous things like 10 yrs or 150k for diff fluid.

At 75k be prepared to need a new air compressor for eas at some point. Not a huge deal don't be scared off by that, just be prepared.

You will absolutely love this vehicle for commuting, camping, 6 hour drive to your cabin but then being able to raise the vehicle 2.5 inches , throw it in low range, and tackle pretty much everything you are describing with ease (with mediocre Allseason tires).

As far as a real clean 08 with 75k in my area those are going for 20k or more all day long but if you can find one out there for 13,500 that would be great!

For what you described I don't see a reason for HD package.
Good luck!

 

[Eniam17]

Also as an example www.bvlr.com has stocked good used rovers for a long time and usually have some nice ones with little to no rust from the southeast. Maybe a good reference point for prices in general.

Whatever you buy , absolutely have it thoroughly inspected by a trusted rover mechanic. Surprises are what ruin peoples experiences if they don't do their homework before buying.

 

[antiacus]

Thanks man, I really appreciate it.

Yeah, maybe 13,5 is dreaming a bit

Here's an 07 with 75k for 14,9 but i can't see myself buying a rig off ebey. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Land-Rover-...ecc49253f&item=200995841343&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

I read somewhere that the electronic traction control does about 90% of what a locking rear diff does. I would kinda like the cold weather package, seat warmers can be awesome, but that will be more luck of the draw type deal on a rig that has everything else going for it i need.

 

[Eniam17]

I have an SE with Xenon lights, bluetooth/satellite, cold climate package, and 7 seat package and I think it's plenty. I don't have nav but I do like having the 18" wheels. I think there are nicely equipped SE's out there even if you can't find an HSE. These things are incredibly capable; for what you describe I would definitely not worry about the locking rear diff.

 

[JackW]

I have a 2007 HSE white/black that had 87,000 miles on it when I bought it this spring for $16,700. I've owned lots of Rovers so knew what to expect and I must say that I'm impressed with the LR3 - huge improvement over the Discovery 1 & 2 for a daily driver.
Lots more power and typically better mileage than the older brother (13.5 around town up to 21 mpg on the highway - yes I got several tanks at 20.6 mpg and one tank at 21 mpg running 75 mph on cruise control on a recent trip to upstate New York)

Nav system sucks - somewhat useful but a cheap GPS nowadays does a better job. There is an annoying wind noise with the rear windows down. I may be on the verge of replacing the lower control arms and want to switch to 18" wheels but I'm really happy with the car so far - it definitely exceeds my expectations.

 

[LR Max]

05 and 06 trucks can be had at your price range. However I question going that route. Everyone here says that 07+ is the way to go. That said, remember that not a lot of people bought luxury SUVs in 2007, 08, 09, and 10. They just weren't around.

Look around the US. As displayed earlier, two trucks, both 07s with ~75k on it. $5k cheaper in Florida. I'm close enough to FL to make it worth my time. Same for the LR4s. Just look around, FL seems to be ~$5k cheaper which is nice. Dunno what the situation is out on the west coast.

The HD package is great to have. That said, good luck finding one. They never seem to be out there. Fortunately it seems like having the HD package really only comes into play on the rocks. For mud and general trail work, the traction control works great. If it upsets you enough, I think ARB now has air lockers for the LR3. So yeah, spend a bit for aftermarket and get exactly what you want.

Really can't comment on the tire situation. Heck recently I was wheeling and the mud was so slick and hills so steep, nothing could make it up it! However if it concerns you enough, there are a number of hidden winches available for the LR3. That way you can add a winch without anyone knowing it (dunno, being sneaky sometimes is cool). However I'd say try and stick to stock/street tires since it sounds like the pavement is where you'll be 99% of the time.

 

[PhyrraM]

SE vs. HSE.....The memory seats (does mirrors too) are great if you have multiple drivers often. The better stereo is worth it if you listen to mostly music. If either of those doesn't perk your ears, then no reason to single out an HSE. Most of the other options (Cold weather, HD, Nav, HIDs) seem to be on many SEs I've seen anyways.

My kids (13 year old boys) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the rear seat heaters on the cold weather package.

The 7 passenger model actually gets a few more inches of FLAT floor because of the way the second row folds on those models. The 7 seater also gets a 35/30/35 rear seat vs. the 60/40 in the 5 seater.

The HD package isn't just the locking rear diff..it's also a full size spare.

I, personally, like the NAV mainly because it has a few useful off-road based features. (drops "breadcrumbs" for unfamiliar territory, and accepts GPS coordinates for a destination) A smartphone app DOES work better....until your out of service range.

Factor the purchase of a tool such as a Faultmate ($1000) or a IIDTool ($500?) as a requirement of the budget. These trucks have many computer systems and (supposedly) a simple error or glitch can get the overly protective programming to drop the truck into a "safe mode". Simply being able to clear the errors can get a truck off it's bumpstops and back on the trail -at least long enough to get back to pavement and a proper diagnosis.

 

[johnsoax]

I have an 06 SE that I purchased last year with 84k miles on the clock for just under 15k out the door.

It did NOT have the bushings replaced. I have since done that, and I had to replace the middle console control cluster to get my low range to work. Besides those items and a bad battery, it has been a very reliable vehicle compared to my DI that I traded in on it.

I too have a 15 mile round trip commute. I use my truck for basically what you describe, plus I pull a pop up camper with it too.

 

[antiacus]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

I think i'll set my budget at 15, take my time, and shoot for an 07-08.
Really don't care too much about nav, bluetooth etc

So 18" wheels, 75k miles, 7 passenger, V8, maint. records

It sure would be nice to have the HD package if only for the full size spare.

JackW, that's just plain mean What a fantastic stable of vehicles. Do you still have the other rigs in your album?

 

[JackW]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

I think i'll set my budget at 15, take my time, and shoot for an 07-08.
Really don't care too much about nav, bluetooth etc

So 18" wheels, 75k miles, 7 passenger, V8, maint. records

It sure would be nice to have the HD package if only for the full size spare.

JackW, that's just plain mean What a fantastic stable of vehicles. Do you still have the other rigs in your album?

Four Land Rovers, a Kyote dune buggy, a Porsche 356A Carerra coupe, an Ossa 250 Pioneer, and a Uhaul camper comprise the current fleet. I've owned over eighty vehicles over the years including about sixteen Land Rovers, 18 BMW's, 6 Fiats and lots of Eurotrash junk.