LR3 V. 4Runner Need To Buy One Now.

[CBnCO]

Currently own 2006 LR3..since almost new and now 225K miles. So, I know a little about the LR3 and it's typical maintenance requirements and flaws. When working properly, we love the Land Rover...Use the vehicle for family, dogs, 200" per year of snow & ice here, forest service roads, hunting, etc.. Considering a used 5th gen 4runner (reliability) or another LR3 (love the fold flat seats, on-road comfort, skylights & visibility). Here is what I'm finding for sale near me, which would you choose & why? I'll post the same on the Toyota page..curious to hear difference of opinion.

Option 1: 2008 LR3 HSE, 120K miles, $7,500, has maintenance records and looks in good shape. No HD package.

V.

Option 2: 2012 4Runner, $85K miles, $22K, trade-in at dealer, Trail version with KDSS

????????

 

[vasily]

s someone who went from a T4R (03 V8 limited with 240k miles) to a LR4, I think I can help. We considered a 2012 or 2013 4Runner and decided against it after living with one for a week in Moab. It was a trail package.

The LR4 and 3 are more present to be in, are more versatile, larger interiors, more comfortable, have a better seating position, more power. I could go on.

As popular as the 5th gen is, I’m not sure the Toyota tax is worth it because I found it underwhelming in every way.

We’ve had the LR4 now for 2 years and I’ve no regrets. I doubt we’ll ever go back to a T4R.


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[CBnCO]

s someone who went from a T4R (03 V8 limited with 240k miles) to a LR4, I think I can help. We considered a 2012 or 2013 4Runner and decided against it after living with one for a week in Moab. It was a trail package.

The LR4 and 3 are more present to be in, are more versatile, larger interiors, more comfortable, have a better seating position, more power. I could go on.

As popular as the 5th gen is, I’m not sure the Toyota tax is worth it because I found it underwhelming in every way.

We’ve had the LR4 now for 2 years and I’ve no regrets. I doubt we’ll ever go back to a T4R.


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Good feedback. I'd never heard the term "Toyota Tax" before, but it certainly seems to fit. Those things, after year one, depreciate in a slow straight line. I'm not concerned much about resale. The LR4's sure do look nice (almost too nice!)..but, really cautious about the 2010-12 model years and their timing chain guide issues. Typical dilemma, heart says LR, head says 4R.

 

[vasily]

The spread between 7,5 and 22k will go a long way to keeping the LR3 on the road.

We went with a mid year 2013 LR4




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[CBnCO]

The spread between 7,5 and 22k will go a long way to keeping the LR3 on the road.

We went with a mid year 2013 LR4

From what I'm seeing the 2013+ LR4's are now priced on par with 4runners..upper teens to low 20's for 90-100k miles...I was hoping to find cheaper to account for maintenance and yes, quite a spread (control arms, struts, etc. etc..would certainly be covered)..thus, the LR3 idea...but, while most of the LR forums are posts about maintenance issues, the 4R one's are about mods. I think no right answer for all, just something to consider as the truck based SUV market is dwindling to just a few possible vehicles.




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[Victory_Overland]

The delta on cost is enough to say you can put a new engine and brand new suspension in the LR3 and still have money left over to put your first tank of gas to run through that brand new engine.

Ultimately, you have to prioritize your cost and usage! I love 4runners and think they are great vehicles; their 2012 technology is almost as good as my 08 LR3 came with though. Newer models are on par for cost comparison IMO, but these two vehicles are apples to oranges for comparison in almost every fashion; specifically starting with cost and year.

 

[DCH109]

Ok I will throw my 2 cents here.

I looked long and hard for a new to me vehicle capable to go off-road and on-road for long distances. Having a LR3 before (but a bad experience and parts at the time were brutal in price) I added it to my list.
Budget was 8500 and that had to incorporate any mods I wanted. I was not interested in a new loan.

I looked at 4Runners, Land Cruisers and a few others.

After driving a LR3 again and looking at the cost of repairs, parts and what I could do myself I decided this was the right vehicle for me.
I found a 07 without the HD package but with the cold climate package for $5500 and low mile and decent amount of paperwork for warrant and other repairs over the years.
Great deal and I bought it.

I figure I could get an ARB if I wanted for a selectable locker and I would be better off as I have heard mixed results of older LR3’s and the electric locker.

ARB maybe one day, by research show the terrain control is great on these and with a hidden winch even better.

I could not find a decent 07 4Runner or Land Cruiser for that price and even then it would not have the off-road or on-road manners the LR3 does unless modded. For 8500 I could find lots of good 4Runners and a few Good Land Cruisers but both would have close to or over 200k

 

[calicamper]

Ok I will throw my 2 cents here.

I looked long and hard for a new to me vehicle capable to go off-road and on-road for long distances. Having a LR3 before (but a bad experience and parts at the time were brutal in price) I added it to my list.
Budget was 8500 and that had to incorporate any mods I wanted. I was not interested in a new loan.

I looked at 4Runners, Land Cruisers and a few others.

After driving a LR3 again and looking at the cost of repairs, parts and what I could do myself I decided this was the right vehicle for me.
I found a 07 without the HD package but with the cold climate package for $5500 and low mile and decent amount of paperwork for warrant and other repairs over the years.
Great deal and I bought it.

I figure I could get an ARB if I wanted for a selectable locker and I would be better off as I have heard mixed results of older LR3’s and the electric locker.

ARB maybe one day, by research show the terrain control is great on these and with a hidden winch even better.

I could not find a decent 07 4Runner or Land Cruiser for that price and even then it would not have the off-road or on-road manners the LR3 does unless modded. For 8500 I could find lots of good 4Runners and a few Good Land Cruisers but both would have close to or over 200k

Very hard to find any decent 4runners or LCs priced even remotely reasonable now. The sleeper right now is the first gen Sequoias. For some odd reason they fly under the radar. Way way superior to the 4runner on long road trips and nearly as good off road.

 

[nwoods]

Former LR3 owner with lots of seat time in Gen 3,4,5 4Runners. The LR3/4 is way more versatile, but you know that. Take a deep dive into Toyota head gaskets. I know the 4th Gen 6 cylinder engine had a common issue with blowing head gaskets, and it’s not a cheap fix unless you can do it yourself. Then it’s only a PIA

I don’t know about the 5th gen engines. Not sure if they are the same, and I don’t know if they are prone to the same issue. So do some research on that before you decide. Otherwise, it’s down to price and confidence and degree of use.

My LR3 was very dependable, and very capable, but it was NOT durable. The 4Runner is durable, extremely durable. Granted, my LR3 usage was atypical. I wheeled it hard nearly every weekend for several years

 

[CBnCO]

Ok I will throw my 2 cents here.

I looked long and hard for a new to me vehicle capable to go off-road and on-road for long distances. Having a LR3 before (but a bad experience and parts at the time were brutal in price) I added it to my list.
Budget was 8500 and that had to incorporate any mods I wanted. I was not interested in a new loan.

I looked at 4Runners, Land Cruisers and a few others.

After driving a LR3 again and looking at the cost of repairs, parts and what I could do myself I decided this was the right vehicle for me.
I found a 07 without the HD package but with the cold climate package for $5500 and low mile and decent amount of paperwork for warrant and other repairs over the years.
Great deal and I bought it.

I figure I could get an ARB if I wanted for a selectable locker and I would be better off as I have heard mixed results of older LR3’s and the electric locker.

ARB maybe one day, by research show the terrain control is great on these and with a hidden winch even better.

I could not find a decent 07 4Runner or Land Cruiser for that price and even then it would not have the off-road or on-road manners the LR3 does unless modded. For 8500 I could find lots of good 4Runners and a few Good Land Cruisers but both would have close to or over 200k

When I started my search recently I found multiple videos and forum posts about how unreliable LR's are and how reliable the Toyota's are; but, these same discussions and comments never mention the price disparity. I think either vehicle can be a good buy depending on the owner's mechanical aptitude and desire/time available to turn a wrench.

 

[XJLI]

My LR3 was very dependable, and very capable, but it was NOT durable. The 4Runner is durable, extremely durable. Granted, my LR3 usage was atypical. I wheeled it hard nearly every weekend for several years

I think this is the biggest "pro" of the Yotas. Not many vehicles can take real off road abuse, over and over again, and not really complain about it. Now, lots of Toyota fanatics shout this to the rooftops but in reality 99% of them are just driving them to a dirt road and taking pics with their RTTs deployed.

The feedback in this thread is helpful to me as well. My next vehicle choice is really narrowing down to the LR3/4, 5th gen T4R, 03-06 Tahoe, and the 05-06 Sequoia. In reality, if you plan to never actually wheel it often and just drive down fire roads and camping, the Chevy comes out #1. I think the Toyota tax, fuel mileage, and just the fact that the motor runs a timing belt in the Sequoia put it to last on the list, unless you are looking for something closer to a Burb in size.

 

[CBnCO]

I also considered the larger SUVs; but, unfortunately none would fit in our current garage. Parking outside in a mountain locale where we get many feet of snow and several months of near zero temps is not appealing if I can help it; thus, the mid-size models I've focused on. In my case, I think both are good vehicles with their own strengths and will ultimately make a decisions in the next few days and roll with it. There are definitely purchase cost/repair calculations to consider; but, I always have a latent fear the LR will light up with faults and break down and when in remote areas, which I am often, that is not exactly pleasant...ultimately, that may trump the ride, creature comforts, skylights, flat floor, third row, and easy camping set-up that I love on the LR.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

Has your current LR3 been problematic? The 08’s seem to be the best sorted, you should be familiar by now with the very common issues, and most of the faults can be cleared on the spot with a IID tool.

Anything can break down, I had a 2000 Suburban which are generally regarded as bulletproof. I was stranded in it due to a brake caliper bolt backing out, which then also cracked the wheel. Extremely simple fix if you’ve got the bolt, but how many carry stuff like that? They also regularly kill fuel pumps, which requires dropping the tank, and usually a floor jack and stands as the car has to be lifted to get the tank out, and the lines aren’t long enough to let it sit on the ground connected.

 

[DCH109]

When I started my search recently I found multiple videos and forum posts about how unreliable LR's are and how reliable the Toyota's are; but, these same discussions and comments never mention the price disparity. I think either vehicle can be a good buy depending on the owner's mechanical aptitude and desire/time available to turn a wrench.

Toyota without a doubt can last a long time, But so can most modern vehicles these days. I will say that Toyota owners will be the first to tell you that they will last forever and buy one now.
Land Rover owners will tell you how unreliable they are but always manage to reference consumables and older land rovers.

The Ford 5.4 Triton V8 has known to hit well over 400K with little maintenance. you will have replaced the transmission at least once though.
My 86' FJ60 had a cracked block at 248K and was rebuilt. 4th gear packed it in at 268K. The head gasket and head were done at 220K.
Older 4Runners (late 90/early 2000) had head gasket issues.
There are guys in the UK with v8 LR3's and over 300K on the clock and general maintenance on the engine.
Lets not ever talk about the GM LS motor.......most have well over 200K and are going strong.

Maintenance is the key to any vehicle. the 4.4 in the LR3 is one of the better engine JLR made. When I bought mine the mechanic I talked to t,old me outright that not to worry about the engine. Check that the maintenance was done and that overall it has been maintained.

Control arm
Ball joints
brakes
batteries
Clutch
Alternator, waterpump AC compressor and so forth
Are all consumables. At least the LR3 lets you know when battery is going bad as it will drop to the bump stops and throw a ton of errors (this is a huge misconception on lots of people saying they have electrical problems when all it needed was a new battery).

Reliability should be based on big mechanical not consumable, but most do not see it that way.
If your vehicle is in the shop because your ebrake stopped working (electrical ones have an override), or your window does not go down, this is not reliability issues.
If it is the shop because it cannot start, or died on the side of the highway to to some stupid sensor, this is a reliability issue and one any and most vehicle have.

90% of Toyota reliability claims are the engine did no pack it in. They do not account for anything else.
My FJCruiser for example the rear door sagged, the shifter locked up and I had to get it serviced, the ebrake failed, etc etc. Ph and it was under powered. LOL.
Discovery 1 and 2 aside from electrical issues (lots) the 2 had issues with the cylinder sleeve slipping rendering the engine useless. This is a reliability hit for Land Rover over all.

No vehicle is perfect. Yes there are some that are brutally crap. But most modern ones if maintained will live well past the 200K-250k mark.

Toyota parts are nor more expensive than Land Rover parts these days. and LR parts have dropped a lot now almost 50% for some.

 

[Colin Hughes]

I sold my LR3 when it had over 360,000 kms on it. I drove a lot. It was very comfortable on the road and while I budgeted for the typical maintenance, it was the oddball stuff that ended up killing me, instrument cluster ($1800), EPB, etc so one year was almost $6K in repairs. Looking at what the truck was worth and what add' funds it would need, I sold it. It was very comfortable for driving, it towed my trailer (self-leveling EAS) beautifully and I'd love to have an LR4 but it's the timing chains there .... I bought a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk and it lasted about a year, could never get comfortable in it. Bit the bullet and bought a 2014 4Runner SR5. I'm loving it, it gets reasonable gas mileage and does everything I ask of it. I could have bought a newer LR4 for about the same money but I'm counting on the Toyota reliability over the long term. I've still got a 1998 Disco I in my garage so even though I've gone over to the dark side, I still bleed green. Oh yes, if you live in an area with road salt, make sure those Can-bus wires that run through the driver's side rear wheel arch are well protected. I ended up on the bumpstops more than once because of that glaring design flaw.