Will LR4 prices hold?

dcwhybrew

Adventurer
If you are considering an LR3 (since they are all pre owned now), why not consider a used LR4? The age old question pops up in this scenario as well; what do you intend to use it for? You actually have more tire and off road accessory choices for the LR3 than the LR4 (it feels really odd stating that). However, havinging owned 2 LR3s and driven the LR4; I'd go with the LR4. The LR3's 4.4 was a HUGE upgrade to the 216 derived 4.0/4.6. The 5.0 is leaps and bounds better better than the 4.4. That 5.0 is a sweet engine. Very smooth and very powerful. I prefer the LR3's dash lay out. It just seems more useful. But I would chose an LR4 over the LR3 in an instant.
 

lwg

Member
If you are considering an LR3 (since they are all pre owned now), why not consider a used LR4? The age old question pops up in this scenario as well; what do you intend to use it for? You actually have more tire and off road accessory choices for the LR3 than the LR4 (it feels really odd stating that). However, havinging owned 2 LR3s and driven the LR4; I'd go with the LR4. The LR3's 4.4 was a HUGE upgrade to the 216 derived 4.0/4.6. The 5.0 is leaps and bounds better better than the 4.4. That 5.0 is a sweet engine. Very smooth and very powerful. I prefer the LR3's dash lay out. It just seems more useful. But I would chose an LR4 over the LR3 in an instant.

Good point. I've seen some really nice low mileage (still under warranty) trucks for high 30's/low 40's. Saw one that's got every option in Seattle for $41K recently. Really thought long and hard about selling the LR3 and upgrading for that price. I suspect next year there will be quite a few in the $30k range.
 

Ronct110

Adventurer
Good luck LtFuzz getting down to 1 vehicle; very hard for some of us to downsize let alone to "one" vehicle including myself. :)

The LR3 has never really spoken to me but for some reason the LR4 does -- it's slimmer, more graceful looking IMO.

Do you think the 2010s will drop another $10k in the next 2-4 years?

How much do you think a 2013 LR4 with 50k-60k miles will command in 2017-2019?

If you can swing the numbers, go for the LR4; sweet engine, slimmer front end look and you seem to like it better; but get a used one to avoid the steep depreciation out of the showroom.

Problems I heard so far from a fellow LR club member 2010 LR4 owner were: replaced coil pack on Cyl. 4 (11k miles), fuel injector cleaned (11k miles), navigation screen blacked out and battery drained overnight = radio software update (12k miles), Fuel gauge stopped working = replace complete sending unit in fuel tank (17k miles), and vibration from front end = replaced tie-rod ends (22k miles). All under warranty.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, brand new LR4s back in 2010 was going for $60k w/options e.g. upgraded audio, and now in 2012, I see a few used 2010 for about $40k. So that's a $20k drop; plenty of good mods and spare change left from a $20k budget.

By estimation, I think a used 2010 will be around $35k in 2013, $30k in 2014 and about $19k in 2016. Also my guess in 2016, a newer variation of LR4 or newer model (?LR5) will be introduced, and by 2017, LR4 will follow the faith of the 2006 LR3 today in the sub $15k.

Curious if a diesel option will be introduced for 2016 models since the expected CAFE 2016 requirements will be atleast 34.7 mpg for Land Rover. I can't see how the current V8 gas engine on the LR4 can attain that mpg.

Est 7226 LR4s were sold in the US in 2010. Hoping the 99% of 7226 moms/dads who bought LR4s to haul kids/mall crawling will be trading up and selling them to the 1% (who will use them for what they are intended off-road) at a good price.

And I'd wait till winter is over and into 2013 to buy one. Seems w/winter and snow sports in the mtns, atleast in the SF Bay Area , SUVs sales have a prem asking price and lower used inventory.

My bro-in-law is in the new car sales business (European vehicles); he reminds me from time to time plenty of used LR3 or rare occassion LR4 trade-ins that come-in the dealership, but I keep telling him the need to downsize first before I can even think of buying.

Good luck finding the "one" vehicle!
 
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Chuck Prowse

New member
Really?

Never buy a Rover of any kind expecting it to hold it's value over any length of time. They are made to last through the warranty period and be traded in. The only one that holds up is the Defender and that's only due to supply and demand. If this wasn't the case, LR would have backed up their products like the Freelander and D2 when it became obvious the engines were crap due to loose tooling tolerances. I'm talking about things like the '03 oil pump issues and the '04 cylinder liners. No responsibility taken at all. Who else makes a 40 plus thousand dollar vehicle that can't be expected to hit 100,000 miles.

My 98 D1 Has 267k 1996 D1 XD 178k 1990 RRC 178k no problems yet other than regular maintenance. LR4 Has 70k now it's never been back to the dealer.
 

Rickbfried

Observer
Thinking about all this for a while and thought I'd add my 2 cents. There a trick I learned when I was selling cars during college: Go to a dealer, talk about leasing whatever "new" Landy catches your eye. Since you're leasing and not buying, ask what the residual is at the end of the lease. Easy Peasy, have the manufacturer tell you what THEY think the truck is worth in two years, three years, four year or five years down the line. Keep that value in your back pocket, now change tracks, and talk about buying and hit them over the head with the msrp vs. value down the line.
 

spikemd

Explorer
I understand the sentiments of the long-time Land Rover owners here. I am one myself.

If you look at the data, though, the resale market values of all Land Rover products has been on a steady, if not sharp, increase in the last 5 plus years. Discounting the rare instances where someone bought an LR3 for next to nothing, it is difficult to find a clean LR3 of any year or mileage for less than $17000. Considering these cars sold new in the high-$40k price bracket some 6 years ago, I'd say that a 30% residual value is very strong and much stronger than many German brand SUVs.

Once again I understand the general sentiment here, but the numbers don't lie. I work with these numbers on a daily basis in my position with Land Rover and can absolutely state that resale and residual values have never been stronger. There is no reason to think that this trend wont continue or at least maintain at its current level.

$17k? They are a lot lower than than. I bought mine for $14k 2 years ago, my buddy bought one for $14 last year and we are looking at another for $12k next week. All in good condition with relatively low miles.

As far as LR4 vs LR3, we bought a 2011 LR4 for my mother-in-law last summer with 50k miles for $36k. It definitely has a nicer interior, but I prefer the LR3 for any serious offroading. Our plastic wheel arches have much pinstriping and withstand the abuse of the trail. the painted bumpers and arches on the LR4 won't. While the interior of the LR3 is more utilitarian, it wears better because of it. The wood and leather will scratch and it is more challenging to cut or drill through nice wood trim for modifications. Wheel choices and tire sizes are also an issue with the LR4 not able to able to accept an 18 inch rim due to larger calipers. Yes, larger calipers may be better on the road, but I have never had an issue with my 'small' LR3 calipers.

It all depends on how much you prefer that LR4. A car is am emotional purchase and if you aren't satisfied with the LR3, then get what you want and deal with that fact that you could have 2 LR3s for the same price.
 

MrWesson

Adventurer

$17k? They are a lot lower than than. I bought mine for $14k 2 years ago, my buddy bought one for $14 last year and we are looking at another for $12k next week. All in good condition with relatively low miles.

As far as LR4 vs LR3, we bought a 2011 LR4 for my mother-in-law last summer with 50k miles for $36k. It definitely has a nicer interior, but I prefer the LR3 for any serious offroading. Our plastic wheel arches have much pinstriping and withstand the abuse of the trail. the painted bumpers and arches on the LR4 won't. While the interior of the LR3 is more utilitarian, it wears better because of it. The wood and leather will scratch and it is more challenging to cut or drill through nice wood trim for modifications. Wheel choices and tire sizes are also an issue with the LR4 not able to able to accept an 18 inch rim due to larger calipers. Yes, larger calipers may be better on the road, but I have never had an issue with my 'small' LR3 calipers.

It all depends on how much you prefer that LR4. A car is am emotional purchase and if you aren't satisfied with the LR3, then get what you want and deal with that fact that you could have 2 LR3s for the same price.

Considering you quoted a post from 4 years ago I could see that haha.

Now I see why mods hate when people bump posts from the dead(not you but a few posters back).
 

spikemd

Explorer
LOL! My bad. :sombrero: :Wow1: I looked at the last few posts and didn't notice. So let's look at it from that perspective....

Lr3s near me are from 8k (150k miles+) to 20k (50k+ miles). Lr4s for the first time have dropped below the 30k mark with 80k+ miles. So in 6 years, they are at or below 50% of new. Pretty typical.
 

AllYourBase

New member
2011 LR4

Considering purchasing a 2011 LR4 HSE w/56k miles. $30,990 asking price. It has new tires & 20" wheels plus the 3rd row comfort package. Will be first Rover. The accountant side of my brain says 4Runner is better $ sense, but one only lives once. I had a '00 Z28 for 10 years and never regretted that purchase. Still worried about how many years I can expect to keep this and how much maintenance will cost. I can do oil & brakes no problem, but unsure of other issues that could arise. I plugged in a 2006 LR3 w/120k miles into kbb and it was worth about 5k. For comparison a 6 year old 4 runner only loses about 50% of value. Again, hard financial pill to swallow w/3 kids but...

...thought, comments appreciated related to the maintenance side, thx!
 
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ColoDisco

Explorer
I have never owned a LR4 but have worked on a lot of them. Most common expensive repair I saw was the timing chains, more specifically the tensioners. Have never seen them fail. They make a lot of noise prior to failing and can cause timing correlation faults. They do have a updated timing tensioner and runner setup and once they have been replaced they are good to go.

Other issues include the usual heavy SUV weak points same as the LR3, control arm bushings, ball joints, tie rod inner and outers, sway bar bushings and brakes. All fixable and will last depending on use. Dual intake which makes it difficult to add equipment like a snorkel.

Issues corrected compared to the LR3. Have not seen the trans connector sleeve/hydrocoupler (depending on what you like to call it) leak. Suspension compressor by AMK is better and has a better protective bracket. Coolant bleeder T not a Achilles heel like the LR3. Have not seen sunroof drain hoses disintegrate like the LR3. Differentials not as prone to failure. If I sound unsure of failure it is purely because I have not seen it and these vehicles have really not hit the mainstream overlanders or wheelers like the LR3.

As far as prices holding, I seriously doubt it. If history teaches us anything it is that the Discovery platform has never held its value. I for one am looking forward to picking up a cheap LR4 or 5 in the future. Being a LR tech I don't mind the work. :D
 

lwg

Member
I have never owned a LR4 but have worked on a lot of them. Most common expensive repair I saw was the timing chains, more specifically the tensioners. Have never seen them fail. They make a lot of noise prior to failing and can cause timing correlation faults. They do have a updated timing tensioner and runner setup and once they have been replaced they are good to go.

Is this the problem with the plastic chain guides? I've got a 2010 RRSC that supposedly will eventually have this issue. Didn't know it was a problem for all the 5.0 engines up to 2011-ish.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

ColoDisco

Explorer
Yes but not how you may think. The problem lies with the tensioner design and how it wears at the impact point of the guide. There is a TSB for it.
Date Reported
JUNE 13, 2014
NHTSA Reference
#10056266
TSB Reference
#LTB-00474-NAS-2
 

Angry_Man

Adventurer
Ressurected thread. You'll see a brief spike in LR4 prices when the new Discovery comes out and the remaining new LR4s are all sold out. All the pent up demand of people who like the boxy, rugged look will have a run on them with rapidly dwindling supply. Then you will see a massive price drop in the following year as it becomes old world, with everyone who has one intent on keeping it for ages.

Personally I think the 4.4 BMW motor in the LR3 is a world above the five liter in the LR4. The small maintenance differences are miniscule relative to the price difference. I have an 06 HSE I bought a few years ago from another forum member. It came mostly kitted out with bumper, winch, rock sliders, roof rack, CB, dual battery, etc. and was still well under 20K at the time. I've put another few thousand worth of maintenance (brakes, suspension components, fluid flushes) and off road accessories into it. But when you're wheeling 7000 pounds into carolina mud pits, you're going to put added stress onto the suspension. In the end it does everything perfectly for less than half what an LR4 would have cost. I have the HD package. I've been through 800+ miles of sand, mud, and rock trails across five states without issue from my diffs or motor. If one did happen to go, the price of an ARB air setup with manually controlled lockers on both axles is far less than the difference between the 3 and 4. The only suspension faults I've seen were bushing/vibration related and were all trail corrected with the IIDTool. In one case I had a catastrophic swaybar endlink failure (weld broke off under pressure and turned itself into a U Joint, blowing that corners suspension height sensors out in the process) but there's a build mode lock the IID Tool allowed us to block the bad sensor from stranding me on the trail, until it was replaced with about ten minutes of looking at the pieces under the truck. Everything else gets fixed with a code read and reset from the GAP IIDTool. Justin @ Lucky8 can show you the way to making that whole system bullet proof as his is if you desire.

TL;DR: find a creampuff suburban / garaged LR3, or a trail used / maintained LR3 from someone trustworthy and reliable. Set aside $3000, spend a few hours on youtube and parts sights to get all the will fail maintenance items that come with an 8-10 year old truck. Clean it up, get some ORV/OHV permits and have a blast exploring the world with it. Worst case scenario any reputable Ford, Land Rover, or BMW mechanic or dealership can work on it for you.
 
We leased a 2015 LR4 (last at dealer end of year deal) and have never been happier. My wife and I both like the boxy look and it looks good next to my Defender compared to the newer models. We have been talking about keeping her and buying out the lease but I think it will depend on the market at the time of the return. The Jag engine is smooth and has loads of power and all of the bugs (except computer programming changes) have been worked out over earlier LR3/4s. The 3rd row has room for kids and adults in a pinch and we use it regularly for people.
Again it's a LR and depreciation happens quickly with the brand but based on 5 previous Rovers I've owned I think it is the best. A good set of tires and careful spotting and she will go anywhere we need. It's not a Defender but it's a Land Rover for sure.
 

ColoDisco

Explorer
Just a slight correction. The LR3 V8 is not a BMW engine. It is a Jag/Ford engine. And as far as I know the 5.0 liter in the LR4 is mostly a ford based engine. All the parts on the engine are stamped fomoco.
 

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