If you were to sell your LR3 what would you get if...

[askewed]

I'm in a weird situation. I love my LR3 it's far and away my favorite vehicle that I've ever owned. I love the interior room, the ride and (not sure if it's justified) I feel like my kids are safe in it. Further, I really like the overall look of the truck. That aside I do frequently wish I had something that would go farther then 279 miles on $70 of fuel and needing brakes, rotors and tires at 32k isn't exactly a great feeling. So with that...

In your opinion what vehicles should I look at if I was thinking of getting out of my 2005 LR3 HSE and what is it worth? Thanks! I'm having trouble because I like the LR3 so much nothing else seems to cut it... but maybe one of you has a suggestion I don't know about???

 

[roverman]

What are your priorities? If it's economy and brakes you certainly have to get a smaller vehicle, but you already know that. If you don't go off road, the outback and allroad are pretty cool alternatives, offering safety and economy. Personally, I've gone through this for a while as my lease is up next month. The Landcruiser is an alternative, specs out about the same as the LR3 but is FAR less refined, gets worse mpg, eats brakes faster and is way overpriced. On the flip side, it will probably run to 200k with little or no worry. The Tahoe is an alterntive as well, but it really isn't, lol.

 

[a990dna]

brakes and tires at 32K isn't that bad .. and you're probably not going to find much out there that compares in size and utility.

I would avoid a Land Cruiser -- I just got out of my 2005 through a buy back.. terrible in terms of comfort, rattle traps. Seats are the worst I've had in a vehicle... they drive okay, but I couldn't travel more than 60 min. without having to stop and stretch.

The service was substandard -- one would think you'd get good after sales service with a Land Cruiser, think again. You buy a $65K vehicle where the average cost of a vehicle is $25K .. you get that kind of service, loaner (rental) vehicles are usually camary's.

I'm having a difficult time finding a replacement for the Land Cruiser .. they all get lousy fuel mileage -- at least the LR3 has modern features, good towing ability and you can get them into tight spaces. They have an iPod interface.

You can aways look at a Lexus GX 470, I think they're fugly, parts are expensive -- however you get better service.

 

[grommet]

It all depends on your needs, askewed. I don't think anyone knows you that well. You aren't going to get anything exactly the same as LR3, but with better MPG... and longer lasting tires & brakes. Sorry.

If you want 'comfort' for a family and good mileage... and need zero off-road... you might want to (gasp) look into higher end (gasp!) minivans. There is a reason they are popular and have high resale value. But don't listen to me... we own no minivan.

 

[schafari]

We have a 05 LR3 HSE and the wife's 05 Honda Odyssey minivan. . . Ah, zero comparison. If MPG is what you want, and you have a bunch of stuff to carry, and that is about all the criteria, the Honda will suit you great. Otherwise, I hate, hate, hate to be in the Honda. The LR3 is like a friend and family memeber. Sometimes they may have quirks that get you mifted. However, on the whole, you love them dearly. The Honda, and most vehicles can't bring that out.

32K for brakes is actually pretty good. Any highline car like Audi, BMW, M, even VW and you will be glad to get 32K on brakes, OMG, let alone tires.

IIRC, you have had some bad luck wiht your particular LR. In my case, my bought brand new 05 Odyssey has been in the shop more than my 05 LR3. I also feel like my LR3 can get me through just about anything if need be. Finally, the LR3 has so many little insignificant things on the surface that turn out to be just awesome, that once you get into another vehicle, you will miss them dearly. You may not notice when you have the LR3, but I travel on biz, and man, once I get back, I fall in love with my LR3 all over again.

Many/most cars are appliances now designed against a finanical pencil pusher's demands and constraints. The LR3 actually feels like someone just like me designed the darn thing to work and work well, regardless of constaintants. You just can't find this much anymore. It is the anthesis of an appliance, which the vast majority of cars now seem to emulate. It has strength, passion, soul, and above all else, form that follows function. . .yet somehow, gets the form right to. You just don't come across that much more in automobiles.

 

[zdas04]

I traded in a GMC Yukon on my LR3 for my work truck. The Yukon was just not capable off road. It was really comfortable. Got OK gas mileage. It was a really good vehicle on the highway. It couldn't pull itself out of a mud puddle, and something broke about once a week. I kept it for 18 months and then took a bath on the trade-in. I'm often doing jobs on pretty marginal "roads" that require a D6 Cat to pull rig trucks over--the LR3 generally makes it just fine, the Yukon never did.

I just traded my wife's Lexus GX 470 on a Volvo. The Lexus service was superb, they treated us like they felt we were important. The car was a pig. It had skid plates and a locking differential, but I never could bring myself to take it off road so all that stuff was just extra weight to further reduce the miserable fuel efficiency. The LR3 is a lot more comfortable.

If you never go off road you should probably look at a mini-van or something like the Volvo XC90 (basically a mini-van with doors that swing instead of sliding) which is really comfortable to drive, gets marginally better gas mileage than the LR3, seems to run fine on regular fuel, and has full-time four-wheel drive for trips to the ski hills and some amazing safety features.

If you sometimes find yourself in serious mud or rocks, then nothing I've looked at beats the LR3.

David
'05 LR3, White, New Mexico

 

[askewed]

Everyone is saying what I think... There just isn't a better option. Thanks!

 

[JackMac]

If you want 7 passenger seating, features, better feul economy (than LR3) and reliability, then the Acura MDX is the one to get.

The MDX exterior styling is a bit "out there", but is toned down when painted black. Also, not an off-roader, but that wasn't on your list.

If you want to spend a bit more, then the new BMW X5 is worth a look.

 

[nwoods]

Wait a year or two and get a diesel LR3!

 

[a990dna]

I'm in a weird situation. I love my LR3 it's far and away my favorite vehicle that I've ever owned. I love the interior room, the ride and (not sure if it's justified) I feel like my kids are safe in it. Further, I really like the overall look of the truck. That aside I do frequently wish I had something that would go farther then 279 miles on $70 of fuel and needing brakes, rotors and tires at 32k isn't exactly a great feeling. So with that...

In your opinion what vehicles should I look at if I was thinking of getting out of my 2005 LR3 HSE and what is it worth? Thanks! I'm having trouble because I like the LR3 so much nothing else seems to cut it... but maybe one of you has a suggestion I don't know about???

on another note, run the numbers! .. before downsizing or finding alternatives to lower ongoing operating costs, consider the total cost of ownership.. run side by side comparison on current and future state scenarios.

- depreciation.
- insurance rates.
- interest rate, loan costs.
- miles driven/MPG/fuel costs.
- required maintenance.
- expected vehicle life.
- 3-10 year outlook.

my guess is you'll be able to buy a lot of gas and tires for the sum of the first, second and third year depreciation on a new vehicle (since you're already at three years with your LR3) -- plus consider you may have to buy two vehciles to get everything you want or need in one.

and remember, base that on trade in value as opposed to retail value.