Potential LR3 HSE Buyer: Scared Off

[xcursion]

Love is blind. This is the car I got to have and I am willing to overlook certain things. Let's face it, LR cars will have issues, just like any European cars. But if you are willing to take the chance, the experience will be truely sensational. But if you are not, buy a Japanese. It realy depends on what you are looking for.

 

[jptruck]

Sorry, "recalls" was probably a bad term to use in my description: Gas tank has been replaced (recall), A-Pillar leak has been repaired twice, but still leaks water into vehicle (not a recall, but a model defect), Coolant sensor has been replaced twice (not a recall, but a model defect). The speaker thing is ridiculous: I was told by the service tech that they have replaced the speakers in more than 30 LR3s at one location alone.

I guess the 8-hour to 2-day waits to get each of the above fixed ****** me off more than anything. I've never had issues like this in a Japanese car I've owned. Quality control is lousy, but I guess that's part of the charm.

 

[davechogan]

Expectations

I have 5k on my '05 HSE and I could not be happier. Have I had any "issues"? Yes. I just had a compressor replaced, a new passenger side speaker installed, the new recall issue fixed and some basic trim adjustments. I also have cupping on my tires. That being said, all things have been dealt with by my dealer, Land Rover Annapolis. I got an appointment the next day, and since they were out of Land Rovers, I got a Jaguar as a loaner. I have owned Mercedes, Lexus, Acura and Volkswagen vehicles in the past. Was I happy with them? Yes. Did I have "issues" with them? Yes. Was it expensive as hell to fix them, being imports? Yes. Do I have different expectations of this vehicle? No. I fully expect to have issues, as I did with the other vehicles. I expect my dealer to handle them in a professional manner, and they have. Will others have different expectations? Yes. Will they be more "upset" with the issues? Probably.
Will I buy another Land Rover vehicle? Yes!

 

[lr3driver]

I am holding my breath for an 07. Folks at NY Auto show told tat there are some fixes on the way. They were not very specific though

 

[schafari]

I have a 05 HSE with about 5K on it. It has had less problems then my 05 Honda Odyssey. Both are new vehicles for 05. If feels immensely more solid that the Honda. I did have the compressor replaced, and the fuel tank recall.

 

[toddjb122]

'05 HSE w/ 17K on it. Love everything about it except the price of gas.

Took it in for the tank recall, and scheduled maintenance. On a maintenance visit they noticed a computer fault code I had only seen once and they replaced my rear diff. No skin off my bones as I had an LR3 loaner during the work and never noticed any problems from the fault anyway.

Keep in mind you're going to hear much more of the gripers online than the satisfied customers. That's just the nature of who will make the most noise. A lot of drivers are happy with it as-is and see know reason to seek out a forum to gripe or tech-out!

 

[neytas2000]

GO for it. I was reading / writing on this forum for over 6 months before I took the plunge. The one thing you will notice is that more people have bad things to say than good. Unfortunatly Bad news travels better than good news. But I am not at all regreting my purchase. And like others have said, there is no other vehicle (outside of a Land Rover product) that gets me more excited than my LR3.

Well except maybe an Enzo Ferrari or Porsche GT4, but those are a total different category. I think you will be happy. GO FOR THE GAS PIG!!!!!

 

[TimLR3]

I own an '05 LR3 SE with 9500 miles on it. I just dropped it off at the dealer again today for another Suspension Fault. This problem was already "fixed" once about 6 months ago. I've had the gas tank recall done, had the radio replaced, coolant sensor replaced, a-pillar leak, etc. My wife and I love the LR3 but there's just way too many problems with it for me to ever recommend. I finally decided to trade it in on another vehicle last week. Needless to say I was completely shocked to see what dealers were willing to give me for my 1 yr old $50k+ vehicle. I was offered $34k from one dealer (who is also a LR dealer) and $35k from another and my LR3 is loaded and in excellent condition. I've never owned a vehicle before that depreciated so much so quickly and has had so many problems.

 

[Houm_WA]

So...

Norcal, I think (or hope) that you've arrived at a conclusion by now. If not, here is mine:

The LR3 is $60k luxury-tank that also has some issues, many of which are not the biggest deal in the world, but annoying nonetheless. Some people can live with that and see it as a fair trade for performance...others don't.

So it really comes down to YOUR threshold for these things. I can tell you my situation as others have, but I think the picture is clear. You're going to get a splendid vehicle to drive...when it's working !

So, unless you ask one of us to decide for you, the ball is in your court.

I'm not trying to indicate that the horse is dead (even though it is)....rather I'm interested in knowing what your take is after hearing all this.

It's like a reality-TV show !!!

 

[roverman]

I agree with you Houm. We are basically trying to re-state an entire forum on one thread. Read. Be thorough. Decide.