Thinking about joining the club

[manbehindbeard]

Happy New Year everybody.
I've been looking around the LR3 forum for the last couple days trying to study up as much as I can.
It's finally time to get rid of my F150 I've had for 5 years so I'm in the market for a new (to me) vehicle and as of right now, the LR3 leads the pack.
A couple of questions I haven't necessarily found answers to yet. I realize these are probably opinion questions with no definite answers:
1) Is it best to avoid the '05 models since they were the initial build? It looks like some of the "problem" threads list the '05s having more problems
2) Is buying from a LR dealer preferred even if it doesn't qualify as a Certified Pre-Owned
3) Is there a magical mileage number where stuff starts to go wrong?

I'm looking for something around $25K or under so I realize I'm not going to end up in an LR3 with 30,000 miles, but I'd like to avoid buying a vehicle with an average of 20,000 miles per year...that just seems a little scary to me.

Thanks in advance for the help guys. If things keep going the way they seem to be (meaning, if I can keep convincing myself that I don't "need" a truck), then I'll probably be joining the club sometime soon!

-Ryan

 

[JackMac]

Hi Ryan.

The 2005s are fine. The first year issues were resolved by LR through recalls and/or TSBs, and those specific issues were all addressed.

You will encounter additional maintenance items with higher mileage vehicles, along with possible worn bushings and such. Some people prefer the security of an after-market warranty (such as Ford ESP).

Lots of good info here on this forum. Look for my 50K mile Warranty Checklist thread. It will give you some ideas on what to check for when looking at pre-owned LR3s.

Good luck with the search, I'm sure you will find one that fits your requirements.

Cheers!

 

[kingfishgrapeja]

I bought my 06 loaded HSE with 33k for 27600 in August of 09 so you should be able to find a low mileage one in your budget. I did buy mine from Land Rover Solon in Cleveland OH but it was just because it was the best deal at the time. There may be financing incentives from LR to consider as well but other than that I wouldn't limit purchasing to just dealers.

 

[mayast1]

I actually just got an 06' with 29.061 miles for $22,500 (tax and title included) the day after Thanksgiving. Love it so far!

 

[manbehindbeard]

Wow Mayast, that sounds like a solid deal. What kind of equipment does it have and where are you located?
I'm in Nashville and there's only one dealership here and nobody else selling anything low mileage.

 

[mayast1]

I live in Charleston, WV. I decided on the base model because I wanted the low miles. The only package the original owner added was for cold weather. The local land rover dealer here is Smith Motor Company. When I browsed their site last week that had a few new 06 LR's listed and the web price was $23,900. I dealt the David Null. Great guy.

 

[mayast1]

Here is their site...

www.smithcars.com

 

[manbehindbeard]

Thanks man. I'll take a look. I definitely don't need the HSE but I do want the V8 and I'm not sure if I want the 3rd row or not...

 

[kingfishgrapeja]

Don't be afraid to travel a little to get a decent price especially if there is some warranty left on it. Mine was 400miles away but still had a year and 18k miles left on the factory warranty so I didn't worry too much about any niggles that might pop up. You can get to any of the land rover dealerships from landrover.com. Some sites are better with used inventory than others. 3rd row is definitely handy if you have or are going to have family. I would try for it for resale if nothing else.