'05 vs Newer LR3's

[jsciullo]

Are there any major differences between an '05 LR3 and the newer models?
Thanks,
Jim

 

[Houm_WA]

I think 2008 is so far the best model year to get....no lame same-color fender molding and bugs worked out.

 

[JohnKel]

Are there any major differences between an '05 LR3 and the newer models?
Thanks,
Jim

From a reliability stand point YES...the rest for me, at least, are cosmetic and convenience related. The 09 my from what I've seen has too much bling.. but YMMV.

I'm sure others will chime in with better answers Are you buying? if so welcome to the forum and congrats .

Cheers
John in NE Ohio

 

[jsciullo]

Im considering. I saw an '05 today and have been ******* after them for a long, long time. My biggest problem is that where I live is the biggest waste of a 4 Wheel Drive vehicle in the world. I have to drive a couple of hours to get to anything that would resemble a hill. With the exception of a couple of snow falls per year its a big waste. I do however need something to tow my motorcycle trailer. I have a Nisan Titan pick up that I would trade for the LR3. The Titan has been great and I dont want to get into any expensive repair bills with an LR3.

What should I be looking for in an '05 from a trouble standpoint?
Thanks,
Jim

From a reliability stand point YES...the rest for me, at least, are cosmetic and convenience related. The 09 my from what I've seen has too much bling.. but YMMV.

I'm sure others will chime in with better answers Are you buying? if so welcome to the forum and congrats .

Cheers
John in NE Ohio

 

[zulu]

I just picked up a 2005 LR3 HSE and loving every minute with it. I bought it on Feb 28th (Saturday) after two weeks of inspections, research, and harassing the dealership about TSBs. Lucky for me, this 05 was a loaner for this dealership which sells Jags, Bentleys and LR and RRs.. so for them to maintain a loaner for their clients was a must. So, all the TSBs were addressed but the warranty expired in Jan 09. After a month, the dealership offered to do one free maintainance on the car for me from changing all the fluids and some bulbs free of charge. I bought a 4 year extended warranty along with the car (part of my negotiations..). To date, I havent noticed anything and trust me.. I am looking and listening constantly. LOL..reading about other people's woes tend to make me paranoid (ie, whenever it rains, Im ALWAYS looking at my sunroof when I get into the car...). I love how the car looks, I love how the car drives and Im always looking for an excuse to drive it (what works out for me is that I mostly drive it during the weekends. I have a company car that I take to work which helps out in the gas consumption department...major justification point for me when I was thinking about buying this car.). As I mentioned earlier, I bought the car on a Saturday, I had to go out of town on the Monday for 4 days.. during that 4 days.. I think I missed that car more than my family..LOL..

 

[05LR3AZ]

05lr3

I've had my 05' LR3 for about a year. It is still under factory warranty and I purchased an extended warranty (just in case). This vehicle is awesome! I don't do trails too much but I hit the dunes and tow a trailer.

The only issues (knock on wood) have been:
vehicle lunges forward violently at a stop (fixed easily w/ software update under warranty)
A/C recirc made a funny consistent noise (fixed under warranty)
Brakes last 15-20k miles (just caught me off guard and is costly)
Factory tires are lame (upgraded to a more aggressive look)

Other than that it's such a great vehicle. I had a brake controller installed and the factory wiring kit w/ both the 4-pin and 7-pin and it's really convenient yet hidden. Towing is smooth with it.

 

[Houm_WA]

I have 62,500 miles on my '05 and have not replaced the front brakes yet. Last week it was in for a routine service and the pad thickness was at 0.04mm still.

 

[JohnKel]

Im considering. I saw an '05 today and have been ******* after them for a long, long time. My biggest problem is that where I live is the biggest waste of a 4 Wheel Drive vehicle in the world. I have to drive a couple of hours to get to anything that would resemble a hill. With the exception of a couple of snow falls per year its a big waste. I do however need something to tow my motorcycle trailer. I have a Nisan Titan pick up that I would trade for the LR3. The Titan has been great and I dont want to get into any expensive repair bills with an LR3.

What should I be looking for in an '05 from a trouble standpoint?
Thanks,
Jim

I would check with the dealer and make sure all recalls were done and what TSB's had been completed, also you could check CARFAX for the repair history,but as far as what to expect in the future

If you don't need the off road capabilities of the LR3 you may want to consider something else, but for me I can't envision not having one in my driveway... my Land Rover is the best vehicle overall that I've owned HTH

John in NE Ohio with not near enough places to go
LRNR 09 here I come or bust!

 

[BigArt_LR3]

I have 62,500 miles on my '05 and have not replaced the front brakes yet. Last week it was in for a routine service and the pad thickness was at 0.04mm still.

How did you manage that??? I have under 37K on my 05 and I'm going to need my 2nd brake change soon. Share the wealth!!!

 

[Houm_WA]

...first of all, my bad that should probably read "4 mm still" but to answer your question:

I don't know. If I had to speculate I'd say it's because I'm simply not a hard braker. I try to avoid using them, actually. Furthermore, I drive in Sport Mode any time I'm not on an interstate and I use Command Shift more than the average driver.