LR3 vs. Lexus GX

[Houm_WA]

I'm with jimbiram !!!

 

[quietcoolone]

I'm a proud owner of a 2005 LR3 and my advice to to test drive all the so called suv's and at the end of the day you just may end up with the LR3- why?
1. It is not the fastest but it is not underpowered as Disco2.
2. It is not the best looking, but has enough character to turn heads
3. It is not the bigest, but is big enough for 7
3. It may look like a van from the back, but that split tailgate is functional
4. It may not have 3 runroofs, but the single glass top makes for plenty of daylight (other car makers have implemented this idea in their 2007 models)
5. It may not have two side vents, because only one is required (other car makers have implemented this idea in their 2007 models)
My LR3 has 19K miles and has been services twice-- the only issue was a bad set of tires -- LR replaced them under warranty.
My truck averages 17.6 MPG/Hway

There isn't a truck out there that will not require service or a few trips to the dealership. I think may opinions made on this and other LR forums are from Non LR3 owners.

We seem to dwell on what's wrong and don't really give prompts to this great truck.

 

[Anthony0303]

Service in Colorado

I live in Denver and have two Land Rovers a D90 and now a LR3, i've never had bad servi ce at any of the dealership's here, way better than my BMW dealer... But Land rover Dealerships here are very far unless you live in Denver...

 

[Skywaterbanjo]

Thanks for all of your input. We are about 3 hours from Santa Fe, where there is a LR dealer. All of your comments are taken to heart. I realize at the end of the day we have to decide based on our feelings and, as much as possible, 'objective' reviews. We are leaning towards the LR. We have had many annoying glitches with the GX but none of them crippled the vehicle. Sounds similar to the LR. I don't expect any vehicle to be perfect when new (sad statement in and of itself) but we can live with small glitches adding up and getting them all fixed at one time. I really like the styling of the LR3 vs. the GX and I especially like the seat configuration options. What a pain in the rear removing, storing, and replacing the rear seats in the GX. We are going to Santa Fe in a few days for a bit of R&R and will check out the LR3 while we are there.

Does anyone have any experience with the Santa Fe dealer?

 

[zdas04]

They're owned by the same people as Albuquerque, which doesn't speak well for them. Other than that I don't know much about them.

David

 

[Skywaterbanjo]

We just returned from our trip to Santa Fe and ended up spending some time at the Albuquerue LR dealer. I have to say that we were quite impressed with the vehicle. Seems to be built like a tank with a great attitude. The test drive and all the research we did convinced us that we're going to get an '06 LR3 HSE, Zirmat sliver, black interior.

I'd be curious to find out more about Zdas04's comment about the dealership in Albuquerque. Sounds like you have had bad experience with them. The sales guy i dealt with seemed pretty straight and said they have had some 'less than great' feedback about their service department. I'd be curious to know if that is Zdas04's complaint.

Now, the question is price. I'm trying to work with the dealer in Alb inasmuch as i think purchasing a vehicle from your primary service dealer is preferred, but not required. Pricewise, I was quoted over the phone $6000 off list price for the LR3 HSE with the options we want. In addition, the dealer who quoted it doesn't have on in stock but said there are 2 available close by that we can get at no additional charge. Sounds like a good deal to me. I'm not confident that the Alb dealer can match the price, although the salesman told us, when we were test driving, they would match any price. Sounds like a reneg to me.

Anyone have experience with the dealership in Colorado Springs?

What a great forum. Thanks for the input so far.

 

[nwoods]

Be sure to check with the location typically doing your service to see if they provide loaners or even rental cars for service if you did not buy the car from them.

 

[davez26]

Anyone have experience with the dealership in Colorado Springs?

I know for sure that Land Rover Colorado Springs provides Loaners or Rentals for clients who have bought from them.

 

[Skywaterbanjo]

We just committed to buying it from Colorado Springs LR. Very easy to work with, great price, and great responsiveness. I would highly recommend talking to Brian if you are in the market for one.

The Albuquerque dealer did not live up to his commitment of 'we'll match any price.' $6000 difference in the exact same vehicle!!!!

 

[rover4x4dpg]

"MATCH ANY PRICE"

I love working for Land Rover because we don't jack people around like many other dealerships. The car business has a bad reputation unfortunately that came about long before I was in grade school. There are only a few safe havens in the car industry and Land Rover is one of them. "The Land Rover Way" is a sales and experience philosophy that many Land Rover Dealers still abide by(especially us locally owned dealerships who believe in Customer Satisfaction). We are a "one price seller". This allows us to have an open, honest, and stress free experience with our clients. Most people like not having to "haggle".

Unfortunately some still feel like they need to "work us" against other dealerships. Frankly, it is taking advantage of us and the type of people that we are. I am a Christian man with values and I am completely honest with everyone that I work with here at Land Rover Albuquerque. I take pride in doing everything within my power to give people the best buying experience. It is not always the best deal in the business, but I would venture to say that most people aren't out to get the cheapest deal they would rather have the best value.

I have been characterized in a couple of the above posts as saying "we'll match any price". In an honest way I spoke to the customer whom I treated with the utmost respect and professionalism. After being told that they appreciated the test drive and information that I gave, I was told that I was being "comped" with Land Rover Colorado Springs. At that point I explained the business. We don't do specials, and we don't have rebates. The money that is given off of the LR3 is coming from the dealership. If they are giving away dealer cash and honoring a coupon, the we can do that too. . . after all Land Rover North America gives the same incentives to us. However, I later discovered that LRCS was also giving transportation cost out of their pocket as well plus giving more money on a trade than we can give here in the Albuquerque Market (because GX470s here are a dime a dozen). As much as I would have liked to sell the car we just could not do the deal.

I don't appreciate being characterized wrong. I never renegged, nor did I lie. Honestly we were just taken advantage of again. Honestly if I would have said that we could have matched their price, the customer would have just gone to LRCS and tried to get more.

Land Rover Albuquerque has one of the best Sales departments in the entire country with a Customer Service Index well above the national average. My reputation with many other customers speaks for itself. Thanks

+++Tempus Fegit, Momento Mori+++