Need your advice on whether to buy or not

[m3marine]

Hey forum people.

Just got back from the Dealer ship here in the US, and I am thinking of buying either a LR3 or the Range Rover.

Here is my dillema, I have a 2005 Supercharged H2, and have had a miriad of issues with GM not only on my H2, but my wifes Denali. So... adios GM... and hello maybe Land Rover.

We are very active, and not only do I haul my family (in a good way) I also have two Bullmastiffs that go along for the ride. I camp, hunt, fish and basically offroad the wheels off of trucks.

So, here lies my question to all of you Experts - How reliable and capable are the Land Rovers? I mean my friend had a defender, and you could basically abuse the hell out of that truck.

But the LR3, and Range Rovers are just so "pretty."

What should I expect should I buy one of these vehicles?

I am leaning toward the LR3 because of the Drive Train - but I am not sure... I have had such bad experiences with everthing that I have purchased other than my M3.

Please advice.

Regards,

Maj. Drew
USMC Ret.

 

[tzucc]

we sold our 6 liter Denali and got the LR3 HSE. The Denali actually was relatively problem free and had a terrific all wheel drive that worked great in the snow. However, it also guzzled gas like nobodys business. The LR3 does pretty well on gas mileage and we wanted to downsize from the Denali XL monster.
My experience at 3500 miles is one with very high satisfaction. Does great offroad, however the stock Wrangler tires are horrible on snow. Look to upgrade that part of the LR3 immediately if you live in the snowbelt.
You can find some owners with some pretty persistent bugs in their cars on this and other forums. I bit my lip and went forward, and so far so good. But here's one consistent opinion among all owners: they love this vehicle, even those with the bugs. That ought to tell you something.

 

[texas911]

I would think that you'll need more space than either model for the family and dogs (those are big dogs!). The LR3 is a great SUV, it drips solidity like no other truck out there, even the RR. It just feels so solid and strong. Take it for a test drive that'll help you out. Most dealers have a rock test track and you'll be amazed at how capable the LR3 is. Good luck!

 

[Outrageous]

Can your dogs jump in via the tailgate? That might be tougher for them than a regular hatch would.

 

[jzk]

I love my LR3. It is just so awesome. However. I have had some issues that might be a big pain in the ass if you are out there somewhere.

First, I had a suspension fault that did not clear with a restart. Basically, it kept chiming and saying not to drive over 30mph. And, none of the modes were accesible nor was offroad height. Land Rover cleared the faults. Water somewhere and something else. Neither were actually happening, just overzealous sensors.

The truck needs a way to reset the faults. For my S4 I had a cable and software on the laptop that allowed me to read and clear faults. Is this available for the LR3?

The second fault I got was while driving through the Lion area of Lion Country Safari. So there are lions walking around 5 feet from the vehicle and I get a "Transmission fault - stop the vehicle safely" or something like this. Well, I wasn't about to try to restart there in the Lion area, so I proceeded to the Gazelle area and restarted. No more transmission fault. This one seemed to clear itself with a restart.

Otherwise, go for it!

 

[Outrageous]

jzk, that's a funny story about the lion park.
1. What VIN range is your truck?
2. Did you get any software update?
3. How did they know the sensors thought they were detecting water?
You can get a cable and software to talk to your car but it's expensive. Let me know if you want more info.