Buying an used LR as my first car

[LewTK]

Hello

Excuse me if this isn't the right place to post it but I will soon be getting my license and I'd like to buy myself an SUV, I've gotten glimpses at Land Rovers and they look rather but but I'd like some pointers towards it.

My friends have told me that LR's break down often and I've seen mixed reviews on the internet, so I'm a bit skeptical

My budget is around 10k euros so I'd like to know if it's even possible to get something decent around that price.

This is an Estonian site but this is the LR I was looking at

If you don't want to open the link then this

Land Rover Disocvery 3 2.7 2009/186,400km(115823miles) mileage/diesel

[Snagger]

They break down often if they have been neglected or abused.  If they have been well cared for, they tend to be fine.  The reason that classic Land Rovers get singled out for this accusation is that so many of them are still around.  Most other vehicles have long been scrapped by that point.  But those few other marques that last a long time also get the same reputation - VW Beetles are notorious for breaking down, but it’s age and lack of care that is the problem.
 

Most unreliability comes from the electrical system.  If you take the time to go through it and clean the contacts and add a glob of grease to prevent corrosion, then it behaves well.
 

Do yourself a favour and try to drive a good and a bad one before you buy.  That way you will know what to expect, as most people only have a small budget for a first car, but you’ll also be able to recognise how it should be and what needs attention (thus not being one of those idiots who thinks they all have bad brakes or sloppy steering).  But buy the least modified vehicle you can - unless you know what to look for so you can assess the quality of the work, anything modified is a minefield.  That also applies to electrics - find some photos of what the dash and engine bay wiring should look like for that age LR and don’t buy one with alterations, as the electrics are usually the most butchered part and possibly the most confusing for many to fix.

But don’t be put off the idea - you’ll love it and hopefully it’ll be with you for the rest of your life; they become part of the family.

[Sheffield]

I agree, if looked after they are fine. in the last fifty years i have owned three Land rover vehicles, and had to be recovered once only. My present one, an ex Police Discovery 1, whcih i have had for nine years, has never let me down.  

[FridgeFreezer]

Don't do it - the Disco 3 is fearsomely complicated, unless you know what you're doing it could be huge trouble/expense for you.

They're great when they're working but they're high maintenance.

[Gazzar]

Get a Hyundai, or a Kia, great warranty. If you want a modern reliable SUV think Eastern Asia.

Or a Isuzu, they're good.

A modern Landrover, like most modern highly sophisticated vehicles, requires a lot of commitment.

The modern stuff is superb, but fickle, and you can be very unlucky. Look up the oil pump failures, ball joint failures, just to get an idea.

Or, buy a series / defender. A well maintained defender is a great vehicle.

If, you LIKE a challenge, get a disco 3.

[Tanuki]

A Disco3 is - compared to LR's later offerings - relatively simple!

Though there can be some nasty snags: replacing the drive-belts can be murderously-expensive [the rear one that drives the HP fuel-pump *officially* requires the body to be lifted from the chassis, and it needs doing every 7 years/105,000 miles].

Personally, I *like* modern electronics in vehicles - they can give you a good guide as to where the problem is when things go wrong, so your mechanic does not spend hundreds of Pounds/Euros/Zlotys/Roubles replacing parts in the hope that 'it might be the part that fixes the problem'.

[L19MUD]

2 hours ago, Tanuki said:

A Disco3 is - compared to LR's later offerings - relatively simple!

Though there can be some nasty snags: replacing the drive-belts can be murderously-expensive [the rear one that drives the HP fuel-pump *officially* requires the body to be lifted from the chassis, and it needs doing every 7 years/105,000 miles].

Personally, I *like* modern electronics in vehicles - they can give you a good guide as to where the problem is when things go wrong, so your mechanic does not spend hundreds of Pounds/Euros/Zlotys/Roubles replacing parts in the hope that 'it might be the part that fixes the problem'.

That rear belt can be done body on by a competent DIY mechanic and I agree a Disco 3 is nothing to be afraid of! 

 

[geoffbeaumont]

Bottom line with any Land Rover (or any other vehicle that needs significant maintenance) - can you either:

1. Afford to pay someone else to do the work
2. Find the time to do it yourself, and if you don't already have the necessary skills (probably not if it's your first car) are you prepared to spend time learning them

2 still involves cost - you still have to buy the parts and consumables and tools you don't have and can't borrow - but you save the considerable cost of labour. It can also be very rewarding if you enjoy that sort of thing. If you don't enjoy it it will make you miserable and stressed! You also need to take into account whether other people have a claim on that time - you might love spending hours working on your car every weekend, but if your wife/girlfriend is expecting you to spend time with them you are still going to end up miserable...

I bought my first Land Rover expecting to do 1, and found I actually couldn't afford the mounting bills, so had to learn to do it myself. It rather took over my life, but I don't regret it.

[Simon_CSK]

8 hours ago, geoffbeaumont said:

I bought my first Land Rover expecting to do 1, and found I actually couldn't afford the mounting bills, so had to learn to do it myself. It rather took over my life, but I don't regret it.

My first wife couldn't stand thefact that I loved my Range Rovers, and my dog come to that, more than I loved her.

Loyalty lasts a lifetime.

[Bigj66]

3 hours ago, Simon_CSK said:

My first wife couldn't stand thefact that I loved my Range Rovers, and my dog come to that, more than I loved her.

Loyalty lasts a lifetime.

My third couldn’t either, hopefully the fourth will be more understanding 😂

[Simon_CSK]

9 hours ago, Bigj66 said:

My third couldn’t either, hopefully the fourth will be more understanding 😂

Glutton for punishment. 4 wives and Land Rovers!!  

At least my new wife said I could have 10 cars. Collect no. 11 sometime this week.

[Bigj66]

1 hour ago, Simon_CSK said:

Glutton for punishment. 4 wives and Land Rovers!!  

At least my new wife said I could have 10 cars. Collect no. 11 sometime this week.

Just to clarify....I’m not really on No4🤣🤣

[L19MUD]

1 hour ago, Simon_CSK said:

At least my new wife said I could have 10 cars. Collect no. 11 sometime this week.

I don't even really know how many vehicles I have myself which makes it much harder for the wife to keep count. I spread them round to make it more difficult

[Gazzar]

Do we really need it? 

That's what I get.

[Simon_CSK]

53 minutes ago, Gazzar said:

Do we really need it? 

That's what I get.

The wife?

The Land Rovers?

or the Dog?

                

[Simon_CSK]

2 hours ago, L19MUD said:

I don't even really know how many vehicles I have myself which makes it much harder for the wife to keep count. I spread them round to make it more difficult

Even better I can have them all at my home.......

The wife lives abroad.     

[Gazzar]

1 hour ago, Simon_CSK said:

The wife?

The Land Rovers?

or the Dog?

               

My darling wife, who is very forgiving, sometimes asks how much the project costs. I don't keep a record, allowing to say with honesty "I don't know". This does hurt her head, somewhat, but it's for the best.

[Simon_CSK]

8 hours ago, L19MUD said:

I don't even really know how many vehicles I have myself which makes it much harder for the wife to keep count. I spread them round to make it more difficult

Even better I can have them all at my home.......

The wife lives abroad.     

[Simon_CSK]

5 hours ago, Gazzar said:

My darling wife, who is very forgiving, sometimes asks how much the project costs. I don't keep a record, allowing to say with honesty "I don't know". This does hurt her head, somewhat, but it's for the best.

The only time I involved my wife (first one, have learned since) was to ask her if I could buy my CSK 19 years ago. When I did she said no so my reply to her was "I'm buying it anyway!" Funny how I still have the CSK and the misses is now history. Mind you she was upgrade for a younger and prettier model who strangely enough required much less maintenence.