School me on an LR3

[cdansan]

If I am looking for an LR3, what should I be looking for?
V8, V6, HD, HSE, any years better than the others?
Jag or BMW engine?

Ideally I think I want a V8 Hd with the locking rear diff.
This would not be a deal breaker if a cheap clean one showed up.

Thanks, Dan

 

[Devildog01]

07-09.

 

[discostew]

I think I would look for later one too. Locking rear diff is great but the open diff isn't bad and the motor is about a $900 part. I would try to find one thats already had the new design AMK brand suspension compressor on it.You should be able to find a thread about how to tell the difference. Also read up about the lower control arm bushing clunks and hopefully get one that's already had bushings or control arms complete recently.

No question at all about the V8, the V6 kinda sucks a little bit. It will have to be a Jag V8 cause BMW never got a chance to fuck up the LR3.

 

[1920SF]

V8; maint records documenting the life of the truck, compressor upgrade is something worth buying already done.

A minor point compared to the normal common sense stuff; find one that has the in car entertainment crap that you want. What I mean is I have an SE with the HK stereo but it didn't come with nav (don't miss that) nor bluetooth, ipod integration. The BT, from what I heard, is so-so anyway so perhaps that isn't a loss but the aux port being in the back of the center console is annoying even with work arounds or fixes.

Put another way my D1's aftermarket single DIN kenwood is 10x better than the capabilities of the factory radio in my 06; and with MOST doing significant upgrades is just a PITA.

Bear in mind that is a truly minor aspect, overall I love the truck.

 

[best4x4]

I have an 06 HSE with NAV and a rear locking Diff. The bluetooth works great with my iPhone or Android (however it doesn't seem to automatically connect) which is no big deal as I can quickly do that. The stock Hitachi EAS pump actually isn't a bad unit if you keep the silica beads in the dryer in good condition. I'd certainly not recommend the V6. The 4.4L Jag engine is very reliable and coming from RRC/D1/D2/P38's I think 300HP is plenty.

My 06 has every option except the little center console cooler. The heated windscreen is nice, the HID headlights are superb, the auto sensing wipers work great, and the F/R park distance control is also handy when parking in tight spaces. The one thing I love about having an early 06 vs later 07-09 models = no stupid TPMS crap to worry about! I also was able to update my NAV system to the latest software and 2015-2016 Maps which helped it's functionality greatly

I got my 06 HSE with 94K on it for 10.9K. I had to replace the brakes, brake switch (which caused some serious glitches), and I also had to remove the front valve block and clean the center valve as it was sticking causing only the nose to drop over night.

If it was me personally I'd hold out for a clean HSE with all the options or a fully loaded SE with pretty much everything with the exception of the HSE's better stereo. You can find fully loaded SE's with the rear locking diff, but they're harder to find.

If you aren't familiar with LR's or the LR3 I'd certainly have it inspected before buying it. If the TCM has corrosion it can cause all sorts of issues and it's about 1K to have replaced/reprogrammed. The EAS is a pretty reliable system, but like all things it will eventually need routine maintenance to stay in tip top shape. The lower control arms normally go about 50-75K before they need replacing and you can tell if they're worn out by listening for a dull clunking noise under braking or on a bumpy street.