GX470 vs LR3?

[stm]

Hey All,

I posted this question on Expedition portal in the Land Rover Group so I thought I would get the other side of the argument. I've been trying to replace an Xterra that I lost in a crash earlier this year, pretty much settled on a GX but have been put off by the high prices for high mileage rigs. So on a whim I looked at LR3 and Oboy are they cheap by comparison. Wondering if anyone here has direct experience with the LR3 and a GX? Am I insane to be looking at 12 year old British SUV for $6k with less than 80,000 miles? That same GX could easily be $9k to 15k. I drove an LR3 today and it was nice and the dudes that are into them say great things about them on and off road. But the reputation for poor reliability scares me a bit. ..... Looking for something with lots of air bags, a nice upright seating position, quite and comfy for long drives and not afraid of tougher forest service roads. Lets just say the Rav4 that I've had as a place holder is not happy on the dirt at all and I miss having a real 4x4.


Thanks!

 

[Dharma Dude]

Hey All,

I posted this question on Expedition portal in the Land Rover Group so I thought I would get the other side of the argument. I've been trying to replace an Xterra that I lost in a crash earlier this year, pretty much settled on a GX but have been put off by the high prices for high mileage rigs. So on a whim I looked at LR3 and Oboy are they cheap by comparison. Wondering if anyone here has direct experience with the LR3 and a GX? Am I insane to be looking at 12 year old British SUV for $6k with less than 80,000 miles? That same GX could easily be $9k to 15k. I drove an LR3 today and it was nice and the dudes that are into them say great things about them on and off road. But the reputation for poor reliability scares me a bit. ..... Looking for something with lots of air bags, a nice upright seating position, quite and comfy for long drives and not afraid of tougher forest service roads. Lets just say the Rav4 that I've had as a place holder is not happy on the dirt at all and I miss having a real 4x4.


Thanks!

If you want less trouble, I'd go for the GX. Bullet-proof engine, and I can't imagine that it would be less capable than an LR3.

 

[krice118]

Id rather pay more up front for less headaches down the road - GX is known to be extremely reliable therefore you pay a premium. Also Miles on GX dont really matter. 150k on a GX is equal to 20k on a Rover. The GX was built to last 500k miles...... LR3 was built to stay put together throughout the warranty period.

 

[GXO]

Loaded question in the 120 forum. I would pay to NOT have an LR3.

 

[blacktec]

I know guys that have owned LR3s and loved them. They are really nice and capable vehicles. But none of them are driving them today. You get the same capability and luxury in a GX with reliability. LR3 would be great if you have deep pockets and didn't need it as a DD.

 

[MaverickFiveO]

My father was a mechanic and had a saying that I have found to be absolutely true:

"You will love a Land Rover. You will trust a Toyota."

For some, the love of the LR is worth the extra work. For others, the reliability of the Toyota/Lexus brings an invaluable piece of mind. My wife grew up in Vermont, and her family had an 80-series LC and a Series III Rover. She will always be a LR girl, but we don't live near Rovers North to maintain it anymore. She drives a Mazda now. Take that for what it's worth.

 

[mercedeezel]

My brother bought a used '08 LR3 a couple years ago to replace his 80 series. He bought it in Arkansas and I rode with him on the drive back to Houston. On that 10 hour trip, we took turns driving the LR3. I have to say the LR3 is a pretty sweet ride. Plenty of power, great handling and very comfortable. I feel the LR3 interior is better than a GX. Although the 3rd row seats take some time to figure out, they are much better for adults vs the GX 3rd row. Some of the interior plastic pieces were a bit creaky though.

He still owns it and thinks it was a good buy vs the premium he would have had to pay for a 100 or a 120 series. Both the LR3 and GX will come stock with air bag suspension that will eventually crap out. The LR3 guys can convert their suspension just like many of us have with our GX's.

I say drive them both and see which one fits your intended purpose the best.

 

[Pancho64]

I looked at LR4, LR3, LX470, and GX470. One of my good friends is a really good tech for Land Rover/Bentley/Aston/Lambo. He wanted me to buy an LR as they are definitely good cars and have their merits. When I told him I bought a GX470 he said yeah that was probably the best decision. Like the guy above me said, for some the love of the LR is worth the extra work. It was more important to me to get something reliable. The LR4 looks and drives the best out of the bunch.

For what it's worth, if the LR3 is indeed $6k and is in good shape, buy both.

 

[kbahus]

Spend some time looking through parts prices for common things to fail on the LR3 here: Rovers North - Land Rover Parts and Accessories Since 1979

Off the top of my head: Lower control arms, air suspension components including bags and the compressor, alternator, brakes, and front and rear differentials. Other things to watch out for include leaking sunroof drains, front cowl warpage leading to water intrusion, and weird electrical gremlins due to that water intrusion. Also I have run into several with cooling system issues.

Sure you can swap over to coils, but good luck finding quality aftermarket shocks and other components (think Icon, Fox, Radflo,, etc).

Folks are right though, they are nice vehicles when they are working. The interior has loads of room and overall the vehicle is much larger than the 470/460 platform. The interior also has some handy features. The ride is good with the IFS, IRS, and airbag suspension, plus a rod lift is pretty inexpensive. I would say it is more of a comparison between the 100 or 200 series than a 120 though. The 120 is the sports car of offroad vehicles in my opinion and not really in the same size class. All in all, if you are a home wrench with a lift in your garage, an LR specific scan tool that will let you log into all of the modules, and plenty of patience plus some money for repairs the LR3 would be a good choice. If you don't have the time or money....stick with Toyota.

 

[470SNC]

Yup, you dont want a Land Rover. My buddy was a LR mechanic at a dealer and would tell me some horror stories.

 

[slowLC]

I did alot of research prior to buying mine. I am a toyota guy, but the LR3 was very interesting to me. I would say that the LR3 is more capable. It truly is a phenomenal vehicle, but while the reliability has greatly improved, it is nowhere close to the GX. I went with the GX because I know it wont leave me stranded, and it is also a little more straight forward of a vehicle. While I really do like the LR3, I dont regret my purchase for a single second!! I came from a mild build 80 series and I am absolutely in love with my GX!!!

 

[NMBruce]

good luck with your decision, I like them both but never owned an LR3

 

[mjosoba]

My wife and I test drove both and she settled on the LR3. Seemed roomier, rode better, etc. I can’t say I was enthusiastic about it, but I must say I was wrong. My experience with LR’s was a 90’s discovery. Worst vehicle I’ve ever driven. Two engines in less than 130,000 miles, myriad electrical gremlins, horrible interior construction, you name it. The LR3 was a totally different story. We put a 2.5” lift on it, using adjustable rods and ran bigger tires, and I replaced the front control arms and brake stuff. Also an alternator and towards the end, a PCV valve. That’s it. We bought it with about 85,000 miles and sold it at around 150,000 because she wanted an outback. I think I would choose it over the 470. If it was a 460, I’d go Lexus. If I was going to do it over again I’d replace the air bags with the coils, but those air bags are super smooth. Engine and tranny were super smooth and problem free. As far as I can tell, not much is actually Land Rover. Jaguar and ford mostly.

 

[95Fantasma80]

I'd take lr3 anyday if it was reliable, and because they are not i ended up with a 100 series.

If i had lots of cash I'd buy an lr4 from carmax with their awesome warranty and trade it in when warranty is over.

 

[TahoeLX450]

I have had an LR3, 80 Series, a Cheyenne and now GX470. The LR3 I had was in the shop for unexpected repairs more time than I can count. Wheel bearing went out a 15K. Rear end replaced at 65K. Front end replace by 45K. Steering wheel replaced and other interior pieces by 70K. Suspension stuck and wouldn't lift about the same time...other grimlins I can't recall as it has been a few years. Now, I bought the LR3 new and the he LR warranty which was awesome as it didn't cost me a dime and always got another LR for a loaner vehicle. However, I always got an invoice from LR dealer that showed the costs...and the costs were very very high. I had to travel nearly an hour to the LR dealer because, well, hard to find service for them too. At 88K I decided to trade it in because the 100k warranty was running down and, from my experience, I would NOT want an LR without a warranty. Yet, I will admit the coach works on the LR is beautiful compared to the GX.

The 80 was absolutely a dream off road but the on road manners were sluggish in the handling and especially power department AND especially above 6000' feet which is regular travel for me. In comparison, the LR rode the best off road and soaked up terrain with its full air suspension; and it had reasonable on road manners. It was fairly fast too. Had it to 130mph in Montana and felt stable. The Cayenne was fast and handled and stopped, well, like a Porsche... Repairs were astronomically expensive though. Got rid of it at 45,000 mile as I was getting multi-thousand dollar repairs for things that you wouldn't see on a GX for 300K. The tranny went out in the Cayenne at 40K and I got a $7,600 bill as it was just outside of warranty. I had had enough...my 80, with 123k, was just crushed by an ice fall from a roof up here so I traded in the Cayenne on my immaculate GX.

The GX470 is a nice balance. It is not as fast as either the Cayenne or LR and the GX has less gears too 5 vs 6. GX doesn't handle the road like the Cayenne or is not as smooth as the LR on or off road. Yet, it does everything, except rock crawling better than the 80 series. No more pulling over to let others pass on the high elevation passes.

I found and purchase my dealer serviced GX with 100K and didn't blink. Probably one of the few vehicles I would buy with that many miles. Yet, there is a guy up here in Tahoe with a GX470 with 385K with very little service outside of scheduled maintenance. It is said that the 4.7 is bullet proof! It was Toyota's flag ship engine at the time. No real gimlins normally either.

Having had both, I agree, the "GX470 is the new 80" ...there is great review on You Tube by that title. Handles, and accelerates and rides SO much better than the 80. Less costly to repair than the 80 as the 80 is super heavy duty and "over built" and those parts more expensive most of the time than for the GX. For me, the GX has tackled the trails I do nearly as well as the 80. Biggest difference, I can tell, is the less articulation of the axles than the 80 series over deep and rocky trails. Therefore, the GX make a nice dual purpose, daily driver AND off road vehicle...and now that the GXs have been discovered as "the new 80" the prices on the well maintained soccer mom examples have not depreciated on the trajectory they had and for good reason. Maintaining a high mileage one is not that expensive in comparison to other vehicles this robust and capable.

Honestly, for me, I will never have LR or Porsche vehicle again... I suppose if I won the Lottery- having a fully decked out overland expedition LR4 would be cool for just off-roading as they are incredibly capable and smooth, and roomy. But, then again the best set up, for me, would be an 80 with a new Chevy LS V8 conversion if I had the money; and there are shops that are now restoring and re-equip the most venerable 80s still left out there.

My last two cents: If you like to wrench, and have the ability and the pateince to chase down grimlins, live close to a LR dealer or can keep could keep a independent LR mechanic on retainer then get the LR. THEY ARE great rigs when they work and have classic lines and beautiful interiors. However, there is a reason they have such poor resale value.

Lastly, you may want to consider this tale: "that 90% of ALL Land Rovers are still on the road...the other 10% made it home..." Just sayin'...

 

[JLee]

I put 1450 miles on my GX between Wednesday and Saturday night (well, technically ~3:30am Sunday). I'd do it again tomorrow without worrying about anything except running out of washer fluid.

I'm at ~202.5k, btw. I paid $8150 for my GX over two years ago.

 

[Qball]

Land Rovers will get you there, Toyota’s will get you home. Pretty easy decision if you ask me.