Member Since: 16 Feb 2018
Location: Amarillo
Posts: 2
Is an LR3 a decent choice for a teenager?
Hello everyone. I am brand new here. My wife has a 2016 RRS which we have really enjoyed. My daughter wlll get her license soon and I really want something safe and reliable. Of course, she’s big into the cool factor so she really wants an older Rover. I kind of like the idea as they appear quite substantial.
Am I a fool to do this? Are the repair costs completely out of sight? I’m not expecting Toyota reliability, but i don’t care to be spending $ thousands a year to keep it running either.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and I’m so glad i found this forum !
16th Feb 2018 3:04 am
mz mini
Member Since: 02 Jul 2014
Location: Sunny Devon
Posts: 1759
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16th Feb 2018 7:02 am
Farmer Chalk
Member Since: 06 Mar 2013
Location: Independent Republic of Kentishshire.
Posts: 4195
Welcome to the forum!
Great car and moreover very very safe to travel around in.....!
Couldn’t afford the insurance costs here in the UK for a teenager as they are prohibitive for young drivers but we bought her a Freelander 2 which does the same thing but is considerably cheaper! Is insurance an issue in the States? You could always look at the cheaper early Evoque??
16th Feb 2018 8:50 am
ZacSmith
Member Since: 26 Aug 2010
Location: Dover
Posts: 709
I can’t be specific about US Costs, but I would be surprised if your running costs aren’t in the thousands. Mine has been good (comparatively) but you should factor in:
A service once a year
Tyres every two (depending on mileage) and I have a flat once a year
New disks and pads every other year although mine get salt corroded
New suspension arms every three years
Something out of the ordinary once a year; a suspension compressor, parking sensor, Epb module, alternator
In the UK that looks like about $3000 a year before insurance, fuel, tax and dentsVIN: A175A328***
16th Feb 2018 10:30 am
highlands
Member Since: 10 Jan 2010
Location: NW Highlands
Posts: 5098
Re: Is an LR3 a decent choice for a teenager?
RRSPORTTX wrote:
I’m not expecting Toyota reliability...
My D3/LR3s have been more reliable than my Landcruiser Amazon was...that was sold as a Lexus in the US IIRC.
Of course YMMV but being in Texas would probably mean a lot of our issues wouldn't be such an issue.
It's worth having a good battery on it and also investing in an IID tool as that way any issues can be much more easily diagnosed using the forum.
As for safe, the police and ambulance crews reckoned I'd have been dead in most vehicles when I had my small knock!
Oh, the reason it'd be quite so expensive for young'uns over here is the damage a D3/LR3 can inflict on 3rd parties.
Black 05 TDV6 HSE Auto
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54 TDV6 SE Man (killed by me )
16th Feb 2018 10:47 am
Erea
Member Since: 19 Mar 2012
Location: Munster
Posts: 1509
But it’ll be a V8 over there so no glow plug issues, no oil pump issues, no FBH issues etc etc etc.
We will all be green with envy
16th Feb 2018 10:48 am
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10672
Yeap they are ok if you buy a petrol.
I recall a story on here where someone young from US was driving a disco3 on the highway and rolled it.
They simple got out and walked away.
If she wants to be really cool, you could get a Range Rover sport supercharged 4.2 ~2006
16th Feb 2018 11:29 am
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8221
I've just parted with an 11 year old one I owned from new up till buying a D3 I changed my vehicles every 2-3 years, speaks for itself, if you buy good it will stay good, if you buy a bad un it will be very costly, some people particularly over here run them into the ground and then sell.
Check its history, have someone who works on Discovery's check it over before purchase, have it serviced regularly if anything goes wrong put it right don't leave it to get worse.
Certainly not the cheapest car to run but one of if not the best, we have a motto on the site, it's one word "permagrin", that's what you get when you are behind the wheel, in my location 80% of LR RR drivers are young females if that helps- go for it!It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
16th Feb 2018 11:58 am
enforcer
Member Since: 01 Dec 2017
Location: Wales
Posts: 20
ZacSmith wrote:
I can’t be specific about US Costs, but I would be surprised if your running costs aren’t in the thousands. Mine has been good (comparatively) but you should factor in:
A service once a year
Tyres every two (depending on mileage) and I have a flat once a year
New disks and pads every other year although mine get salt corroded
New suspension arms every three years
Something out of the ordinary once a year; a suspension compressor, parking sensor, Epb module, alternator
In the UK that looks like about $3000 a year before insurance, fuel, tax and dents
What sort of annual mileage do you do to require that level of work? And where do you drive to get a puncture per year? Presumably many people on here require much less in the way of new parts?
16th Feb 2018 2:48 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 10 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6738
Re: Is an LR3 a decent choice for a teenager?
RRSPORTTX wrote:
Hello everyone. I am brand new here. My wife has a 2016 RRS which we have really enjoyed. My daughter wlll get her license soon and I really want something safe and reliable. Of course, she’s big into the cool factor so she really wants an older Rover. I kind of like the idea as they appear quite substantial.
Am I a fool to do this? Are the repair costs completely out of sight? I’m not expecting Toyota reliability, but i don’t care to be spending $ thousands a year to keep it running either.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and I’m so glad i found this forum !
As others have said - won’t necessarily be cheap but she’ll be well protected in a LR3 (my preference) or a RRS. The petroleum 4.4L V8 engine is reasonably (= very) reliable. She’ll sit high up and have excellent sight. Also a 7 seater will really fit 6 of her friends quite well. My guess is that with 4WD she won’t be in a place in Texas or the near states where she’d not be able to drive with the vehicle. HSEs in the US have HK Logic 7 sound system, it is quite nice. Forget the vendor navigator, install a cell phone clip and use Waze, Google Maps or Apple maps to navigate.
If my kids were of driving age, given sufficient funds, I wouldn’t hesitate giving them a 2700 kg car with 300 hp and a V8 to get around.
16th Feb 2018 4:29 pm
RRSPORTTX
Member Since: 16 Feb 2018
Location: Amarillo
Posts: 2
I know full well that an LR3 isn't the most practical vehicle for a teen. I would get her a Toyota 4runner in a heart beat, but she really likes the Rovers and she thinks the older Rovers are really cool.
At least with teenagers in the states, and girls more specifically, they are big into the "cool" factor. They want something different than everyone else, and something that has "panache."
My daughter told me "Dad I don't care if the car is any good as long as it looks good."
Now when I was a teenager? I had a $500 1969 Ford Ranchero and drove the beater for 8 years. Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought of any sort of SUV (they didn't really have them back then).
I do have a big concern for survivability in a crash. I want my kid to be able to survive. As for insurance, if I can get one of these for around $10,000 USD, I'll just carry liability after she makes it the first year.
Most of the LR3s in the states are "mom cruisers". Used to go to the grocery, the mall, and the soccer games. Very few have ever been off of pavement.
16th Feb 2018 5:07 pm
Skynet
Member Since: 23 Jul 2014
Location: Melksham, Wiltshire
Posts: 868
If she likes 'old rovers' get her a Defender or a LR 90/110 and she can fix it herself too Dave
D3 2006 HSE, Cairns Blue - gone
D4 2016 SE, White
Member Since: 19 Nov 2011
Location: NYC & LA
Posts: 775
We Own 2 LR3's, they have been very reliable to us. If you service the LR3 on time it will be fine. I see many Toyotas and Hondas by the side of the road, and we always say oh... we though Toyotas and Hondas were reliable, a Toyota Land Cruiser cost about 3K a year on repairs. But for a teen an LR3 is really a bit too much truck. Get her a 6 or 4 cylinder LR2, cheaper on gas and they are also reliable.
DaveD3 2005 V8 SE Bonatti Grey "The Rhino" (our NYC D3)
De-tangoed Headlights, D4 2016 Style Black Pack Grille, D4 19" Wheels/ Bridgestone Alenza
D3 2005 V8 SE Bonatti Grey, D4 2016 Style Black Pack Grille (our LA D3)
D2 1999 V8 SD7 Chawton White (our Caribbean Beach truck)
16th Feb 2018 5:41 pm
highlands
Member Since: 10 Jan 2010
Location: NW Highlands
Posts: 5098
LR2 is the freelander2 IIRC.
Good vehicles.
I'm guessing crash survivability for the US (State of Texas) is different considerations to the UK, in that the vehicle that hits you is likely to be bigger to start with.
The LR3 is VERY strong structurally.
Freelander 2 / LR2 got a 5* NCAP result though and is no slouch. Doesn't seem to have anything like the issues the original Freelander had either.Black 05 TDV6 HSE Auto
Grey 05 TDV6 HSE Auto (Gone)
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16th Feb 2018 7:07 pm
highlands
Member Since: 10 Jan 2010
Location: NW Highlands
Posts: 5098
Skynet wrote:
If she likes 'old rovers' get her a Defender or a LR 90/110 and she can fix it herself too
Crash survivability.... Black 05 TDV6 HSE Auto
Grey 05 TDV6 HSE Auto (Gone)
54 TDV6 SE Man (killed by me )
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