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I have been quite impressed with my HSE since I took delivery on 12/10. I would still purchase it again if I had to. There is nothing else out in the market that matches its content.
Have you ever seen an empty service department at any dealer? Every manufacturer has a customer looking for a buy back. You take a calculated risk when you purchase any vehicle. Fortunately most of them work well or can be corrected. What does not impress me is your dealer.
When my local dealer was indicating a 4 to 6 month wait for a loaded HSE minus bluetooth, I sent an email to the next nearest dealer 2 hours from my home. They responded the next day and to my surprise they had an HSE in silver scheduled for delivery on 12/12.
I gave them a $500 deposit over the phone, waited two weeks, and took delivery as promised. It was a hassle free experience.
As I have said in the past why reward a dealer providing poor sales service? What is their incentive to provide future customers better service if they get your business?
Fortunately the trend of a positive experience is going up for both sales and service with most dealers. Get the HSE!
Learn something new around here every day.
Steve, Host
Reading all of the these forum horror stories can make a potential buyer really apprehensive, but I shall not be dissuaded - I've had crappy BMW's, MB's, Toyota's, and numerous other vehicles - the LR3 can't be any worse, and is probably much better. I can't wait - this is the only SUV on the market that raises my heartbeat.
"But luxury cars packed with electronic features suffer more because they adopt new technology earlier, said Chance Parker, executive director for auto quality surveys at J. D. Power & Associates. And the gremlins may be especially galling to luxury buyers who expect their cars' pricey "surprise and delight" features to delight them, not to surprise them in unpleasant ways."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/automobiles/06AUTO.html
I am still worried about the quality issue. Does anyone know if Land Rover offers an extended warranty and, if they do, is it worth it?
In any case, when I was at the show, I was puzzled by the fact that the Lincoln SUVs (a Ford product) offered satellite radio while the Land Rover (also a Ford product) did not. Since I was curious about the subject, I contacted Land Rover. Here is their reply:
Land Rover will probably not have Satellite radio until the 2006 model year for Range Rover. LR3 may be around the same time frame.
Sincerely,
Land Rover Customer Relationship Center
Not a complete answer, but that is all I could get from the Land Rover Customer Relationship Center.
Just thought I would pass the information along in case other forum readers have been curious.
I'm glad that you are enjoying MY LR3!!!
On another note: I get a kick out of people that think they are going to get an HSE at $200 over dealer invoice. If you do not want a HSE OR navigation you can get a small deal, otherwise supply and demand will rule for a long time.
Your message caught my eye - I'm currently coming out of a 530i lease and am looking at an SUV for the first time...front-runners are the LR3 and X5 3.0. My heart is in the LR3, but the likely 1st year reliability (being discussed here) and terrible lease terms (money factor 2x the BMWNA rate) is making it tough to justify. I test-drove both over short distances and really need to do it again over longer distances, highways, etc. I'm thinking maybe go with the X5 for this lease and move into the LR3 in 3 years after bugs are out and lease terms more reasonble. Having had both, what are your 2 cents on this - I appreciate the feedback.
I took delivery of my fully loaded HSE in mid-December, while still having my X5 3.0. (see earlier post) I ABSOLUTELY LOVED my X5, however, in need of a bigger truck, my husband recommended I test drive the new LR3. I had a 98 Disco, which I did not have any problems with, except for the fact that i didn't like the way it handled in the city (too sluggish, too much gas). I definitely was looking for the LR3 to handle in similar ways. BOY, was I wrong! The LR3 is a COMPLETELY different car. As much as I loved my X5, I am completely trilled with my LR3. The 2 are completely different trucks. I call the X5 a safe, and the LR3 a vault. I bought the X5 in 2001, also the first year model, never did I have any major problems, so I did not mind buying the first year model of the LR3. I still have yet to have any problems, almost 2 months and 1400 miles later! I am SO HAPPY with my decision. The LR3 gets stronger each day!
LRNA finance & lease terms are hopeless.
Citizens bank for autofinance is around 3.7% & theres a host of independant leasing companies who will give you a great rate.
Just because LR have the vehicle doesnt mean you have to finance or lease it with them! Most of their salespeople will steer you to a better rate somewhere else!
I have 8300 miles on my LR3 HSE & its been bug free apart from some resets I had to do at -16 Degrees F. when I was hardly functioning!
http://photos.yahoo.com/lenz-rashid@sbcglobal.net
Sontob, mind if I post a couple of your photos on another site (Land Rover Chronicle)? Thanks.
Has anyone else done better with LR 3 leases?
Meanwhile I drive the serviuce manager's Range Rover, which makes me somewhat happy... at least they did not hassle me for credit card imprints, nor give me a Saturn this time.
Michael
First I should tell you that I loved my X5 and my 740 before that. BMWs are driving machines. The X5 drives and handles like a sports car. The only negative about the performance was that it's a little "jumpy" from a dead stop (330's and 530's are the same). As far as reliability my X5 was in the shop at least 5 or 6 times for minor repairs not including the regular 15K and 30K services. Not a big deal for me (I got loaners) but it shows that there are service and reliability issues.
I actually was going to buy my X5 at the end of the lease when I went to test drive the LR3 with my wife. I wasn't even going to drive it but she couldn't stop smiling and telling me how much she liked it that I got behind the wheel also.....it was so smooth in the acceleration and tight at the same time. We now have 1100 miles and it's just a solid truck....performance and function. One of the other comments was that the BMW was a safe and the LR3 was a vault...absolutely!!!!
I'm friends with the dealer (Glen Cove) and they haven't had any suspension or stalling issues with any of their customers. Go for it, I have no regrets and I don't think you will either.
Bill
PS. if you lease from Land Rover Capital give them 10 security deposits and it will save you about $90.00 monthly on a 30 month lease (that's what I did)
no problem. Thanks for asking.
I, too, notice the cooling metal sounds after I've shut down my HSE, however, I have not noticed it at slow speed or at idling. It still sounds after I've shut it down, 1400 miles later. (No other problems or sounds) I will keep an ear out during the other times you noted. Will keep you posted!
Thanks, I appreciate it. Strange to hear cooling metal while driving. Other than that, this vehicle is flawless. The on-road performance is great esp. at highway speeds with plenty of untapped power. And, back in the city, the car does turn heads.
roverdawg
Biz Books vs. Buff Books. Its always fun to read the Buff books, but sometimes the business magazines give you the rest of the story. This week's Business Week reviews the LR3 and finds it very much overpriced and overly high tech even for a "foot of unplowed snow in my driveway". They think that 50K+ a bit much for the plastic dash, upright seating, etc.
Again, after the market absorbs and clears out the early (read, "I pay list price and am proud to be a fish") adopters, the price should come down to invoice plus a few bucks. Don't believe me? Is there any car made that after the initial intro, isn't now selling for a price within sight of invoice? ( I still recall the winter the Mercedes ML SUV came out. The New York Times had a long piece about the fist fights in the showrooms! Now they can't give these slugs away.)
For someone who sounds so smart and seems to be posting on various forums, you should be able to answer all of your questions without the need for condesending tones. First of all if you knew anything about a lease you would know that a security deposit is just that...... a security deposit! It's not a down payment that could be lost in an insurance (total loss or theft) claim. There is absolutely NO RISK with the 10 securities. And if I do my very fundamental math, (not your wiseguy remarks about high net worth guys making millions in hedge funds) I'll save about $1,200.00 with my $6000.00 security. That $6,000.00 would be about $7,500.00 @ 10% after 30 months and if I've saved $2,700.00 in payments with no risk of market fluctuations it's a win/win situation.
Every vehicle has it's market set by demand. Even that 60" HDTV in your media room that you probably bought last year is $1,000.00 cheaper today. I bought my LR3 for $1,250.00 over invoice and I'm thrilled with the deal and the vehicle and I'm not looking back.
By the way, are you still looking into the used Denali or Land Cruiser? They're both great trucks but I'd get the Land Cruiser if I had to get a used truck.
Bill
The Range Rover is also a completely different vehicle and wouldn't fit the needs or desires of most of the posters here or LR3 buyers. If someone offered me 05 Range Rover vs an 05 LR3, regardless of price, it would be the LR3 everyday!
Do you own an LR3? If not, are you considering buying one anytime soon?
It depends on the vehicle.
I paid sticker for my '02 MDX (in 2001) and even had to wait eight months for delivery. '05 MDXs are still selling for close to sticker (I know, I bought one of those too).
I "brokered" the deal on my brother-in-law's LR3 and managed to get $2700 off MSRP. That's fairly close to invoice. I was able to do this because LR dealers are pretty desperate to move these vehicles (especially the LEs).
The LR3 is a great vehicle but the market is saturated now and the demand for them is not, by any means, extreme. Some people think that a luxury brand like Land Rover guarantees quality, dependability and value, but the reality is somewhat different...
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chris78209/my_photos
Thanks,
Christian
For someone who sounds so smart and seems to be posting on various forums, you should be able to answer all of your questions without the need for condesending tones;
"
I've been a member of this forum for a little over a month and I've noticed the same tone in numerous posts of his. And to be honest I find it really offensive. Obviously the moderators on here don't. I don't have a problem with people being wrong. I do have a problem when they're wrong, condescending and insulting...
Previously he made the comment that you could make over 10% in the average bond fund. No response when I mentioned that that was not true. And if you go back you'll see he's brought up the same points several times concerning the price over invoice (he was wrong again since many were/are getting discounts) and the security deposits and their return.
As was mentioned in response previously you do not loose your security due to accidents. The only way you lose it is if you default. How much this program saves you is easy to see. All you need to do is look at your monthly payments. I believe they go down over 11%...
Thanks for backing me up! His tone and attitude has always come through on all of his posts.
Maybe our hosts should also send him a message that this is where we want to share mostly our good and unfortunately some bad experiences with the LR3. We're all passionate about our vehicles and don't need someone posting here with his bad attitude.
The good news is that it hasn't stalled in the past 9 days. The bad news is that is has been in the shop the past 9 days.
From what I'm being told, they are stumped. I've talked to LRUSA, and they claim that even UK engineers are involved.
As I've reported before, the LR3 has stalled all 9 times at the same corner, coming down a hill to a stop. It has successfully come down that same hill at least 50 other times. Since there are at least 8 other vehicles out there that have stalled in similar circumstances (including journalists who were on test rides), I suspect that this intermittent problem is hitting my LR3 since we have the right combination of hill descent, etc that cause us to experience this issue more than others. If we went through this stop only occasionally, the LR3 likely would have gone through it fine on most if not all occasions. If it did stall, we would probably chuck it up to a fluke (which we did the first time it stalled). But since we hit this hill twice a day or more, we're getting a larger number of stalls.
I will post what the final solution to my stalling problem is if and when they figure it out. I'm not holding my breath, though, as I continue to believe it has something to do with the actual programming of one of the on-board computers. If so, I doubt they will fix this in any reasonable time (meaning they may fix it in the next several months) which is far too long for me to wait.
I did suggest to the dealer than they loan us another LR3 to see if we can get another one to fail. We've got a Taurus loaner right now (ugh). They said their LR3 loaners are all out for now.
Then they should give you a new one! I think at this point they should replace your LR3. They really need to solve this problem and if it requires taking your LR3 apart they should. They're going to lose a hell of a lot more money when one of us gets rear ended.
tidester, host
I've been reading this forum since I put a deposit down on an LR3 SE 4 weeks ago. I've almost backed out cuz of some of the problems noted here, but the bottom line is that this is the only SUV out there that I'm excited about. So, we're taking the risk and hoping for the best.
My question is about price. I've talked to three different dealers here in the SF bay area and none are willing to budge off MSRP. Sure, they'll throw in a floor mat or something, and they're quick to say they won't tack on more like some dealers... (thanks.) Same thing with three online dealers. Has anyone in this area gotten below MSRP? I can't imagine they're going to be sold for 200 over invoice around here anytime soon.
Also, I'm waiting for one to come in at a dealership down south that my dealer will trade for. Any ideas how long this usually takes?
Thanks for all the info. This discussion, for the most part, has been very helpful.
JJ
yep, anything and everything that has to be done to understand and fix these problems... and reward - not penalize - people like gw123 for what they had to go through.