Discovery 3 LR3 | High Miles and High Maintenance?? | An Owner's Review

An owner's review of an 18yr old, 220,000+ miles, 2005 Land Rover Discovery 3 LR3.

Very first review and channel upload. Hopefully more, and improved, videos to come!

Any questions about this car or the Discovery 3 LR3 platform in general? Let me know!

Comments and critique welcome.

[joshbacon]

My dad used to have a Discovery 3 when I was a kid, and I thought it was a very nice car indeed. Ours was a 2005 (55-reg) HSE model with the 2.7-litre TDV6 diesel paired with the 6-speed automatic, and it was finished in a dark metallic blue (called Buckingham Blue) with the 'Alpaca' cream leather interior, which looked really nice.

It was September 2010, and I remember eagerly awaiting the moment when my dad would pull up onto our driveway in it, and when I saw PN55TZH pulling onto our driveway for the first time, I immediately went outside to have a look around it, and I remember being very impressed by what I saw.

Because ours was an HSE model, it was fully loaded with all the bells and whistles, some of which we’d never had on any car we’d ever owned before, including tri-zone climate control, heated rear seats, rear audio controls, etc, which 10-year-old me thought was very impressive indeed. Plus, its air suspension made it a very comfortable and relaxing car to travel in - as Jeremy Clarkson said in his Discovery 3 review back in Series 5 of Top Gear to describe the ride quality, "it doesn't go over bumps, it just flattens them."

Even to this day, I consider it to be one of my favourite cars we've had out of all the cars my family has ever owned so far.

[lukahlisc]

Mine has passed 375000 miles few days ago... I have had some motor changes and transmission, both suspension and all brakes, ... More or less anything you can pull out and put new.... I am so connected to that car that i doubt i could ever be without it. Big Like for video and big ❤️ to all you out there driving your disco.

[shakenbacon-vmeu]

4K in one year maintenance for a high mileage car you know is reliable, useful, and you LOVE, is much cheaper than buying a new car, or even a used car in 2024. I’m about to buy my LR4 tomorrow and am beyond excited for the adventures.

[scotthopkinshikes]

I have an '08 LR3 with the v8 with 334, 000+ miles on it. It's showing it's age, as expected, but it's been pretty solid since I got it used in 2012 with 54, 00 miles on it.

[JamesDBuzzard]

Click on the video because of the headlights 😂 great work my man also watched your tutorial on them. Very nice 👍🏽

[grahampritchard]

Thank you, an honest and interesting review👍

[paulwalters]

Hi, I've had mine 2yrs, first job is change the belts, changed all oils, diffs aswell, fuel filter, gearbox and fitted uprated pan and filter on that, what do I think of, I love it, I enjoy driving it, there's one thing after doing all this work to, I know the car a lot better than before, and I know the work has been done right, can't recommend the car enough, enjoy

[desmcdermott]

Very good and fair review of the Disco 3. Regular maintenance is absolutely key to owning any Land Rover. They are very capable 4x4 vehicles that will last for decades but will be expensive if neglected.

[MrSimonfoz]

I love my D3, I’m sure good one will become classics in the future.

[richardwilliams]

Thanks - you've done a fantastic job. I do prefer the original D3 look with Xenon lights and original tail lights and black wheel arches. More and more OG Classic real 4WD every day now. I'd always keep LAND ROVER on the bonnet also. HAving driven D4s I like the simplicity of the interior and extra storage spots and much better cup holders. My headlining is falling down now though!

[greentuatara]

Thanks for putting this up Chris, I've got an 06 with the 4.4. It's a bit of a disappointment after the 4.2 Toureg I was driving before but it's still a great ride and just so capable. I love the look you have gone for and should have some new wheels/tyres on mine and a 2in lift next week, then I'll be thinking about detangoing the lights and making a rack. It's a commercial so I'll be setting up the back for weekends away as well. Never any shortage of things to do when you own a land rover ;-).

[coopermarc]

Did you replace the oil pump with
The improved pump ?

[pmacc]

Is it possible to get a reliable Disco 3 or 4? Im really considering getting one but don't want any hassle from them.

[jaredjulian]

about to buy a 2008 land rover LR3 SE or D3 depending on where you are from. it has over 250k miles and i’m just anxious about taking care of it, any recommendations or advise you can give that might help me as i embark on this journey. it has been very well maintained by an owner who has another LR3 HSE with over 350k miles. cheers

[lukelubinski]

Can you link where you got your headlights and grille? I cant find a bunch of aftermarket support for the lr3.

[AS-ycwp]

Hey Chris,

Where did you get the 3 mm LED rope for the light from, i ma looking to upgrade my lights atm, thanks

[MePeterNicholls]

Have you had to change injectors? My 190k mikes RR07 TDV8 needs them
All replacing. And I’m like 🤦🏼‍♂️ - going reconditioned route.

[unwoke]

This is 350k km. My Toyota failed at 100 400km. My one Benz made a trouble-free 768000.

[davidbuchanan]

230bhp.?? I purchased a 4 motion VW Tiguan 197bhp standard, remapped it's 242bhp 440 nm torque. Originally I was torn between an Lr3 and a mitsubishi shogun but I'd never be off road enough to warrant owning such big cars. The Tiguan with the right tyres will gladly go 80% of the place 's the above 4x4's will travel..

[koisrus]

These disco 3 must be the most unreliable cars in the world. Warning light after light. Nearly every time there used. Terrible cars. Land rove should be ashamed. In my opinion.