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I've been researching the same for a while, looking at Diesels and so my info on the Petrols is limited (overall, Petrols seem OK reliability wise and terrible for fuel economy). My conclusions so far:
- Earlier cars (pre-MY06 or so) are easier to work on and simpler. However, gearbox issues are rife, particularly the V6 diesel with the 5-speed. The NA V8 seems better but still not great.
- 3.6 TDV8 and ZF 6 speed seems a nice balance between reliability and simplicity
- 4.4 TDV8 and ZF 8 speed is also quite reliable. They have an issue with the secondary turbo-drain - it doesn't have one. If driven gently only using the primary turbo it can pool oil in the turbo which then evacuates in a huge cloud of smoke when you floor it. This appears not to be a reliability issue per se, but an annoyance. There is a fix to add a secondary turbo drain that is supported by JLR and many vehicles were updated under warranty. Cost is around $1500 or so from memory to have this done.
Some cars can have gearbox issues which is cleared with a transfer case software update and a double oil flush.
JLR says the oils are lifetime in the gearbox/diffs/transfer cases. Almost everyone disagrees and recommends replacing them every 120,000km or so.
Usual issues with air suspension, compressors and sensors that most JLR vehicles with these systems have. The later cars are more complex, thus have more electrics to fix, and when things go wrong as a result the labour costs to fix them are higher.
Some cars have issues with oil building up from the turbos and making their way into the wiring harnesses and affecting sensors. Look for oil.
Overall they seem generally good. Plenty around with very high km/miles here, in the US and the UK. Look for ones with full service history at a LR dealer or from a good Indy.
Make sure any Takata airbag recalls have been done (or do it yourself immediately after buying one). This is very serious, though it is not at all unique to JLR and is an issue with basically every make of vehicle. Do make sure that if you're on the recall list, you get it fixed and do not put it off.
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The 4.4's secondary turbo indeed has a drain but the modified drain has 2 pipes instead of 1. The eventual L405 production version of the modified drain is slightly different to the retro-fitted drain but still with 2 pipes.
