Rangerover P38 wanted

Im after a P38 rangey but not sure which one to go for ie Diesel or Petrol with LPG. Can people give me advice please on what they think is the best all rounder and what to watch out for???? Just got to get rid of my sports car then i can go out and buy


Many thanks

Dan

Without doubt a good diesel. All the P38 range has it's problems if not maintained correctly. But the diesel has far fewer than the petrol version.
Others may disagree though. Waiting for the onslaught.

wammers said:

Without doubt a good diesel. All the P38 range has it's problems if not maintained correctly. But the diesel has far fewer than the petrol version.
Others may disagree though. Waiting for the onslaught.

Click to expand...

Thank you Ill go for a diesel then, is auto or manual beta? Also went to see one yesterday and noticed 2 buttons up by the ride height control, 1 was a picture of a wheel with 2 arrows in them and the second was on the left hand side with a "L" in a shape. What do these do?

Danny

I agree with WAMMERS,i've had my DSE for over 2 years now and have had no problems as far as the engine goes(its a 1997 model and still runs sweet as),i get 25 mph on average so quite reasonable for a car of that stature,and with lpg you've got a tank in the boot which restricts loading space

dannydimps said:

Thank you Ill go for a diesel then, is auto or manual beta? Also went to see one yesterday and noticed 2 buttons up by the ride height control, 1 was a picture of a wheel with 2 arrows in them and the second was on the left hand side with a "L" in a shape. What do these do?

Danny

Click to expand...

That would be a manual then. One is EAS lock button other with the L on a manual is low gear selector. Manuals may use a bit less fuel. Autos a lot better drive.

Hi,

I'd recommend a diesel auto. I've had mine for a few months now and love it. Try and get the best spec possible. If it's diesel you go for, get a DHSE as it'll have all the gadgets.

Always haggle the price. I got mine £1000 less than the dealer wanted just by having a good look and drive of it and making a list of things that needed fixing. Some of them were tiny things that i'll probably never bother to sort, but I made them sound worse in order to get more money knocked off.

Good luck

Hi I have just purchased a 1999 DT automatic last week. I looked at quite a few before buying. Mine has done 130K but is in better condition than many at 80 or 90K. There is a lot of crap for sale at the moment I know I have seen it. Even after asking the vendor on the phone specific condition questions they will say anything to get you to view. One I looked at last week said two key fobs and no paint work done at all. Travelled 96 miles to view! It was awful. It had 1 key fob and the remains of the second, aircon did not work and half the car so badly resprayed I could see it a mile off. I left after 10 mins. This was decribed as immaculate with a £6000 price tag. The vendor said it was cheap! Check everything before you buy. Be careful of tarted up crap!!!!!!

I agree, there are so many range rovers out there that have not been looked after or have been poorly repaired. people that try to save money and do it themselves but are not competant enough to handle the job.
I would recomend getting a good mechanic to go with you to check it out. i didn't and paid the price i even bought it from a dealer that didn't do warranty but could sell me a third party one that didn't cover ****! thanks TAW park 4X4!!
When i got it back home i spent around a year getting it right. none of the air bags had been changed, all had signs of being perished and not knowing about range rovers i thought it was ok for the suspension to drop over night. and the fact it did meant the compressor was working over time to pump it back up. the person or the dealer?? had put foam in the compressor housing to muffle the sound of the worn compressor and the radiator i found was clogged at the bottom which although didn't overheat while driving around did when i pick up my new horse box and drove it up a hill!!!
i've now had My 2.5dt 1997 just over 5 years and the money spent correcting the monkeys bodge jobs in the first year and what i have spent on it since has meant that the yearly cost of MOT and maintenance/repairs and has worked out at just over £500 a year. Not Bad for the size of car i don't think!

I wouldn't part with Him for the world, He tows, He will cruise and also get muddy with the best just don't expect it to be a formula 1 race car. :doh: when it's a nice range rover you're driving you don't want to fly past people at 100 MPH you need them to take a good look

wammers said:

Without doubt a good diesel. All the P38 range has it's problems if not maintained correctly. But the diesel has far fewer than the petrol version.
Others may disagree though. Waiting for the onslaught.

Click to expand...

Indeed. Rubbish!! My Rangie is a 4.6 Vogue and has always been impeccable - its a great performer and a million times better than any stinkin' diesel and has been extremely reliable in the 6 years I've owned it!!!:behindsofa::behindsofa:

Seriously, the petrol versions are much better performers. However, most P38s for sale now have been bodged at some point to save money on maintenance - this goes for petrol and diesel variants. I never went down the LPG route - arguably that killed many a petrol engine - and my own experience has been a good one as far as P38s go, well maintained, decent workmanship and very regular oil changes and the performance is excellent 6 years into ownership and at 136K miles. My Rangie really should have been sold months ago but because she's part of the family, I'm loathe to part with her.....I'm sure there are very few in as good condition as mine out there, but if you're really really careful and take someone who really knows the P38 to take a good look, you should be ok.

The diesel engined ones for me are lumpy and slow and the 4.6 choice was a no-contest as I think the diesel is dreadful. My 4.6 will outperform a diesel P38 anytime, any place and is a much nicer drive. But its horses for courses and a chipped diesel may well be ok if you like diesels.

I've had my 4.6 hse with lpg for over a year and I love it. A tank in the spare wheel well means you only lose boot space if you carry a spare which a lot of people don't bother with. I do but there's still plenty of boot space.

No engine problems at all (touch wood) but there is an awful lot of overpriced rubbish out there. I wonder if people only sell their P38s because there's something wrong with it!

Check out the common faults section on rangerovers.net for a comprehensive list of what to look out for.

There must be some good ones out there so choose wisely!

Guy

Ps People lie so don't just take the sellers word for anything! Ask me how I know!

kooky_guy said:

I've had my 4.6 hse with lpg for over a year and I love it. A tank in the spare wheel well means you only lose boot space if you carry a spare which a lot of people don't bother with. I do but there's still plenty of boot space.

No engine problems at all (touch wood) but there is an awful lot of overpriced rubbish out there. I wonder if people only sell their P38s because there's something wrong with it!

Check out the common faults section on rangerovers.net for a comprehensive list of what to look out for.

There must be some good ones out there so choose wisely!

Guy

Click to expand...

Nooooo - I will have to part with mine at some point as soon as I can bear to advertise it as it just isn't getting used and that is not good for P38s and batteries running down!!!! But not because there's something wrong with it!!!! So there's one good 'un already - Irish can even vouch for it

Its buyer beware on any 10+ year old car, especially one as complex as a P38!!!

kooky_guy said:

Ps People lie so don't just take the sellers word for anything! Ask me how I know!

Click to expand...

How do you know, Guy????

Just do a quick skim over the first few pages of this forum and tot up the diesel overheat versus petrol overheat threads. That should answer your question. I am currently running my 4th V8.

Very happy with my 4.0 petrol at least as far as the engine goes. The problems I've had (who am I kidding, the problems I am having ) are not engine related, they've been electrical, EAS, brakes, alternator and such. My impression of the diesel though is that its a bit agricultural and I think pretty much everyone has theirs chipped just to make it driveable. The V8s are arguably more refined. Ultimately its a choice about running costs, the diesels are more economical.

rewmer said:

I am currently running my 4th V8.

Click to expand...

why's that!! did the other 3 break down....or overheat????:hysterically_laughi

I dare say the diesel is a cracking car and on fuel consumption alone, your head should be telling you diesel. However, I defy anyone with a heart and soul to sit in a 4.6 V8 and hear it gargle into life and not fall in love. I had a V8 XK8 and even that didn't sound as good as my P38. Having said that, mine's for off road use only and will only do about 5K miles a year, so the 16 mpg won't kill me, but if I were doing 20K miles, you'd either have to be mad or a millionaire to sleep well at night. LPG is certainly a good option if it' going to be your daily ride that's for sure. One thing I would say though, really shop around and stretch your budget to the max to get the best one possible. Either that or become very good friends with your local garage and pray your family will eventually forgive you.

Once you've got it though you are in for a massive treat. They are fantastic off road and superb on it, which ever one you go for. Get a decent HSE spec so that you've got all the gadgets and you'll be laughing. IMHO I'd say the auto every time. Why work hard when the car will do it for you. On and off road, let your Rangey take the strain so you can sit back and enjoy the ride.

I've got a 94 build 4.6HSE which is so far averaging 60k between engines. Reading the paperwork, 2 failed due to poor maintenance from the dealership. Also the standard RV8 is an accident waiting to happen, especially on LPG. It's not perfect, but I've probably spent about 12k over the last 6 years on putting things right, and of that 12k, 5k has just been spent on putting in a Turner Engineering top hat linered block with Gas Flowed heads and Mark Adams performance injectors and remap. It's already got the sports cats and stainless system. I was questioned on why I never have the radio on recently. It's not broken (far from it in fact). I just have to have the window down to listen to the engine purring away. I love the V8. Don't care about fuel cost or cost of running because I enjoy it too much.

I've driven a few DSE's and frankly they are very poor. Generally they keep going but if not maintained the head will fail. Some are tractor like. I'm sure BMW thought their M51 engine was a good idea at the time, and maybe it is in a car, but not a full time 4x4 weighing in at 2 tonnes. Mapping them is fine but you need to keep a close eye on things. You also need to remember that owners are using parts from BMW breaker yards so what you think you are getting, may not be what you are actually getting.

So thinking LPG'd or diesel, they aren't cheap to own. However, it is a buyers market so you can find a bargain IF you take your time. I know one for sale at the moment which is on ebay at a reasonable price. The owner is an enthusiast and being a mechanic he makes sure all the basic work is done to a high standard.

I have a 4.6 HSE LPG with new engine, liners dropped on the last one - this one has top hat liners so no issue there.

I was talking to a LPG engineer whilst filling up in the Midlands and he told me not to cruise above 70 on the LPG otherwise the block gets too hot and can fail - the gas burns hotter than the petrol - sounded plausible to me. So now I poodle on gas and when my foot gets heavy I switch to petrol (It is faster on petrol too) - I wouldn't want a diesel, to slow for me.

What are you going to be doing with the car? Horse for courses..

ladyranger said:

why's that!! did the other 3 break down....or overheat????:hysterically_laughi

Click to expand...

Cheeky mare.....

magictiny said:

I have a 4.6 HSE LPG with new engine, liners dropped on the last one - this one has top hat liners so no issue there.

I was talking to a LPG engineer whilst filling up in the Midlands and he told me not to cruise above 70 on the LPG otherwise the block gets too hot and can fail - the gas burns hotter than the petrol - sounded plausible to me. So now I poodle on gas and when my foot gets heavy I switch to petrol (It is faster on petrol too) - I wouldn't want a diesel, to slow for me.

Click to expand...

Really? Mine isn't. Mine runs just as well on gas as it does on petrol. It certainly shouldn't overheat at any speed on lpg. Sounds like the fuel mapping is wrong if so.

To answer your question rangiegal, heated seats work fine, heated windscreen works fine, o rings done, new valve block etc. All lies.