Thinking of buying a Range Rover

[Wayne2452]

Hi, I have owned 2 isuzu's and a Ssangyong Musso, all 3 have given me many years of trouble free motoring. I have tried finding a mk3 3.1 trooper in good condition for sensible money but struggling so looking into getting a 1997-2000
Range Rover Diesel or Lpg conversion.
Just wondering what to look out for and what the common faults are on a Range Rover of this age?.

Thanks
Wayne

 

[philvy]

great first post mate. no introduction... better flee before the regulars come and ...


on the other hand: carry on
i want something to watch tonight, and i'm ure this will be this fred

 

[2.0_hippo]

great first post mate. No introduction... Better flee before the regulars come and ...


On the other hand: Carry on
i want something to watch tonight, and i'm ure this will be this fred

:d

 

[wil2813]

op2:

 

[gold rover]

op2:

You could've bought a share pack!

:5blurk5:

 

[StuckAgainSteve]

Hi, I have owned 2 isuzu's and a Ssangyong Musso, all 3 have given me many years of trouble free motoring.

If the above is the sort of motoring you're after then forget a Range Rover of any description. I'd rather trade a bit of reliability for character - soulless Jap(/Korean) cars bore me to tears. Your Range Rover will go wrong it's a matter of "when" not "if". Some remain breakdown-free (if you're really lucky like me (so far)) but I've still had a few niggly problems - this is all part and parcel of Range Rover ownership.

 

[Grit Valve]

If the above is the sort of motoring you're after then forget a Range Rover of any description. I'd rather trade a bit of reliability for character - soulless Jap(/Korean) cars bore me to tears. Your Range Rover will go wrong it's a matter of "when" not "if". Some remain breakdown-free (if you're really lucky like me (so far)) but I've still had a few niggly problems - this is all part and parcel of Range Rover ownership.

Ignor this guy they never go wrong how many do you see on AA Trucks :behindsofa:

 

[TCubed]

Diesel beats petrol in every respect apart from V8 noises and power:
However a good petrol on LPG would also be a good choice.

Soooo, what to look for: PM me and I'll send out my long list of things to look at if you go to see one, but beforehand what you want to see is lowish mileage or that it's had the common fault bringers checked. These are gearbox, engine on the V8's, and EAS.
If you find a good one, the main thing is to make sure roughly everything works so that the work you'll have to do will be occasional wear and tear work.
Generally speaking people with P38's either love them or hate them! So long as you're DIY confident and willing to put in the time, they can be kept going happily at non-excessive cost. If you're not though.... the bills will be massive

 

[StuckAgainSteve]

Diesel beats petrol in every respect apart from V8 noises and power:

Not everyone is bothered about fuel consumption and the potential slipped liner issue can be fixed permanently - at a cost. I wouldn't have a diesel P38 if you paid me. The 4.6 petrols have a much stronger transmission too.

 

[TCubed]

Not everyone is bothered about fuel consumption and the potential slipped liner issue can be fixed permanently - at a cost. I wouldn't have a diesel P38 if you paid me. The 4.6 petrols have a much stronger transmission too.

Regardless of people's viewpoint, diesel still beats petrol on fuel consumption
A permanent fix is still a fix...
Fair point on the transmission, although it should be noted that the 4.0 has the same transmission as the diesel, and if the diesel remains chipless, it will be fine.

 

[TCubed]

Incidentally with respect to an introduction, it's a good idea to put your (not too specific) location on your profile, as then if you ever need diagnostic equipment or something, somebody here might be nearby to help

 

[Saint.V8]

Range Rovers are awesome vehicles - but go into owership with your eye wide open, they WILL breakdown, they WILL cost a fortune to repair, they WILL test your patience, they WILL cause you a stressful time with your partner....

Never buy one with a fault no matter what the seller says, unless you are fully aware of the potential eye watering repair costs.

DIY your own maintenance and repairs and you'll save a fotune - if you can't and are on a limited budget - walk away from Range Rovers....they will empty a healthy bank balance rapidly.

Saying that, they are simply brilliant to drive, awesome to look at and nothing gives you a feeling like a Range Rover.

4.0 P38 on gas will give 13-18mpg
4.6 P38 on gas will return between 12-17 mpg
2.5 Diesel P38, 22-28 mpg

The V8's slip liners and if the cooling system is iffy, overheat rapidly.
The Diesels are the best option for general reliability of the drive train, although the Gearboxes are a little stressed in a chipped Diesel, it is just the rest of the car that is a problem on a Oil Burning P38...!!

Classics are full of Class, but also full of rust...hard pushed to find a decent one nowadays, which is a massive shame as they truly are the most classy of all Range Rovers....

The L322 - is AWESOME but very thirsty and very prone to unreliabilty with repair costs that are not only eye watering but pant soiling too....the complexity of the electronics means it is full of electrical niggles and hiccups...if you get an L322, get your own Diagnostic Computer too as this will save you a fortune!

Don't be put off, but a Range Rover is a lifestyle/hobby not a reliable family car that can be relied on....

I am lucky, I have a decent boss who when I phone up to tell him I am going to be late cos the car is playing up, he just laughs at me and hangs up....

 

[Wayne2452]

I'm a dab hand with the spanners and a welder so no problems there. Basically I want to know what too look for when buying a Range Rover such as coil spring conversion, where to look for rot on chassis etc. don't mind climbing under a motor but don't want too end up with a £2k dead dog sat on my drive way. I only do about 6k miles a year but I want reliability. Am I right in thinking that the 2.5 diesel is a BMW engine?

 

[Saint.V8]

I'm a dab hand with the spanners and a welder so no problems there. Basically I want to know what too look for when buying a Range Rover such as coil spring conversion, where to look for rot on chassis etc. don't mind climbing under a motor but don't want too end up with a £2k dead dog sat on my drive way. I only do about 6k miles a year but I want reliability. Am I right in thinking that the 2.5 diesel is a BMW engine?

Yes the Diesels use the M51 BMW 6 cylinder engine....

Coil conversions should be shunned as if they have scrimped on EAS maintenance and converted to coils - what else have the skimped on??

If you wat reliability steer clear of Range Rovers....once voted the worlds most unreliable car, the Diesel is the best for reliability engine-wise, but it is still mated to the rest of the car, which is riddled with niggles...most of the time they are not bad enough to kill the car, just bad enough to drive you insane trying to fix.

Rust on the P38 chassis is not common, and they are by far much better than the Classics...very well rust protected with thicker steel section, but they are now getting on in years and still not many report ruste chassis...it is mainly the bonnet edges and tail gates on the P38 which are the worst.

You want Reliable - go for Jap.....a Range Rover will only break your heart!

 

[Wayne2452]

I was hoping to come on here and be told of a few little niggles too look for!, but my dream of driving around in style is dwindling away very quickly

 

[biggeeeee]

I was hoping to come on here and be told of a few little niggles too look for!, but my dream of driving around in style is dwindling away very quickly

If you're really worried, then look no further than a Petrol Freelander, the prices of them at the moment are fairly good as we come into the better weather.
Avoid diesels at all costs, they will cost you money and are so unreliable.
Stick with the petrol ones as they will run well over 500K miles without problem.




Oh and don't forget.....

 

[2.0_hippo]

If you're really worried, then look no further than a Petrol Freelander, the prices of them at the moment are fairly good as we come into the better weather.
Avoid diesels at all costs, they will cost you money and are so unreliable.
Stick with the petrol ones as they will run well over 500K miles without problem.




Oh and don't forget.....

Petrol freelanders ?!?!?!

Are you fecking kidding me ???

 

[Saint.V8]

I was hoping to come on here and be told of a few little niggles too look for!, but my dream of driving around in style is dwindling away very quickly

No such thing on Range Rovers....huge fecking great big ones....and costly too.

Range Rovers on a budget are a big no no, they will cripple you on the smallest of things..

Don't forget the P38 was a £40k+ car back in the austere 90's and they still have that kind of running cost to boot.

Just because Range Rover is now becoming cheap as chips bringing it into most peoples price range to buy, they will financially butt-feck you in running costs - this is something people don't realise, buy a cheap RR then either scrap it or sell it becasue the running costs and stress of ownership is killing them!

IMHO, far to many potentialy great P38's are being scrapped because they were an impulse purchase by people who want a bit of Class motoring, then realise the running costs are astronomical and then scrap it to get rid of it....needlessly!

 

[SteveRover]

Before you finally run away screaming, I bought an early 4.0 P38 with primitive lpg, 170k on the clock, no service history about 18 mths ago. Searching, searching & sesrching on here first gave me a heads up, as did knowing a local specialist who run them themselves. It cost less than a low-end Disco, so I figured it was worth the risk. Since it has done 15k & only let us down twice (flat battery, see wireless interference issues). It has needed care and when things start playing up they've been sorted straight away.

Recent conversations with friends/neighbours show it has cost over that period less on repairs than a 5 Series, a Trooper, L200, and has been a lot less hassle than an E Class I had until recently. But, I know that compared to others on this forum, I am lucky. Again, search - there are some real toe curling threads on here. But search through some forums on other cars as well - there aren't many that don't have some expensive foibles, and of course who starts a thread to say they don't have a problem?

As long as do your research, think about what you want (any good large motor or specifically a Range Rover), find a good local specialist (or kind person of this parish) & keep it maintained at all times, you will have a fantastic vehicle. But it will bite eventually. For me, I've had a cracking motor for 18 months, and if it goes tit's up tomorrow, then I won't be sorry, just a little sad at losing a friend. And the chance of playing 'What Was That Noise' on every journey, of course.

I should perhaps add that I also own a 109 S2a Landy & a rather complicated big Citreon, so I may just be rather reckless car ownership wise...

 

[Datatek]

Range Rovers are not a car, they are a hobby. If you want reliable, and have the cash go for Toyota, Shogun, Trooper etc.
The V8 is notorious for dropping liners especially on LPG. The diesel is less unreliable.