Thinking of buying a Range Rover

[headlight]

As the title I am thinking of buying a 4x4 & am looking at a Range Rover, 3 litre diesel, automatic, 2003 model.
I am not new to 4x4"s having previously had 2 Discos, 3 Landys (88,90 &110), 2 Shoguns, an L200 & a Daihatsu, but haven"t had a 4x4 for about 7-8 years now.
The vehicle will be used soley for towing & launching a boat as I have a car for a daily drive.
Just wondering what the 3 litre diesel auto is like towing, it will be towing about 1.5 tonnes.
Generally how reliable is the engine, what is economy like & anything particular to look out for ?

 

[RangeRoller dt]

2003 is an early L322, some will say the autobox is made of chocolate - for a RR yes, but will tow no probs. Getting one that has been looked after would be the priority. Can you work on it yourself? If so, know what you can/can’t do and pick your battles.

Remember to factor in any likely repairs to your budget

 

[Datatek]

As the title I am thinking of buying a 4x4 & am looking at a Range Rover, 3 litre diesel, automatic, 2003 model.
I am not new to 4x4"s having previously had 2 Discos, 3 Landys (88,90 &110), 2 Shoguns, an L200 & a Daihatsu, but haven"t had a 4x4 for about 7-8 years now.
The vehicle will be used soley for towing & launching a boat as I have a car for a daily drive.
Just wondering what the 3 litre diesel auto is like towing, it will be towing about 1.5 tonnes.
Generally how reliable is the engine, what is economy like & anything particular to look out for ?

Better off with a P38 IMO. Having said that the L322 has plenty of power but the gearbox has a short life expectancy and the electronics can be a nightmare.

 

[headlight]

Well went to see it & it was dog.
Lot of rust underneath, several warning lights on the dash, several things not working & didn"t change gear smoothly or when it should
It was described as "in very good condition" in the ad

 

[Datatek]

Well went to see it & it was dog.
Lot of rust underneath, several warning lights on the dash, several things not working & didn"t change gear smoothly or when it should
It was described as "in very good condition" in the ad

I forgot to mention the rust and the suspension bushes

 

[domino]

Also worth noting that "what's the economy like" when talking about rangerovers is usually a bad idea.

Noone ever bought an RR because of fuel economy.

 

[RangeRoller dt]

Well went to see it & it was dog.
Lot of rust underneath, several warning lights on the dash, several things not working & didn"t change gear smoothly or when it should
It was described as "in very good condition" in the ad

You were right to walk away. May take few grand and a lot of time to get it right. How much did they want for it?

2003 L322s are bit rough at their age, look at 2002 P38 - older shape mk2 but generally in better condition and will pull anything. You’ll be surprised in price difference

 

[headlight]

It was advertised for £2,000.
As to economy I know it will not be good I was just wondering what it was like, 30mpg on a run driven carefully, low 20"s mpg towing or worse ?
As several people have recommended a P38 in preference to a L322 would an LPG converted P38 be as cheap to run as a diesel L322 bearing mind LPG is virtually half the price of petrol ?
Are LPG converted P38"s ok ?

 

[Wazzajnr]

My 2005 jag engined 4.4 does equivalent of 30mpg solo and around 25mpg equivalent towing the caravan which is lighter than you boat but much less aerodynamic. That's on lpg of course.
Towing a 3 tonne trailer up from Poole on petrol alone returned 17mpg but next to no wind resistance.
The running cost of diesel MIGHT get close to my mpg figures but won't beat it.

 

[headlight]

Are the 2.5 diesel P38"s a bit under powered, especially with 1.5 tonnes on the back ?
I have had a 200 & 300 TDI Disco, is the 2.5 P38 the same engine as the TD5 Disco ?

 

[brianp38dse]

The p38 diesel is the BMW M51 straight six same as the 3 and 5 series cars of around 97 but with different torque and bhp curve, not the fastest around but depends on what you want, you can chip them although best done to the manual.

 

[headlight]

What are they like towing as primarily this is what it would be used for ?
I am guessing that the big V8 petrol motors tow better than the 2.5 diesels & probably not much worse on fuel if on LPG ?

 

[brianp38dse]

Mine is diesel manual and got a tuning box tows a 1300kg tin tent well and can get about 26 towing.

 

[headlight]

That"s pretty good & iirc about what I used to get towing the boat with my old Disco 300 TDI.
Mechanical & electrical repairs I can do myself but I can"t weld & wouldn"t attempt bodywork.
I suppose now I need to decide whether to go for a diesel or petrol on LPG (petrol alone would be be to dear) & then see if I can find something solid without to many problems.

 

[Henry_b]

Avoid the early l322's the gearboxes are carp..

The P38 is better the M51 with an Auto behind it will tow but its slow and the Auto will average low 20s towing.

The 4.6 is a great tow cow, as i have one, and have towed with it, effortless grunt. expect 12-14mpg though..

If both of those put you off,

Get a sorted Discovery 2 with the TD5 a great 4x4 - tows well and has plenty of grunt.

economy is pretty good too.

 

[brianp38dse]

Well you wont need to weld with a p38 no probs there an l322 well that is a different story they are showing signs of wheel arches and sill needing doing ow and sub frames

 

[RangeRoller dt]

P38 diesel with chip/manual G.box, P38 petrol with newer type LPG, a Disco + welder or chance an L322 are all good options for towing @£2G.

You could be lucky there’s plenty options. Time for test drives to see what you like

 

[headlight]

How does "chipping" the P38 diesel affect, reliability & economy ?
I assume it increases HP & torque.
How much does "chipping" cost ?
Is re-mapping the diesel a better option ?
What is considered to be reasonable mileage on one of these ?
Oh & lastly air suspension or one that has been converted to springs ?
Sorry for all the questions but I know these motors can be expensive to repair.

 

[Henry_b]

How does "chipping" the P38 diesel affect, reliability & economy ?
I assume it increases HP & torque.
How much does "chipping" cost ?
Is re-mapping the diesel a better option ?
Oh & lastly air suspension or one that has been converted to springs ?
Sorry for all the questions but I know these motors can be expensive to repair.

The M51 is a bit pedestrian, not 300tdi softdash auto slow but pretty close.

Chipping adds a bit of grunt. - cost depends

Always get an un messed with P38 with Air never Coils especially when towing, the EAS is the headlight levelling, you'll find with a coil converted one, when towing the headlights are either blinding people or pointing at the sky.

Not ideal

Also EAS equipped cars handle infinitely better.

And if it's on coils it signifies it was maintained on a tight budget!.

 

[marjon]

Oh & lastly air suspension or one that has been converted to springs ?

You have lots to narrow down, but stick with air suspension if you plan on towing a lot

J