How much and what else do I look for?

Paul.G · Mar 10, 2013

Hi all

I have always been a Disco lover but a Friend of mine has a V reg P38 BMW engined 2.5 DHSE Auto he is selling, it has 12months mot and has all new air bags but the compresor needs a rebuild or replacing and has slightly rough door bottoms, it has low miles around 80 thousand, she looks solid enough underneath but was wondering if anyone can give me a heads up of things to look for and what kind of money she is worth

Cheers Paul

Datatek · Mar 10, 2013

Paul.G said:
Hi all

I have always been a Disco lover but a Friend of mine has a V reg P38 BMW engined 2.5 DHSE Auto he is selling, it has 12months mot and has all new air bags but the compresor needs a rebuild or replacing and has slightly rough door bottoms, it has low miles around 80 thousand, she looks solid enough underneath but was wondering if anyone can give me a heads up of things to look for and what kind of money she is worth

Cheers Paul

Do a search for the list of possible problems.
If it's pre 2000 and a bit tatty as little as £800. Sorry V reg means nothing to me.

Grit Valve · Mar 10, 2013

Hi around 3-4 grand look underneath the bonnet check it is fitted with the plastic air intake manifold , leaking oil cooler pipes engine / gearbox , leaking injector pump, smooth gearbox changes, smells if burning around the fuse box wet drivers carpet ,heater blowers / distributors no faults in Message centre or In the hevac display the list goes on test all windows hi and low box a good long drive for overheating and you should be alright

jacckk · Mar 10, 2013

Datatek said:
Do a search for the list of possible problems.
If it's pre 2000 and a bit tatty as little as £800. Sorry V reg means nothing to me.

V reg means it's from September 1999 to February 2000 I think.

Saint.V8 · Mar 10, 2013

V is around 99

A good search will pull up many threads on condition etc.

Paul.G · Mar 10, 2013

Thanks for the tips guys, sorry I didn't have time earlier to do a search but will be doing lots of them tonight, yep it is a 1999 model, there are little bits of rust on the bonnet and in the hinge panel on the drop down part of the tailgate.

I personaly think it is worth between £800 and a £1000 but wanted to get feedback from folk that maybe know a bit more about them than me, My 2000 (W) Disco2 ES 4.0V8 I sold last year for £1500 was cleaner but this being a diesel is what I am looking for, can anyone tell me if I am going for the right engine type or should I be going for a Td5 or whatever other diesel variant there may be?

Saint.V8 · Mar 10, 2013

If the body panels are showing signs of rusting, yeah around the 1k to 1.5k mark aslong as there are no faults to speak of.

Never buy a Range Rover with faults, ever, unless you know what the costs are and what is involved in fixing it!!!

I bought a 99 DSE in Spet 11 for just under 4k with a full service History and unmarked....only issues was the Blend motor needed doing.....

jerrytlr · Mar 10, 2013

There is only one diesel option in the P38.... the BMW straight six. It is a fairly low tech engine and pretty reliable. If it doesn't overheat on a long incline, it is probably OK! Check it starts OK when warm, a common problem with this engine.

I am suprised by the rust. Generally P38s don't rust. My 1995 is almost totally rust free. For me rust is a more serious issue than mechanical problems, I would politely say no thanks and find one that is rust free....

Cheers

Jerry

Saint.V8 · Mar 10, 2013

The chassis is pretty bomb proof on the P38, but the tailgates and rear wheel arches are still prone to the rust worm....

Bottom edges of doors usually rust if someone has been inside the door (i.e. to replace a window regulator or lock etc) and not replaced the water proof membrane to prevent water ingress as much as possible, or the drains in the botom of the door are blocked.

Bonnet edges are due to un repaired stone chips and could mean it has spent most of its life on the motorways......

Paul.G · Mar 11, 2013

I didn't realise there is only the BMW diesel for the P38.

Living in Shetland is probably the main cause of rust, I will have another visit and spend a little more time going over it, it is very little rust and could be touched up easy enough, my main concern are the electrical gremlins I have read about doing my searches.

Saint.V8, I had no idea what a Blend Motor was untill you mentioned it, now I do it scared me at first but think I could tackle it if needed, I think there are no problems at all anywhere in the dash fingers crossed but I will be double checking and triple checking everything, the thing I don't like is the cirtuit board under the seat

Datatek · Mar 11, 2013

Paul.G said:
I didn't realise there is only the BMW diesel for the P38.

Living in Shetland is probably the main cause of rust, I will have another visit and spend a little more time going over it, it is very little rust and could be touched up easy enough, my main concern are the electrical gremlins I have read about doing my searches.

Saint.V8, I had no idea what a Blend Motor was untill you mentioned it, now I do it scared me at first but think I could tackle it if needed, I think there are no problems at all anywhere in the dash fingers crossed but I will be double checking and triple checking everything, the thing I don't like is the cirtuit board under the seat

There are a number of ECU's under the seats, BECM under the drivers seat, EAS, Auto and transfer under the passenger seat.
Just need to make sure the carpets are not wet from rainwater leaks or O rings.

donp38 · Mar 11, 2013

you are in shetland?

Any specialists RR there?
if not then go for defender 300tdi
or a toyota.

i'll get my hat.......

Paul.G · Mar 12, 2013

Is there an easy way to check all the circuitry under the seat's is all in good clean fettle?
I don't like all this electricery and would prefer not to have it but it makes good sense if it has to be there to make sure it has not been swimming in water before.

I have been down the old Toyota route, two Frontera sport's and even the Mazda B2500 double cab, they are long gone and my tRusty old workhorse now project Disco is still on my drive awaiting my attention

dogsbody · Mar 12, 2013

Paul.G said:
Is there an easy way to check all the circuitry under the seat's is all in good clean fettle?
I don't like all this electricery and would prefer not to have it but it makes good sense if it has to be there to make sure it has not been swimming in water before.

It depends on how far you want to go. You could check the plugs and sockets on the boxes for obvious signs of corrosion but the internals are 14 year old electronics, designed 20+ years ago using components of that era. The good side is that, apart from the BECM which is 'locked' to the car, the rest are available from breakers and can be easily swapped.
The best that you can do is have a good look, and smell, around and then check that EVERYTHING electrical works as it should.

Datatek · Mar 12, 2013

Paul.G said:
Is there an easy way to check all the circuitry under the seat's is all in good clean fettle?
I don't like all this electricery and would prefer not to have it but it makes good sense if it has to be there to make sure it has not been swimming in water before.

I have been down the old Toyota route, two Frontera sport's and even the Mazda B2500 double cab, they are long gone and my tRusty old workhorse now project Disco is still on my drive awaiting my attention

Just make sure the drivers footwell carpets are dry and the O rings are not leaking.
Invest in a Nanocom Evo and you can do most things yourself.

How much and what else do I look for?

Paul.G

Active Member

Datatek

Well-Known Member

Grit Valve

2000 4.6 Vouge

jacckk

Active Member

Saint.V8

Dyed-in-the-wool 100% RR Junkie

Paul.G

Active Member

Saint.V8

Dyed-in-the-wool 100% RR Junkie

jerrytlr

New Member

Saint.V8

Dyed-in-the-wool 100% RR Junkie

Paul.G

Active Member

Datatek

Well-Known Member

donp38

Well-Known Member

Paul.G

Active Member

dogsbody

Very senior member

Datatek

Well-Known Member

Similar threads