I'm on the brink of buying 4.6 HSE...

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Vinny73

Active Member
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154
... will make a choice between 2 tomorrow when I get to see the 2nd on my shortlist.

But, I read these forums, look at all the problems and think am I crazy buying a Range Rover?? :confused:

I've got a 98 and 99 4.6 HSE, one has done 40k miles, the other 84k miles and full history to support both.

Am I taking a gamble buying any Range Rover? The running costs, fuel, insurance, tax don't bother me, especially as they don't fall into the newer high tax bandings. But some of the things Im reading about concern me.

Any obvious things that I should check, that you guys being already owners of, would see and walk away from a car?
Should I really be considering a RR that I would ultimately need to rely on daily to get to work and back, a 30mile round trip...??
 
Vinny73 said:
But, I read these forums, look at all the problems and think am I crazy buying a Range Rover?? :confused:
Click to expand...

Yes, but for the moments it all works as it should you will absolutely 100% love it.


Vinny73 said:
Am I taking a gamble buying any Range Rover? The running costs, fuel, insurance, tax don't bother me, especially as they don't fall into the newer high tax bandings. But some of the things Im reading about concern me.
Click to expand...

You are taking a gamble buying a Range Rover, but then again you take a a gamble when you buy any car, no matter how good the SH is I think.

The general rule of thumb, I think anyway, is, you have got to be willing to put in the hours and 'look after' the car. It won't be like a German car, fill it up with fuel every 2 weeks, service it once a year etc etc. It will require constant attention and as long as you are willing to give it that then you will have a good experience owning one. They really are fun things to own and drive and you will certainly end up impressing your mates with all your new found knowledge of the intricaces of the air suspension system for example :D


Vinny73 said:
Any obvious things that I should check, that you guys being already owners of, would see and walk away from a car?
Should I really be considering a RR that I would ultimately need to rely on daily to get to work and back, a 30mile round trip...??
Click to expand...

This question has been asked before so it would be good to do a search, make sure the air suspension works 100%, check for any cracked/damaged air 'springs' on each corner of the vehicle, check levels, go on a lonnnnnnng test drive, check all electrics work, push every button and check that everything does what it is supposed to do. Take along someone who is familiar with P38's if you don't feel confident checking one out on your own - where about's are you?

P38's are pretty reliable if you keep them well serviced, like I said above, look after it and it will look after you. Saying that I do have a Renault Clio for emergencies :D

Good luck with buying one and Im sure you will love it!

-Wills :)
 
Sirus said:
Don't get me wrong they are lovely cars, but they aint cheap to run
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Lol... no wonder your post count is so high ;)

Well... I have had 2 TVR's and belive me, one of them was not cheap to run. I was scared to take it further than the driveway for fear of not being able to get it back in the garage. It was low loaded far too often!
Anything remotely close that Cerbera 4.5 would **** me off.
The Griffith 500 was different story however, bullet proof.
What I'm saying is I'm not too put off by cars with bad reps, but these days will question the decision a little more than a few years back!

I really like the look of the P38s and I know exactly what I want, but is it going to be the worst decision in car buying I will ever make lol? :D
 
Thanks Wills, some good advice in there - I can too easily fall for the looks of the car and overlook the odd thing that doesn't work, but it sounds more critical in this case. The air suspension I am aware of, and will give it a good going over.
The long test drive sounds another good idea.
 
Vinny73 said:
I really like the look of the P38s and I know exactly what I want, but is it going to be the worst decision in car buying I will ever make lol? :D
Click to expand...

Not if you ave owned a TVR (or two) - friend had 1 and it was far worse in reliability than the P38, then one day, when it was working fine and he was cruising along, it cut out, he pulled over, next thing you know if was in flames and reduced to a burnt out wreck very quickly!

-Wills :)
 
Just make sure everything works on it. Air suspension. Air con, etc.....even then its no guarentee that it will not go tomorrow.

Like I say they will cost you at some stage. P.s. mine will be for sale soon heheheheh, After its gearbox rebuild
 
I have had 3 TVRs and 3 rangies, always at the same time, ie 99 griff 500 and 95 hse being the last. Got rid of the hse and now got a 2004 black 90 xs Defender and would not go back to a rangie, yeah nice but ! Not that the Griff has been cheap, but thats my fault, too nice to poor suppliers.
 
You know what, sod it, if I like it Im gonna buy it and take the hit when it comes :D
Worst case if it becomes stupid to run around in daily, i'll buy something for daily use and then have a P38 for the weekends etc...
 
TVR's are brilliant when they work btw, all my matess have had them too, I think only my Cerbera was the real unreliable one, but you do hear horror stories.
Shame they are no longer trading tho...
 
The P38 is a car that is an enthusiasts dream-plenty of getting your hands dirty to keep on top of it and that's the point-neglect maintenance and niggles and you will pay dearly. Bear in mind that due to the electronic content (The designers went mad), a simple diagnostic piece of kit (Apart from the EAS) is as much use as a chocolate tea pot. Every time you get a fault, it's going to cost you around £50 at an independant to get it read/cleared. That said, you have read the forum and got a good idea of what's in store. We are all lunatics on here but we still love them. If you want a reliable car, suggest you buy a Micra or Golf.
The choice (And the money) is yours at the end of the day......Good Luck.
 
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