new and very unsure

Hi
i am new to this so this may of been asked before , i am looking at buying a Range Rover , P38, wont be doing a lot of miles in it. what are the things to look out for when looking at one. I have seen that the tail gate needs to be checked as they can rust , plus to make sure all the switches work with no warning lights on . but is there any thing else that needs checking . Also am i best looking at LPg , diesel or petrol ?
sorry if they are all dumb questions but just not sure :doh:

syphilis
air suspension
BCEM (computer failure)
Engine liner Faults
battery flattened by wireless door bells
transfer box chain stretching
bcem and engine ecu sync
just a few

Could write 3000 words on what to look for... but the scary-expensive things mainly centre around drivetrain and electronics.
First off, the V8 and Deeeezil are very different beasts, I'm a V8/LPG person as I believe a RR shouldn't sound like a Massey Fergusson but others love their oil burners.

With the V8, the biggest worry is the blocks cracking and the cylinder liners slippiing. If the example you're test driving is running hot and pressurising the cooling system to the point of the top hose firing off, walk away.

Electronic Air Suspension (EAS) is potentially dear-ish, but nowadays all parts are reasonably ok to buy and the system is well understood.

Electronic problems often centre around the BeCM- this unit controls everything from the locking/unlocking of doors to the electric windows and even managing the immobiliser. But again, if you do get problems, there's a couple of specialists on here that can fix pretty much anything for a fair price.

Bodywise they're really not too bad- rust is uncommon and probably the least of your worries.
Just remember, while they're cheap to buy (a bargain atm in my opinion) they can and do sting you in fuel costs and repair bills.

If I had to suggest a p38 the dse is safer bet.

After owning a p38 v8 I'm of the opinion they are unreliable toys.

Most people will say don't buy a P38, that's what they told me before I bought mine. In some ways I wish I had taken notice of them. fanatic is right, lots to go wrong. If you get an early one (pre-1999MY) you will get Lucas electronics, post 1999MY they change to Bosch. Also, post 1999MY you get all round traction control.
It is the 4.0 litre V8s that suffer from engine liner faults not the diesels. All V8s are also prone to overheating. Air Suspension is a complete pain in the arse unless it is perfect. If you buy one budget to replace airbags (£60 each) Before you make a decision to buy one have a look at some of the posts on here and see what you are getting into. Also, if you decide to go ahead try to find someone who knows about them to go and view with you. Incidently, you don't say what your location is.
I was warned they are a money pit - and they are. But they are lovely cars and I would not part with mine!

Look long and look hard before buying a p38 and avoid the cheap ones as it is certain they will have owners desperate to get rid of them.

A lot of owners, including dealers, ask you to view 'by appointment'. Thats okay but if you are interested go back when they are not expecting you, ask them to start the car, some are not good starters and some are difficult to restart hot. Look to see if the car is sitting low on the suspension, a sign that there maybe a suspension fault. Check if there are 2 key fobs, these are £155 each. Look at service history, these cars need to be regularly serviced.

Would agree that the V8 is the more 'challenging' to buy and own..

As an indication, mine was pretty cheap but only because the eBay ad was vague and the other bidders chickened out (like I should have done!) Having said that mine was only sold due to the owner buying a brand new one.
My reason for buying it..? The car had had the grand total of £12,300 spent on it in the last 6 years, with all receipts to prove.
Now what was that about cheap Range Rovers lol? Madness really.

seriously avoid people who had them 5 mins
Not trying to diswade you, just eyes wide open

David_Cooper said:

Would agree that the V8 is the more 'challenging' to buy and own..

As an indication, mine was pretty cheap but only because the eBay ad was vague and the other bidders chickened out (like I should have done!) Having said that mine was only sold due to the owner buying a brand new one.
My reason for buying it..? The car had had the grand total of £12,300 spent on it in the last 6 years, with all receipts to prove.
Now what was that about cheap Range Rovers lol? Madness really.

Click to expand...

Yep, Last owner of mine bought the car for £6400, had it 8 months and spent over £1500 on it. I paid her £5500 and I have already spent about £400 with more to come. Mine is a diesel btw.

lots of bills shows it was at least attended to when it had issues, many are cheap because they will cost **** loads to get right and with no guarantee of continued reliability

buy a good one hard to find but are out there, come and buy mine if you want a very good one with every thing done..

thanks , gives me a lot to think about . have looked a two so far , one was a shed and new staright away to keep away , the other was very nice . clean and tidy . but only had one key and no service history , bills or any thing so was not 100% . and thought i would look into it more glad i did . getting rid of a little classic mini so will be a bit of a change , could park it in the boot of one i think . the two i have looked at were 4.6 hse ones , one LPG , have not tried ebay so will have a look on there and see . and im in the Heathrow area

Hi there
I was apprehensive about buying a P38 as all the homework I did indicated that they are prone to problems. I chose a 4.0 SE auto with an LPG conversion and although I have had annoying problems (nothing terribly serious) I would always reccomend one. The comfort of the interior and the power of the V8 make it just a pure pleasure to drive. The only problem with the LPG system is the tank, which in mine is in the boot. It is really irritating not having the full boot space so I would advise looking for a conversion with a doughnut tank in the spare wheel well. I was also advised to check the air suspension but found one with a coil spring conversion, they are around and leave less to worry about.
All in all they are really nice cars and when you get used to one you will never want to drive anything less. Good hunting!

I bought a late 2000 DHSE, paid £4850, nearly 2 years trouble free motoring and it's fairly economical. Has a problem now tho. Personally I wouldn't touch a V8.

One thing to add, this is the best place to get good solid, helpful advise when you get stuck or just need to ask about a problem with your range rover.

gazzatops said:

Hi
i am new to this so this may of been asked before , i am looking at buying a Range Rover , P38, wont be doing a lot of miles in it. what are the things to look out for when looking at one. I have seen that the tail gate needs to be checked as they can rust , plus to make sure all the switches work with no warning lights on . but is there any thing else that needs checking . Also am i best looking at LPg , diesel or petrol ?
sorry if they are all dumb questions but just not sure :doh:

Click to expand...

make sure it starts well from hot,they do have have start issues i have a 2.5 diesel p38,had it since august 2010,had to change air bags,drag link,clutch and a few other minor bits and pieces,but all age related.wouldn't be without it.
and make sure everything works.
if you are not going to use it much,go for the most basic model you can get.

gazzatops said:

Hi
i am new to this so this may of been asked before , i am looking at buying a Range Rover , P38, wont be doing a lot of miles in it. what are the things to look out for when looking at one. I have seen that the tail gate needs to be checked as they can rust , plus to make sure all the switches work with no warning lights on . but is there any thing else that needs checking . Also am i best looking at LPg , diesel or petrol ?
sorry if they are all dumb questions but just not sure :doh:

Click to expand...

make sure it starts well from hot,they do have have start issues i have a 2.5 diesel p38,had it since august 2010,had to change air bags,drag link,clutch and a few other minor bits and pieces,but all age related.wouldn't be without it.
and make sure everything works.
if you are not going to use it much,go for the most basic model you can get.
also if it has service history,make sure it is not always i the garage too much history is not good,shows trouble and will cost the new owner,there are plenty out there and you should find a good one.

I got mine a year ago almost to the day.
I looked at loads before I found mine. They all looked really good on paper but in the flesh it was a different story :-(
I thought that I'd got a real peach and on the hole it is but I've still spent over a grand in the first year, but to be fair a lot of the was replacing parts that had been on there since new.
I got a diesel which for me was the best option and bought a power box to give it a bit more grunt.
I wouldn't be without it ;-)
Ps. Welcome to the brotherhood...