P38 Diesel manual vs. auto?

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gn3dr

Member
Posts
17
Location
Kerry, Ireland
Hi
I currently have a P38 4.0 auto but I am looking at buying a P38 diesel. I plan on at least geting it chipped.

My question is around the choice of gearbox. I generally do not like autos. Auto boxes for me just seem to dull the power and make everything happen more slowly. That being said this is a cruiser not a sports car, so...given that there are more autos available shouwl I just go for that

General word of mouth sems to be that manual P38's are not nice however I haven't seen any good detail or hard facts on why this is so. What's not nice about them? Why is the auto better?

Or is the whole thing purely a personal preference thing?:confused:

Your opinions please
 
gn3dr said:
Hi
I currently have a P38 4.0 auto but I am looking at buying a P38 diesel. I plan on at least geting it chipped.

My question is around the choice of gearbox. I generally do not like autos. Auto boxes for me just seem to dull the power and make everything happen more slowly. That being said this is a cruiser not a sports car, so...given that there are more autos available shouwl I just go for that

General word of mouth sems to be that manual P38's are not nice however I haven't seen any good detail or hard facts on why this is so. What's not nice about them? Why is the auto better?

Or is the whole thing purely a personal preference thing?:confused:

Your opinions please
Click to expand...


i would stick with the auto imho!
i am on my 7th ranger now and also have a disco (auto) 2 of the rangers was manual and i would never go back to manual in such a big motor now. auto is the ultimate cruiser and non of that on/off the heavy clutch in traffic. why have cotton when you can have silk?
 
mark1971 said:
i would stick with the auto imho!
i am on my 7th ranger now and also have a disco (auto) 2 of the rangers was manual and i would never go back to manual in such a big motor now. auto is the ultimate cruiser and non of that on/off the heavy clutch in traffic. why have cotton when you can have silk?
Click to expand...
Good point.Have you ever tried a Land rover clutch?Like a workout.
 
My 2p worth is, autos are much kinder on all the moving parts, no fluffed pullaways, no stalling, no sloppy drive shafts, no clunking !

Manuals = lots of snatchy gear changes + Little Precillas horse box etc etc etc.

Having said that Auto Diesels needs a big brave pill when pulling out of a junction when cold !!

Steve :pound:
 
goonarmy said:
Good point.Have you ever tried a Land rover clutch?Like a workout.
Click to expand...


My Rangey's clutch is no heavier or lighter than the transit van (57 plate) I drive for work.

The diesel hasn't enough power or revs for an auto box imo, plus I prefer to be able to stir the gearbox myself, even behind a big yank V8....
 
Because the poxy BMW horrible thing is so gutless at low revs,it totally unsuitable for a heavy 4wd.With an autobox and chipped its ok,but not great.If you want a manual,go for a 4.0 v8 with a decent LPG system,at least the v8 has the grunt for a lazy driving style.Any towing with a diesel manual is going to be hard work.
 
zzr1200 said:
My Rangey's clutch is no heavier or lighter than the transit van (57 plate) I drive for work.

The diesel hasn't enough power or revs for an auto box imo, plus I prefer to be able to stir the gearbox myself, even behind a big yank V8....
Click to expand...

Yeah the lack of power thing was one thing that was swaying me towards the manual.
I have a '73 Rangie Classic as well so the clutch effort thing is not a major concern.
 
gn3dr said:
Yeah the lack of power thing was one thing that was swaying me towards the manual.
I have a '73 Rangie Classic as well so the clutch effort thing is not a major concern.
Click to expand...


Granted the M51 isn't the most powerful engine fitted to the Rangey...:eek: ...I understand its better once its been chipped...:( ...one day I will try chipping mine...;) .

I often tow 2.0 ton, occassionally 3.0+ ton, its depends on your towing requirements, my diesel Rangey doesn't tow as well as my old 110 V8 did, but it does more that the 8 mpg that the V8 used to average with 3.0 ton hanging on the back...

I'II put up with the lack of power until I win the lottery.....:rolleyes:
 
chipping a bmw engine is cheap compared to the gains you get out of them, makes a big difference to towing now with more torque and mpg. its defo money well spent and makes them more enjoyable for everyday driving :D my tdi auto disco is also modded and thats also a great towing motor now and still good on mpg.. do it ;)
 
ooooooooo the clutch is heavy.... is it heck, wot are ya men or gaylander drivers ! sure the diesel aint the fastest thing in the world but it aint as bad as some would have you believe, the manual is definatley more suited to the motor ive had no probs with the box or motor although the dual mass flywheel can be suspect. i guess its horses for courses best thing would be test drive both and make your own mind up and good luck
 
twincam said:
ooooooooo the clutch is heavy.... is it heck, wot are ya men or gaylander drivers ! the manual is definatley more suited to the motor
Click to expand...

why keep changing gear when you dont have too? plus, as been already said, theres less strain on the transmission with auto.fact! as i have owned both manual and auto the latter is more enjoyable to drive imo but it is only my opinion. :D
 
i can sort of see where youre commin from, and i agree why change gear when u dont have to, but with the 2.5 doozel engine to get anything like decent performance you have to go for a manual gearbox, now if youre happy to toodle along and youre in no rush to be anywhere then the auto is fine but saying the clutch is too heavy is just not a reason to shy away from the manual
 
mines chipped lol and can still pull away strong off the block, but standard as said,from cold it is a bit :eek: when pulling out of a junction lol manual is better for coming down hills though :rolleyes: lol
 
i still dont understand the doozels reputation for being gutless and underpowered, once youve mastered driving it, it dont feel gutless it pulls when you need it to and will happily keep up with traffic and cruise at 80+ and flat out mine will pull 109mph goin by the sat nav and thats with a bog standard motor like as been said sure the manual will pull away quicker but the auto is a far more relaxed drive its horses for courses
 
hey guys...
my DHSE (which is currently for sale in Landyzone:D )has the autobox and she's a top machine to drive...
quicker up the revs and more torque to play with,just push n go...
the gear change is so silky she just keeps pulling,even when the horsebox is on...:rolleyes:
yes,she's a bit lethargic when cold but she dont take long to heat up,a bit quicker than a manual anyway...:eek:
dont listen to the stories about how slow they are in standard trim,at 2 1/2 ton,mine does pretty well and she's not chipped!...;)
would you really want a manual 4x4 Rolls Royce???...:crazy:
try them both,manual and auto,n see for yourself but it dont really matter coz at the end of the day,you'll still one of us,yes?...;)
 
D8DEL said:
hey guys...
my DHSE (which is currently for sale in Landyzone:D )has the autobox and she's a top machine to drive...
quicker up the revs and more torque to play with,just push n go...
the gear change is so silky she just keeps pulling,even when the horsebox is on...:rolleyes:
yes,she's a bit lethargic when cold but she dont take long to heat up,a bit quicker than a manual anyway...:eek:
dont listen to the stories about how slow they are in standard trim,at 2 1/2 ton,mine does pretty well and she's not chipped!...;)
would you really want a manual 4x4 Rolls Royce???...:crazy:
try them both,manual and auto,n see for yourself but it dont really matter coz at the end of the day,you'll still one of us,yes?...;)
Click to expand...

Yeah I guess it seems to be purely opinion based really so it is down to personal preference which sways me towards keeping faithful to my dislike of autos. I'll have to try drive a few to compare.

Yeah I have seen your P38 for sale here. Looks nice and clean but too expensive for me . (I'm in Ireland so the import tax on it here on an '01 would be about €4000)
 
There weren't as many manuals made as autos, and in general the manual variants were lower spec (cloth seats!) and tend to have had a harder life - so when you see a manual for sale it doesn't make for a good buy.
 
lanmjdun said:
There weren't as many manuals made as autos, and in general the manual variants were lower spec (cloth seats!) and tend to have had a harder life - so when you see a manual for sale it doesn't make for a good buy.
Click to expand...

Now that is just a load of bol****s.

Yep, mine has cloth seats, its a manual, just passed its mot with no work required at 94,407 mls and is in very good condition.

It has a FSH and all the MOT certs.

Its how the things been looked after that counts.
 
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