Thinking Of Buying A P38 - reliabilty

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mystic.bertie

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first post :)

i am thinking of buying an X5 or a range rover p38 as i fancy a luxury 4x4, im after looks, comfort and something sporty looking, i am more drawn to the range rover as its a bit more classy but out of any of the reviews i have read i have been put off by repair cost and reliabilty, i would be going for the large petrol engine with lpg to make running costs more affordable, i am a keen diy mechanic and like to fix and maintain my own cars but im worreied many of the jobs it needs will need to go to the garage to get done.

I have a budget of 8k and i have seen a few lovely examples in my price range but im worried ill get hit with expensive repair costs if i keep it for 2 years.

are my fears reasonable or are the range rovers not as bad as they get bad press for ?
 
I dont think they are as bad as we think they are, looking at thease Land Rover sites maybe off putting as you are looking at problems we are all getting so all you see is bad press, my 1998 dse has done 118000 miles and last year cost me £180 in repaire bills, thats 2 rear air springs and a thermostate and this year the only trouble i have had is a door lock that just needed removing and a clean and while i had the trim off i replaced the window regulator.
As your a keen mechanic i think you'll find you can do most repaires yourself, i have had mine 4 years and never needed to go to a dealer yet, not that i would trust one anyway
As for getting one with a full Land Rover service history dont mean anything as i have looked at a few with a full history and found a few things that have never been done that should have been done at a service.
Anyway thats my opinion i am sure you will get more advise from other owners
 
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A friend of mine has had a R reg diesel P38 for 5 years and said it has been his most reliable car, he thinks he's spent less than £1,500 on it in those 5 years and that at least half of that was for upgrades that he wanted and not because there was anything wrong with the bits on there.
 
reliabilty and rangerover just dont seem to fit together after saying that no better car to own only thing i would say is take your time in picking the one you want dont be pulled into all the bling people put on to them make sure coolent is ok before you start it goodluck and welcome j
 
Cossie David said:
I dont think they are as bad as we think they are, looking at thease Land Rover sites maybe off putting as you are looking at problems we are all getting so all you see is bad press, my 1998 dse has done 118000 miles and last year cost me £180 in repaire bills, thats 2 rear air springs and a thermostate and this year the only trouble i have had is a door lock that just needed removing and a clean and while i had the trim off i replaced the window regulator.
As your a keen mechanic i think you'll find you can do most repaires yourself, i have had mine 4 years and never needed to go to a dealer yet, not that i would trust one anyway
As for getting one with a full Land Rover service history dont mean anything as i have looked at a few with a full history and found a few things that have never been done that should have been done at a service.
Anyway thats my opinion i am sure you will get more advise from other owners
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cheers mate, i dont like going to any garage unless its for an mot which is unavoidable and i hate dealer prices. I enjoy working on my own cars and am able to do most things but i want to avoid big jobs altogether.

Dr W said:
A friend of mine has had a R reg diesel P38 for 5 years and said it has been his most reliable car, he thinks he's spent less than £1,500 on it in those 5 years and that at least half of that was for upgrades that he wanted and not because there was anything wrong with the bits on there.
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nice to hear that, im sure the majority are fine, i know there are the common things to check for but is there lots of unexpected things that can happen as they get older

j the range said:
reliabilty and rangerover just dont seem to fit together after saying that no better car to own only thing i would say is take your time in picking the one you want dont be pulled into all the bling people put on to them make sure coolent is ok before you start it goodluck and welcome j
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lol someone on another forum told me they recover 50 rangies a week and its always down to electrics, which is scary if its true, i fancy one with nicer wheels as its something i would be craving to do anyway but it would not make me abuy a below par vehicle.

i like the looks of this one on ebay, i love the cream piped leather and the metalic red is lovely and smashing wheels and its lpg, its far away but im now used to travelling far and wide for my cars as scotland is rubbish

2001 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER VOGUE SE A RED LPG GAS on eBay, also, Land Rover Range Rover, Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 01-Jun-09 15:36:30 BST)
 
Hi i have had my 1999 4.6 hse rangie for over a year and apart from a stainless steel exhaust and servicing parts and the fitted lpg system its been BRIILIANT well pleased, ultimatly its down to you and what you think. :D
 
that looks ok but a bit on the pricey side but no harm in having a look lets know how you get on one of the lads on here has a nice one for sale i think it is sirus j
 
yep I have one for sale.....recent engine and gearbox rebuild so should last for years now. Ps It has all the luxuries and a £1000 stereo dvd video Tv setup innit
 
I left range rover ownership a couple of years age to try something else, ie Grand Cherokee and a X5. The Jeep was very american ( cheap plastics) and the X5 felt like a car.

Gone back to Range Rover and bought myself a 2001 4.0 HSE. Feels just right. :D Love it to bits and feels good to be back in 1.

They are an easy vehicle to work on yourself and the guys on here are very helpfull when you need some help.
 
metropolis2 said:
Hi i have had my 1999 4.6 hse rangie for over a year and apart from a stainless steel exhaust and servicing parts and the fitted lpg system its been BRIILIANT well pleased, ultimatly its down to you and what you think. :D
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i think i would love one, i keep changing my cars but i reckon i would keep the rangie for a while, i am not scared to get under the car and do jobs etc but i worry incase something expensive goes wrong, thats why my more recent cars have been cheapers cars so i dont lose much in depreciation and easy to fix myself.

j the range said:
that looks ok but a bit on the pricey side but no harm in having a look lets know how you get on one of the lads on here has a nice one for sale i think it is sirus j
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well i would hope to get it for nearer 8250 :D though its too far away to just go see, so if i was serious i would need to go to great lengths to try and be sure is was good before i decided to go to see it. i like the idea of the screens and dvd already fitted in the headrests and the bigger alloys.

Sirus said:
yep I have one for sale.....recent engine and gearbox rebuild so should last for years now. Ps It has all the luxuries and a £1000 stereo dvd video Tv setup innit
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i would be interested matey but i need lpg im afraid and it would not be cost effective fitting a new lpg system, its a pity

masonsjeep said:
I left range rover ownership a couple of years age to try something else, ie Grand Cherokee and a X5. The Jeep was very american ( cheap plastics) and the X5 felt like a car.

Gone back to Range Rover and bought myself a 2001 4.0 HSE. Feels just right. :D Love it to bits and feels good to be back in 1.

They are an easy vehicle to work on yourself and the guys on here are very helpfull when you need some help.
Click to expand...

i think thats what i would be afraid of with the jeep is the build quality, i want to pick a good one and stick with it for a couple of years, i love the look of the x5 but i dont know if it driving like a car is a good thing or not.

glad to hear they are easy to work on as i would hope to do all maintenance and repairs myself.:D
 
Sirus said:
Why would you want lpg.....it only fooks the engine up....with the money you save on the car think of all the petrol you can buy
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what lpg fooks up rangie engines or all engines :D

i really could not afford to not have lpg as i do 50 miles a day to travel to work that would be £13 on petrol :D £65 a week without any leisure use at the weekend :confused:

also lpg cars aint much more expensive to buy but i would feel the hit more paying for so much fuel every week but if i paid a bit more for lpg my weekly budget would be less so i would feel better about the running costs
 
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gavbriggs said:
where you at?
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ayrshire, scotland, as always there is naff all i want up here and i usually need to travel

got my tt in bolton
frontera 3.2 lpg in leicester
toyota surf near bristol
audi a6 from york
my mx bike from burnley
my big fish tank from plymouth
a box trailer from preston
a fish tank from durham
2 cats from nelson
1 cat from warrington

lol i think thats all
 
mines fine, except the liner slip that was down mostly to garden hose bieng used on the water pipe to the throttle housing!!!!

runs lovely now!!! except for it heamoraging oil!!! and window mech etc etc!!
 
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