Lyndon

Lyndon

Active Member
Hi all, after having a disco 200 tdi and I've just sold my 110 200tdi I finally have the money to get a rangie. I know this has been asked to death but I was hoping for some serious answers. My options are

1 rrc v8 gas converted, what to people actually get mpg from gas and what are the major pitfalls of running on gas 95% of the time. 3.5 or 3.9? Which is the better engine for reliability?

2 rrc factory fit diesel. Nice and simple as I know the engine and it's capabilities

3. Rrc v8 conversion to 2.8 diahatsu td, any one done it and was it worth the ballache?

4 p38, been told these are a pain in the backside which is backed up by loads of cheap ones on eBay

Got around 1500 to spend and access to a full garage setup and machine shop and I'm a qualified welder. Any conversion would be done over the Christmas hols so a full week to spend on it.

Any help or advise or experience would go a long way to help make an informed choice. Cheers guys!
 
Don't know what info you want! its how long is a piece of string. Had all sorts or RRs, converted Classic with Perkins3.3 ltr, 3.5, 3.9,4.0 petrol, VM diesel but the one that has given me more pleasure/problems is the P38 DSE. With so little money to spend what ever you buy, you will be buying somebody else's problems (usually Land rovers). whatever you buy just enjoy it, and on that point go for a P38. :D
 
i went for a 300 tdi auto, reliable simple easy to fix. thinking of selling but will be wanting more than you want to spend.
remember a cheap car is someones trouble.
 
I'll be selling my RRC V8 lpg soon for about that sort of cash if you fancy a drive but you is in Welshville which is bloody miles from here.
 
Lyndon , give andy a ring at avon breakers on 01761479012 tell him MOZZ at Manchester told you to ring and see what hes got in stock he gets a good few reposessions in and may have something interesting and reasonably priced ...cheers mozz
 
Right then it seems I have caused a bit of confusion.

Ideally I would love a rrc soft dash with economy of a 200tdi as I'm sick of driving a tractor so I sold it.

I have never owned a v8 on lpg so I have no idea of mpg but if you believe the internet it seems to be somewhere between 18 and 30. I need a minimum of 25 mpg to make it affordable. Is this realistic for a v8 on lpg?

If not I don't mind doing a transplant for something that will like the diahatsu.

I have never driven a p38 or worked on one but I have heard they are easy to buy a lemon and compared to a rrc tdi unreliable. Is this true?
 
25 equivalent from a RRC would be pushing it....in the real world my 3.9 on LPG returned 13mpg on gas...so doing basic maths:

Petrol = 129p
LPG = 72p

DIfference = 0.56 or 56%

13mpg / 0.56 = 23.2 mpg

OR

250miles at 13mpg = 19.23 gallons

19.23 x 4.54 = 87.3 litres

(87.3 x 129) / 100 = £112.62

(87.3 x 72) / 100 = £62.86

62.86 / 112.62 = 0.56 :: 1 - 0.56 = 0.44 or 44% saving.

Don't expect much more than 15mpg on a long run or 12mpg around town from a Classic on LPG

Bear in mind mine was a single point system, multipoint are a tad more efficient, but again, don't bet on more than 16 or 17mpg...then do the maths for an equivalence.

Very late model RRC's had the 300TDi I'm sure...but I could be wrong.

Nowt wrong with a P38, so don't be afraid about buying one, aslong as you also get a diagnostic device to go with it, and with the help on this forum, they are a lot more DIY'able than you think.
 
Last edited:
Sounds like you really want a RRC soft dash 200TDI to me so that's the one to look for.

I have had 2 RRC, the first one was 3.5 V8 which I had converted to a Isuzu 2.8 Turbo Diesel. Good engine, pulled well, but it felt harsh and didn't suit the rr in my opinion.
The second was a 3.9 V8 Vogue which I had converted to LPG and was superb. For me, no contest, V8 on LPG all the way. Equivalent of 25 mpg is easily achievable.

I am now on my second P38 4.6 V8. Love em, yes there is more to go wrong but if maintained correctly they are a great car. Problem is for £1500 you could be buying a lot of trouble for yourself.
 
as above - Classics are starting to appreciate in value and decent ones are now north of £3k....

Sub £2k and you'll spend more time under it than in it....

as for a P38...they can be had for relatively cheap money...and sometimes (if you know what to look for) the owner is selling cos it has a fault he doesn't know how to fix or thinks it could be expensive to fix...but is actually a simple fix...but you do need to know your mustard to spot those ones!
 
Saint.......
I agree with your sums on equivalent MPG on Gas and should have said that the shortest journey for me was a 24 mile trip to my place of work. Short trips from cold and town work would bring it in line with your calculations. :)
 
Lyndon said:
Right then it seems I have caused a bit of confusion.

Ideally I would love a rrc soft dash with economy of a 200tdi as I'm sick of driving a tractor so I sold it.

I have never owned a v8 on lpg so I have no idea of mpg but if you believe the internet it seems to be somewhere between 18 and 30. I need a minimum of 25 mpg to make it affordable. Is this realistic for a v8 on lpg?

If not I don't mind doing a transplant for something that will like the diahatsu.

I have never driven a p38 or worked on one but I have heard they are easy to buy a lemon and compared to a rrc tdi unreliable. Is this true?
Click to expand...
Have you thought of a p38 diesel? my chipped 2.5 DSE returns 29.9 on a run and I am not the slowest of drivers. It pulls like a train by the way:D
 
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