L322 Buying advice

Gents,

Currently considering my next move as far as cars are concerned.
My thinking is to sell the merc and the p38 and buy an L322.
Now, I should have a budget of around 6.5k so my questions are as follows.
1. Can I get a half decent L322 for that money?
2. I thought about the v8 diesel but I think it is outside my range so I'm now thinking v8 petrol.
Is the gearbox on the v8 petrol as flaky as the one in the 6cyl diesel?
3. How reliable is the v8 petrol engine? What's the most common fault and how big of a job is it.
4. Can I still use nanocom or would I need something else. Rough guide on price if I need something else.

I guess these have been covered elsewhere but I just wanted a bit of direction before I take the plunge.
I'm only at initial thought process now, if I like the answers I'll do some deeper research.
Cheers all.

Wazzajnr said:

Gents,

Currently considering my next move as far as cars are concerned.
My thinking is to sell the merc and the p38 and buy an L322.
Now, I should have a budget of around 6.5k so my questions are as follows.
1. Can I get a half decent L322 for that money? Depends on what you call decent. You'll be looking at the 2006 or older market.
2. I thought about the v8 diesel but I think it is outside my range so I'm now thinking v8 petrol. TDV8's are outside your budget, unless it is a shed
Is the gearbox on the v8 petrol as flaky as the one in the 6cyl diesel? Not as bad as the Td GM5 box, but still have their own issues i.e. the Torque Converter munching itself.
3. How reliable is the v8 petrol engine? What's the most common fault and how big of a job is it. The 2002-2005 L322 powered by the BMW M62 is a proven and long standing unit, relatively easy to work on and oddles of information abound about them....biggest issue is the PCV valve on the back of the manifold, not difficult, but a pain to get to....and the VANOS cam timing system can start to rattle, this is involved but again diy-able. Biggest and most expensive issue is the timing chains....BMW used plastic guides and these fail which is bad news...the job is probs a 4 out of 5 spanner rating so not for the faint of heart, but is diy-able if you take your time and have the timing lock set. The leter 2006-on Jag derived AJV8 4.4 is a good, strong unit but doesn't LPG well which can be a bind....remember V8's will kill you at the pumps, at over £115 to fill the tank and that lasting less then 360 miles hurts!
4. Can I still use nanocom or would I need something else. Rough guide on price if I need something else. Nanocom only works on the post 2006 vehicles, for 2002-2005 there are a few options, chiefly the All Comms (£200 odd )from RSW, IIDTool by GapDiagnostics (£250 odd), Hawkeye (£275 odd), or Lynx (£??).

I guess these have been covered elsewhere but I just wanted a bit of direction before I take the plunge.
I'm only at initial thought process now, if I like the answers I'll do some deeper research.
Cheers all.

Click to expand...

Answers above......

Thanks Saint, based on that, I might just spend a few quid on the p38 and run it til it dies then look again.
The only other option is a newer, smarter p38 but then I've no idea what I'm buying.
Needs more thinking about!!

On the gearbox: they both have the same issue of being so called "maintenance free". (BMW's have the same issue).

Best is to change the oil straight away and give the gearbox a good service.

The V8 is reliable (I got the N62B48 in a BMW), but not very torquey. You might be better off with a 3.0td which has had its DPF removed.

The 4.4 V8 petrol 02-05 era M62 engined vehicle is appearing in high numbers for spares or repairs on eBay mainly due to timing chain guide failure which if caught early is a fairly big job to do yourself but not viable to pay somebody to do it generally. You can buy a kit now for £350 which gets you the bits but it's a long job. I believe LPG vehicles fail earlier but anywhere from 120K onwards and the same for the ZF5Hp24 transmission which is mainly torque converter issues but if it hasn't been fully reconditioned including TC then destined to fail at the same sort of mileage.
Mine is an 04 and cost me £6500 3 years ago and I think if I was to buy today on the same budget I would be trying to get an 06 onwards although I would avoid the TD6 engine as that hung around for a while longer and go for a 4.2 SC maybe or a later Diesel.
I have spent over £5k on mine I reckon due to rushing in and if I was to buy again I think I would add a bit more budget early on when choosing one as it could save you cash in the long run and get one with more decent service history but I would definitely be looking Jag models now.