Other Classic Vs P38

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Henry_b

Henry_b

Think outside, no box required.
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Just wondering..

#1 what does the classic drive like when compared to the P38?

#2 Which one is more comfortable

#3 Which one handles better?

And in your personal opinion which one is styled better I:E prettier ;);)
 
Bit of a chalk & cheese question.
The RRC started off with coils & finished up with air. Springs are more robust & will take more abuse. Air is much nicer but more to go wrong.
P38 fully sorted on air is a bit like driving your favourite comfy armchair. My '86 RRC isn't.
I've driven the sprung Classic as a Police vehicle & providing you don't think it's a sports car the handling is actually very good. Much to the surprise of the local twoccers who thought the way to lose us was to drive fast round the estates. In a straight line pursuit all we could do was watch them disappear into the distance.
I've no experience of using the P38 as a PV as we went from the Classic to the Isuzu Trooper.
 
Classic handles well for such an old motor. Stops ok. No better no worse. Range rovers are comfortable full stop.
P38 is as ugly as a metrocab, a classic is, well, classic.
 
goonarmy said:
Classic handles well for such an old motor. Stops ok. No better no worse. Range rovers are comfortable full stop. P38 is as ugly as a metrocab, a classic is, well, classic.
Click to expand...

+1 on style for the Classic, no contest there ;)
My '87 has the LR handling kit retro-fitted by the PO, corners like it's on rails & according to the official blurb only reduces axle travel by 12-13mm, which is irrelevant to me anyway as I don't off-road these days.
 
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P38 is a better looking and better vehicle by far than any classic. Early classics had the handling characteristics of a rowing boat and were positively frightening on a twisty road at speed. Classics are serious rot boxes. P38s are not. The P38 is a better vehicle by a very very long way.
 
wammers said:
P38 is a better looking and better vehicle by far than any classic. Early classics had the handling characteristics of a rowing boat and were positively frightening on a twisty road at speed. Classics are serious rot boxes. P38s are not. The P38 is a better vehicle by a very very long way.
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Until they go wrong :rolleyes:
1) The market for the Classics was different back then, with purchasers looking to buy a vehicle combining the abilities of both workhorse & passenger car, as such outright handling was always going to be a compromise to achieve the former ability.
2) The handling scenario was tackled (not very successfully) by fitting stiffer rear springs then Harvey Bailey handling kits until LR themselves produced their own kit containing not only the components required (that could be retro-fitted to earlier model years, as indeed mine was) but also replacement standard rate coils/dampers to restore the original ride.
3) The totally justified rot-box tag came about because the first owners were naïve, or uncaring, enough to believe that a car costing £22k (in '87) would be adequately protected against corrosion of the shell, whereas only the chassis got proper treatment & in fact most have lasted well (unlike defenders that had a similar design frame)

As for the p38 being better looking Wammers ... if I were kind I'd say 'beauty is in the eyes of beholders' if not then the phrase 'should have gone to Specsavers' might be more appropriate.
 
I don't want to ruffle feathers but the classics a bit of a fugly beast to my eyes. A nice ones still a nice one but... P38 not really gorgeous more modern though. I prefer the p38 but I really like the things people have done with classics over the years.
Handling don't know I've never driven a classic that wasn't a deathtrap!
It's not unlike the difference between an mgb and an mg tf.
 
I think both the RRC and the P38a are beautiful and iconic cars.
The P38a resolved a lot of the flaws of the RRC, but introduced a few of its own to be sure.
On balance..... I'd rather have a P38a than ANY of the others. When I see the very latest variants coming towards me I just want to smile because they look like downgrades to my humble eyes and not advances in the marque.
The L322 I quite like, but not as much as the P38a.
 
norseman said:
if I were kind I'd say 'beauty is in the eyes of beholders' if not then the phrase 'should have gone to Specsavers' might be more appropriate.
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beauty in the eye of the beholder ;)

Many peoples taste is different and i am not partial to the P38 or classic i would happily have either ;)

In an ideal world i would have a Portofino Red RRC Vogue with 5spd manual or MY MC blue P38 in showroom condition

The P38 is Not ugly at all.

In my eyes ;)
 
norseman said:
Until they go wrong :rolleyes:
1) The market for the Classics was different back then, with purchasers looking to buy a vehicle combining the abilities of both workhorse & passenger car, as such outright handling was always going to be a compromise to achieve the former ability.
2) The handling scenario was tackled (not very successfully) by fitting stiffer rear springs then Harvey Bailey handling kits until LR themselves produced their own kit containing not only the components required (that could be retro-fitted to earlier model years, as indeed mine was) but also replacement standard rate coils/dampers to restore the original ride.
3) The totally justified rot-box tag came about because the first owners were naïve, or uncaring, enough to believe that a car costing £22k (in '87) would be adequately protected against corrosion of the shell, whereas only the chassis got proper treatment & in fact most have lasted well (unlike defenders that had a similar design frame)

As for the p38 being better looking Wammers ... if I were kind I'd say 'beauty is in the eyes of beholders' if not then the phrase 'should have gone to Specsavers' might be more appropriate.
Click to expand...
Yes you certainly should have.:D:D
 
I am of course biased towards the classic, being on my second.
I could have bought any number of P38s while looking for my classic, BUT I do nearly all my spannering and the complexities of the electrical systems on even the late classics put them beyond my capabilities. In the end the price I paid for my classic would have bought 2 P38s, but I had spent 18 months looking for a rust free example, and am happy with what I have.
It is a 2.4 diesel, so not quick, but for an older driver like me it is adequate and certainly keeps up with traffic.
As far as looks are concerned anyone can see instantly that it is what it is, a Range Rover, while a second look is needed to see a P38 is what it is, the styling is starting to get a bit on the bland side.
Saying all that, the P38 is more comfortable, quieter, more responsive to drive and I dare say safer as well.
Make your choice with your heart, then spend the time searching for the right example with your brain.
 
frog hopper said:
I am of course biased towards the classic, being on my second.
I could have bought any number of P38s while looking for my classic, BUT I do nearly all my spannering and the complexities of the electrical systems on even the late classics put them beyond my capabilities. In the end the price I paid for my classic would have bought 2 P38s, but I had spent 18 months looking for a rust free example, and am happy with what I have.
It is a 2.4 diesel, so not quick, but for an older driver like me it is adequate and certainly keeps up with traffic.
As far as looks are concerned anyone can see instantly that it is what it is, a Range Rover, while a second look is needed to see a P38 is what it is, the styling is starting to get a bit on the bland side.
Saying all that, the P38 is more comfortable, quieter, more responsive to drive and I dare say safer as well.
Make your choice with your heart, then spend the time searching for the right example with your brain.
Click to expand...
Well said. Each of us has our preferred "Rangie" the one we have is the one we love for sure. :D:D:D
 
Personally the P38 was my dream car. A 9 year old me in the back of dad's Ford Granada nearly wet himself with excitement when a blue 4x4 went growling past. Sure I compromised because I didn't really want a V8 at the time, in hindsight I wish I'd gone for it, as I really love that burble. But I still love my old bus.

A RRC is just that, a classic, and handles about as well as a tub of lard on bed springs, but they THE iconic Range Rover. The P38 might be entering classic age category, but I don't think they'll ever truly be a classic, being the ugly swan of the family, and shortest production run, they are somewhat overlooked by the L322 (which Internet says anything over 15 years old is a classic, so the early ones are now "classics" too). Sure the facelift helped bat off some of the Metrocab styling, but they still kinda do. But I know what I want on my drive way, and unless some disaster happens, I am never parting ways with her.
 
Henry_b said:
Just wondering..

#1 what does the classic drive like when compared to the P38?

#2 Which one is more comfortable

#3 Which one handles better?

And in your personal opinion which one is styled better I:E prettier ;);)
Click to expand...
Classics were built for many years. They don’t all drive or handle the same. The p38 is better in every way but it isn’t the original.
 
johnnyb70 said:
I don't want to ruffle feathers but the classics a bit of a fugly beast to my eyes. A nice ones still a nice one but... P38 not really gorgeous more modern though. I prefer the p38 but I really like the things people have done with classics over the years.
Handling don't know I've never driven a classic that wasn't a deathtrap!
It's not unlike the difference between an mgb and an mg tf.
Click to expand...
An RRC handles the same as a Defender, D1 and largely like a D2. The p38 isn’t really all that different.
 
goonarmy said:
Classic handles well for such an old motor. Stops ok. No better no worse. Range rovers are comfortable full stop.
P38 is as ugly as a metrocab, a classic is, well, classic.
Click to expand...
Most people would have to do at least a double take at 100 yards to even tell the difference between a p38 and an RRC. They have essentially the same shape. The p38 just addresses a lot of the design deficiencies in the classics. Your metrocab claim is as lame as it is irrelevant.
 
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