P38 Good, Bad or Ugly?

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martynv8 said:
For pure luxury & refinement it has to be a late V8 (mine is a 2002 Vogue SE with LPG).
A good quality & professionally fitted sequential multipoint system is important on these.
You'le need to keep back plenty of funds to run any P38 though.
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x2. You can't beat the V8s for refinement and that's what a Range Rover is about in my book. However, my P38 is just a Sunday car to tinker with, if I had to consider one for a daily driver then I would go down the diesel route.
 
I've got a 2002 Diesel Auto that was in a sorry state when I bought her but the price reflected that. Granted I was a little nieve to some of the issue's but over the last 12 months I have done loads of work and had loads of work done to bring her up to a very respectable mechanical condition and she now drives beautifully. When pushed it's a capable on road as any other diesel 4x4, I know that because we also have a 2002 TD5 Discovery and a 2011 Nissan Navara twin cab. Fortunately the P38 only gets to goes out on Sunday's and what a treat it is to drive it.
The key certainly is in the maintenance with these cars, they cannot be run on a shoe string.

Dave.
 
Ran a 99 plate 4.6 V8 for the last six years. She went through a phase when there was one problem after another but now she runs like a dream. She's got 98K on the clock but I only do around 4,000 a year....which is a good job as I've not had her converted and getting 13mph on the extra urban runs. Ouch.
 
dave4x4 said:
Buy a later p38. Most of the problems were sorted.
The most comfortable 4x4 on the market.
4 wheel TC post 99 is worth having.
If you can find one a 2001 MY. At the end some models were loaded with extras.
My own pref is for a diesel. Cheap to run.
Maintenance is everything. Buy from an enthusiast where the vehicle has been well maintained.
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Great advise...thank you.
 
So all in all I need a late P38 Diesel, low miles, FSH, and a wallet the size of the USA, hmm.

Does anybody know of any half decent P38 diesels for sale? I am a tech and have Land Rover experience so a little work doesn't scare me, but a manual gearbox is preferred!

And I have a bloody mint Audi A4 1.8T sport for sale if anybody interested? Big link....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230910121519?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
 
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Jonihonki said:
So all in all I need a late P38 Diesel, low miles, FSH, and a wallet the size of the USA, hmm.

Does anybody know of any half decent P38 diesels for sale? I am a tech and have Land Rover experience so a little work doesn't scare me, but a manual gearbox is preferred!

And I have a bloody mint Audi A4 1.8T sport for sale if anybody interested? Big link....

Audi A4 1.8T 163 bhp Sport, 79K, Lovely Condition, Not A3 A6 BMW Mercedes OFFERS | eBay
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There is exactly what you're after in For Sale section. Manual derv, very well maintained. You can't go wrong. Although the clutches take some abuse in the manuals.

Well tbh, I'd want at least late 1999 but close enough. http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f59/1997-dse-manual-diesel-211143.html
 
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If you get a V8 you will have to live in fear of the liner/block problem, I bought mine and three months later I had to get the block tophat job done. Sounds though you could probably do it yourself as I did, cost me about 1500 for liner job and parts to rebuild.

I must admit though I love the V8 and would do it all over again. Done 8k since and she rumbles sweetly on petrol or LPG.

I haven't had diesel Range Rover, but had Mitsubishi pajero (Sorry for swearing) diesel very reliable, but took a decade to get anywhere and couldn't overtake anything without a two mile stretch.

V8's will shift when needed.
 
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The diesel does not really suit a manual box as it has no power below 2.5K rpm, the torque convertor on the auto masks this nicely. The manual box is stronger though.
 
cljcars said:
If you get a V8 you will have to live in fear of the liner/block problem, I bought mine and three months later I had to get the block tophat job done. Sounds though you could probably do it yourself as I did, cost me about 1500 for liner job and parts to rebuild.

I must admit though I love the V8 and would do it all over again. Done 8k since and she rumbles sweetly on petrol or LPG.

I haven't had diesel Range Rover, but had Mitsubishi pajero (Sorry for swearing) diesel very reliable, but took a decade to get anywhere and couldn't overtake anything without a two mile stretch.

V8's will shift when needed.
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It's a shame that there is no way of checking an engine before it fails. It seems like some can run to 200k and others only 50k odd. Luck of the draw I guess and of course the excellent Land Rover quality control :)
 
stjohnsmythe said:
It's a shame that there is no way of checking an engine before it fails. It seems like some can run to 200k and others only 50k odd. Luck of the draw I guess and of course the excellent Land Rover quality control :)
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Quality isn't the issue, penny-pinching is the root cause - they should have top-hat linered the engine to begin with given how stretched it ended up.
 
Giving the best grade blocks to TVR didn't help.
Mine is a 2002 on 120k & has had a replacement LR Dealer engine. Now ready for a top hat block as liners have shifted & only a matter of time.
 
dave4x4 said:
Get the auto. It will put 10 years on your life.
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I agree. I've never really been a big auto fan, but having tried manual and auto P38s, you'd be a fool to go manual. The auto just feels proper. It'd be like putting an auto in a classic Mini. That vehicle suits a manual box.

Any luxo barge demands a slushbox (exception being M5). It is just in their nature.
 
I agree, a manual diesel feels a bit too tractor-like in the p38. Loads of jerking and clunking takes the smoothness out of the ride experience IMO ;)
DHSE auto is the way to go
 
martynv8 said:
Giving the best grade blocks to TVR didn't help.
Mine is a 2002 on 120k & has had a replacement LR Dealer engine. Now ready for a top hat block as liners have shifted & only a matter of time.
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I used to have a 4.0 Chimaera and one day it overheated. Garage thought it was head gasket but it turned out to be a slipped liner.
 
Liners hadn't slipped on mine, just alloy had cracked behind the liner, exhaust gas was passing between iron and alloy.
 
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