What to Buy

Hi all . I have been viewing your forum for quite a while now and first I would like to say what a usefull resorce it is.
I am going to buy myself a Rangie this will be the second one I have owned the first being about 10 years ago that was a B registered 3.5 with the safari sun roof. I realy liked it but it had to go as I was doing a lot of miles then and I needed somthing a little less thirsty.
Now I find myself in the position where I can get another. The problem is what one. I realy prefer the shape of the classic but know very little about its replacement. I have an initial budget of £5000 and am willing to spend about the same again over the coming year to get the car I want. What would you recomend do I go for ,the old 3.5 carb or the 3.5efi also inside my budget are some 3.9 last of the classics or even some early p38's. And just to complicate matters there are a couple of deisels within my budget too . Any advice would be most welcome to help me get back up to speed on what I think is the best car on the road ( and off it, But only gently in my case ).

Ian

Your question is a pretty hard one to answer because it totally depends on what you feel about various factors in a car.

For your budget, you should get a good low mileage Classic, or a higher mileage P38. It depends on what you find appealing about a vehicle!

You should find the P38 well within your grasp at that price, especially if you go for a petrol. You should also find diesel P38's in your budget too. If you are prepared to put some money into it over a year or so, then you will have a very nice reliable vehicle.

The difference between the Classic and P38 is like chalk and cheese! They are both capable off-road for anything most average users are likely to do, but totally different on-road.

The P38 is fast (for a 4x4!) and very capable of taking you to the moon and back and you will still feel like you only just went down the road when you get out! Whereas from what I recall about the Classic, it is slow and noisy compared with a very soft wobbly ride! People say the P38 can't handle twisty A-road well, but I've found mine more than capable of keeping up with someone driving a "normal" car fast down them. Sure, it rolls, but it does grip too, just move the air suspension down a notch!

If you're prepared to get an early P38 with a bit of mileage then you will find it a good vehicle. V8's - look out for porus block problems - if the engine has already had this sorted all the better! Diesels, the head can cause poblems, but only really if the car has not been properly maintained and overheated. Either versions like to have been well maintained, and that makes a big difference to the ongoing reliability.

If you are concerned about depreciation, go for a diesel, they are much more likely to hold their value.

I'm not up on the Classic much, so someone else will have to advise on that, but P38 figure new suspension air bags all round ~£63 per corner + about 2 hours fitting for all 4. I'd have this done straight away even if the air bags are not leaking as it staves off other problems. Other typical problems are the electrickery bits and pieces, so check everything works ok. Check http://www.rangerovers.net for all the information you will ever need!

At the end of the day it is up to what you like and what you want. Just check it over properly and bargain - P38's in particular have crashed in price recently - check eBay - many of them are not even selling because people are just asking too much.

Matt

Hi Matt
Thanks for your input. Some good points to think about. I prefer the look of the classic but do not dislike the P38 it is still a good looking car. One of the things I liked about my older one was the fact I could maintain it to a high standard as parts were not too expensive and easy to get from specialist garages. Speed is not of a great importance to me if it will go down a motorway at 70mph and do 80 to overtake than I am more than happy. Handling again is not a big problem after all its not the sort of car to take down a twisty road and expect it to just soak up all the bendy bits a little less on the pedal seems to make most cars handle a bit better. I had hears the air suspension on older ones was a problem but if it is just a matter of a couple of hundred pounds to replace the bags as a precaution then that seems a price worth investing. I have been keeping an eye on ebay plus autotrader and Ex & mart the prices do seem to be quite good on some of the older P38's nice thing is as this will be a second car I can wait for the right one to come along nice not to have to rush it.

Ian

Personally I have found the P38 quite easy to work on. Yes, the Classic et al are easier because they have less electronics involved, but the P38 is not the mechanics nightmare that most people seem to make it out to be. I did one of the front springs when my Dad was around so he gave me a hand, and he was amazed at how easy it was to work on. The P38 does have a few ECU's that can only be reset at main dealers, or specialists, but there are loads of specialists who are gettingm or have the equipment to deal with the P38.

On the parts side of things, the P38 is starting to get into the hands of enthusiats and parts are becoming widely available and cheap. For example the suspension air bags used to be around £200, but you can now get them for £62.50! - and that is a genuine OEM part. Expensive bits are the ECU's, but they are generally quite reliable.

If you go for a P38, then I'd try and get at least a 96 or 97 as with most new models, the main problems are ironed out in the first couple of years of manufacture. Having said that, mine is a late 95 and apart from the suspension (and that was my own fault for running it too long on leaking air bags) it has been totally reliable, and I do a lot of mileage! It has nearly 200k on the clock now!

Go drive both and see what you like / dislike on each! I was never a fan of the P38, but I absolutely love mine now and would only ever change it if it either broke down and was uneconomical to repair, or I was rich enough to buy an L322 RR!

Matt