Hi there everyone, don't know if anyone can help me but am looking at possibly purchasing the above........have been a discovery 300tdi for nearly 5yrs now, and she's died on me almost, so looking about to upgrade when I came across one of these....have kind of fallen in love with it in all fairness, without seein it in person or test driving yet.........are there any pointers that I need to be aware of/look out for when viewing please? and also anything that they may suffer with in future etc, as these are all important factors that I need to consider prior to any purchase. Thank you for your time )

Where do I start? Well i've got one and love it, however . . . .

You need to check that;
- It starts easily and quickly from cold
- EVERYTHING electrical works
-the suspension rises and falls on demand and reasonably quickly
the heater (and air con if fitted) works at all temperatures and blows air in all the directions the buttons require

You really want to have a good read through this forum before you even think of parting with any money.

I love Range Rovers and particularly the P38 onwards models but, get a wrongun' and they can be a money pit and a source of constant headache and heart break. If you're not at least somewhat mechanically capable or know a friend who is and willing to help you when the time comes then it might not be the best decision to get one purely because of the cost of repairing problems when they occur (note I said when and not if!). But, having said all that, there's nothing like the driving experience of one! I've had a 4.6 HSE and am currently fighting with a 2.5DSE and I'd take the V8 all day long over the diesel but the fuel economy meant that the diesel was the one I went for on behalf of the wife.

Hi I also have one and love it there are several guides to look at before buying things to look out for within this in mind I bought one and in 7 weeks it has has a fuel injection pump full service all oils and filters heater matrix o rings front and rear pads glow plugs now bear in mind I'm a mechanic so it ain't too bad for me to do things but one kind word or advice if you can work on it yourself the bills will be huge

But that said I love it and would buy another look around and don't buy the first one you see if it is cheap it is for a reason I paid £2300 for mine but the body work and wheels are near mint and it has a 05 yr compressor and four new air bags like said mine was cheap for yr and mileage compared to others I looked at I hope I have helped a small bit

Go for one of the later models 1999/2000/2001. Subtle changes and more reliable.
It is a buyers market so there are plenty to choose from.

Hi I too used to have a 300TDI Discovery and now have a 1999 DSE. Is it Local to you? Do you have a link to the advert?
When looking first impressions count. Look at the bodywork from all angles Is it scruffy? Does it have two working key fobs? Check for water in the drivers footwell, Check it starts from cold and then when fully hot. Check the condition of the air suspension bags. Check it does not overheat. Check the central locking works ok and the heater control unit works fully. To be honest it may need a good service and a thorough check so have some money put by for a few repairs. It is not all doom and gloom on a 1999 onwards car. Just ask if you need anymore help.

Mine is a 1999 model year dhse and like the others I love it. As Dave 4x4 says 1999my onwards have better electronic reliability, 4 wheel traction control amongst other refinements. 2000my better still.
I also agree with Matt and BIGFUN, if you can't repair it yourself you could be into some big costs even if you get a good one.
I had a Disco 300TDi before buying my Range Rover and there are many times I wonder if I would have been wiser to spend the money fixing the Disco up rather than buying the P38. If I had been able to find another Disco or Classic RR with a 300TDi in good condition I think I would have bought it. But then, I get into that big comfortable easy chair and feel the quality of this most beautiful of motors cars and............well, I wouldn't change it.
Maybe a forum member/P38 owner in Southampton or close by might offer check this car out with you.

No rust to worry about with the P38 unlike the Discovery and Classic. But a Softdash with 300TDI in good nick would be a nice car!

Insist on starting it from stone cold (check for engine heat before you try) take someone who knows about P38s along with you. An AA or suchlike check isn't good enough. The P38 has many niggles unique to it, a good one will be reliable enough, a bad one will push you to the edge! They are fabulous cars that you can fall in love with, but buying the right one in the first place is important - there are plenty of 'em about - don't rush.

Ohhhhhhhh now you are all scaring me lol I'm female for a start (incase the name didnt give it away lol) but do have some mechanically minded good friends thankfully...mind you I haven't asked them if they'd step in if it went wrong lolol this is the link for it, it's not exactly local to me, but it's not the other end of the world either...and like I say I was looking at getting a Td5 or late 300tdi til i stumbled across this beauty lol 1999 RANGE ROVER 2.5 DSE

so if you could take a peek and let me know please it would be greatly appreciated

I also have 1999 DSE and this is Range Rover No. 5 for me.....albeit my first diesel.

It is slow but give it a prod and she springs to life, not bad on motion potion either at an average of 26.4mpg.

Owning a P38 is a love affair and not one to be taken lightly....they will go wrong, this has to be accepted...yes it is annoying but forewarned is forearmed.....you will fall in love with your vehicle, you will shower it with gifts of new components, you will spend time at the fuel pumps.....but you will never be without it....

It is only a pity Vauxhall stole the tagline 'Once Driven Forever Smitten' because that is exactly the feeling with a P38....

BUT....when you go to buy one, check everything, press all the buttons, pull all the levers and twiddle all the dials....then check them again, and then again....and for fun do it 4, 5, 6, 7, times over.....ask plenty of questions and never buy one with any faults showing on the dashboard no matter what the seller says...'Oh it always does that, its nothing to worry about' or 'Yeah, thats a well documented fault and is easily fixed'....

If it was an easy fix, why didn't they do it??

There are plenty of them about, so don't rush into it, go see it then come on here and discuss any queries you have....

It says a 6 month warranty, check what is covered as half the time the warranties offered by 'dealers' aren't worth the paper they are written on....my DSE came with a 4* 12 month warranty, that I ensured covered things like the Cylinder Heads, Cooling system, the Turbo, the EAS Suspension system, water pumps, batteries, all the ECUs and much more besides.

Most importantly, when you buy a P38, do it with your head and not your heart....no matter how much the car looks great.....use your head....

Fianl thing and this is just my personal thing: I never look at cars with only 1 photo on the ad...what are they hiding??

Everyone owns a digital camera these days so it doesn't cost anything to take more photos...and the cost involved to place them on an advert on Autotrader is negligable in comparison to the cost of the vehicle, plus as a dealer he can offset the advertising cost against tax, so would make sense to pay that little extra....

But that is just my opinion.

I agree with The Saint, that ad is missing a fair amount for what it has cost the dealer to place it with Autotrader. One picture, on the edge of a road as well, I wouldn;t be tempted by it. Also, there's so little actual information on it and lots of acronyms (sp?), why not just put the actual words in, it doesn't cost anything extra and more people understand it. If you've got the money for a TD5 then I'd seriously consider that as well. A mate of mine has a TD5 and it's a great car, it doesn't quite have that 'Smug' factor a P38 gives but I think the TD5 is a much better engine.
You should drive both and decide which you prefer.

hi i have a 2.5 manual and love it . i have had it 4 nearly 4 years and the main problem i had was starting ...but make sure if you buy it you get a good set of glow plugs keep away from the cheep ones they wont work and i also got a hot start fix as alot of the older p38s have a slight worn pump apart from starting it has been fine

Unless you are capable of mechanics and fault finding then stay away from them.

They are without doubt the most unreliable vehicle landrover has ever made.

Air suspension problems
Heater problems
Air con problems
Cold and hot start problems
Imobiliser problems
Electric window problems
Belt tensioner problems
They eat batterys

And thats the good ones
Lol

its sold anyway (

Thats Bollocks said:

Unless you are capable of mechanics and fault finding then stay away from them.

They are without doubt the most unreliable vehicle landrover has ever made.

Air suspension problems
Heater problems
Air con problems
Cold and hot start problems
Imobiliser problems
Electric window problems
Belt tensioner problems
They eat batterys

And thats the good ones
Lol

Click to expand...

I had more problems with my (then) much newer classic, and unlike a classic it won't disintegrate before your eyes! True, there is a lot to go wrong, but if you keep on top of maintenance and don't buy a wrong 'un in the first place, they're not too bad. If you have to rely on someone else to do the spannering then a P38 will get expensive quickly.

Thats Bollocks said:

Unless you are capable of mechanics and fault finding then stay away from them.

They are without doubt the most unreliable vehicle landrover has ever made.

Air suspension problems
Heater problems
Air con problems
Cold and hot start problems
Imobiliser problems
Electric window problems
Belt tensioner problems
They eat batterys

And thats the good ones
Lol

Click to expand...

Thanks for your advice.....by the way your dogs are beautiful!! Love Springers, lost my last Springer last April and haven't had the heart to get another as she was so very special xx

Back to square one now with the hunt for a nice Td5 or possibly R/R ... so disappointed, as nothing has gone right these past few months...was hoping the R/R would be the start of something going right ... thank you all for your help n advice, really do appreciate it

There a a few around but watch prices rise if we get any snow in the south but don't rush. The D2 is a nice car to consider but the TD5 can suffer cracked fuel galleries in the head and my mate who runs a garage will not touch that engine. The P38 is a nice car to own and drive. Lots will tell you it is horrid, but I like them and the faults are well documented plus lots of help on here.

Landylass21 said:

Back to square one now with the hunt for a nice Td5 or possibly R/R ... so disappointed, as nothing has gone right these past few months...was hoping the R/R would be the start of something going right ... thank you all for your help n advice, really do appreciate it

Click to expand...

That's an oxymoron, pumpkin