rangie1998

Active Member
Hi all,
I'm looking for a P38, or potentially an L322, for a friend. I've seen this one on eBay which sounds very good. Done 107k but new top hat liner engine from Turner Engineering at 75k. Present owner since 2001 and only 1 previous. Going from the description it's been very well looked after. Trying to gauge if the asking price is reasonable? It is 18 years old but with the new engine and maintenance records does it make it worth this kind of money? Opinions would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142348137749
 
My friend just picked one up for £2500 in about the same condition. It depends on how you look at it, it has had a lot of work done but it still may need other things doing. ;)
 
Very nice looking example.....for £3.8k it would have to be mint.

When I look at adverts, I look for a few things - and often times, it isn't the car I look at!!

1) Photos: Are they in focus, show all angles of the car, well lit, not on a stupid angle, not messed with using filters or tweaks, a good selection showing all items of interest and also illustrate the written description. i.e. if they mention new tyres, is there a photo to back it up? that sort of thing.

2) Description (HOW it is written): Spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, Logical progression, written with affection and authority, paragraphs, easy to read with good flow, does it tell the cars story? A sloppy description with bad spelling mistakes (I know we aren't all good at spelling, heck I'm not - but if I am selling my car and I try my best to use a spell checker!) shows lack of care, similarly lack of punctuation or sentence structure makes it very difficult to read and some important points can be missed or over looked.

Breaking the description down into paragraphs helps the reader to block information together and process it - a wall of writing is difficult to process and remember.

A story of the car shows passion and care for the car, this I like as it shows the owner has cherished the car as much as the description 'says' he has.

3) Description (WHAT is written): Does it give an accurate description of the car? A seller with nothing to hide will tell you everything. But always read between the lines. Research the make and model you are looking to buy and compare what is being described with any research you have done. i.e. The P38 very rarely has a rusty chassis, so if the description says 'Chassis has rust in the usual places' take it with a pinch of salt and think 'OK, my research has shown the P38 to be the most rust proof of any Land Rover and rarely rust through - so if there is rust on this one, what else is wrong?'

Do they just randomly list extras and features of the car? i.e. ABS, Traction Control, 5 Doors, Rear Seatbelts, CD Player, Headlights, Drivers Seat, Wheels......etc without giving any particular information ABOUT the car.....all the equipment can be found in Parkers or Glasses guides.....tell me ABOUT the car.....

If they write that it has a fault, but it is a simple repair for someone to do - then why did they not get it done?? What else have they not done? Unless ther eis a reason for not getting it done - i.e. sickness, lack of money, lack of time - which if it was a genuine easy repair they would say why they have not had it done... i.e. Drivers Head lamp blown, simple repair but I have hurt my back and couldn't do it myself or get the car to Halfrauds to do it for me......or......Rear door hanging off, simple repair for anyone knowing what they are doing, I just don't have the time anymore to get it done due to work.

Only after the seller/vendor has proved they a) know what they are selling b) have shown respect to me by caring about what has been written as I am the one who has to read it and c) Have shown some care and attention to the photos (everyone owns a camera - either a 'camera' or a phone with a camera, so there is no excuse for bad pictures or no pictures) then I will start looking at the car in the photos.....

The one presented looks good, some good photos which show the car (would like to see one of the engine mind you) the description is pretty good, not many spelling mistakes and describes the car well....I would like to have seen paragraphs to block the information into sections which makes reading it easier, but nonetheless it ticks the boxes.....£3.8k is at the upper end of the P38 scale for a standard model of the 90's era.....and she looks good.
 
Depends what your friend wants. I personally wouldn't pay that much for a p38. I bought mine for 1500 quid and touch wood, it's been faultless (apart from a few minor niggles)
You will have issues whether you pay a grand or 5 so for me, I'd rather pay a grand and have 4k left in the bank to look after it.
Maybe that one is very slightly tidier than mine but is that worth 3.5k? To me, no.
If it had 40k on the clock or something then maybe I'd pay a bit more but it would have to be stunning condition and absolute top spec.
One thing I learnt is that they all look good on the ad but some were dreadful when up close so it's best to wait and keep looking, the right one will turn up and you'll know it.
 
Pricy but he seems to have done all the major failures bar the airbags and they're cheap and easy. L322 a nicer ride I'm sure but for cheap running the P38 wins, I'd say. Especially when most of the big ticket issues have been done. Looks nice. I'd be tempted but that is a lot of cash.
 
Thank you for taking the time to respond, very much appreciated. Saint.V8 what you've said makes a lot of sense, I too can't abide poorly written adverts. I thought exactly the same thing when reading this advert...why no paragraphs! But I think this can be forgiven as on the whole it is well written and provides plenty of information.

My first thought was that it seemed expensive for a '99 HSE, but given the money that has been spent on the car it might be justified. You could easily buy a similar car for £1,000 - £1,500 less but then spend that on some of the maintenance and repairs that this one has already had.

I definitely think it's worth a look and as the advert says the seller is open to offers.
Once again, thank you all for your input, I shall keep you posted!
 
Just been checking the mot history. It was mot'd until 2012 then not again until 2016. Current mot runs out in August. 4 years is a long time for a P38 to be stood not being used!
 
Just been checking the mot history. It was mot'd until 2012 then not again until 2016. Current mot runs out in August. 4 years is a long time for a P38 to be stood not being used!

Was that while the engine was being swapped?
 
Sometimes, when I do an email or reply to a certain forum (not this one) on my phone, the paragraphs I made when typing have somehow disappeared and it's all together in one huge paragraph which looks bad & makes me look like a grammar-less numpty :mad:

Perhaps that does happen on occasion. However, my phone does have a spell check, but I have had to "teach" it to spell correctly and not the way the merkins spell it ;)
 

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