Get a P38 4.6 on LPG.

I have a P38 4.6 Thor, L322 4.2 SC and a Cayenne S on LPG.

Cheap to run, lots of poke, great to tow, reliable when sorted, cheap parts, dont rust very very capable off road. and you can tow a house.

As above if a P38 is on coils, walk away. factor in getting a nanocom too.

Remember, it will be coming up for 20 years old so expect work. that said, there's nothing else 20 years old that can touch a P38 for lack of rust or capability.
 
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Just my tuppence worth. Looking at all the questions, it would seem P38 is the wqy you should go. I've had my L322 just over 9yrs, and have to admit, there is very little in the way of 'cheap' on them. Which is at odds with your wanting one to run 'reasonably' cost wise.
Diagnostics is a major player. Even those who are good with a spanner, if honest, will tell you they are complicated beasties. If they do not eat your money, they will eat your time. If they do not eat your time or money, it is because they are sitting, waiting, ................. for your time AND money.
Other than that they are fantastic. A comfortable drive, and tow easily.
Oh forgot to add: they don't like constant short hops.
All that said I love mine and if I ever ( unlikely) traded her, it would be for another one.
 
headlight said:
What are they like towing as primarily this is what it would be used for ?
I am guessing that the big V8 petrol motors tow better than the 2.5 diesels & probably not much worse on fuel if on LPG ?
Click to expand...

I've towed diggers and heavy plant behind my p38 (manual) diesel. No problems but foot to the floor on hills and temperature starts to sneak up a bit. Chip is one write only so has to be swapped rather than remapped. V8 is effortless grunt bit never towed that much weight in one.
 
Thanks for all the input guys & gals, lots for me to think about.
This is is the situation.
I bought a van for work a couple of years ago.
Because of this my car now only does about 3,000-4,000 miles a year but I still need a car besides the van as the van is full of tools & I sometimes need more seats than the van has.
My boat has been in a marina the past 7 or 8 years which is why I haven"t had a 4x4 for this time.
I would like to tow my boat down to Devon & Cornwall & few times a year plus up to Milford Haven way a few times.
I will probably only tow 6-8 times a year & do maybe 2000 - 2,500 miles towing.
My van & car are not suitable for towing hence me considering a cheap but capable 4x4 tow vehicle.
Another option I have now thought of, due to my now low car mileage, is I could sell the car & buy a newer, better, more expensive 4x4 & use it instead of my car plus use it for towing.
When I was towing I always had a newer nicer car for daily driving & an older 4x4 for the boat as I didn"t want a nice 4x4 to go in the sea but as my launching will be limited to 6-8 times a year max, it may be less, & no beach launches just slipways the tow vehicle shouldn"t really get wet (beach launching my previous 4x4"s got a lot of sea water in them which they didn"t like).
Obviously if the 4x4 was to be my main vehicle then economy would come in to the equation a little more, although my mileage would still not be high & as towing the boat would be weather dependent there may be years when I only tow once or twice.
If I sold the car I would have about £10,000 to spend on a 4x4.
Would the above alter the suggestions that have been made so far ?
 
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images.jpeg Not a guy. Same as many of our members!
@headlight
 
Personally - I am P38 biased. I bought one to replace my old 90 and I’ve fallen in love. It’s bigger, cheaper to run, bought it for very good price (£500) and has far exceeded my expectation. I’ve had fair share of problems -expected for my budget- you were looking at 2003 l322, 2002 is P38.

For £10,000 you can have whatever you want. L322 - Disco - 6x nice P38s.
Try to take someone in the know along with you/diagnostics - need to know what you are looking at. Any beeps GBox issues walk away
 
I have always liked the looks of the P38 but never owned one before mainly because I thought that if I bought a dirt cheap one purely for towing besides my daily drive car I thought it would be unreliable & expensive to repair or if I bought a nice one besides my daily drive it would be to nice to drive into the see (which is how I used to launch my boat).
My usage now would be very different.
I assume I could buy a very nice well sorted P38 well within my budget.
Maybe my best option would be to try to find a good one on here ?
Some have suggested a manual diesel others a petrol.
With an increased budget & using it as both an occasional tow vehicle & low mileage main drive is there any change in the advice ?
 
headlight said:
gold rover, post duly edited.
Click to expand...
Thank you

headlight said:
Yes so with a budget of up to £10K & the vehicle to be used as both a daily drive (admittedly low annual mileage) & occasional towing would the suggestions still be for a P38 or something different ?
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With a budget of up to £10k that changes everything. @RangeRoller dt says all that needs to be said, in his last couple of posts.
As he said , buy what suits you. Forget what others think. We can give facts, figures, opinions, but on opinions, only yours counts, on what you drive :)
 
headlight said:
..............
I assume I could buy a very nice well sorted P38 well within my budget.
Maybe my best option would be to try to find a good one on here ?
.......................
Click to expand...

I suspect you'd be waiting a long time. Few are going,to put time, love, money, energy, into their prized possession, to make it reliable and in great condition, to just sell it. Especially on a site filled with enthusiasts.
 
10k would get you a mint P38 with very low miles, buy the V8 if you want effortless towing over 3t mine would drag a loaded trailer and not really notice it, 3t excess.

P38's are cheap to repair, period.

Compared to L322 stuff which is 5x the price and tbh buy a cheap Range Rover at your peril..



If it's rock solid reliability you're after, then realistically steer clear.


"edit"

10k would also get a nice Harddash Classic..

Hmmm..
 
I would go for a nice P38 V8 and use the spare pennies to get a nanocom and for doing the repairs that will be needed whatever nick it is in. They do break down sometimes. They are expensive to fix if you havent got your own diagnostics.
 
That said my l322 was 3k. Jag engined with lpg and admittedly it's not a tidy example but so far I've been very happy with it and covered over 15k miles so it owes me nothing.
I put new discs and pads on it and two rear calipers, none of which were super expensive.
I did a gearbox oil and filter change which was expensive due to the oil being ludicrously priced and a general service.
Yes, some parts are silly money on the L322 but then some parts for the p38 are expensive and/or not available.
 
What is considered acceptable mileage on a P38 V8 in terms of the engine still having plenty of life left in it (assuming it has been serviced properly).
Also what is the MPG like on a V8 petrol if driven sensibly, ie can you get 20mpg out of them ?
 
headlight said:
What is considered acceptable mileage on a P38 V8 in terms of the engine still having plenty of life left in it (assuming it has been serviced properly).
Also what is the MPG like on a V8 petrol if driven sensibly, ie can you get 20mpg out of them ?
Click to expand...

If you want one.
Get a latter "thor" engined one 1999-2002.

if they're neglected and overheated the cylinder liners can drop and that ain't cheap.


They'll do 12-18mpg

you'd get 20mpg on the M-way with a steady foot unladen
 
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