I think it’s DTUK you’re talking about. If tuned correctly a diesel will produce very little smoke if any. I’d stick with the V8 personally, you just can’t beat the soundtrack. PD Engines have a nice tuning base to work with which is nice. But think it would struggle with a Defender sized car.

Budget for new sliders and caliper bracket mounting bolts. It’s not a bad job to do. If you’ve got a nanocom you can cheat with the bleeding.

I wouldn’t consider a TD5 an upgrade. Maybe an M57 or an OM606.

I will admit, I’ve always had a soft spot for the freelander. Especially an early 3DR. Might scratch that itch one day....

Should there be a return spring? Master cylinder getting a little tired perhaps?

People dont come on here to give praise to their cars. They come on because their car has issues. That’s why you get the impression it’s all negative when it’s far from the truth. I’d still have a P38 over any other LR regardless of the issues.

I’d be tempted to go for that red one. Or at least give it a look.

It’s missing the EAS. Looks like it’s been a tow car during its life too.

Go on the eBay app and it will give you a share option. Somewhere it will say copy link. Then just press the chain icon on here, paste the link and it should create a hyperlink.

Just make sure it's secured well. I've seen ropes and straps get tangled under cars before, it's not pretty.

He’s really popular. Just a shame he gave up on the P38 clutches.

Might be worth fitting a HD clutch kit. LOF clutches seem to be the go to for something better than standard

On 16's with bags and the ride is comfortable. However I think my shocks are a little tired.

Not ideal. But not a deal breaker. If OP was open to a manual there’s a lovely one on the fb groups. Time to crack on with mine now!

Now you've given a budget, that makes life a bit easier. This one has popped up, yes its overpriced but it does look a good example. It's an early one but don't let that put you off. Wouldn't worry about the EGR/MAF thing. EGR can be blanked, MAF's can be replaced. If you can get this for...

Mass airflow sensor. Basically tells the engine how much air its taking in. Sensors can go dodgy and give false readings, this leads to poor running. EGR can be blanked off yes.

You need the Nanocom Evolution for EDC (NCOM06). That has the license for the P38 diesel only. You could plug into other P38's but it won't communicate with the BECM. The nanocom will talk to every system on the car. Handy piece of kit if you know how to use it.

Unfortunately you can have a well written advert and the car is a complete pile of scrap. It's just a case of looking and picking one that just feels right. Have you decided on a spec that you want? Worth checking the facebook groups too.

Ashcroft offer an interesting ATB diff centre which could be interesting. Don't fancy going down the air locker route lol.

I believe it was only very late cars that had them. They also had the 4 wheel TC. Either that or most have been pilfered. I'm hoping to drop on to a set of low mileage axles to build up, but i'll be fitting aftermarket diffs so the 4 pins aren't important.