Sub £2k P38

[firman]

Thinking of replacing my Legacy non turbo estate with a RR of the P38 variety, realistically I won't be spending more than £2000 and am looking at LPG converted V8's
Will this be a massive world of hurt and wallet raper?
I am sure I already know the answer but I am here hoping for some good news stories.
It would be used as my daily for a 52 mile trip and family days out over the weekend.

Tell me it's possible please fine people of PH or at least give me viable alternative options.

TIA

[Noble P4]

Bought a 1996 P38 4.6HSE on LPG 2 years ago for £1500 as I needed something big enough to tow the wife's horsebox. 2 MOTs passed without advisories and the only expense has been a battery and a spring kit to replace the ageing air set up. About 23mpg on gas...give it a go!

[imagineifyeswill]

P38s are nowhere near as bad as people make them out to be, although I would be wary of a 4.6 on gas, the 4.6 blocks are prone to cracking up the side of a liner and it seems to be more prevalent on gas due to the slightly hotter running.

[psychoR1]

I was in the same position and looked at P38's but eventually found that Jeep Grand Cherokees were available with lower mileage and better condition for the same money.

Bought ours of a guy on PH and have had it 4 years now - its a good alternative and has been 100% reliable so far.

I do think a nice P38 has the edge on looks but you asked for an alternative and I think bang for buck the jeep is better.

[firman]

This is exactly the kind of responses I was looking for. I love PH

[Toaster Pilot]

Want one but seriously lack the testicular mass - do it!

[D4MJT]

I ran for some time and modified it a bit, I loved it and would have another in a flash.

They're a very characterful car, I use 2 L322's currently at work and would rather be in my old P38, there's just something about them.

I kept a thread on my ownership here if it's of any use, I experienced head gasket failure but it's a very simple job to repair yourself, mine was also LPG'd. Sequential injection LPG kits are the only one's I'd consider, stay away from any of the old 'mixer' systems.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=963...

[Stick Legs]

I kept one for a couple of years to scratch the Range Rover itch.

Very do-able. Buy a good one, buy an original one.
Lots of stuff about 4.0 & 4.6 engine, simply not an issue now with the age and value of them.
I had a 4.0 on a P plate, never a day's bother.
Air suspension started to play up so. I put coils on, told the insurance company. No issues.
Mostly DIY able now.

Mine was not on gas, reckoned on about 18 mpg. Dropped to about 15 on country lanes & town.

Mine is currently for sale at Mount Street Garage in. Bishop's Lydeard Somerset if you are interested.

[SuperHangOn]

imagineifyeswill said:

P38s are nowhere near as bad as people make them out to be

Both mine were!

[D4MJT]

the air suspension isn't the nightmare people make out either, you can rebuild the compressor easily with a cheap seal kit off ebay, or simply swap it for a recon if you prefer, the rest of it is simply pipes and air bags. If you search about online you don't even need to take the rear wheels off to change the rear airbags, the amount of aftermarket support and knowledge for them now is massive.

For how useful it is, I'd keep it rather than convert to coils.

[ShaunTheSheep]

There's DIYs for most tasks on these on the net. There's cheap manuals from ebay or the net. There's cheap diagnostic tools - including the air suspension stuff. There's plenty of spares on eBay and factors still stock service items for these on the shelves. They weigh a bloody ton (more like 2.5...) so even at end of life they're still worth a fair bit at the scrappy.

Should be a fairly safe place to stick £2k. You'll lose more in fuel than purchase capital.

[D4MJT]

ShaunTheSheep said:

They weigh a bloody ton (more like 2.5...) so even at end of life they're still worth a fair bit at the scrappy.

Reminded me, when I decatted mine, I weighed the cat's in at a local recycling place as you can chuck it through an MOT on LPG and the emissions are super clean, even factoring in the cost of the decat pipe I made £40 profit decatting it, the cat's were MASSIVE

[anonymous-user]

SuperHangOn said:

imagineifyeswill said:

P38s are nowhere near as bad as people make them out to be

Both mine were!

I used to have one and to be honest had a few issues with it but nothing that couldn't be fixed using the DIY guides on the net. It really is luck of the draw with these cars. I know people that have bought immaculate FSH low mileage examples and had no end of grief. I also know someone who bought a tatty one with no service history, etc and its been fine!

Just to set your expectations OP, think of them as a hobby first and car second.

[edc]

I had one a few years back. Paid £2.3k for it at 175k from memory. Did 10k in a year and sold for £2.6k via PH. Needed a refurb fusebox and had a big service and new AT tyres but no other problems.

[firman]

Well that's it decided then, time to narrow down my options and get one bought.

[daveofedinburgh]

Love P38s, soooo much car for buttons.

See lots of 2.5 diesel manuals popping up sub £2K, but they are insanely slow and savings over the V8 will be negligible given the tonnage it's hauling around.

Joined a couple of owners clubs afew years back when I was seriously considering one, advice I got was:

-Get a petrol, diesels are just as 'reliable' but borderline dangerously slow

-Coil spring conversion was frowned upon by many owners (surprised me), as many seem to think the reduced stability of the permanently high CoG is unsafe and defeats the purpose of the car

-Make sure you are handy with spanners. This was the biggie- do not buy unless you can do a fair bit of the work yourself, as you will be doing work

-Electrics are iffy at best. From around 2000> electrical components were switched to Bosch items and therefore slightly less iffy

-Cooling system needs constant monitoring. Cooling system faults are the big P38 killer

Personally, I'd happily have a coil-spring converted manual diesel if it was cheapness, as I do bugger all miles and my cars live in a nice warm garage. I'd be a bit scared of the V8 blocks cracking on me, and Im wary of LPG in reliable cars, let alone these.

Yes they are a bit of a lottery, but what lovely things they are. Imagine getting a good 'un for £2K, you'd be one very happy PHer.

[billzeebub]

A £2k Rangie?!..you Sir, have balls as big as a house...best of British

[D4MJT]

daveofedinburgh said:

Love P38s, soooo much car for buttons.

See lots of 2.5 diesel manuals popping up sub £2K, but they are insanely slow and savings over the V8 will be negligible given the tonnage it's hauling around.

Joined a couple of owners clubs afew years back when I was seriously considering one, advice I got was:

-Get a petrol, diesels are just as 'reliable' but borderline dangerously slow

-Coil spring conversion was frowned upon by many owners (surprised me), as many seem to think the reduced stability of the permanently high CoG is unsafe and defeats the purpose of the car

-Make sure you are handy with spanners. This was the biggie- do not buy unless you can do a fair bit of the work yourself, as you will be doing work

-Electrics are iffy at best. From around 2000> electrical components were switched to Bosch items and therefore slightly less iffy

-Cooling system needs constant monitoring. Cooling system faults are the big P38 killer

Personally, I'd happily have a coil-spring converted manual diesel if it was cheapness, as I do bugger all miles and my cars live in a nice warm garage. I'd be a bit scared of the V8 blocks cracking on me, and Im wary of LPG in reliable cars, let alone these.

Yes they are a bit of a lottery, but what lovely things they are. Imagine getting a good 'un for £2K, you'd be one very happy PHer.

In contrast though, as a previous V8 owner, and the dreaded 4.6, and LPG'd, bar a head gasket which was blowing slightly when I bought it and I mistook for an exhaust blow, I put 20K miles on mine and it never missed a beat mechanically, it was nothing short of epic in winter, and hauled anything for fun.

When I did the head gasket, there was no sign of carbon buildup people shout about when running LPG, the engine was clean.

[SuperHangOn]

St John Smythe said:

I used to have one and to be honest had a few issues with it but nothing that couldn't be fixed using the DIY guides on the net. It really is luck of the draw with these cars. I know people that have bought immaculate FSH low mileage examples and had no end of grief. I also know someone who bought a tatty one with no service history, etc and its been fine!

You get the odd lucky owner - always the oblivious type who buys a ratty one off a mate in the pub, does zero maintenance and manages to get 2 years use with no problems at all.

They are very poorly built and designed cars. IMO the V8 is one of the very worst engines in recent memory. But they are great when they do work.

[silverback mike]

Many many people will tell you not to touch it with a barge pole as I was told prior to buying mine.
All I can say is that my particular example cost me £1300, is a 4.0se V8 on lpg 180k with a decent history.

I've had it approximately 7 months and covered 10k in it over variour terrain, lumping a large german shepherd in it too.

In that time I've replaced the 02 sensors and seals in the compressor. It has been faultless and far more reliable than I had ever expected.

Starts on the button, costs 63p a litre to fuel and pops along nicely with a happy burble. I'm very impressed.

(Maybe I had the Monday morning version instead of the Friday afternoon one )