P38 Range Rover diesel manual- would you for sub £2250?
Discussion
As per the title, seeing many of these lurking around the 100-150K miles mark at the price.
Yes, the V8 is a superior car, but it isn't as reliable. It isn't far off the diesel IF the cooling circuit has been kept well, but its hard to know if this has been done. Fear of cracky blocks is steering me towards the BMW diesel unit...
I do approx 5K miles per year, with a very short commute through low speed residential streets. Mpg is therefore not a concern, but I still lean toward the diesels for the reasons mentioned above.
Auto box may well suit the car better, but they are undoubtedly more likely to bork than manuals.
An example with evidence of the air suspension being done recently or a coil spring conversion also appeals.
Many diesel manuals seem to have the brown velour interior, is this naff or strangely cool?
P38s are unreliable- fact. They also have a reputation for always limping you home. Given my type of use, would PHers consider it a reasonable purchase given that I could actually walk to work if things went really tits up? Not horrendously expensive to fix either.
The alternative is an old Lexus LS, which is significantly less money, and infinitely more reliable for similar levels of comfort/ waftiness. Not a Range Rover though...
Thoughts?
Yes, the V8 is a superior car, but it isn't as reliable. It isn't far off the diesel IF the cooling circuit has been kept well, but its hard to know if this has been done. Fear of cracky blocks is steering me towards the BMW diesel unit...
I do approx 5K miles per year, with a very short commute through low speed residential streets. Mpg is therefore not a concern, but I still lean toward the diesels for the reasons mentioned above.
Auto box may well suit the car better, but they are undoubtedly more likely to bork than manuals.
An example with evidence of the air suspension being done recently or a coil spring conversion also appeals.
Many diesel manuals seem to have the brown velour interior, is this naff or strangely cool?
P38s are unreliable- fact. They also have a reputation for always limping you home. Given my type of use, would PHers consider it a reasonable purchase given that I could actually walk to work if things went really tits up? Not horrendously expensive to fix either.
The alternative is an old Lexus LS, which is significantly less money, and infinitely more reliable for similar levels of comfort/ waftiness. Not a Range Rover though...
Thoughts?
I would also get the V8. Buy a good one and it's unlikely to go wrong. Block issues are rarer than people make out. People end up having other issues and then someone tells them the problem is a liner rather than any of the other number of cheaper issues it could be.
Most of the manual diesels are low spec so that's probably why they have the brown interior.
Most of the manual diesels are low spec so that's probably why they have the brown interior.
I ran a p38 diesel for a while. hse spec, very comfortable in a straight line, hated it around the corners, the economy will be nowhere near what you think either- granted mine was an auto, but I was only ever a couple of mpg better than a v8 my mate ran. ok, it's a couple of mpg...but that will not compensate for the utter lack of performance. they really are sloooooooow.
I did the sensible thing and got rid, and bought an immaculate two owner, full history classic vogue, with 80, 000 miles on it, looked brand new....which was faster, handled better and was a far nicer place to be, not too foul on fuel either really.
After 20, 0000 miles I sold it for what I paid for it, giving me ample opportunity to look through the adverts now and wish I'd have kept it and likely doubled my money.
I did the sensible thing and got rid, and bought an immaculate two owner, full history classic vogue, with 80, 000 miles on it, looked brand new....which was faster, handled better and was a far nicer place to be, not too foul on fuel either really.
After 20, 0000 miles I sold it for what I paid for it, giving me ample opportunity to look through the adverts now and wish I'd have kept it and likely doubled my money.
I would not buy a V8 unless its at disposable price point and you're just going to bangernomics it for a while and bin. They are notorious for cracking the block/slipping liners and blowing HG's - certainly no cheap fix for any of that. It happened to mine totally out of the blue. Check for any signs of K-seal being chucked in the cooling system if you do!
The diesels are over-worked and can suffer from cracked heads but are much safer.
The diesels are over-worked and can suffer from cracked heads but are much safer.
The early P38 V8s were indeed notorious for it & although the later ones were better its still a worry & does come up from time to time on LR forums.
The cooling system is marginal at best & needs to be kept in top order & the petrol fuelling is lean which was done to try & get a sensible fuel return. Problem with running lean is that it runs hotter & increases the risk of cooking the engine if the cooling system hasn't been maintained.
The main issue - certainly for me - is that they are electronically complicated vehicles & need diagnostic tools to clear faults & do resets. Fine if you can DIY & buy the kit - to be fair its not expensive & relatively simple to use - but if not the bills can be eyewatering.
I run a Classic & occasionally toy with buying a P38 to replace it, but whenever I mention it to a local LR specialist the reply is 'You don't want to do that'.
I do still toy with the idea though as a good one is is nice to drive & you're getting a lot of car for the money.
The cooling system is marginal at best & needs to be kept in top order & the petrol fuelling is lean which was done to try & get a sensible fuel return. Problem with running lean is that it runs hotter & increases the risk of cooking the engine if the cooling system hasn't been maintained.
The main issue - certainly for me - is that they are electronically complicated vehicles & need diagnostic tools to clear faults & do resets. Fine if you can DIY & buy the kit - to be fair its not expensive & relatively simple to use - but if not the bills can be eyewatering.
I run a Classic & occasionally toy with buying a P38 to replace it, but whenever I mention it to a local LR specialist the reply is 'You don't want to do that'.
I do still toy with the idea though as a good one is is nice to drive & you're getting a lot of car for the money.
Edited by paintman on Thursday 17th July 09:45
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