P38 buying advice
Discussion
miniman said:
But... the leather, and the V8, and the waftiness, and... Nah run away 
That one's a diesel though so no V8.They're not actually that bad, but they do have a bit of a reputation for unreliability.
Air suspension can cause problems (usually caused by lack of maintenance - easy to sort yourself if you have the patience). The diesels are apparently very slow although they can be chipped easily.
The diesels can crack their heads, the V8s can slip liners.
They are actually very good off road even on road tyres, although most won't ever see more than grass.
Thanks - it'll be used for daily commuting and a lot of miles towing a horsebox so off-road ability on reasonable tyres is a must.
The current Landcruiser survived 18 months with a cracked cylinder head so any replacement has a lot to live up to in terms of reliability! Speed not so much...
The current Landcruiser survived 18 months with a cracked cylinder head so any replacement has a lot to live up to in terms of reliability! Speed not so much...
The EAS system works well only if maintained. Check that the heated seats actually work, the reverse mirrors work, the sun roof sits properly and moves through the complete range. Wet carpets at the front footwell could indicate O-ring replacement in the heater matrix. Check any and every electrical item including the fuse box under the bonnet for burnt relays.
You need to be happy spannering or garage bills will be large. Remember this is a £50k+ car and parts aren't cheap.
After all that, I love my 4.6 V8, as does my wife, who has just told me to buy another one for her. It is a very capable tow vehicle and is just as comfortable going to the supermarket.
You need to be happy spannering or garage bills will be large. Remember this is a £50k+ car and parts aren't cheap.
After all that, I love my 4.6 V8, as does my wife, who has just told me to buy another one for her. It is a very capable tow vehicle and is just as comfortable going to the supermarket.
johno_78 said:
Remember this is a £50k+ car and parts aren't cheap.
Really? What are you comparing it with? Parts for my 4.6 are a couple of orders of magnitude cheaper than they are for my Audi A4 and it's a safe bet that they will be a lot cheaper than they are for the Landcruiser too! Very readily available and plenty of them on ebag too.
Some examples: Airbags for the air suspension (probably ought to budget for replacing these anyway - £250, the compressor and valve block can be overhauled DIY for under £50.
Heater O rings can be a pain to do but the parts are at least cheap!
They can be run fairly cheaply - just avoid main dealers (who probably won't recognize them anyway).
Animal said:
Hi All,
SWMBO has asked me to help her buy a new car. She's currently got a LandCruiser and has found this.
However, I know nothing about these except that they have 4 wheels and seats inside. Is there anything in particular I need to look for or avoid?
Thanks in advance,
Are you any good at / keen on spannering? Do you like to gamble? Have you got deep enough pockets for a major failure not to bankrupt you? If the answers to these three questions is yes, go for it. If any of them is no, forget it.SWMBO has asked me to help her buy a new car. She's currently got a LandCruiser and has found this.
However, I know nothing about these except that they have 4 wheels and seats inside. Is there anything in particular I need to look for or avoid?
Thanks in advance,
Lovely car the P38, I loved mine at the time, but they were a car that made most sense when under the manufacturer's warranty.
Have a look at http://www.mez.co.uk/p38.html written by PHer Eliot
I've had mine 3.5 years and its been absolutely fine. Its got a slightly odd thing going on at the moment when one of the fans, but other than that no real probs at all. I think I have been very lucky, but agree with others parts are cheap enough and if you have a local indie you should be OK so long as you don't buy a bad one.
Go into it with your eyes open and expect to do a bit of additional maintenance each year and you should (could) be fine.
I love mine, I have number of cars and its always the one I reach for at the w/e if I have the kids with m. Its a 4.6 petrol so not adverse to a drink, but the later injection system so 23/24 is possible on the motorway every once in a while - average is mid teens, but it only really does short trips.
They are so cheap I'd say its worth trying to find a decent one and then take a view on whether the stick or bail out first time a big bill looms - you are hardly likely to lose that much
Go into it with your eyes open and expect to do a bit of additional maintenance each year and you should (could) be fine.
I love mine, I have number of cars and its always the one I reach for at the w/e if I have the kids with m. Its a 4.6 petrol so not adverse to a drink, but the later injection system so 23/24 is possible on the motorway every once in a while - average is mid teens, but it only really does short trips.
They are so cheap I'd say its worth trying to find a decent one and then take a view on whether the stick or bail out first time a big bill looms - you are hardly likely to lose that much
Animal said:
Thanks - it'll be used for daily commuting and a lot of miles towing a horsebox so off-road ability on reasonable tyres is a must.
The current Landcruiser survived 18 months with a cracked cylinder head so any replacement has a lot to live up to in terms of reliability! Speed not so much...
You need to think of a p38 as a hobby first and car second. I've had my V8 one for a year now and love it but wouldn't want to use it as a daily driver!The current Landcruiser survived 18 months with a cracked cylinder head so any replacement has a lot to live up to in terms of reliability! Speed not so much...
My neighbour has one, and its electrical problems and suspension all the time.
My thought is you want to tow a horse,and with the well established bad name this car has,for reliability,just go on a few dedicated land rover forums and type in p38.
What are you going to do with the horse if the car breaks down on a journey,if I was towing livestock this would not be My first choice of vehicle.
My thought is you want to tow a horse,and with the well established bad name this car has,for reliability,just go on a few dedicated land rover forums and type in p38.
What are you going to do with the horse if the car breaks down on a journey,if I was towing livestock this would not be My first choice of vehicle.
I scrapped mine last year. Lots of problems with the EAS (air suspension) system. Ended up carrying a netbook with ODB2 cable all the time so I could reset the dammned thing; along with a set of valves and a compressor so if it died completely I could still keep the suspension pumped up. Lots and lots of other electrical faults as well. It was nice when it worked though!
Crossflow Kid said:
Animal said:
What are Discos of the same vintage like - any better?
Not really, no.Edited to add - P38s get a lot of bad press on the internet which I think is somewhat overblown to be honest. Yes, there are some nightmare stories about them but if they were really so bad how come there are so many left on the road? Some are nothing but trouble and others aren't. Having FSH, etc seems to have no bearing on this so basically you just need to be lucky!!
Edited by St John Smythe on Saturday 27th July 18:47
St John Smythe said:
You need to think of a p38 as a hobby first and car second. I've had my V8 one for a year now and love it but wouldn't want to use it as a daily driver!
Now on my 3rd P38. First two and this one was also a hobby. But needed cash for new house, so main car was sold and the P38 has been my daily driver for a year without any issues. Its a later 'thor' MY2000 car and it seems much better than the two previous gems ones. Drinks like a fish though.Gassing Station | Land Rover | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff