Range Rovers?

Prophet

Prophet

Prophet

Soldato
Joined
5 Oct 2004
Posts
7,395
Location
Notts
A friend of mine want a Range Rover. Not sure why but he does. I know nothing about them so can't give an informed opinion.

Taking the following two as examples. Which would be the better option 'generally'? Say average 10K miles a year and normal commute type driving.

Feel free to say why he shouldn't by a 10+ year old Range Rover and state worst case scenarios :)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...ue/postcode/ng97au/page/2/radius/40?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...e/ng97au/quicksearch/true/radius/40?logcode=p
 
Last edited:
I've always fancied a P38 for some reason, although they do look really dated now.

IIRC if it has air suspension you have to be careful, the V8's are the ones to go for (can't remember which but theres a 4.0 and 4.6 V8 to choose from) and rot is creeping up on them now.

For some reason Lashout springs to mind, i'd imagine he's looked into having one of these (if he hasn't already owned one!)

/edit - I was just about to write that you get some muppets dressing them up with modern RR stuff (vents, grills, wheels etc)... just like your 2nd one!
 
I would stay as far away from the 2.5l engine in the second link. 16 seconds to 60? You'll be thrashing the crud out of it to get anywhere, might be good for towing or off-roading but to actually drive I'd consider that to be useless.
 
Phil W said:
/edit - I was just about to write that you get some muppets dressing them up with modern RR stuff (vents, grills, wheels etc)... just like your 2nd one!
Click to expand...

why muppets? it looks a lot better than the other linked car.
 
P38's started production in 1994(ish). L322's didn't start until 2002.

Two totally different designs and the older one really shows its age, especially when you start putting stuff from the newer models on!

Its not like a facelift improvement (I.E 5 Series E39 is a good example of this!). Its not just a case of swapping lights and bumpers over, they are two totally different body shapes.
 
My brother had a 1998 P38 4.6 HSE for a couple of years and only sold it last year. It was a great car but it does have some reliability issues, particularly with the air suspension and the 4.6 engine. Make sure the air suspension works correctly and ask if it's had any work done to it. The 4.6 engine can suffer from a "loose liner/cracked block" which apparently is quite common and costs a lot of money to fix. For that reason I would recommend the 4.0 as it is meant to be the most reliable.
Check for rust as well, particularly on the tail gate which we eventually replaced. Buying an LPG one is probably wise as well to save on the fuel costs but make sure it's all working correctly and has been professionally installed to help avoid problems.
 
P38s are a bit funny atm, not cheap enough to be disposable, not expensive enough to fix every single fault with it to make it perfect. If you do decide to get one don't go for the bottom of the barrel, a 4.6 HSE on LPG with all the toys is the way to go. But make sure they're all working! Lots of owners forums can walk you through the air suspension issues and what the car should behave like, make sure you test all the suspension modes too. Don't worry too much if it looks very low when you go and see it, its settled into access mode so probably hasn't been driven in the past few hours.

My £5k would actually go on a late Classic with what's know as the "soft dash" interior. £5k will get you a very tidy example. Alternatively £5k would get you a functional but not perfect tax exempt two door Classic that should provide at least a few years low cost maintance, simple and cheap enough to fix when they go wrong too. The 4.2 long wheel base models (LSE's) have a bad rep, they had air suspension too, as well as engine troubles
 
I cant see the point of a 4 litre, they are gutless and use the same petrol as a 4.6.
 
griffo_001 said:
P38s are a bit funny atm, not cheap enough to be disposable, not expensive enough to fix every single fault with it to make it perfect.
Click to expand...

£5k seems to be about the top of the market for them, would you not get a mint example for such a price?
 
Phil W said:
£5k seems to be about the top of the market for them, would you not get a mint example for such a price?
Click to expand...

I'd have said it'll get you a good one, not a truely exceptional one. For 5k everything shoud work well and it should have FLRSH, but you'll tell its 10 years old. I've seen people asking for 6-7k for "time-warp" just-left-the-factory cars.

I normally only consider perfect cars or project cars which I can bring up to my exacting requirements.

Another thing is they aren't exactly rare, so shop around, drive plenty so you get a feel for what is "normal"
 
Your friend - Please tell me he's not into smart suits, property & nice watches? :D

Anyway, like you, I'm not sure why he'd want one either....

We need more info, alas, then we'll all rip into him for being flash, a show off, full of BS or perhaps, all 3.

Hmm.....
 
R420LA6X2/4MNA said:
Your friend - Please tell me he's not into smart suits, property & nice watches? :D

Anyway, like you, I'm not sure why he'd want one either....

We need more info, alas, then we'll all rip into him for being flash, a show off, full of BS or perhaps, all 3.

Hmm.....
Click to expand...

Tis ok, this is a proper Range Rover, not an outdated "sports" version for £20k more than its worth ;)

P38s, like all real Range Rovers and all good Jags, Bentley's and so on are worth the unreliability because the good times are truely exceptional.
 
I had a 2.5 diesel, it was a bit slow until I stuck a tuning box on it, really did make a difference imo.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom