95 HSE Is it worth it

[Dazza67]

I need some info for a friend, we have come across a 95 HSE with all the fruit, it has 220K on it but a fresh crate 4.6 that is 2 years old (60Kms on it now).
My friend wants/needs a tow vehicle for a horse float and the light odd beach trip with a bit of comfort. It will be a Daily driver.

The car has over 25k worth of receipts in the log book with absolutely complete history of services from LR Dealers.
It looks in great condition and runs great returning around 13lt/100k ATM
(must be a Nanny driver). But I drive a D2 and cannot really comment apart from I would love that engine sound in my car.

She wants to know if its worth the 9k asking price and what to check out on it/what little things to get done so there is no surprises.

I have told her that
Yes it will cost for servicing,
Yes if she is leadfoot it will consume fuel at an alarming rate
I have also told her that this car will drive like no other she has been in regards to character and comfort.

And Im sure if she doesnt buy it my wife will it is that nice!

Any feedback would be good about price and what to look for.

TIA Dazza

[Bigbjorn]

Probably too much. It is now 15 years old and I have seen very good younger examples go through auctions for less. She needs to bear in mid that she could spend the purchase price again with one failure. Old luxury cars are cheap because there is no "keeping up with the neighbours in Toorak/Vaucluse/Hamilton" value in an old used car, and the people who can now afford to buy them can't afford to maintain them. Dealers don't like them because they have to give warranty and warranty insurance is expensive and has high excesses on cars that can have expensive failures.

If it is good and she likes it and is prepared to maintain it, fine.

[PaulP38a]

Well said Brian.

These beasts are fast becoming an enthusiast vehicle more so than an alternative to mass-produced Jap 4wd's.

Not so bad to keep running if you are prepared to do maintenance yourself, but it seems that many dealers/workshops want to charge premium prices to do fairly minor jobs, or replace whole subsystems (e.g. EAS or HVAC) when component replacement is reasonably straightforward for keen amateurs (like me), with the assistance of forums like this one.

BTW: I paid not much more than that asking price for my '99 4.0 just under 2 years ago. I'd go a 99+ model over a pre-99 all other things being equal.

Cheers
Paul.

[Dazza67]

She needs to bear in mid that she could spend the purchase price again with one failure.

She is aware of this and it is rather daunting for her she budgets for servicing and repairs, the car has had considerable work done to it with many systems being replaced. But obviously 8k in repairs in one hit would really hurt!
I contacted All4x4 and they have given me reasonable servicing costs but as you said replacement costs for parts may well be the killer.


Old luxury cars are cheap because there is no "keeping up with the neighbours in Toorak/Vaucluse/Hamilton" value in an old used car.

It is a soon to be (possible) ex Mosman tractor from new hence the service history (owner updated to a 2010 model RRS).
Thinking of offering 8k for it.
I will show her these threads and let her decide, she has no way possible to service it herself but does keep her vehicles maintained.

Thankyou for the honest responses.
Dazza

[p38arover]

Fuel consumption is the least of her worries.

I've owned one for over 7 years so I know.

[Dazza67]

Well she has it booked in to get a diagnostics check and look over on monday if all is good we will have a new member on here tuesday.
Cheers Dazza

[Junosi]

Sounds like a good price to me with such a relatively new engine. Good luck !

[DT-P38]

The biggest issue has been alluded to a couple of times....

It's the dirty dogs who charge Doctors rates (and specialist not MD!) for labour and gold/platinum prices for parts that bring the biggest issues. I am pretty sure these criminals are the reason that the vehicles don't get well maintained in the first place. And that's with out mentioning the actual dealer (stealer) network and their version of modern day highway robbery. The practices they all perform under the guise of being service providers I now simply call GOUGING.

The premise from their perspective is probably if you can afford one in the first place then you can afford a regular GOUGING!

Of course there are exceptions, if the lady was in Melbourne I would refer her to an honest decent "value equation" workshop that I now use when I am out of my depth (or patience!). I am sure some of the local lads up that way could help out with some guidance. And you really only need to look at how cheap parts are in the UK to see that the system over here is just a dead set rip off.

Too many people getting too fat off others having more cash than brains.

AAAAAH WELL, That's my spleen spewed for a while!!!

[wayneg]

Well said Brian.
These beasts are fast becoming an enthusiast vehicle more so than an alternative to mass-produced Jap 4wd's
Paul.

Long live the enthusiast. I must have 2 of the most enthusiastic cars of all time, A Range rover with EAS and a Becm and a Mercedes with a hydraulic operated roof with 12 prone to leak pistons and untold other model specific ecu,s and most parts off the scale price wise
The pay off is when the are performing perfectly due to your own effort.

[bluedisco2]

All good advice here i reckon. I've just bought a 2000 HSE 4.6 this week here in Melbourne and i paid 15k for it which i reckon is top dollar but the car presents simply as brand new and has perfect history etc. Absolutely everything works as it should and it drives spot on.
They really are an amazing vehicle and i think the enthusiast car tag is probably realistic now given thier age. I'm a long time Landy nut and the complexities dont worry or faze me - they are simply a challenge and i enjoy it much the same as anyone does who has any sort of hobby eh.
Invest in a diagnostic tool, find a genuine LR mechanic who can assist when your talents and dedication aren't enough and you should have yourself the best bang for your buck luxo 4WD possible.
Now i've got a D2 i've had for over 7 years and the new P38 - so long as thier computers dont talk to each other i should allways have at least one to drive - hmmm!@,
cheers,
Deano

[barefoot]

9k sounds good for a good rangie. imagine what type of landcruiser youd get for the money :o

[Pedro_The_Swift]

There is no problem with the price if all that info is correct,,
the problem will be after the first drive,,
RR's tend to be addictive,,


except in Rons case.

[wanglemoose]

be careful its all to easy to get caught with the INSANE prices of parts for these p38s. I bought mine for 5g its a 97 4.0l and looking over the car before i bought it i thought it mite need another 5g to bring it back up to spec it had also been converted to coils before i bought it. Ive replaced everything in the front end, all shocks, new springs, discs and pads all four corners, hevac control unit and 3 blend servos, exhaust, injectors, rebuilt abs unit, and general service all the usual as well as an injection service. Total cost in TRADE price parts 8 grand. All because i got all my parts here cos i didnt want to wate for them to come from the uk. This being said when you get in and drive it it is worth every cent and now i know the car is made up of nearly all new bits. To date i think it all up owes me around 17-18g but that includes all the rego, insurance and the latest edition a set of 5 maxxis MT764 bighorns. They can be expensive and im sure that there is a few other people on this site with similar bills for there p38s but in the end its only money and you can always make more, and when you consider the luxury and driveability compared to a cruiser or patrol in the same price range it becomes clear, you just get sooo much more car in a RR.

cheers
mick