Decisions Decisions - Newby needing opinions

[Darley81]

Hello peoples, I am new to the LR/RR community but I have decided to go for a P38 after my previous car was stolen. I am not new to 4wding however, I do wish to get some advice from you LR/RR faithfuls.

I became a member during the week and since not being overly busy at work. Done plenty of research to know what I am getting myself in to. I am very confident that I can tackle most issues especially when a Faultmate is on my price list.

I am still not yet confident to make a large decision without some worthy response from experienced P38'ers.

This weekend, I have seen and driven 3 RR P38's. All started at $12k in Sydney and can be found on Carsales.com and various websites. I have chosen to only look at cars in Sydney as I don’t have enough trust in the interstate guess work.

1st one was a 99 SE 4.0L with leather, sunroof, Bosch injection and LPG direct injected duel fuel in a 75litre donut tank in the spare wheel well (216,000klm) plus near new A/T tyres. This owner was very maticulous and gave a full history into the cars services. Once I met him and seen the Rangie, I knew this car was definitely looked after mechanically. Cosmetically it had a few very small bumps but nothing to deter the eyes. Didn't really discuss price, but I was thinking more like a $9k purchase.
2nd one was from a wholesaler working out of a small factory unit. it was a 96 HSE (184,000klm) with most of its service history shown in the factory book. Bags were replaced but dates not known. Seems like the last couple of years have been a mystery) Typical HSE accessories with an added sports exhaust that sounded awesome. Not sure if it was the 4.0L against the 4.6L or the LPG on the 99 model, but this one definitely felt more punchier. It had quite a few cosmetic issues, front seats had cracked leather, rear passenger doors were bubbly underneath the rubber seal, front passenger dash was popped and vent out. Otherwise it was in ok condition for its age, price again probably should have been around the $9k mark.
3rd one this morning was a 96 HSE with 180,000klm. Everything electrically worked, looked in very good condition. Service history was up to scratch until the 135,000 mark (hit in 2005) but after that NFI. No history known. Suspension bags looked ok and no sign of any loss of air. There was a milky looking substance on the inside of all 4 wheels, not sure if this was detergent residue from washing the thing so often at the dealership. (this could also be where my mechanical skills die off). 4.6L pulled and sounded in good shape. Only other problem (service history the other) was the roof would definitely need respraying. I think it sat under a sappy tree for its past couple of years. It was $10,999, he dropped it to $10k and would offer a 12 month warranty for $250. Again, knowing the roof needs a spray and service history is vague at best, I believe no more than $9k with the warranty.

I have chosen the P38 purely for it’s luxury and power. I am leaning towards the LPG 99 4.0L as it will keep the running costs down and also a known service history. I would be primarily using this as a daily driver and occasional off-roading. Long term I would probably fit the lift kit and have a spare set of 31’s or 33’s for off road use only.

I am definitely looking forward to becoming a P38 owner and join the LR/RR community. Thank you in advance for your help, I truly appreciate it.

Dave

[TwoUp]

G'day Dave,

If it were my money i'd be buying the '99 4.0l with the LPG. Nothing better than a good service history on a car such as this. There's not much difference between the 4.0 and 4.6 unless your a real petrol-head! Either engine will do the job!

I've owned a '00 and a '99 HSE and loved both of them. The only thing you miss out on is the sunroof and leather, but it sounds like the SE you're looking at already has this fitted!

Hope this helps!
Cheers
Keithy (at TwoUp's place on his computer)

[33chinacars]

Known service history a must. Then buy as late a model as you can afford. The 99 4.0 Se sounds good that is if you dont mind loose boot space with the spare wheel ? Also budget for ongoing repairs.

[Hoges]

- read Range Rover P38/4.0/4.6 Common Problems and Fixes (http://www.rangerovers.net/newrremedies.htm) :)

- then read Range Rover P38/4.0/4.6 Common Problems and Fixes (http://www.rangerovers.net/newrremedies.htm) :D

- and finally read Range Rover P38/4.0/4.6 Common Problems and Fixes (http://www.rangerovers.net/newrremedies.htm) :eek:

- preferably go for a 1999 Bosch upgrade model...lots of good changes ...electrics, ABS etc etc

Oh yeah did I recommend reading Range Rover P38/4.0/4.6 Common Problems and Fixes (http://www.rangerovers.net/newrremedies.htm?) :angel:

good luck!!

[Grumbles]

Perhaps keep looking too - don't rush in to buy from the first three which you look at. There are always plenty of P38s coming on the market - some not so good, some ok and a few absolute gems. Find a gem - not a lookalike.

That means immaculate condition, relatively low kilometres, fully maintained by a Landy specialist with a demonstrable service/repair history.

And it is usually a buyers market.

[Darley81]

Thanks for your comments so far guys. Taking it all in. Definitely not rushing.

Cheers,
Dave

[redandy3575]

G'day Dave, and welcome.

Your probably in a better situation than most of us outside NSW, cause in my opinion (and only my opinion) i think buying a used Rangie in NSW is generally in better condition due to the mandatory annual roadworthy for vehicles over 10 years old and seem to be priced cheaper than the rest of Oz. I live in Melbourne's southern suburbs and i made the 300km journey to Albury to buy my 96 4.6L HSE. Same story, a few minor marks on the body, but mechanically A1 with a regular service history, 134,000km for $12k and has been so far the best off-roader i've ever owned keeping up even with the big boys with their Toyota Landcruiser (:o!!! oh no.....i said it!!) and the rest.

Based on what you mentioned earlier, the 99 model seems fairly good with LPG, but keep your options open. Also don't be put off by the earlier p38 models as they tend to give you more bang for your buck in terms of features and more likely in your price range of $9k. But as mentioned also earlier, go for as later model that you can for your price, and make sure your 100% satisfied with the vehicle in terms of looks,finish , all the electrics working etc. Maybe take someone with you that knows a bit about them mechanicaly, and if your not happy with it (even if it's small) maybe walk away and look at some others before you commit.

I tend to find the 4.0L (132Kw) a bit underpowered compared to the 4.6L (157Kw) but you'll find the 4.0L will be a bit more fuel efficient than the bigger engine and cheaper seeing that it runs on LPG.

I'd say keep this one the list, and keep your eyes open for others, and if a good one comes along, as long as your cashed up then go for it.

Hope this helps

[DT-P38]

Definetly take your time and get a goody... there are always P38's available but a goody might require a little patience. No harm in having a LR specialist give it a once over pre-purchase either.

Can anyone in Sydney recommend someone reliable for this sort of thing?

[Keithy P38]

I can recommend a mob that I use to do all of my inspections! They are based virtually everywhere on the east coast and I now am a frequent flyer with them - I had my Green '00 HSE inspected in Sydney by them prior to purchase and they were bang on the money! I also had 3 HSE's inspected by them just recently (one in the Gold Coast, two in Melbourne) and ended up purchasing one in Melbourne.

They are called State Roads. They do a comprehensive check over the car for you (including a compression test of the engine and cooling system), they will tell you if anything is wrong at all and even test the paint depth to let you know if it's had smash repairs.

I very highly recommend them. From memory it's about $290 for a check, but well worth it.

Cheers
Keithy (via my own username this time!!)

[Gullible]

I've had a look at the 1999 4.0ltr LPG.

You will need a spare wheel carrier fitted and they are not cheep.

The transmission input seal is leaking so you'll have to drop the transmission to replace it.

Also the crank front seal is leaking, rear diff is leaking, and the sump is leaking, hard to tell as he has had the car detailed.

Also the front suspension sags.

So I think your being a bit generous at $9k.

For what your looking to do with the car I'd be tempted to get a pre 1999 HSE with the power you'll need and all the trimmings.

12 months warranty for $250 sounds a good way to go.

[Darley81]

So Keithy, does that mean you relied on their opinion without visually seeing the car? And in turn your negotiations with the seller over the phone?
In short, I should stop worrying about the location IF an inspection from State Roads is performed. I may just need to drive the car home or get it delivered?!?!?!
Black Betty, did you see the one in Windsor?

Dave

[Scouse]

Has anyone checked the 2002 MY HSE in Goulburn?

It looks very neat & at $15000 is the cheapest very late model I've seen for a while.

Rego BF09WO

[Gullible]

Yep thats the one.

Big driving lights on the front.

with 4 BFG all terrain tyres at 40 % and a factor original for the spare.

[Gullible]

Has anyone checked the 2002 MY HSE in Goulburn?

It looks very neat & at $15000 is the cheapest very late model I've seen for a while.

Rego BF09WO

It was hard enough for me to get to Windsor. I do like the look of the one in Goulburn, if it is still there at Christmas I may get to have a look at it.

[Darley81]

Where is the one in Goulburn advertised? I haven't seen it.

[Gullible]

Where is the one in Goulburn advertised? I haven't seen it.

2002 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER HSE P38A 02MY Private Cars For Sale in NSW - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=9678770&YearFromShort=1643&__Qpb=true&keywords=&Cr=9&__Ns=pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|0||pCar_RankSort_Int32 |1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&SearchAction=N&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294965478% 204294965541%20%201643&silo=1011&seot=1&__Nne=15&__No=0&trecs=71&__sid=121911F2151C)

[Scouse]

It's on Carsales.
Type in the rego BF09WO.

It's Bonatti Grey so quite a rare (and attractive IMO) colour for a P38.

**Ha ha, missed it by ...that much...

[Darley81]

There is one in QLD, Wellington Point for $7800. Almost sounds too good.

Rego no WRB49 with only 111,000klms.....

[Grumbles]

I can recommend a mob that I use to do all of my inspections! .......
They are called State Roads. They do a comprehensive check over the car for you (including a compression test of the engine and cooling system), they will tell you if anything is wrong at all and even test the paint depth to let you know if it's had smash repairs......From memory it's about $290 for a check, but well worth it.

Cheers
Keithy (via my own username this time!!)

Thanks for that - never heard of them. I just had a quick phone chat to them and they sound ok. Compression check and cooling system check is more than what RACV will do even with their most expensive check too. And from memory very competitive with RACV prices with more being done.

And I think they do REVS checks too - great.

Not having a shot here but didn't they miss a couple of things in your check of your P38 from what you posted?

[Gullible]

There is one in QLD, Wellington Point for $7800. Almost sounds too good.

Rego no WRB49 with only 111,000klms.....

1999 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER HSE P38A Private Cars For Sale in QLD - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=9789547&YearFromShort=1643&__Qpb=true&keywords=&Cr=0&__Ns=pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|0||pCar_RankSort_Int32 |1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&SearchAction=N&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294965478% 204294965541%20%201643&silo=1011&seot=1&__Nne=15&__No=0&trecs=70&__sid=121911F2151C)

Well it seems like a good buy. First to inspect wins :p

[Grumbles]

1999 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER HSE P38A Private Cars For Sale in QLD - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=9789547&YearFromShort=1643&__Qpb=true&keywords=&Cr=0&__Ns=pCar_PriceSort_Decimal%7C0%7C%7CpCar_RankSort _Int32%7C1%7C%7CpCar_Make_String%7C0%7C%7CpCar_Mod el_String%7C0&SearchAction=N&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294965478% 204294965541%20%201643&silo=1011&seot=1&__Nne=15&__No=0&trecs=70&__sid=121911F2151C)

Well it seems like a good buy. First to inspect wins :p

Now that looks very tempting..........

[Keithy P38]

Dave - Yeah I visually did not inspect the car prior to purchase in both instances! And the one i've just purchased was 3500km from where I live! The way they work is that you organise a time that suits both the seller and State Roads, they'll go around, do all their checks and afterwards they call you up and have a chat about how the car looks and drives, etc. Then they will email you a report detailing everything (very comprehensive), and photos of the car. If there are any defects they will also take photos of that, say for instance, if the roof lining was sagging or the seats were torn, etc... They also do REVS checks so you'll know if it has ever been written off or has finance owing. At the end they rate the car mechanically, body wise, and interior wise.

After I had 3 cars done, I called back and negotiated on the price based on the condition of the car - very hand checks to have done if you want to save some money! I saved $2,000 on my latest one! On their website (which you can google) they have an example of their checks!

Grumbles - Ha ha, i know exactly where your coming from there! The car checked out ok when the check was done! He also mentioned that the tyres were not roadworthy! My luck was that in the test he only took it to 60km/h, the vibrations in the driveline were above 80km/h so he wasn't to know! A quick alignment and balance fixed that! And as for the alternator, same again! At the time of checking the car out it was charging no worries! It took just over 1000kms for the brushes to die on me! And that's not really the previous owner's fault, it could have happened to any second hand car out there! Mechanically I love this car! It's been well looked after and serviced regularly at the LR dealership in Melbourne so I really do think i've jumped into a great car! It has two things wrong with it - the accelerator cable is stiff and the cruise needs new vacuum hoses, nothing major IMHO!!

Cheers
Keithy

EDIT: Dave - forgot to mention, if you do end up buying, make sure you insure the car prior to driving it! Even if it's interstate! The last thing you want is to get into trouble some distance from home and have no insurance! Mine still has 3 months of VIC rego on it, i'll wait until March to transfer it over to QLD that way i've got 3 months to get it roadworthy and have a real good look over it!

[Darley81]

Thanks Keith. It is comforting to know that there are inspection reports out their worthy of trusting.
I have since spoken to them so know it's an easy process. What can be difficult is the seller to actually make contact. Anyway, lucky I'm a patient man.....

[Keithy P38]

Now that looks very tempting..........

Now that is a very tempting car... New to Carsales too! They certainly know how to detail it! What a steal (if it's legit)!

Keithy

[Keithy P38]

Yeah Dave, that's the hard part! I found it's much easier simply to call them up outside of working hours. If they don't know much about cars it's pretty hard to get any info on the history and what it's had done, but the inspection report will show everything! That was the most valuable tool in making a decision from so far away! It would certainly be a waste to have flown down to Melbourne for me and hope that the car is alright! Money well spent!

If you would like I can email you my Inspection Report/s that I had done so you can see exactly how they are done (on the cars that you're looking at). I have four of them!

[Grumbles]

What a steal (if it's legit)!

Keithy

And I'd be just the one to get stung by a scam.............sigh.

[Gullible]

It is also a 1999 updates version but with old style indicators.....

[Grumbles]

Don't know about this one if it suits. A bit pricey but it reads ok.
Carpoint - 2001 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER S P38A 01MY Cars For Sale in SA - CarPoint Australia (http://www.carpoint.com.au/all-cars/dealer/details.aspx?Cr=12&R=9483569&keywords=&trecs=114&__sid=126DA6C8BAAC&__Ns=pCar_PriceSort_Decimal)

[Scouse]

It is also a 1999 updates version but with old style indicators.....The 99MY still had the orange indicators. Clears came with the 2000MY.


That neat 99MY car a few posts up should have orange, not clear lights but it's a common enough mod.

[Darley81]

If you would like I can email you my Inspection Report/s that I had done so you can see exactly how they are done (on the cars that you're looking at). I have four of them!


Thanks Keith. I'll PM my email address.

[ytt105]

That silver one sound too good to be true!

But just in case its genuine... I've got first dibs OK!!

You can only contact him via Carsales, which I've done, so it will be interesting to see if I get any response.

Trev

[Darley81]

There could be a few of us chasing this one Trev. Good luck and I hope it is as good as it looks.

Dave

[Gullible]

The 99MY still had the orange indicators. Clears came with the 2000MY.


That neat 99MY car a few posts up should have orange, not clear lights but it's a common enough mod.

So how can I tell if a 99MY is a Gems or a Thor just by looking at it?

[Scouse]

So how can I tell if a 99MY is a Gems or a Thor just by looking at it?Either by looking under the bonnet or checking the VIN on the dash or on the rego label.

1999 = SALLPAMD3XA......
2000 = YA
2001 = 1A
2002 = 2A

[Hoges]

So how can I tell if a 99MY is a Gems or a Thor just by looking at it?

Depending, but the Thor HSE "upgrade" has slightly slimmer spokes in the 16" (Lightening} wheels with a longitudinal groove running almost the full length of the spokes The GEMS vehicles had the alloy wheels which were also fitted to the later Disco D2...slightly "chunkier" spokes minus the groove. They have the same part number however...:eek: I think these wheels were also fitted to the RR P38 "S" 4.0 L V8 Thor model... gets complicated

The Thor engine ...4.6 and 4.0 variants (RR 1999-2002) began with the VIN series : XA410482


You also need to lift the bonnet...
The GEM engine has a rectangular "black box" over the intake manifold in the valley between the heads. The Thor engine has readily visible curved intake manifold tubes instead in the same spot ...

[ytt105]

Another way to tell GEMS or THOR is to check out the radio.

The THOR models have 3 big buttons on the right hand side.

Look at a 96 and a 2000 model and you will know what I mean.

[rockstar]

So who bought the MY99 mentioned above??

Not on carsales anymore...

Cheers

Michael

[Darley81]

It must have been first in bought or the scam was uncovered....

[Gullible]

Did anyone on here get a reply to their email?