Gotta lose a car

[PaulP38a]

This is a "first world" problem. I have too many cars and need to get rid of at least one. In my pondering over the past few months, it seems that it will have to be my beloved blue "Hard Rangie" P38. I want your advice if my logic is sound.

I have two P38's - a blue 1999 4.0 that has lots of mods and is an awesome off-road beast, and a 2000 4.6 HSE that my wife drives and is relatively stock other than Gen 3 air springs, Bilstein shocks and EAS Emergency Bypass Kit.

I also have a Toyo Soarer 4.0 V8 (aka Lexus SC400) which I bought a couple of months ago and is great fun to drive for a 20yo car with air suspension, leather, factory touch screen, rear view cam, TC, ABS etc.

I thought that my 2005 Crewman Cross6 ute would be the logical choice to lose due to the GM V6 motor and that I have no emotional attachment to it, however it keeps proving itself to be a handy runabout for moving messy and bulky stuff around.

My better half is now a Range Rover convert and has agreed to give up her 2000 HSE for another black P38, Sport or Evoke. Unfortunately she is not fussed on L322's as they would be the cheaper option over a RRS or Evoke. I could then convert her black 2000 HSE in to the off-road toy that I originally bought it for.

So, my thinking is I want to keep some parts off the blue one for migration to the black one at a later date, while making the blue one a reasonable selling proposition:
- remove the custom rear bar/wheel carrier from the blue P38 and transfer it to the black one, put the wheel carrier in storage while the black P38 still runs standard sized tyres. Move the standard rear bar from the black one to the blue one. Fabricate a way to secure the 33" spare in to the boot space or mount on the roof tray.
- replace the Hard Range Roo Bar with winch on the blue P38 with a standard bumper.
- replace the 33" KM2's on 5-spoke rims with the old 33" Bighorns on 3-spoke rims, and include the spare set of 18" rims with 30.5" Cooper HT tyres for roadworthy.
- leave the 2" lift kit and extended shocks. I can replace those later.
- leave the 4.11 diffs and rear air-locker for off-road use. I can replace those later.
- leave the EAS Emergency Bypass, onboard air and diff breathers. I can replace those later.
- leave the Kenwood 7" touch screen/ GPS/DVD/iPod/Rev Cam.
- leave the twin exhaust... might have to notch out the standard rear bar.
- include a Nanocom Evo or locked FaultMate MSV-2 for diagnostics.
- lose the Hard Range decals on the sides as this is not to everyone's taste.

I love my "Hard Rangie" P38 but the reality is that I don't get off-road much these days and I feel like a bit of a tosser driving it around when it should be used for much more than I do at the moment.

What do you guys reckon, is my logic sound? I have changed my mind on this so many times over the past few months that I am not sure any more.

[Keithy P38]

I am in the same boat. I want to sell my Torana... I do have emotional attachments to it, and a cammed 383 chev certainly puts a smile on the dial (especially off the lights), but it doesn't get driven, hasn't worn a set of tyres out in 6 years and its taking up room in the garage that would otherwise house our D-max...

If it were me I'd be selling the one that will sell the easiest, and that would probably be the crewman. Plus, it's not a V8 and you have no attachments to it!

As handy as our dual cab is, I can fit more in the rear of the P38 with the seats folded down and a tarp on the floor... Plus it rides way better every single day...

Then again, you have a jap sitting amongst Brits and Auzzies... It's almost sacrelige!

[glenhendry]

Hard one Paul!

Forget about now though, what will you think in 3 years? If the Soarer is gone, will you miss it more, or the Crewman or the Hard Rangie? the Hard Rangie has heritage doesnt it?

They are all probably depreciating at a similar rate now so money isnt much of an issue...

[Bigbjorn]

Piker! One of my customers has 220 cars and bikes. Another has 70+ vintage and veterans plus a swag of more modern stuff and a few daily drivers.

[slug_burner]

The Soarer sounds like it is right out of place. And it sounds like the wife is going to get a replacement so you need to get rid of two cars if you want to reduce the count by one.

[Mick_Marsh]

Paul, who is holding the gun to your head?
No one?
Keep them all.
Further to this, buy a series Landy just for letting the thought cross your mind.

[PaulP38a]

All good comments thanks lads.

I don't have a problem hanging on to them all other than running out of space for parking out the front. We have been thinking about moving and I've joked that I want a 5 or 6 car garage.

When my 21yo daughter finally gets her P plates, she can take the Freelander away so that will free up one parking place.

Mick - dunno about a Series for me, but a Defender would be a serious contender.

No, no, no... I am trying to be financially responsible for a change... I have to reduce the number of cars, not increase them ;)

slug_burner has a good point, when my better half gets the newer Rangie (whatever that will be) I will be in the same boat again.

Glen - funnily enough I am really enjoying the Soarer and have poured a fair bit of money in to it already. Totally different driving experience to the Rangie and the power/handling is a lot of fun on the open road... and from the lights :p

maybe the bigger block of land is the way to go ;)

[DT-P38]

Yep. Sell house and keep toys in new 20m X 20m shed!

[33chinacars]

Last count I think I had 15 rego's to pay . So whats another 1 or 2 :wasntme:

Gary

[slug_burner]

Sounds like the country property and a big shed for the toys.

[mtb_gary]

Hey Paul, that truly is a first world problem. Do any neighbours or close by relo's have any space for your toys? Alternatively maybe look at storage centres, that is if you would like to keep all the toys............
Maybe Santa could bring a stacker for the garage, that way you could double your capacity, leaving room for even more;)

Gary

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/12/572.jpg

[Mick_Marsh]

Yep. Sell house and keep toys in new 20m X 20m shed!
Don't limit yourself to something that small.

[PaulP38a]

We have a decent sized park next door. Maybe the council will let me buy some of it to extend the garage and increase the play area for our fur-babies (boxer dogs) ;)

[DT-P38]

We have a decent sized park next door. Maybe the council will let me buy some of it to extend the garage and increase the play area for our fur-babies (boxer dogs) ;)

Down here the council would probably sell to you if no one around cared!

On a different note, I will be getting rid of the jap stuff around here first. Nothing wrong with Mrs LC, just zero personality!

[BusinessConnected]

I can understand your attraction to the 1UZ V8 in the Soarer...
I've got a LS400 which I picked up for $1000 as a spare car... great fun :)

We've currently got
2 x P38 Rangies (1 Onroad... 1 for Offroad)
1 x Volvo XC90 (Wife's Kid Transport)
1 x Lexus LS400 (was the spare car before I got the 2nd P38.. now probably destined to be sold)
1 x Purvis Eureka Kit Car with 13B Rotary (My Baby...)

So in the end... the Soarer/Lexus is always sacrificed :)

[MAGSY]

just get rid of the wife., you can have all the toys you want then and it will be cheaper in the long run......hahaha

[PaulP38a]

A courageous move Magsy, but not one I am willing to contemplate ;)

Hate to admit it to this group, but I am driving the Soarer more than the P38 at the moment. Partly due to parking arrangements, mostly due to acceleration and fun factor. BusinessConnected can relate to this.. that 1UZ V8 is sweet. Novelty hasn't worn off yet.

Will review parking arrangements, logistics of transferring parts between P38's, and the want to keep 5 cars, over the Christmas break when I will hopefully clear my head a little of other work stuff.

[33chinacars]

Just build a bigger shed. And as you like the 1UZ V8 so much why not transplant it into one of your P38's :wasntme::angel:

Gary

[PaulP38a]

Just build a bigger shed. And as you like the 1UZ V8 so much why not transplant it into one of your P38's :wasntme::angel:

Agree with the first sentence. The second one is just blasphemous to the Unspoken Commandments of LR Ownership :p
ps: a 5.7L Holden/Chev V8 transplant is acceptable because it is not a Toyo or Nissan motor

[mtb_gary]

Hey Paul, hat's with the clear head over Christmas :confused:? I'd like to see that!
Have a great Christmas, Gary.:twobeers:

[33chinacars]

The second one is just blasphemous to the Unspoken Commandments of LR Ownership :p
ps: a 5.7L Holden/Chev V8 transplant is acceptable because it is not a Toyo or Nissan motor

Maybe blasphemous Paul but the 1UZ v8 is one of the best v8 around. Regardless of who makes it.:whistling:[bigwhistle]

Gary

[PaulP38a]

Thanks for the input guys. Have made up my mind and the Hard Rangie is going up for sale - less front and rear bars and the near-new BFG's which are destined for the next P38 project. All other "Harden-Up" bits and two full sets of wheels/tyres are going with it.

Funnily enough, the Hard Rangie is the only one of my three daily drivers that is running well... the Soarer has been in the garage since Christmas Eve when I broke the Crank Pulley/Harmonic Balancer, and the Crewman has a busted ignition barrel.

The ad is in the Marketplace at http://www.aulro.com/afvb/vehicles-sale/166689-p38-range-rover-4-0-hard-rangie.html if you know any P38 enthusiasts who will give it a good home.

[poleonpom]

Hard choice, but as it is said, when one door closes another one opens.

I'm in a similar position and contemplating selling on the last-but-one of my Mercedes collection, leaving me with nothing but my daily drivers.

Good luck with the sale, it's a great buy at that price :D

[clubagreenie]

We can do great things with the soarer, how about 4.7ing it and giving it another 12000rpm?

[PaulP38a]

We can do great things with the soarer, how about 4.7ing it and giving it another 12000rpm?

ok, that got my attention. Tell me more please.
Have been working on the 1UZ this arvo to remove the ancillaries to get to the timing belt and water pump... this engine would not be so bad to work on if it was in a Rangie, but is a pig in the cramped Soarer engine bay.

[DT-P38]

Long live the Hard Rangie!

[Keithy P38]

The japs might make good engines, but they certainly don't like to make it easy when you need to work on them...

Good luck selling the hard rangie Paul!

[BusinessConnected]

The 1UZ is beautiful but difficult thing to work on :)
Thankfully worst I've had to do on mine is the Distributor Caps/Leads which were able to be accessed without removing Radiator etc...

(Bit more room in a LS400/Celsior than a Soarer/SC400)

[clubagreenie]

The non VVTi engine is harder than the VVTi, it has Coils on Plugs.

If you're doing the belt just pull the engine, I have it down to 35min for engine/gearbox assy with extractors still on pulling out of a supra which is smaller again in the engine bay.

Something like this in mind? Need 10k up front plus 2 or 3UZ VVTi assy to start on.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/01/1006.jpg