Tell me about a P38

[carlschmid2002]

I am currently on leave in Melbourne from Townsville and having just had a another child I am considering a bigger car. I have a MY12 Defender and the wife has a 2010 Mazda 3 which is the family car. The lease is nearly up on the Mazda and I am very tempted by the excellent value offered by the P38 RR. I have heard all the stories and some might think I am nuts going from the most reliable car on the planet to not the most reliable. I do like the idea of owning a V8 which can hold all the family and the furry kids and tow the camper. I might even be able to tempt the wife to come away with the Cairns Land Rover Club one weekend. I don't want to sell my Defender. I will keep that for me. I am interested in hearing from the P38 faithfull and any tips in buying one.

[PeterH]

P38's are a strange beast, but once you are bitten, there is no going back!
They can get a hard reputation for having their quirks, but the drive is hard to beat.
Yes they have thier common issues, most stuff you can fix yourself if you have the time and patience, but like any car, regular maintenance is the big key.
Mechanics will bleed you dry if you are not mechanically minded, so doing it yourself where possible is really the way to go.
This forum is a huge help with any issues, as is rangerovers.net
I have owned my 2001 HSE for nearly 4 years now, had an '89 classic for 7 years prior to that.
The thing is, they are complex machines, so there is more things that can go wrong.
A faultmate is a great help in diagnosing many problems, or even discovering problems you were not aware of.
Mine has been pretty reliable, although I do try and keep on top of any problems as they arise. Most of those seem to be more annoying than car stopping.
I have fixed most stuff myself so far, blend motors, leaky air spring, starter motor, radiator, but I have stuff like saggy roof liner, jumping door locks, among other little things.
If you have a place to do the work yourself, that is definately a big plus in owning a P38.
Be aware of test driving one though, unless you are ready to buy, as driving one gets you every time!
I am very popular when it comes to long drives, everyone wants to ride in the P38! They are very comfortable for long distance, and the high driving position is great for seeing way up the road ahead.
Personally I would go for the 4.6 over the 4 litre, and maybe go for the updated post 1999 model with the highly regarded Thor system.
Oh, they are awesome off road too.
Hope that is of some help, good luck with it!
Cheers, Pete.

[davidsonsm]

I'm in Carnegie if you wanted to have a chat about P38's and the owner experience. Drop me a PM if you have the time. I've had two now. Both GEMS - a 95 and a 99.

I echo the above comments. Go for the cleanest lowest km one you can afford. Looks like there's a few circa 150, 000km Thor's on car sales at present. $15k would get you something sweet.

One in particular is described as being fastiduously maintained. The usual buyer beware warnings apply.

[Keithy P38]

Mate, I live in Townsville, you can come and see/drive mine whenever you like!

I need some competition around here, those other models can't seem to keep up with the ol' P38 off road!

They are a great 4wd, very comfortable and easy to work on. Ill show you what to look out for.

Cheers
Keithy

[TheTree]

Hi,

I purchased a very nice MY99 model in Feb this year with 170K on the clock for 15K and have spent the last 11 months going through everything I could think of.

My Motto is "Service it like a plane" and I am a big believer in preventative maintenance:angel:

I have a small website and have kept track of what I have done, it adds up to about 3K and 250 hours of time, but I am now pretty confident that I am on top of it all

You can check out the history here
Service Programme (http://p38.hts.com.au/service_programme.html)

And the mods page
Steve's P38A Range Rover Project (http://p38.hts.com.au/rangie_project.html)

There are also some write ups and a tools page

Range Rover Websites (http://p38.hts.com.au/rangie_websites.html)

And don't forget to read the pages on rangerovers.net

Index of Range Rover Mechanical Information (http://www.rangerovers.net/fixindex.html) is a good start

They are an amazing vehicle and you WILL become addicted :D

As others have said, if you are prepared to do the work yourself, it is a very viable proposition.

Best of luck
Steve

[carlschmid2002]

Mate, I live in Townsville, you can come and see/drive mine whenever you like!

I need some competition around here, those other models can't seem to keep up with the ol' P38 off road!

They are a great 4wd, very comfortable and easy to work on. Ill show you what to look out for.

Cheers
Keithy

Thanks for that, I am in melbourne until mid Jan. there are a lot of good examples here that I honestly believe have not left the bitumen. I still have to convince the wife. I think she is getting a bit frustrated shoving everything in a Mazda 3 with a new baby and a 15 month year old. If we go to the beach we take two cars. I take the dogs. I like the idea of the leather and the off road ability. What are the air cons like. I haven't been blown away with the Puma Aircon in Townsville. I might try and test drive the one at Ritters today. It will be 40 deg in Melbourne. How hard is it to change the stereo head unit?

[TheTree]

Hi

I bought mine from Melbourne, there seem to be more of them available there for some reason.

The air-con rocks as long as you don't have the infamous book symbol on the display :eek:

If you get a 99 or later it has the Alpine head unit, which seems to be easier to swap over than the earlier one

Regards
Steve

[Keithy P38]

I bought mine in Melbourne too!

The air con in mine is better than any other vehicle I've owned! Very good, cools quickly and has rear vents to keep the minions cool too!

The head unit can be swapped with an alpine or clarion unit quite simply dependant on what year model P38 you buy.

As a daily driver, you'll have to convince the wife that its not 'that expensive' to run... I average about 600km from a tank in the suburbs, a bit worse if I head off for a boys weekend (maybe 550km, fully loaded and lots of low range), and on the highway ill easily get to rockhampton on a tank. Even though its a 100L fuel tank, mine normally takes about 75 to 80L at each fill. Normally ill top up within 40km of the fuel light coming on.

Like the other lads have mentioned, HEVAC and air springs will be your two key things to look out for. Engine wise, it'll be a cooked motor to watch out for. Any issues with head gaskets or anything to do with the cooling system will kill a motor.

Look for the book symbol on the HEVAC. If you see it, try swapping relay #7 in the engine bay fuse box for another one. If that does not clear the issue, you'll be needing diagnostics to help out and I'd be hesitant to buy, or at least knock a few grand off the price.

If I bought another one today, I'd buy a complete set of hoses, a new radiator, a new thermostat (all bought online for around $600 delivered) and fit them up.

I'd also look for a late '99 onwards.

If the air springs are getting old, you can buy a new set of standard ones for about $300 online, or go whole hog and buy Arnotts Gen III bags from the states for a grand. The latter is probably the better option if you like to engage low range, the former if it'll only be mild 4wding.

For a '99 with around 200,000kms and in all-round good condition I wouldn't pay more than $14,000 (that's a HSE). Mine is a '99 Bosch (Thor) and I paid $14,500 three years ago and it'd be a benchmark example with a few minor imperfections to the interior trim (but mine also had Dickie seats so its technically a 7 seater).
For a '00 of same spec and maybe 180,000 to 200,000 if pay up to $15,500.
For an '01 or newer it'd be max $16,500.

It'd have to be in showroom condition with next to no k's and complete log books off a one-owner for me to pay more.

Cheers
Keithy

[carlschmid2002]

I bought mine in Melbourne too!

The air con in mine is better than any other vehicle I've owned! Very good, cools quickly and has rear vents to keep the minions cool too!

The head unit can be swapped with an alpine or clarion unit quite simply dependant on what year model P38 you buy.

As a daily driver, you'll have to convince the wife that its not 'that expensive' to run... I average about 600km from a tank in the suburbs, a bit worse if I head off for a boys weekend (maybe 550km, fully loaded and lots of low range), and on the highway ill easily get to rockhampton on a tank. Even though its a 100L fuel tank, mine normally takes about 75 to 80L at each fill. Normally ill top up within 40km of the fuel light coming on.

Like the other lads have mentioned, HEVAC and air springs will be your two key things to look out for. Engine wise, it'll be a cooked motor to watch out for. Any issues with head gaskets or anything to do with the cooling system will kill a motor.

Look for the book symbol on the HEVAC. If you see it, try swapping relay #7 in the engine bay fuse box for another one. If that does not clear the issue, you'll be needing diagnostics to help out and I'd be hesitant to buy, or at least knock a few grand off the price.

If I bought another one today, I'd buy a complete set of hoses, a new radiator, a new thermostat (all bought online for around $600 delivered) and fit them up.

I'd also look for a late '99 onwards.

If the air springs are getting old, you can buy a new set of standard ones for about $300 online, or go whole hog and buy Arnotts Gen III bags from the states for a grand. The latter is probably the better option if you like to engage low range, the former if it'll only be mild 4wding.

For a '99 with around 200,000kms and in all-round good condition I wouldn't pay more than $14,000 (that's a HSE). Mine is a '99 Bosch (Thor) and I paid $14,500 three years ago and it'd be a benchmark example with a few minor imperfections to the interior trim (but mine also had Dickie seats so its technically a 7 seater).
For a '00 of same spec and maybe 180,000 to 200,000 if pay up to $15,500.
For an '01 or newer it'd be max $16,500.

It'd have to be in showroom condition with next to no k's and complete log books off a one-owner for me to pay more.

Cheers
Keithy

The one at Ritters in Burwood has 139000 km and they want 19990. It was a customers vehicle that had blown the head. They rebuilt it and have put a 12 month warranty on it. I will try and get out there again today for a test drive. As my wife has just had a new bub and I am on baby sitting duties for my other girl. I did look at it yesterday but didn't have time for a drive. Thnaks for all the help.

[Keithy P38]

That sounds like the go. It has very good k's. I'd assume the paint and interior trim to be mint with that mileage. And it should also have non-faded bumpers. Ill have a look on their website. What year is it? If its an '01, try and bump a grand off the price. If its older than '99 you should only need to pay $15k.

[Keithy P38]

Ok, if you are keen to buy this one here's what I'd do.

1. Ring "State Roads" (google them, they are an independent vehicle inspection company).

2. Book them to go over it with their "comprehensive" check. Costs about $200.

3. Based on a glowing report, and as you are from Townsville, tell them you'll pay $17,500 drive away.

If you need a co-driver, I'm only a PM away, ill fly down and drive it back with ya! Or you could put it on a truck/train.

Cheers
Keithy

[mtb_gary]

I've just had a look on line at the car on the Ritters web page. The car certainly looks the goods, although like Keithy the $20k price tag seems a bit optimistic for a p38 regardless of it's condition. Ritters certainly know their Range Rovers and have done for many years. I had my first RRC 2 door serviced there at one stage back in the mid '80s. Even back then they were a recommended service supplier (and maybe sponsor) of the Range Rover Club of Victoria.

Gary

[davidsonsm]

The one at Ritters in Burwood has 139000 km and they want 19990. It was a customers vehicle that had blown the head. They rebuilt it and have put a 12 month warranty on it. I will try and get out there again today for a test drive. As my wife has just had a new bub and I am on baby sitting duties for my other girl. I did look at it yesterday but didn't have time for a drive. Thnaks for all the help.

Yep that was the one I was impressed with - on paper at least. Interested to hear how it checks out. Let me know if you need another opinion.

[carlschmid2002]

Test drove the P38 at Ritters this morning. I loved it. Every thing seems to be working as it was designed to. I just need to convince the wife now. I may have to sell my Defender when I get home. He will let me have it for $18990. I will have a12 month warranty on the engine but no warranty on anything else. I guess I will get a fault diagnosis tool. Thanks for all the info and the links that you have all sent. I guess i will have a few days to think about it over a few Christmas drinks.

[davidsonsm]

Please remember a p38 is for life, not just for Christmas. Good luck with your pontificating.

[peter51]

In regard to the price, I believe it is way too much.
I doubt very much that it has done a composite head gasket in such a short time. The higher probability is that the block is cracked and they have misdiagnosed the problem or made an assumption. With these engines you must first have plenty of corroborating evidence that is is NOT a cracked block. Even though Ritters have a good name I would not trust their word in the slightest.

First you need to get someone to pull out the spark plugs on 4,6, 5 and 7. These are the 4 middle cylinders. If any of them are steamed clean on top you need to walk away because it has a cracked block and not a head gasket issue. there is no water jacket passing through the head gasket adjacent to these cylinders.

If it really were a head gasket then the piston tops of 1,7 2 or 8 would be still clean .i.e silver aluminium colour.

Now if you find out that it is diagnosed correctly you should only offer $15000 in my opinion and walk away.

If you do buy it and it loses any water whatsoever you need to PM me.

Finally if you are not going to put a lot of effort into maintaing the car or carrying out plenty of preventative maintenance then this car is not for you.

I have owned both models of the P38. I really love these cars but I have had one cracked block and many small issues that would leave you stone broke if you get the stealers to fix.

2 days ago the wife and I plus three kids( 21, 19 and 17) in fairly hot humid conditions drove the 9 hours BNE to Taree in the pre christmas road traffic circus. I got out in Taree feeling as fresh as when I started. Its like being cosseted in silk sheets - but there is a price.

I reiterate - do not trust Ritters. Make sure you pull the plugs PLUS take it for a 2 hour drive in hilly country where there s plenty of heat build up in the engine. Carefully mark the water level before and then check after.
BTW I run EMER LPG vapour injection and use 19 l/ 100km on the highway

[carlschmid2002]

I am fully aware of the maintenance requirements. i haven't had a used car for some time as I lease them. I have in the past done all my own maintenance. I have never worked on a car with so much technology but I believe with the right diagnostic tool and this forum I will get by. I really enjoyed the ride. I have looked at other cars but they were very poor in comparison to this one. As I said, I love it but I am in no hurry. I could always get someone on the forum to check out a car in the future in Melbourne and fly down. I don't think I will bother with gas unless I move back to Melbourne in the future. It is too dear in North Queensland.

[Keithy P38]

As I said above, the comprehensive check that 'State Roads' do includes a cooling system pressure test, all cylinders compression test, they go over it from top to bottom (even as far as testing paint depth to see if it has been in an accident). It's $200 well spent! They give you a call afterwards giving you a run down on what the vehicle is like, then they email you the report.

Will sort a dud from a beauty!

Cheers
Keithy