P38A - what to do?

[p38arover]

I'm trying to decide whether to sell the P38A and buy a 300Tdi Disco (or V8 Disco 1).

If I keep the P38A, should I get the old 4.6 engine (currently out of the car) rebuilt with top hat liners and a new modified cam, etc., then sell the 4.6 I've got in it now?

What would a good 4.6 short motor fetch?

Rebuilding the engine would cost, I guess, about $3K. At the Expo I had a quote on top hat liners from Bruce Davis Performance Landys.

Now would be the time to do it as I have to separate the motor and gearbox shortly to out in the new drive plate and flex plate.

I keep telling myself that repairing it is cheaper than buying a newer car but you haven't seen what I've spent over the past 5 years on repairs and maintenence (including oil changes, tyres, etc). It presently has 217,000km on the clock so it's gunna be harder to sell.

I rarely ever go 4WDing so I could get by with a sedan - except I like driving my Rangie.

Oh, dear, what to do, what to do!? :(

Ron

[Pedro_The_Swift]

fix the spare 4.6

and keep it.


there would be NOTHING comparable for comfort and safety on the market for the selling price of your P38








conversely ,, I do have a D1 V8 for sale:whistling:

[Camo]

So true

Can't go from the comfort of a P38 to a Disco

Camo

[Frenchie]

$3k engine rebuild is cheap maintenance these days.

[jimbo110]

It's a time bomb! Whats the next thing to go on it and cost you thousands more than it's worth? Cut your losses and get rid of it while it's running ok.

sell it!

sell it now!!!!!!!

[Utemad]

I wouldn't think any vehicle is worth having if it gives you as much grief as your P38A.
Knowing that it is only a matter of time before it leaves you stranded and broke would be too much for me.

I think if you do sell it you will live longer due to decreased stress levels :)

As for what you should replace it with.......another Landy of course. As to which model that is up to you.

[ak]

Ron you need to ask yourself what do you want out of a car over the next five years?

If a town car you could keep the P38 and allow a certain amount of money each year for repairs knowing that as the car ages each year you will spend more money.

If a daily drive with some trips every now and again go a Disco.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[jsp]

Ron, keep it, its like an old comfy pair of shoes.....

your lucky you have the know how and access to the tools and workshop to fix it when it goes wrong. Get the engine done (locally) and enjoy it.....

I have been very upset with mine the past few months nad looks like I finally hit my electrical gremlins for 6 by doing some rewiring the past weekend. I am still upset with it but after driving a work car (outlander/380/crumydore/pajero) they just don't have that character or homely feel.

Are you going to get the old series going? As one of the reasons I am doing my old classic project is so when the P38 wont start one morning I can still get to work on time as at least one of them has to run :)

[Mick-Kelly]

Trade it in on a fender :cool:

[George130]

At least you know it's character and what you have done on it. It must be half new by now.

[jimbo110]

At least you know it's character and what you have done on it. It must be half new by now.
The trouble is replacement doesn't mean fixed, look at the flexplate, new replacement should have been ok, now it's stuffed again....................in a few years time it wont be worth anything.................sell it now.......

[jsp]

The trouble is replacement doesn't mean fixed, look at the flexplate, new replacement should have been ok, now it's stuffed again....................in a few years time it wont be worth anything.................sell it now.......

A few years? umm its worth bugger all now ;) Trust me I know!

[adm333]

For my 2 cents worth....

You should keep the P38 for several reasons -

1. the money you've spent is already invested in the car which you're not going to get back anyway.

2. There is absolutely no guarantee a 300tdi (or any other 2nd hand car) isn't going to present you an equal or greater set of mechanical and financial problems - and you'll be starting from scratch

3. You are already converted to LPG so running costs won't be that much less

4. If you enjoy and are used to driving the P38, there is bugger all that is ever going to match it for comfort and appointments

Dave

[jimbo110]

For my 2 cents worth....

You should keep the P38 for several reasons -

1. the money you've spent is already invested in the car which you're not going to get back anyway.

2. There is absolutely no guarantee a 300tdi (or any other 2nd hand car) isn't going to present you an equal or greater set of mechanical and financial problems - and you'll be starting from scratch

3. You are already converted to LPG so running costs won't be that much less

4. If you enjoy and are used to driving the P38, there is bugger all that is ever going to match it for comfort and appointments

Dave


And by now you can probably change the engine in your sleep :p

[UncleHo]

G'day P38arover :)

Keep it, recondition the 4.6 with Top Hat liners by a reputable engine reconditioner, and refit, run-in, and enjoy, as you know the car and it's charactor and foibles;) and "better the devil you know, than the one you don't" and think back, and compare the comfort and civility between the Disco you got for your Daughterm and the 38A Rangie:D

cheers

[DiscoTDI]

Keep it, at least you know where all the problems are with this one;)

[jimbo110]

Keep it, at least you know where all the problems are with this one;)
Everywhere....................

[p38arover]

Trade it in on a fender :cool:


Nope. I drove a Defender 130 about 60km today and the same yesterday - and that was too much.

I couldn't live with the noise and the lack of creature comforts in a daily driver. You can't even adjust the mirrors without stopping. :eek:
On the freeway at 110km/h the radio is useless. :(

Even my old County was a better drive than a 'Fender - the V8 is much quieter. I'd consider another V8 County as a second car (especially with a 4.6 in it) :)

The logical alternative is a V8 Disco 1 on LPG (with 2 LPG sill tanks) for a daily driver. I don't think I'd touch a Td5.

What I like about the D1 is that everything is owner maintainable.

Ron

[Mykeeta]

G'day,
Keeping her has significant merit. I have just gone though the process of replacing my 88 Rangie and ended up with the 99 Defer, I was not satisfied with the wife’s Disco’s ability to tow the boat up a boat ramp (97 Tdi). The Defer has the lower gear ratios to pull and the fuel economy:

BUT my god, I do miss the Rangie’s refinements, handling, power, seating, vision the list go on.
What can really replace your P38?????

Ps: I have not relinquished the Rangie yet.

Regards

Mykeeta

99 Defer
97 Disco
88 Rangie
Ex 2D Rangie
Ex County V8
Ex S3 hard top
Ex S2A hard top
Ex S2 SWB

[dullbird]

Nope. I drove a Defender 130 about 60km today and the same yesterday - and that was too much.

I couldn't live with the noise and the lack of creature comforts in a daily driver. You can't even adjust the mirrors without stopping. :eek:
On the freeway at 110km/h the radio is useless. :(

Even my old County was a better drive than a 'Fender - the V8 is much quieter. I'd consider another V8 County as a second car (especially with a 4.6 in it) :)

The logical alternative is a V8 Disco 1 on LPG (with 2 LPG sill tanks) for a daily driver. I don't think I'd touch a Td5.



What I like about the D1 is that everything is owner maintainable.

Ron

you can buy ours if you want ron:eek: 81/2 grand and its yours :D:D

[p38arover]

you can buy ours if you want ron:eek: 81/2 grand and its yours :D:D


Which one? Petrol or diesel?

Ron

[dullbird]

v8 99 model last of the series 1's but no lpg i'm afraid:(

[p38arover]

This silver one behind the one with the smart bar?

Ron

[dullbird]

yep.......oh and thank you for the leadon the smart bar by the way

[jimbo110]

sold !!!!!! :wasntme:

[p38arover]

It would be interesting to know what other marque owners have spent on repairs and maintenance on their cars - including labour.

I don't have my P38A serviced by a mechanic. I do my own wherever possible. I only use a mechanic for the jobs I can't do myself.

Because the vehicle management system I used doesn't separate maintenanace and repairs, I dumped the data from it and drilled down into it to get more useful info.

The P38A is now 12 years old (built May 95, complianced July 95, sold 3rd August 95) and has done 217000km.

I've done approx 102,000 of those over the past 5 years of ownership (bought by me in May 2002).

In that time I've used 22,046 litres of fuel (LPG and petrol) for a total cost of $11,843.55 - With a figure of 101,659 km, that gives an average fuel consumption of 21.69 litres/100km at an average of 53.7 cents/litre.

That equals 11.65 cents/km fuel

My maintenance costs:

Labour: $713
Batteries/Air con service/LPG service/Parts/Oil/Filters/Tyres, etc: $3545
Total: $4258
That equals 4.19 cents/km maintenance.

Now the scary bit - repairs. This includes a new engine, new flex plate, new suspension ball joints, new timing cover/oil pump, new radiator, ignition coil pack (my fault), etc.

Parts: $7381
Labour: $1490
Total: $8871

That equals 8.73 cents/km repairs.

Total 12.92 cents/km repairs and maintenance.

That's a damn sight cheaper than a new car. Have you seen the regular service charge for any new car, ket alone depreciation. The owner of any 12 year old car has to expect repairs.

Ron

[PAT303]

Put it into perspective Almost all jap 4wd's will need suspension,better tyres and sometimes rims,castor correction on the front axle and a snorkel to get the intake away from the headlights and all this straight up.How many stock Toyota's do you see? None The rangie isn't that bad when you look at it cost wise.I'd keep it Pat

[dobbo]

hey Ron your labour is cheap do you wanna come do some work for me?

Also:

how many days owned/days off the road due to mechanical issues

What was your initial cost/todays value of the car


Statistics are good in the right hands. In the wrong hands it kills. A good example is a fatigue study 5 yrs ago and how it translates into your overtime today.

[p38arover]

I paid $30K for it. They are being advertised (whether they sell is another issue!) for around $12K.

For insurance, it's still valued by AAMI at $25K :o

Five years ago $30k was a damn good price.

Ron

[aclo]

forget about selling.... Keep the rangie...... I had the same dilema 5 or 6 years ago with my classic, but for me the car was my "hobby" so to speak, ( can't fish you see...) so i didnt mind spending time and money on it.

[spudboy]

I paid $30K for it. They are being advertised (whether they sell is another issue!) for around $12K.

For insurance, it's still valued by AAMI at $25K :o

Ron

Can't you organise someone to steal it? :)

[p38arover]

Can't you organise someone to steal it? :)

Gawd! Don't say that! Can you imagine what would happen if it really was stolen and the insurance co. saw this. :o

Who'd steal a Rangie, well, a P38A? They are worth more in parts. :(

I think their immobilisation is pretty robust. Heck it works so well it even stops legitimate owners! :D

I forgot to say that there isn't a Jap (or any other country - excluding other Landies) 4WD on the market that holds a candle to the Rangie for style inside and out.

Ron

[ak]

So Ron the big question which way are you leaning, do you think it's a keeper or are you going to get rid of it?

[spudboy]

There's always someone to steal anything.

Couple of gits from down in the city drove all the way out to my farm with a car trailer to steal our beige Sigma paddock basher that I paid 2 slabs of beer for! No rear seats, bald tyres, covered in mud, unregistered, total piece of crap but someone stole it. Must have been after thr transmission or something.

[p38arover]

There's always someone to steal anything.

Couple of gits from down in the city drove all the way out to my farm with a car trailer to steal our beige Sigma paddock basher that I paid 2 slabs of beer for! No rear seats, bald tyres, covered in mud, unregistered, total piece of crap but someone stole it. Must have been after thr transmission or something.

Un-bloody-believable! :eek:

Ron

[p38arover]

So Ron the big question which way are you leaning, do you think it's a keeper or are you going to get rid of it?

I'm sick. I'm leaning to keeping it albeit with a rebuilt top-hatted block, new cam, internally balanced (unlike externally balanced as done by LR), sequential gas injection, and a UniChip.

Ron

[spudboy]

Land Rover are lucky to have such a loyal and forgiving customer. Anyone else would have set fire to it long ago.

[scrambler]

I make it costing you about 45c/km over the last 100,000. I'd think that was bad, except that's what I just worked out my Hyundai Getz (bought new) has cost over the first 18 months.

If the cost of ownership/km for a Range Rover and a cheap Korean runabout is the same, why not enjoy the Rangie?

[p38arover]

Land Rover are lucky to have such a loyal and forgiving customer. Anyone else would have set fire to it long ago.

It caught fire not long back and I made the mistake of putting it out! :(

Ron

[PAT303]

Why are you having trouble with it?are they that bad? Pat

[p38arover]

The problems mainly relate to slipped liners (common problem) - that required the new motor and was the cause of the LPG backfires. Ths liner slipping was due to manufacturing errors - the liners weren't pressed fully home when the engines were built.

I think it had the slipped liners from overheating due to a 2/3rds blocked radiator. By the time that was found, it was too late. I suspect it had slipped liners when I bought it. At that time, the problem wasn't as well known.

Ron

[wazonthehill]

Keep it
Us P38a owners need your knowledge

Also when you redo your motor and swap out, sell on the old one to "someone" so they can do the same!

The costs arenot all that bad????

Even the wifes crummydoor with reco diff, box work runs up bills

[jsp]

I'm sick. I'm leaning to keeping it albeit with a rebuilt top-hatted block, new cam, internally balanced (unlike externally balanced as done by LR), sequential gas injection, and a UniChip.

Ron

Strewth you could buy another P38 for the cost of that lot!

[Quiggers]

Wonder how scouse is going with his recently acquired P38?

GQ

[wazonthehill]

Ron
I am about to get sequential gas injection done (still to select who to do and get bank loan, seriously, but about 2 year pay back)

Who might you use or what brand might you use?

Waz

[loanrangie]

How about a jewish stocktake ? Whoops, a lit match jump out of my hand and into an open jerry can of fuel that was in the boot :wasntme:

[Scouse]

Wonder how scouse is going with his recently acquired P38?

GQSurprisingly good actually :).
Mind you, I bet the RR thinks it's in retirement now though. We've only done around 3000km in the 8 months we've owned it.
In comparism, the previous owner has already clocked up around 25000km in his new Sport that replaced the P38.

The radio packed it in recently but that was a cheap(ish) fix by Clarion.


All the known problems had been sorted out by the time it came into my hands (**Scouse crosses all his fingers & toes).