Thread: Would appreciate people's advise (L322 & P38)

Hi Dan,

lots of things to think about I guess.

Pretty much all P38's are going to be getting up there in k's, you might get lucky. But for your budget I have no doubt you may find a 322 but it wont be a spring chicken on the mileage front either.

They are both very comfortable cars to drive. In some ways I like the P38 better, my wife likes the 322 more. Your view may differ, but in general people prefer the L322.

Also the petrol versus diesel. Thee p38 will of course be petrol, and they can be thirsty. If running costs are an issue a P38 on LPG costs the same to run as a diesel L322. How ever you get considerably more luggage space with a diesel L322, than a P38 with a tank in the back.

On the other hand, there is probably more aftermarket accessories for the P38 now than the L322. things like bullbars, diff guards, suspension upgrades, etc. If your after big knobly off road tires as well the P38 on 16's might have cheaper and wider variety of rubber options.

I know my P38 is a very early one, but even after looking at a few late ones for others its clear the build quality on the L322 is a step up again. Whilst this is not an issue on a well maintained P38, I would have a guess at saying the P38 is far more likely to have strange electrical gremlins than the L322.

Tne interior on the P38's can get quite "creaky", all the L322's I tested seemed much better in this regard.

For your budget you will mos likely find a petrol L322, and whilst they are known for transmission failures if not serviced above normal, and they are known for blowing out radiators, I personally still feel the L322 to be more reliable mechanically than the P38 which in my view has a massively under specced cooling system often leading to early rebuilds due to cracked blocks and slipped liners etc.

Also if your working on the car yourself the P38 is a bit more traditional old school from a suspension / mechanical point of view, not that I have found the L322 too hard to do routine things like brakes etc.

Do your homework, a 12K looked after P38 is probably a better buy than a 20K L322 which is cheap because it has some hidden issue. Then again like you say the ew shape model might drop the price, then still the P38 might be the best as it will drop a bit accordingly also.

All just rambling

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to write your reply, my plan is to try and hold out for an 02/03 TD6 before the end of the year. Might speak to the local dealer and ask them to let me know if they get anything in on P/X.

Great idea! P38 and L322 are two totally different cars.

L322 is so much better in quality and drivability its not funny!

Maybe consider a petrol L322? Depends on how many k's you do I guess. The petrol ones are so cheap these days.

Camo

You may be better spending some good dollars on a low km P38. For $20K, the L322's will be high K examples... and if you do find one, be prepared to travel for it, and then repair it, but don't be too hasty, sometimes they are cheap for a reason
L322 $24K 264000klm: 2003 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER HSE L322 03MY SUV Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au

P38 $17K 109000: 2001 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER HSE P38A 01MY SUV Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au

Having a 1996 p38 and an 02 l322,the l322 td6 is better.I have replaced both front airsprings and suspension pump on the p38, and still have EAS FAULT every second time i start it.[its unreg and just gets started and driven around the yard a bit every couple of weeks,going to sell it soon] Fuel economy on p38 wasnt bad on hwy,12 to 14,around town was worse of course.It was nice to drive,more go than l322 diesel,but l322 is better.Still p38 is a lot of car for the money,but they can be a bit of a lucky dip.

Originally Posted by rangietragic

Having a 1996 p38 and an 02 l322,the l322 td6 is better.I have replaced both front airsprings and suspension pump on the p38, and still have EAS FAULT every second time i start it.[its unreg and just gets started and driven around the yard a bit every couple of weeks,going to sell it soon] Fuel economy on p38 wasnt bad on hwy,12 to 14,around town was worse of course.It was nice to drive,more go than l322 diesel,but l322 is better.Still p38 is a lot of car for the money,but they can be a bit of a lucky dip.

Is your P38 supercharged or something? My L322 Diesel used to flog my dads old P38 4.6. Always was a gutless piece of crap.. even after new engine which cost him 10k. Man that was a shocking car for repair costs. Economy wasn't bad on the highway though. Used to get 13.5L/100 on a trip.

Camo

Originally Posted by Camo

Is your P38 supercharged or something? My L322 Diesel used to flog my dads old P38 4.6. Always was a gutless piece of crap.. even after new engine which cost him 10k. Man that was a shocking car for repair costs. Economy wasn't bad on the highway though. Used to get 13.5L/100 on a trip.

Camo

No, however it was deregistered a couple of years before we bought the l322 and only relying on memory for performance.

Well I can say when my 94 build 4.6 P38 was a bit younger it would have easily beaten the TD6, but now its up over 260k without engine work and I suspect the cam's worn its quite "gutless" for lack of better terms.

All relative I guess.

I still miss the V8 rumble though, I get in the classic and drive it around the block and smile