Swapping from a Prado to a Rangie advice

[Crash76]

Hi there, I am considering swapping from a TX Prado to a Land Rover, possibly a P38 (i think).

Main reason is i want a v8......have always had TD 4wd's, and wife wont let me have another car for the v8, so thinking of combining the two and getting a Rangie with a V8.

Just not too sure which one to get, what to look out for.

I really enjoy doing maintenance on my own cars, so the reliability of teh Rangie helps me here! But i am very very very concerned about getting stuck in wonongatta valley (middle of the high country in Vic) with a non working car.

Is that likely to happen, and is there a style of Rangie that i should look at, as i'm confused with vogue, hse, hi-line, classic p38 etc. i want one that is quite comfortable around town, but will be at least as good as my current 2001 TD prado.

And also, apart from regular maintenance, is there a list of items to fix/replace to almost aleviate the common problems with the Rangie?

HOpe this helps. Oh, and my budget would be about 7 - 10k.

THANKS

[bee utey]

If I had to pick the one Rangie that had the best balance between smooth driveability, simplicity, ease of fixing and reasonable reliability, I'd pick the '86 to '88 3.5 litre fuel injected 4 speed automatic with the gear driven manual transfer case. Every other RR has other bits of technology that put me off them to a lesser or greater degree. If you actually spy a genuine low mileage meticulously maintained one of these it should do you well. However as with all old cars, your chances of purchasing a prettied up disaster area are quite high. There are very many worn out RRs for sale and very few genuinely good ones. These sell within days of being listed for sale as they are the ones every person wants.

[davidsonsm]

Late (post 99) 4.6litre hse, low km, well maintained p38 - they're out there. And a dream of a car. Have a look at the rangerovers.net website. It pretty much lists the common foibles. So you know what to look for. Test drive a few. You'll get the feel of the mongrels vs best of breed. The air suspension is amazing and provides flexibility if maintained. It should hold no fears providing the owner has looked after it. If the car obviously ends TCL, walk away, as it will cost.

[davidsonsm]

That's needs tlc in my last sentence. I'm sure any of the Vic p38 owners on this forum would be happy to parade their vehicles if requested. You could knock off 4 or 5 in a day by way of research if you wanted. Let me know.

[MR LR]

A oil change every 1000kms still won't prevent a slipped liner... I know a lot of Range Rovers enthusiasts that have been burnt off to Toyota by P38a's. And all the cars were perfectly maintained as per the schedule.

[rangieman]

The P38 are a great car but can be a head ache , Tread lightly and find a well looked after one , The previous Rangies (RRC) are easier & cheaper to maintain in my opinion Good luck

[Hoges]

suggest you do a search of the P38 forum...there are quite a few posts and threads discussiing the pros and cons of pre and post 1999 models ...known as the Thor upgrade.

Prior to the 1999 upgrade the engine was fitted with a Lucas EFI and an operating systems known as GEMS, 2 wheel traction control, etc.

The upgraded P38a with VIN numbers post XA410482 came with upgraded diffs (4-pin front), 4 wheel traction control, improved brake modulator unit, Bosch motronic Ver 5.2.1 EFI accompanied with redesigned inlet manifold, and an upgraded ZF4HP24 auto transmission and a few other things.

These are regarded as generally more reliable but are a tad more difficult to work on for routine maintenance....not complex, just physically more stuff to move etc when you want to play on the top end.

you can get parts readily locally and from the UK at a significant discount, even allowing for air freight.

I priced some 2003 Camry V6 parts recently for a cousin and the equivalent RR parts were significantly (30-40%) cheaper...

That aside, IMHO some of the Japanese design on the toyota engines borders on genius for its layout and quality...

The V8s imported in RR 1992-2002 were largely the low compression versions, so they are under stressed for their capacity. There is some leeway with the GEMS engine for retuning/improvement but the Thor engine mapping is highly proprietary and for all intents and purposes is impossible to remap unless you have access to really sophisticated engineering resources (Motronic 5.2 Reprogramming)

Do your research...check also RANGEROVERS.NET HOME and look at the section on common problems and fixes for the P38 then make up your mind.

The P38 design is essentially 20 yrs old...and it's British!. You don't buy one expecting 10 yrs trouble free motoring. You need to understand what you're doing and be prepared to put the time in...it's a lot of fun!

[benji]

Maintanance is more than changing oil.

In regards to the slipped liner if these motors are not overheated it rules out 95 percent of problems. A well looked after one will do 500, 000km. Bottom end wear and liner wear is better than almost every japanese motor, but they need to be looked after well. Cooling system and oils etc. A lot of people don't.



We've been down in the wonnangatta, haunted stream, macci river, and caledonia heaps of times. The ability on standard size all terrains to outdrive a 33inch mt double locked triton is quite suprising.

P38s are from 94 till 02. Base models were the se (4.0 litre), upper model was the hse (4.6), and as hoges said the updated p38 is nicer and more reliable over all. Ive had an 84, 93 and 96 and id take the 96 any day! Yes eas will give trouble over time but it won't leave you stradard if your prepared. You wouldn't go bush with a leaking tire, likewise with an airbag.

The 85-87 injection systems are pretty ordinary (read slow and not reliable) You want something that'll compare to your prado. Yes they've a stronger transfer case but not actually better.

Bare in mind though, the prado always has been an extremely reliable vehicle, with great fuel economy.

[MR LR]

Maintanance is more than changing oil.

In regards to the slipped liner if these motors are not overheated it rules out 95 percent of problems. A well looked after one will do 500, 000km. Bottom end wear and liner wear is better than almost every japanese motor, but they need to be looked after well. Cooling system and oils etc. A lot of people don't.



We've been down in the wonnangatta, haunted stream, macci river, and caledonia heaps of times. The ability on standard size all terrains to outdrive a 33inch mt double locked triton is quite suprising.

P38s are from 94 till 02. Base models were the se (4.0 litre), upper model was the hse (4.6), and as hoges said the updated p38 is nicer and more reliable over all. Ive had an 84, 93 and 96 and id take the 96 any day! Yes eas will give trouble over time but it won't leave you stradard if your prepared. You wouldn't go bush with a leaking tire, likewise with an airbag.

The 85-87 injection systems are pretty ordinary (read slow and not reliable) You want something that'll compare to your prado. Yes they've a stronger transfer case but not actually better.

Bare in mind though, the prado always has been an extremely reliable vehicle, with great fuel economy.

Well obviously, it was hyperbole.

The most specific example of a slipped liner I know of was in a perfectly maintained car, a good friend of dads, who'd owned a lot of Range Rovers.

Personally I wouldn't own a Rover V8 from after '93 too many issues, the old engines are better IMO. That's why I have a carbied 3.5 from 1983

[Grumbles]

And also, apart from regular maintenance, is there a list of items to fix/replace to almost aleviate the common problems with the Rangie?

Maintenance/service on a Range Rover - 3.9 V8 Classic or P38 4.0/4.6 includes the cooling system but is not confined to a simple check of the coolant level and/or making sure the coolant is the correct type and mix.

Any overheating of these engines kills them and in the main part you can substantially reduce your chances of this occurring.

Every 100,000 km or so I'd suggest having the radiator removed and rodded. Flushing doesn't do much with these radiators. I'd also refurbish or replace the radiator viscous fan hub. Keep an eye on an aging water pump and on the coolant and heater hoses. Replace if in doubt.

If a seller says his car has just had a new radiator or similar done and that is all that he has done [aka no head work/liners etc from an overheated motor] then run a mile. I'd suggest an engine rebuild is just around the corner.

One more thing. Buy and fit an engine saver. It will save your engine and also your wallet from a massive hit.

P38 - nice choice if you go in with your eyes open.