Rich_P Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hi. I am looking at my options for a car at the moment. I have my Series, but it needs some TLC soon and I need a car for work purposes and for general running about including possibly trips to France and wherever else I may fancy. One of the options I am considering is a 300TDi Discovery, but should I also consider a Range Rover P38? I understand that they are put together far better than a Discovery, and that the diesel is supposed to be reasonably economic? Or is it just a bad idea to even consider the P38? Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&S Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 P38's are coming down in price to a point where they are a viable alternative to the Disco (on price). A few in our club have bought them as their road vehicles and I must say I'm impressed aty what they got for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I've had both the vehicles you're considering - there are pro's and cons to both, but personally I liked the P38 much better. It's a vastly better road car, more comfortable, bigger boot, much quieter and far, far less rusty. The discovery is simpler and any landrover specialist in the country will be able to work on any part of it (plus it's generally easy to work on yourself) - the P38 is not as scary as it's reputation, as long as you aren't scared of electrics, and most of the bits that have a bad reputation are actually fine as long as they're properly maintained. However, if you need work done on the BMW diesel engine you'll find very few garages will touch it. I have serious repeat overheating problems with this engine that lead to me selling the car spares or repairs at a heavy loss, however I've not come across anyone else who's had similar issues with it - in fact I got heartily sick of AA recovery drivers looking under the bonnet and proclaiming "they're really reliable, these M51s" - mine wasn't! Neither is going to win you any street races, fuel economy wasn't much different - Discovery was probably marginally better, but that could have been because its handling was ropy so I didn't drive it so hard... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q-rover Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 As above, but mine was a V8 and I now have a D2 2004 Td5. The RR was a much better road car and very capable off the tarmac. More ergonomic, more comfortable. The 4.6 was brilliant. Would get high teens to low 20's the Td5 gives me low to mid 20's MPG, but is totally lacking compared to the V8. If your considering one don't just look at the log book, look at the overall condition of the car. Does it looked cared for? etc. I still miss mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I still miss mine. Ditto - I miss both my Range Rovers (classic V8 and P38 diesel), but not the Discovery. Says a lot really... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q-rover Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Yepp classic as well. Can never beat a good classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_P Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Thanks for the replies. Is the 4.6 on gas worth consideration or would it be a bad idea without big reserves in case something with the engine goes wrong proper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_P Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Oh, and in addition to the above, I take it that the tools to access the electronics are no longer bank breaking for the home mechanic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Depends what you mean by bank breaking - if you mean £20k for an official land rover system then no, there have been much cheaper options for a long time. Air suspension - you can download free software to work with this. You'll need to buy or make up a special cable to connect to the diagnostics, and unless you have a very old laptop you'll probably need a USB->serial converter (they cost peanuts). For most other things you'll need commercial diagnostics software - a blackbox single vehicle kit will set you back around £500, or they do a basic code reader/fault clearer for about £200 (but note that this locks itself permanently to the first vehicle it is plugged in to, so if you change the car you'll need a new one...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_P Posted June 13, 2011 Author Share Posted June 13, 2011 Just thought I would drag this topic up again! What would you say for one going to Morocco? As ultimately that would be why I'd pick a Land Rover over a typical car. Or do those conditions play havoc with used components on the P38's suspension sensors and stuff? If you're wondering why don't I take my Series, it's because it would be too valuable once it was sorted out for me to be happy taking it to Morocco and back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 There appears to be some good guidance, based upon an actual trip, at http://web.me.com/raymondgreaves/LilongweDown/Trip_Log/Trip_Log.html I know it's not a 38A, but the approach of meticulous checks and regular cleaning of the radiators (from what I recall) should surely be applicable. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q-rover Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Just thought I would drag this topic up again! What would you say for one going to Morocco? As ultimately that would be why I'd pick a Land Rover over a typical car. Or do those conditions play havoc with used components on the P38's suspension sensors and stuff? If you're wondering why don't I take my Series, it's because it would be too valuable once it was sorted out for me to be happy taking it to Morocco and back. We took ours on a 5500Km trip to the Pyrenees and back. Had no problems for the whole of the 3 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Just thought I would drag this topic up again! What would you say for one going to Morocco? As ultimately that would be why I'd pick a Land Rover over a typical car. Or do those conditions play havoc with used components on the P38's suspension sensors and stuff? If you're wondering why don't I take my Series, it's because it would be too valuable once it was sorted out for me to be happy taking it to Morocco and back. Well, a P38 took part in the Ladoga Trophy this year without many problems, so I'd say it can handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Well, a P38 took part in the Ladoga Trophy this year without many problems, so I'd say it can handle it. How standard was it? Can't say I'd fancy the idea of submerging all those electronics in a Russian swamp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Extendend and relocated height sensors in the rear, Arnott Gen3s, custom winchbumper with hydraulic winch, snorkel, Ashcroft lockers front and rear. The only electronic thing that suffered was the transfer box motor apparently, but that was quickly fixed with a manual override. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Impressive, if they were doing the sort of swimming Jez and co. do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Not quite *that* much, it was only Grand Tourism, not Proto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escape Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Again Ben has filled in nicely while I was away. Our P38a performed great, the EAS never missed a beat and handled the Russian potholes in as much comfort as could be expected (with about 300kg of supplies in the back). I never really worried about the electronics, the doorseals actually seal, meaning I could sit comfortably in deeper water while the navigator was rigging the winch. I was glad I went to the trouble of fitting a good snorkel, the standard air intake wouldn't have responded well to bowwaves crashing over the bonnet. I use the same car as a daily driver and really appreciate the combination of high-speed driving in comfort and being able to lift the suspension and take it for some serious offroading at the same time. Chances are it will become our support and towcar for future events as well. There was a Disco 1 in our team as well, and although it also did real good, I wouldn't have changed for the world! Should you go for the BMW diesel, keep in mind they struggle a bit with the weight of the car. Fine for cruising (once up to temp my old one would happily sit at 100mph all day), but don't expect any sporty accelerations. The 4.6 is still not fast, but a lot livelier to drive. In Belgium, on LPG it actually has lower running costs then the diesel as well. Greetz, Filip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_P Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 Cheers for the replies, very informative. I think I will probably go for the one with the diesel if I was to get one, although the power would be so nice to have. Then again, even a diesel P38 is probably going to feel quick in comparison to my 2.25 Diesel 88. I am being sensible in thinking a decent diesel (or v8 on gas I guess) p38 can be had around the price of a reasonable 300TDi Discovery aren't I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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