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[TheBoy]

Some of the P38s are getting a little old, and certainly some will be tired.

But usually its the same faults that crop up - suspension, dodgy electrics and RUST! From that era, esp if if its been used for towing, be wary of the transfer box as well.

A more comfortable ride than the Discos of the same era.

Some of the V8 variants seem to fair better than others - best checking one of the information Landy sites for that. The TD is the same BMW dog fitted to Omega.

[henryd]

If looking at a Disco 2 be very wary of the chassis from the rear axle back,the bodys don't seem to rot at all but chassis can and will dissolve,age doesn't seem to matter,mine is one of the earliest and the chassis is still good but seen many newer ones pretty bad.
I have had my manual V8 over a year now and the airsprings have been the only repair needed,fuel economy not great 16-18 around cornwall

[Steve Brookman]

Hers a link about test driving a p38.

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f10/p38-test-drive-what-look-out-219469.html

Steve

[belldarr]

Great cars - fuel economy aside, most jobs you can do yourself and loads of advice online, avoid ones where the air suspension has been swapped as the ride on air is fantastic, pretty easy to drive and great road presence.  If you get one just expect to have a few issues like battery draining and electrical gremlins.

As you no doubt already know there are loads out there so it's a buyers market, just have your wits about you and go and see loads before you decide.

Few Pointers:
Check overheating,
Check air suspension works (will only operate with doors shut)
Check any/all switches work.
check all doors lock.unlock and indeed open! - remotes need to work or you will get stranded with the lock out message at some point.
Check sunroof works and doesn't leak
Check roof lining isnt sagging - usually starts in the back.
Check cruise buttons work on steering wheel.
Feel transmission tunnel by the dashboard for damp - Heater O rings are a dashboard out job
They are just a few things that can go wrong lol, but these cars have a huge following so they can't be that bad


And have a look at this guys website:
http://www.mez.co.uk/p38.html

Hope all that helps

Darren
 

[tunnie]

How well do they take to LPG?

[doz]

Very. No known issues I've found unless it's an older single point set up...... which are crap.

[2woody]

P38 is probably the only car that I'd advise anyone to avoid point-blank.

Basically, they were stuffed full of electronics before Land Rover really knew how to make them work.

The biggest issues are suspension and heater controllers failing without warning. They are not repairable and no after-market options are available.

P38 is very not-same as Disco I or Disco II

sorry.

Disco II is much preferable, its only unreliable

[henryd]

P38 is probably the only car that I'd advise anyone to avoid point-blank.

Basically, they were stuffed full of electronics before Land Rover really knew how to make them work.

The biggest issues are suspension and heater controllers failing without warning. They are not repairable and no after-market options are available.

P38 is very not-same as Disco I or Disco II

sorry.

Disco II is much preferable, its only unreliable

PMSL

[hoofing it]

Cheers Steve. I'm now trying to work out the finer details between the 4.0 and 4.6. Gems versus Bosch etc etc.

Stay well clear of the 4.6 the bores tend to leak(same block as the 4.0 but re-bored) and the lpg will burn out the back two pistons (4 & 8 ) this is the same problem with the V8 disco's.
Another thing to watch out for is the button for the diff lock these tend to fail and if you go for the diesel get a manual.
If I bought one the first thing i'd do is convert it to coil springs

[doz]

huh? 4.0 and 4.6 have same bore it's just the stroke which is different. Seen a few on coils however due to the failures associated with the air suspension it seems just about everybody makes spare parts for them. I've been having a good route around and yep these motors do have issues but most are fixable on the cheap these days. The only real issue is the body electrical box. However I have found a company which will repair your own unit with a quick turn around. Doing it this way saves all the recoding. So as you can tell I'm really still taken with one. Yes they do suffer with engine failures however these seem to happen on abused models. So I've narrowed it down to a post 99 model 4.6 vogue on gas. Hopefully I'm going to see one next weekend.

[Kevin Wood]

Even if not abused, any Rover V8 is likely to be tired by now. Not the most durable engine in the world.

[doz]

agreed. 200k is very unusual however in my ownership it will never get any where near that. Seems to be a trend. They ever expire at 50-70k or go on to 150-200. I'm only going by what I've read and seen on line. However anything I buy at this kind of age will have some baggage.

[henryd]

I think as long as you go in with eyes wide open and knowing the possible pitfalls there are bargains to be had

[Kevin Wood]

agreed. 200k is very unusual however in my ownership it will never get any where near that. Seems to be a trend. They ever expire at 50-70k or go on to 150-200. I'm only going by what I've read and seen on line. However anything I buy at this kind of age will have some baggage.

Probably down to servicing. I can see them dying in 50-70k if neglected. I've stripped a few for mates building kit cars and every one has had practically no lobes left on the cam and at least one visible breach of the fire rings, often more. Not a bad engine to work on if you do have to bite the bullet, though, and IIRC bits were always cheap.

[doz]

They do like clean oil. My mate has a TVR which has covered close 150k miles. It's been brilliant with little or no problems however he changes the oil every 5k and is one of these annual guys who's always coating something in wax oil or adjusting something or over.