P38 Rangie 2.5 diesel as tow car

[NJH]

What do we reckon then on the above? I chanced across one yesterday just in at a local dealers. Looked in amazing condition for age (stuff like the wheels looked spotless let alone body work), no corrosion at back but slow to start. He wants £3.5K for it, tbh I had previously discounted RR's but now looking at things like a pair of shocks for 36 quid I can see why the fans swear by them. The warranty direct figures said they came out about 50% worse then a Mitsubishi shogun but I guess that must have been based on dealer pricing, at this age perhaps the mega cheap parts swing things back towards the LR products. Your thoughts please gentleman.
Cheers
Neil

[pikeyboy]

Basically lots to go wrong with it, blend motors for the heaters dash out job to fix, air suspension is unreliable and if left melts the pumnp, plus lots of othyer elctrical probs. Also the 2.5 bmw diesel in a p38 woudlnt pull the skin off a rice pudding even when chipped up. A 3.1td trooper is a much better truck and you'll get a nice one for 2k.

[Tyre Smoke]

pikeyboy said:

Basically lots to go wrong with it, blend motors for the heaters dash out job to fix, air suspension is unreliable and if left melts the pumnp, plus lots of othyer elctrical probs. Also the 2.5 bmw diesel in a p38 woudlnt pull the skin off a rice pudding even when chipped up. A 3.1td trooper is a much better truck and you'll get a nice one for 2k.

Agree, blend motors are a ball-ache, but everything else is easily and reletively cheap to fix. Agree about the diesel, go for a 4.6 on gas.

[pikeyboy]

Dont the petrols have probs with slipped liners or something in the blocks leading to engine rebuilds?. If you do get a petrol, get a later bosch management one. Search on the land rover forum will help a lot on this, I seem to remember a thread on this a while back.

[Tyre Smoke]

pikeyboy said:

Dont the petrols have probs with slipped liners or something in the blocks leading to engine rebuilds?. If you do get a petrol, get a later bosch management one. Search on the land rover forum will help a lot on this, I seem to remember a thread on this a while back.

It would be a lie to say this was a myth, but it's not as prevelent as you might think. My 4.6 (non gassed) had 138k on the clock when I traded it in. Service history is important of course!

[NJH]

It has had the spring conversion, I agree though that something Jap like an old Shogun will do the job for less spend. TBH I did feel this when the engine fired up, that old diesel is the polar opposite of the V8 and seems sort of out of place in a rangie. I do love the seats and driving environment though in the old rangies, decisions decisions.
Cheers guys.
Neil

[Incorrigible]

Avoid a p38 like the plague

Although Japanese can be unreliable too, my 3.1 trooper blew an axle the other week.....

but then it has got an indicated 386,000 miles on it.....

I say indicated, the speedo was broken when I got it and I think I must have done 10,000 on it, all towing or in snow

...

Anyway, find me a land Rover anywhere near as robust and I will drive the trooper into it to prove a point

[pikeyboy]

Incorrigible said:

Avoid a p38 like the plague

Although Japanese can be unreliable too, my 3.1 trooper blew an axle the other week.....

but then it has got an indicated 386,000 miles on it.....

I say indicated, the speedo was broken when I got it and I think I must have done 10,000 on it, all towing or in snow

...

Anyway, find me a land Rover anywhere near as robust and I will drive the trooper into it to prove a point

Have to agree with this, and I have a defender!, but I also had a 3.1 trooper years ago. Also worth considering monterey's they are the asme as a trooper but often plusher inisde. Land cruisers are good trucks too and nice to be in.