going to look at a P38 DSE Rangie tomorrow any advice?
Discussion
hi, just wondered if anyone could give me some advice of what to look out for on the DSE model, ive guessed the obvious, check the air suspension works, check it goes into low range,there are no warning lights on the dash, the A/C works properly, rust,oil leaks etc, is there anything else i should particularly look out for? also if it has service history and has been looked afer whats an acceptable milage to get one with?
Other than what you have mentioned....... look out for overheating, I drove one which got upto temperatue fine and didn't show any symptoms even at fast road speed, however when I took it up a decently long hill it crept into the red and then the warning light came on and it got very hot! So do be sure to try to get it to overheat if you see what I mean.
The engine should also start first turn of the key and not turn several times before starting, this can be a simple fueling problem or may mean loss of compression in a tired engine.
Also the warning messages can produce lots of false alarms. I regularly get "door open" or similar even when I have open and shut it several times!!
The 1997 model year cars (easily identified by the twin exit exhausts) have a better ECU and electrics than the 1994-1996 models and the 1999 onwards are better still.
I would not expect that the engine would be much good for more than 150,000 miles, without some major reconditioning, as the Rangie is so heavy the engine struggles so is often at high loads for most of the time.
My experience of them comes from having owned 2 and seen lots! My first one was a 1995 2.5 DSE Auto which had done 97k miles when I got it and I only kept it a couple of months but had no problems other than the performance being awful and it did around 22 mpg. So I changed to a 1998 4.6 HSE I've done 8k in it so far and averaged 16.9 mpg which includes a real mix of driving at fast lane motorway speeds, towing 2.5 tonne and driving in city traffic jams. It really does transform the car by having a decent amount of power to enjoy the full RangeRover experience. They are still expensive to maintain but a bargain for the amount of gizmos and driving experience you get.
The engine should also start first turn of the key and not turn several times before starting, this can be a simple fueling problem or may mean loss of compression in a tired engine.
Also the warning messages can produce lots of false alarms. I regularly get "door open" or similar even when I have open and shut it several times!!
The 1997 model year cars (easily identified by the twin exit exhausts) have a better ECU and electrics than the 1994-1996 models and the 1999 onwards are better still.
I would not expect that the engine would be much good for more than 150,000 miles, without some major reconditioning, as the Rangie is so heavy the engine struggles so is often at high loads for most of the time.
My experience of them comes from having owned 2 and seen lots! My first one was a 1995 2.5 DSE Auto which had done 97k miles when I got it and I only kept it a couple of months but had no problems other than the performance being awful and it did around 22 mpg. So I changed to a 1998 4.6 HSE I've done 8k in it so far and averaged 16.9 mpg which includes a real mix of driving at fast lane motorway speeds, towing 2.5 tonne and driving in city traffic jams. It really does transform the car by having a decent amount of power to enjoy the full RangeRover experience. They are still expensive to maintain but a bargain for the amount of gizmos and driving experience you get.
thanks for your help, i would consider a 4 litre of 4.6 but a family member used to own a 4.6 and as lovely as it was i just cant afford to run one fuel wise at the moment, i have regular acess to a later shape TD6 quite often and i love that but i cant afford one at the moment particularly as i want to save for a TVR over the next year or so(yes i know thier 2 completly different cars but i love them both)the one im looking at tomorrow has between 80 and 90k on it if i remember correctly,the things ive gathered that can be tempremental on them from the 4.6 was the air suspension can be a pain, the ecu can play up at times, the A/C can play up but how do you tell if its a complete mess or just needs re gassing? not that i really need it at this time of year but the last thing i want is for summer to come and get stuck without A/C with those leather seats, also are hurricane alloys hard to come by second hand? i think they suit the P38 the best,also what are they like off road compared to the post 2002 shape as thats the only 1 ive ever driven off road,forgot to mention this one is a late R reg, i havent seen it yet going to look in the morning, from what i gather its oslo blue,it has the 18' alloys on,imjust hoping thier hurricanes and hopefully it has the clear lenses too, i will let you all know how i get on.
>> Edited by YamR1,V64motion on Saturday 5th November 00:19
Hi 
,
This might be too late; if you've allready taken the plunge!! - I had a 1997 P38 DT manual for 4 years and 70k miles (my father had it from new) and sold it on with 135k miles and a fortnight ago, just upgraded to a 2001 County SE Auto (Diesel) with 28k miles. Drop me an email if you want to know more. (I used to work for a Land Rover main dealer so am familiar with most models)
Cheers,
SHED..
, This might be too late; if you've allready taken the plunge!! - I had a 1997 P38 DT manual for 4 years and 70k miles (my father had it from new) and sold it on with 135k miles and a fortnight ago, just upgraded to a 2001 County SE Auto (Diesel) with 28k miles. Drop me an email if you want to know more. (I used to work for a Land Rover main dealer so am familiar with most models)
Cheers,
SHED..
rolyrat said:
[quote=YamR1,V64motion]
hi, just wondered if anyone could give me some advice of what to look out for on the DSE model,
Yes, buy a V8
[/quote] and face 12 MPG, radiator problems, and terrible depreciation?
as much as honestly i would prefer the V8, it just isnt practical for me at the momentGassing Station | Land Rover | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff