Hi all. I have wanted to get a FFRR forever and now have the money to buy one. I have my eye on a 1999 S FFRR Vogue 50 which I came across today from http://www.idealcarsbristol.co.uk/49810/idealcars-used-cars.htm

I love RR's but am scared to actually buy one because of the endless faults they have compared to other vehicles. I currently own a Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Jap import which I've had for 6 years with NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM other than light bulbs going here and there, all of about 3 of em It has been faultless beyond belief!

As my Toyota has been soooo reliable I don't feel overly comfortable going over to a FFRR knowing they are plagued with reliability issues, whereas my Celica has been 100% faultless.

Anyway, this is the one I came across today (I've been "looking" on and off for about 2 months) at various one's but today I thought hmmm, LPG would be a good idea based on the paltry MPG RR's give you so searched for an LPG one.






4 Doors, Automatic, Station Wagon, Petrol, 100,000 miles, Metallic Blue, MOT-06-2010, 3 Owners. Full Service History, Pearlescent paint, Navigation system, Heated seats, Leather seats, Leather upholstery, Seatback tables, Air conditioning, Climate Control, Self levelling suspension, Wood/wood effect trim, Electrically adjustable seats, Front electric windows, Rear electric windows, Heated door mirrors, Drivers airbag, Audio remote control, Electric door mirrors, Alarm, ABS, Alloy wheels, PAS, Trip computer, Steering wheel reach adjustment, Central locking, Cruise control, Headlight washers, Folding rear seats, Passenger airbag, Radio/Cassette, Side airbags, Radio/CD Multichanger, Rear headrests, Traction control, Manual sunroof. PRINS LPG CONVERSION THE BEST SYSTEM ON THE MARKET, 13 SERVICE STAMPS, REAR TV SCREENS, TRACKER, SPECIAL EDITION VOGUE 50, VERY RARE, THE ONLY ONE CURRENTLY ADVERTISED ON AUTOTRADER, MASSIVE SPEC,, All Cars Come With 7 Days Free Insurance, Warranty And HPI Certificate Upon Request. Viewing Is Buy Appointment Only., £6,995

Is £6995 for one of these a good price

It's a long ole drive to go and find out it's rubbish (130 miles or so), I am VERY tempted though. Oh yeah, these are based on the HSE I believe, would it have the heated steering wheel like the Vogue and the other bits a Vogue has? As for the TV screens, no doubt the tuner is analogue which will no doubt look nasty and the anologue signal will be switched off next year in my area so I would want to upgrade to digital, how hard is that and could a DVD player or media player be linked to them relatively easily

As for the LPG on this one, it says it’s a Prins conversion. I had a look on the prins website, stuck the reg number in but it hasn’t been registered with them, this could be because it might have had a private plate when it was done so the current reg wouldn’t be reg’d with them. If not then should it be avoided because I see no reason not to register it. Are Prins any good? I know I need to make sure the LPG certificate is with the vehicle but I don’t actually know what to look for to make sure the system is working and been serviced unless of course there is some documentation to show otherwise.
If I do go and check it out

Does anyone know of Ideal Cars Bristol, if they should be avoided etc

Ideally I would like a black RR, they look well sexy in black, blue is a bit too conservative for my liking but it does seem like a nice vehicle especially with the LPG conversion too.

I have read about a few things here and there such as pump the air suspension to it’s highest then turn off the engine and leave it for about 15 minutes and make sure it doesn’t drop at any of the corners. I also read somewhere else to avoid the 4.6 because they have been bored out to within an inch of their lives and the 4.0 is the one to go for……is this true

Sorry for the long post, I just feel a bit more at ease discussing it instead of asking nothing instead of just diving in and buying it regardless. So thank you for anyone that helps.

Don't know much about the P38 but as with any car, you do need to see it first hand to know if it is crap or a steal.

If you are scared about big repair bills, perhaps the Range Rover is not for you?? You may be better off with a Land Cruiser Amazon or Nissan Patrol. I am not suggesting you will experience big bills but sods law says if something goes wrong, it may be expensive to repair. That being said, I would put aside money each year for repairs as an insurance policy. Paul

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HI and welcome,

As this forum is specifically for the 3rd generation RR (L322) , we might be lacking in knowledge on the P38A model.

I would say your best bet is to try this forum instead: Good luck, hope it works out well.

http://rangerovers.net/forum/viewforum.php...0f05aa050e Discovery 4 HSE
1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF
1982 Series 3 Hard Top

*Gone:L462 D5 HSE LUX, L663 Defender 110 HSE, Discovery 3 HSE, 2014MY Range Rover Sport 5.0 Supercharged AB Dynamic; L405 Exec Vogue SE 4.4, 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography, Defender TDCi XS CSW, Defender TD5 HT, Vogue SE TDV8, Vogue TD6, RRSport SC 4.2V8, Classic 3.9 Vogue Auto, Land Rover Series 3 SWB

ukrangie wrote:

Don't know much about the P38 but as with any car, you do need to see it first hand to know if it is crap or a steal.

If you are scared about big repair bills, perhaps the Range Rover is not for you?? You may be better off with a Land Cruiser Amazon or Nissan Patrol. I am not suggesting you will experience big bills but sods law says if something goes wrong, it may be expensive to repair. That being said, I would put aside money each year for repairs as an insurance policy.

It's not so much repair bills that worry me, it's getting stuck somewhere, it's a pain breaking down. I have a very healthy bank balance so money isn't a problem but I wouldn't want to throw money away either. I could buy an L322 but I have never spent any more than 7k on a car which was a Corsa for the wife...me 4k at most. 15k or so on a car is a lot of money, I know I would love to own an L322, they are the shape I prefer actually. I'm just know I wouldn't like the drastic number change to my bank account

RRUK wrote:

HI and welcome,

As this forum is specifically for the 3rd generation RR (L322) , we might be lacking in knowledge on the P38A model.

I would say your best bet is to try this forum instead: Good luck, hope it works out well.

http://rangerovers.net/forum/viewforum.php...0f05aa050e

Oh , I didn't realise

I'll go and have a look over there then, thank you.

Seems a lot of money for a p38 to me..... For that kind of money you should easily get a good 2002, last of the line model P38. Plus, if you are expecting it to be trouble free then you may have a bit of a shock

The P38's weren't made brilliantly and whilst they have some good qualities (ive owned 4) reliability isn't at the top of the list.

The vogue 50 was a special car in 1999 but not a patch on the full fat RR that replaced it in 2002. It wasn't initially called the "full fat", that only came after the girls version was built in 2005 (aka "sport")

If it were my cash, i'd stretch an extra 3k and buy an early FFRR (2002 on) which was designed and built by BMW. Much less worry with reliability!!

If you must have the P38 then you should watch out for head gasket or block failures, give it a really good test drive and check it doesn't overheat. Check theres no water in the oil (and vice versa) and ensure the gear/ transfer box doesn't whine. Also check all the electrical systems work and all doors lock and unlock. It can be a pain for electrical gremlins and expensive to fix at times. Also listen carefully for a tapping on the engine which could indicate some extensive work needed. Lastly check the air suspension goes up and down fairly quickly and doesn't slowly go down when switched off (ie leaking).

If you check it over carefully then you'll be ok. If in doubt, pay the RAC to do it

good luck.

dammit! Typed all that and you scared him off

hoppy_70 wrote:

dammit! Typed all that and you scared him off

No, still here

Thanks for the info. I'd say the LPG on it is worth the money since it currently costs 2k for a Prins conversion on a V8, the downside to anything over a 2001 is road tax costs, no doubt that will go up even further. I've been used to paying pre March 2001 tax for donkeys years. I've seen no 2002's for 7k.

Just been reading about changing the battery on a P38, sounds like a lot of faffing about for something so simple. Anyway, I have to start all over again with my research

I have to admit that I wouldn't touch a P38 with a bargepole. Thier lack of reliability is legendary.

There are a few on autotrader, including a cheaper 2002 vogue. Generally with a car of that age, they don't get much, if anything extra for the LPG conversion.

L322's are around for around 10k now. They are 3 times the car the P38 was. I'm a BIG landrover fan and have owned most but the P38 wins the award for most unreliable. Even worse than a classic due to complex electrics.

Alternatively, you could get a 2003 discovery for that kind of money which is again, a better car than the P38 in my opinion.

Sigh, this does look a bit nice.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...?logcode=p

For £11k you could get this

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...?logcode=p

Just take the plunge. The P38 will cost you 3 grand in repairs anyway, you could have bought a full fat for that price!

If you are having trouble deciding take a test drive in both and i'm sure you'll soon swing this way

MICK wrote:

For £11k you could get this

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...?logcode=p

Nice, apart from the blue leather, cream is what I'd want, looks classy

Oh yes, and the seller of that one are to be avoided like the plague!!

I was about to start looking at diesels next as I have ruled them out due to being sluggish. I'll see what I turn up.........

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...?logcode=p