@@MrNegativecreep07 exactly that. I always thought these were ugly from the beginning, even as a kid at the time. Nothing premium looking about it aside from the decent interior. The L322 was a much better looking improvement. Its aged badly aswell compared to the classic defender 90/110
Beep - Window not set Beep - Sunroof not set BEEP.. The constant noises of P38 ownership 🤣 Also, I borrowed one from a friend and it took me 15min on a forecourt to find the button for the fuel flap release. The corrosion from the lamp guards isn't caused by drilling holes in the panels as such but from the steel rivnuts in the aluminium panels. The dissimilar metals don't get on, hence the bubbling.
That’s a sound I remember from every time the alarm sent the battery flat…beep beep until everything was set. And I get you about the fuel flap…it was a common phone call from anyone who borrowed it
I have a '98 4.6. still on air ride, i find it very simple and easy to fix as a diy mechanic. Plenty of online help available if something breaks. I adore the look of it and the sound of that old school pushrod engine. They are now so rare that it always gets looks on the road. You will find that those who moan loudest about these have haven't actually owned one!
I had a P38 Vogue 2000 model and used to park it downstream of a local stream near a local ford and get my two ( then) young boys fish off the tail gate. Some of the best memories ever given to us and that car did 60,000 faultless miles
I have a 1999 4.6 HSE. 250,000 miles and the thing is stout. The problem is in later years people buy them cheap and maintain them cheap. Stick to the service intervals and they are great!
Totally agree. People buy them and stretch their budget just so they can have the brand ownership. Then they do not have the money to Service and maintain them as required. Then when they go wrong they complain and say they’re unreliable.
@@JayEmmOnCars my mate had one for decades and looked after it but still had reliability issues, whereas my 80's Mazda, which got the same level care has been utterly reliable..
I've watched a lot of JayEmm vids now and i must admit his journalist style is quite unique. But what i really like is how he points out the bad and the good in an entertaining and fair way. He also makes fun of himself which is both fun and smart. Gotta love this chubby fella. Keep it up!
Had my P38 4.6 for 15 years, sold it 5 years ago but wish I still had it. Silly things break on it like leaking heater o rings, window switch packs, fuse box meltdowns and door handles, but everything is in scope for the home mechanic including the air suspension. Lots of enthusiasts online and all the information you need to fix these cars, they're only enormously expensive if you get a mechanic to fix it. Unbelievably brilliant off road, especially when raising the suspension to wade through water. Did a lot of green laning in mine and tackled some very muddy, steep and slippery surfaces; huge smiles per miles. Only let me down twice when the fuel pump packed up and then a cam position sensor. Air suspension is an easy system and great aftermarket bellow and pumps make for a magic carpet ride. I think you may have talked me into buying another one!
Had my 97 4.6 HSE for 17 years now, just done a trip to the Isle of Skye from north Wales in comfort and brim to brim 20mpg. Tows our twin axle caravan easily, carries white goods for our children and is used daily. Now a part of the family and I honestly don't know what I'd replace it with !
Here is my tip for anyone with a P38. The air suspension is a releaively simple fix today with the internet info and it is just a question of changing parts. The issues I have are with the "locking" system which needs constant battery power to keep it working. After a few days or weeks (depending on your battery condition) the battery will go down and the vehicle needs to be reset with the key fob and door lock which is a real hit and miss procedure. (and the battery is dead). So I recommend that you always keep the battery charged when the vehicle is left for a period of time. This can be done at home by plugging in to a small charger or I use a solar panel because my P38 is kept in a garden. Purchase a digital voltmeter which does not require making holes etc and is more accurate to see the state of charge. I have used this method for years now and she always starts up first time.
The design has aged very nicely indeed, definitely worthy of being considered a classic Range Rover. Much in the same mindset as the XJ40, both that and P38a had a big task of replacing, such iconic predecessors.
This video brings back a lot of memories to my late mum. She replaced her Classic by one of these back in 1996 or so, but being Belgians, it was a manual Diesel. (At the time Diesel was about 50 percent cheaper at the pump than petrol and in some years up to 90 percent of new cars in our country were oil-burners) I must say that BMW engineers should get off their high horse, because the one thing that always let us down in the car was their inline 6. (ok, the battery too) Even though the German lump was much, MUCH quieter than the old VM Motori 4-cylinder, it overheated chronically and ate through head gaskets until the cilinder heads themselves started to crack. The clutch was the most numb-feeling and hard to press item I have ever sampled and the engine had the annoying tendency to stall in each of the 5 forward gears unless you eased off the left pedal with extreme delicacy. As a consequence of all that hesitancy to engage, you had to replace the often-slipping clutch every 60.000 miles or so. After three years of constant break-downs from the BMW engine, my mum had had enough and bought... an E39 BMW 5-Series Touring, because my dad was a happy BMW driver. She hated that car with a passion for being 'common as dirt' (her words, not mine) and replaced it with... A Range Rover Sport TDV8. That car was incredibly unreliable as well, as were all her next Range Rovers, but she kept on buying them because she loved them so much, all the way up to her death in 2019.
The only thing about the p38 is it had to follow the classic, and then the l322 came along. Compare a p38's interior to an l322 and it's lightyears away in difference.
Nice interior but a real deep sink hole for repairs and maintenance even just off the forecourt from new. Had a work colleague who purchased one from new and it was as described always in the dealership every other week. Fortunately he extended the warranty so wasn’t liable for an historic list of repairs and replacements but without that it would have been a financial nightmare.
@@peterbest5938 you don't buy a range rover unless you know your probably going to pay 3 times the value on repairs. I'd probs go for a later tdv8 l322 as I've heard there better made.
@@ldwp6395 a close family member bought a 322 and once again it was forever in the workshop having money it shouldn’t require poured into it simply because of poor quality design and parts. He eventually switched to Porsche (Cayenne) and though whilst not the cheapest on servicing is infinitely more reliable
Great cars, the main issue when they got old was failing electrical connection plugs, the BMW diesel was by far the best one & was perfectly quick enough for that car. BMW only provided that Diesel engine on the understanding they were power restricted to 135HP so there was plenty more power to be had, with a tune or Chip. It can become 175HP As an owner of a DSE for 12yrs I can report the worst thing about them was the various audible noises which couldn't be changed or switched off, they were absolutely torturous, considering a cheap phone could be switched to silent it was really bad that a 50K car could not.
Great job on the P38 review. I bought my P38 about 18 months ago and absolutely love it. It’s my daily driver and does so with comfort and style. A less than common site here in New Zealand but fits our roads and lifestyle perfectly. Climbing the ski field roads with ease 👍🏾
Ex FiL had various P38s as company cars. Nice interior, nice to drive but the main dealer costs were obscene for servicing and downright mental for the things that broke on a regular basis.
Not just this Range Rover that was plagued with issues. My dad had two of the early Discovery TD5's built around the same time. Both had major faults with them. The one he first purchased had issues with the manual gearbox stalling out even though you had the biting point, the cooling system failed whilst on a summer caravaning holiday in Devon and then it had electrical problems. He got the Land Rover dealership to exchange that car for another one due to the issues. The second Discovery wasn't too bad until it that heatwave of 2003 and our family decided to go to the South of France. Lets say a Land Rover that are tested in deserts at 30 plus can't cope with sitting in a light traffic jam in a heatwave in France as our Discovery decided it didn't want to use all of its 5 cylinders and switch to two cylinders. When the engine issue was repaired it then decided to drop all of its electric windows on a cold rainy day on my dad. Funny enough my dad got it repaired under warranty and drove it straight to a Mitsubishi dealership and traded it in for a used Mitsubishi Shogun.
The Shogun or Pajero 3.2 diesel is a far better built vehicle and certainly far more reliable than any Landrover diesel, consumer ratings are consistently very favourable by comparison.
Bought my unmolested hse 4.6 last august and I love it. Eas works fine. Steering was a bit of a pain to sort out with some scary death wobble at times but seems to be ok now. Just doing the headlining at the moment.
We have a 2001 Epson Green P38 4.0 Thor and works great and we have had very little reliability issues. I think they are drastically under rated , to me they are a great compromise of an old fashioned build with modern functionality- a bit like a Mercedes G wagon
Had 2 P38s so far, absolutely loved them and luckily they've been good to me. They do attract attention, especially me being around 20 years old owning them. People didn't understand why I purchased one untill they came for a drive, then their opinions changed completely. The EAS system isn't too complicated and makes them worth so much more money. I actually put the EAS back on the 2nd one I owned after a previous owner had removed it.
People are in general better at technology so the EAS is going to be more fixable. People remove these systems dont really understand the compromises a normal suspension has,
I love my P38. I have an early 4.6 HSE and I've had to remove and completely rebuild the engine as it had a chronic overheating problem, but that's all part of the fun 😀 If you're going to get a P38, it's a good idea to get comfortable with spanners, as it could get expensive in garage bills.
I've never driven an auto P38 - they've all been diesel and manual. 0-60 drops to about 14 seconds and they will do 30 mpg on a run. The ride is sublime! Don't buy one on coils because it's an indication that the previous owner didn't understand it. DHSE is my chosen spec but very hard to find. Still my favorite Range Rover of all.
Great summary, really enjoyed this! It's a shame you didn't get to experience an EAS equipped one - it's a really important part of the character of the vehicle IMO! The 2.5 TD is definitely a bit of a slug but is characterful in its own way - a lovely (if somewhat strained 😅) straight six rumble.
Yep you've got to drive them with the EAS intact! Absolutely love my 2001 4.6 Vogue, despite the head gasket leak it's recently developed which is currently being sorted....
We have had a p38 in our family since 2000 and still daily drive my 4.6 Vogue. NEVER has either of the two we have had ever left us by the side of the road, I am very defensive of these cars as they get an unjustified reputation for unreliability; usually due to owner neglect. Yes sure there are problems, but my P38 has no more inherent problems in its design and build compared to my S124 Mercedes E320, yet to hear others talk of the the two its like night and day where as in reality they are much closer together. So, I was a little nervous when I saw this video thumbnail, but I should not have worried. What a brilliant and well balanced view point as ever James! Nice one.
I was waiting to see one of these on the channel as I absolutely adore them my dad has had his for 18 years now and despite having 200k miles it mostly works these with the with the air suspension working as it should ride absolutely fabulously and the interior in my opinion is an ergonomic masterpiece and if you're lucky enough to still have the Harman kardon saround sound system working it makes for an excellent long distance go anywhere cruiser (that is until you inevitably break down on the side of the road)
I had a P38 a few years ago identical to the one you're driving. I always wanted a RR so I bought the best one I could find. I ended up with the most unreliable, wallet emptying car I had ever owned. After 4 expensive months I put it up for sale and a friend of mine wanted to buy it. I begged him not to buy it but he was adamant that as I had spent so much money on the thing it would now be fine. He wouldn't take my advice so I sold it to him at a massive loss as I didn't want to ruin our very long term friendship. We still laugh about that car today, he threw money at it faster than I did while it in my ownership and he sold it after 6 months. He loved it but thought it was just an unlucky car, so he bought a diesel P38. He still owns it as it has cost him so much in repairs he's had to get as much life out of it as he can. RR's are lovely but I would never buy another. The L322 I had after the P38 was no better. I shudder at the thought of the money I wasted on those things. 😂
Remember this is not a vehicle that you can leave standing for months and then just turn up and start her up. ALWAYS keep the battery charged up to avoid the dreaded "reset" using the emergency key access code procedure..........and then you can!!!!
Great up load very very informative and a very very fair view SO WELL DONE FELLA YET AGAIN !!! P.S. you still talk to fast and without wishing to sound rude at times toooo much "but we all love ya " !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a 2000 2.5 hdse…….the power from the bmw diesel was way to low, a had another chip plased and it did nothing for the driveabilety. I had a metallic bleu with the crème leather inside, the looks were great and of you had the speed at 120 km/h or 70 m/h it drove smoothly but it takes a loth of time to get there…..it was a nice car but it was very expansive to drive. Greetz from the Netherlands , ramon
I have owned one for going on 10 years now.. In that time the only things I've replaced have been a radiator, several alternators (those are the "main course" and batteries are the after dinner mints), a couple of sets of air bags, tires and valve cover gaskets. It's got over 200K on it now, and just keeps going and going. Everyone told me I'd be lucky to see 70K out if it, yet here it is. Oddly enough, still turns heads at the gas station... Probly from people saying "Holy crap! I can't believe there's actually one still running!
I have the 2.5 DSE. Replace the zenner diode (I think it's a Peugot or Renault part) on the alternator and that will stop your batteries getting killed. The OEM alternators don't put out enough voltage for modern batteries, that mod increases the output voltage to charge cadmium based ones. Never had a problem since. I have had my car for 9 years now and only on the second battery. First died due to being stood for months as I was working over seas. Totally my fault.
The P38 is the definition of an under-appreciated gem !! and long may it continue so i can keep buying them dirt cheap !! the design is superb and although the build quality is not brilliant it really is a bit of a tank and can be used as intended .
Always have a soft spot for the P38 as I was a metrology technician/dimensional engineer at West Yorkshire Foundries Hydro Aluminium an ex Rover Foundry and was responsible from 91 to 05 for tooling approval and dimensional reports of the aluminium V8 block and heads also the Storm TD5 Landrover head from 95-05 , obviously the TD5 diesel and V8 were available in the P38 and V8 in the classic.
A few years ago it was the perfect swap car. It was available very cheap because of failed Air Ride. If knowledgeable some Arnot Air shocks and the widely available refurbishment kits for the pump and solenoid block would make it an easy repair and high value sales..... till I got my first one with the also very well documented shifted cylinder liners and combined with the shortage of replacement engines, it was the last I did. Still have my Disco 2 and to be fair, one of the big pre's of any Land Rover is there enormous available stock of spare parts and replacement stock manufacturer's. Older Land Rovers are very cheap to maintain cars if you have some sort of idea what you are doing and also share a lot of the big ticket items.
Please come and driver a few cars from our P38 South Coast stable later in the year. Overfinch Tuned 4.6 with upgrades from V8 Developments and ALR west sussex. Stock 4.6 HSE offroader still on air and does 2000 miles a year offroad as well as in road. A Holland and Holland amongst others. Diagnotics are cheap to buy and air suspension very easy to maintain and fix these days. Awesome offroad and I own a 90 &110 V8. Certainly better than the TD6 L322 if not a much of a motorway Muncher as a 4.2 Supercharged. Sidesteps cause rust in the sills and arches.
I also had a 97 P38 2.5 HSE. It was both the best and the worst. Wonderful when working properly, hell when it wasn't! I loved it and miss it. But I must confess I've had two great days with it: The day I bought it, and the day I sold it. Would love to buy another one again, but my bank manager says I'd rather not!
I had late Autobiography P38 and loved it. Dark blue, grey leather, 4.6 V8, what's not to like. Very underrated Range Rover, what will they be worth in 10 years when there are fewer. Be interesting.....
I love my 4.6 P38. I decided to sell it a few weeks ago. My mate came to take it away to his forecourt. I just couldn't sell it. It's so endesringly bad it's good...! It just looks lovely and has actually been reliable.
My mom bought P38A in a good condition from Crimea in 2019, we took it to Moscow, then pandemia started, so the car was just sitting outside for two years. In 2022 I've started working on it, and actually it is very reliable car. No signs of rust, engine is good, air suspension only had problem once. Also I was lucky to find a good mechanic that works with P38A exclusevely. Car is from 1997, 4,6 HSE, 277k km. Comfortable af, and still in good condition.
ahhh - loved my P38 - one of the things I'd mention is the curse of the 99p o-ring - essentially if you get in one and it has a wet drivers footwell then there is a failed o-ring on the pipes into the radiator behind the HVAC system, can be fixed by removing the dash and replacing with an Audi 80 interior radiator, as uses jubilee clips rather than o-rings on the pipes (a quicker fix is to drill holes behind the trim to get to the pipes and replace the o-ring, but it will fail again). The kicker though is that when these fail the coolant gets low, the engine overheats and the liners drop in the engine - causing exhaust gas to pressurise the cooling hoses - once it happens the engine is beyond repair. This happened a lot to the 4.6's in the early years as owners also had "low coolant" messages when the ball in the expansion tank would stop being buoyant....a deadly mix as the message pop's up, it was assumed to be the sensor in the bottle and...engine overheated and liners dropped. All this for the sake of a 99p o-ring design, rather than pipe clips! It really was a technical marvel for it's time - cruise control was pneumatic (which failed often), the air suspension had small "decidant" balls that broke down, turned into powder and coated the valves in the block and caused the EAS to fail, which then was fixed with springs (a crime in P38 world), the oil cooler pipes failed, the body control module would lose the security coding when the battery failed, and the battery would drain if you owned one anywhere near a baby monitor or wi-fi access point as the remote fob module would wake the car up when it detected *any* wireless signal and drain the battery overnight 😆 - the fix is to remove the blue arial wire from the module behind the panel in the boot (or buy a modified one that has a radio filter on it) - the book sign on the climate control is known as the "cheque book sign" - basically the servo's for the blend doors break, there are three of them and requires removing the dash to replace them, and they will fail again, oh, and you can't buy them new so likely any second hand ones will also be knackered.... that's just a few of the "quirks" of the P38 I'd add to those already mentioned, by far the biggest issue is the o-ring and I'd expect to never have working blend door motors - I really liked mine but constant fixing meant it started to be more trouble than it was worth, I even refused to sell it to an old couple who wanted a "reliable car to tow their caravan" as just couldn't, in all good conscience, sell them a P38 when they had zero mechanical knowledge!
@@cbv8 funnily enough despite everything I’d love another one! I replaced it with a Disco 3 and it’s a better car in every way, but isn’t a Range Rover and only pre 2006 come with the V8 - I can see very good P38’s being sought after in the future - ropey ones will likely have their engines scavenged for defender conversions sadly
4:39 that Bertone design on the right gave me Mk1 SsangYong Musso vibes. Think it was the slightly tapered front end and the cladding at the bottom. Then I did a quick search for said picture and the name Ken Greenley appeared both in the RR design team and for the Musso. So in a way that design did see the light of day but glad it didn't have a LR or RR badge on it
Your video froze just then during one of the drive-by shots! I thought for one minute you were having a laugh filming a ‘failure to proceed’ … before realising I’d lost the signal 😂
Great video. I had always admired these from a distance. Never thought I’d actually buy one. And now, as of two weeks ago, I’ve become an owner. One of the first things I was pleasantly surprised with was how quiet it rides. That’s always been towards the top for me. All the other things are minor annoyances that most P38 owners are familiar with. These are not for those who aren’t mechanically inclined, unless they’re happy to pay the shop time to maintain them. I’m rather happy with my purchase, quirks and all. I look forward to all the wrench time, as long as it’s only in my garage.
When you mentioned the H&H Range Rovers I did what you said, stopped the vlog and Googled them. Their prices start at £140,000 and they are gun makers and suppliers. And the vehicles they customise are all Autobiography models and above. You'd need a bob or two to acquire one, one would imagine......
P38 4.6 on bulk LPG best comfortable long distance towing work horse You can find for BANGERNOMICS budget motoring 🤠 I have owned & driven G wagons, landcrusser, shoeguns & Navaras but when towing hard they all = money pits !!! Owned 4 l322 s ,4.4 V8 LPG , 3.6 TDV8 & 4.4 TDV8 🤦= rot box , money pits which are a nightmare to work on. Keep going back to a well sorted robust rot free P38 Best BANGERNOMICS workhorse by miles , all the quirky electrics are easy fix when you tune into them, You can work on any part of a P38 yourself AND it was made in Britain 🇬🇧👍
...i still have 1997 4.6 HSE, all stock, no mods and paint looks as its new, shiny and bright..fantastic ride and very cool to be seen on the road these days as it stands out really really nicely out...i have had some small issues with it before and since there is no mechanic who really understand these things, i had to learn about it in order to keep it..and here it is, 26th year and runs like a champ..
It reminds me that in 1995, only few short months after this generation of the Range was launched in tiny Israel, local customers teamed up and filed a lawsuit against the main dealership, claiming that the frequency and severity of faults in those brand-new vehicles were so bad - it was just difficult to actually and oractically make use of them! It wasn't sold in high numbers anyway (tiny country, 120% purchase taxes on cars etc), but it did sell well in the early months after the launch, and then almost didn't sell at all in the years to come until the next gen. What a pity! Otherwise it would have been an absolutely fantastic classic.
My dad has a Christopher Moltisanti green one with cream leather interior, LPG converted: it's a nice practical car. He can spanner and enjoys tinkering with it and I must say I think its rather cool.
I had a p38 4.6 hse loved the lpg conversation was worth it running a 4.6 V8 for the same cost as my wife's fiesta was fun the only thing it need doing was a new compressor for the suspension
I had a P38 when I lived in America. I drove from from coast to coast and North to South with the only problem being a $3000 repair for a new fuse box after a short circuit caused by the HEVAC system! But in 4 years of ownership, I kind of expected some repairs. Overall it was an excellent car.
I’ve had my 1996 4.0 base model in Epsom green for nearly 20 years and is completely standard apart from Bilstein dampers and a stainless exhaust. It is absolutely brilliant and don’t see me ever selling it.
I had a 4.0 SE in that lovely light blue with brown interior leather. Loved it! Never went wrong, apart from the classic LCD not displaying anymore on the clock, and the classic book icon on the air con. But never bothered me. 😕
Oh man, I purchased one of these here in the States with the 4.6 in 2017 with only 91k miles on it and it great shape inside and out. Worst vehicle purchase I have ever made in 20 years of driving haha. I have NEVER spent so much money keeping a car on the road, with parts failing that did not even make sense to fail. Months of waiting for parts. I owned a mid-2000s jaguar that did not have half the problems this had. My wife drove a 2003 Jeep Liberty with 150k miles that was in the shop 1/4 of the amount of time this was in there. I will never own another land rover again for as long as I live, but I am glad people are still keeping them on the road because they do look AMAZING and were ahead of their time in regard to comfort and features.
My daily drive is a 2000 Holland and Holland p38. I absolutely love it. I'm retiring it as my daily soon as im wearing it down faster than I'm maintaining it, but it's been rock solid reliable (with occasional air suspension faults....)
A friend of mine had the 2.5 when it was about 8 -10 years old. She absolutely loved it and it was the bees for an estate agent in a rural area, but the gearbox was either broken or she daren't drive it in case it broke. And as you say the local Range Rover independents were still lost on a vehicle that didn't have points and a condenser. I once drove it up a hill near her house and it made loads of great noise and the bonnet rose up but the speed didn't really. It was lovely in every way but it would have bankrupted an estate agent if - she hadn't married a hedge fund manager. They parked it in front of the new marital home for a few years as a sort of upmarket garden gnome....
I’ve owned my 1998 4.6 P38 for sixteen years. I love it even though it’s had its moments. Like the one you had on test, mine too has hevac, heated seats and cruise control faults. All been fixed in the past and all gone wrong again. My 1998 2.9 Volvo S80 on the other hand, has zero faults with electrics and mechanics.
I owned one of these for a while. It was a definite investment in time and effort, but I went into it with my eyes open. Rebuilt the valve block, and rebuilt the entire v8. Replaced the alternator, repaired the door latches. Apart from that, and the horrific fuel economy it was quite a cool car to tootle around in. I had one of the earliest Australian 4.6 models, it got bought by a collector when I went to sell it.
I have had a '97 4.6 HSE black/black for almost 3 years. I love this car. In the meantime all bugs are fixed. Complete engine, now T-Head Liner with 300HP, and transmission were renewed, all engine attachments, axles, EAS, air conditioning, seats reupholstered, headliner covered etc., it certainly cost a lot of money but for the money I would not have gotten another good Range Rover. It is always a pleasure to move it.
I had a diesel one that was glorious, did a lot of horsy stuff with that and it was like off-roading in an arm chair. It had one problem to do with idling that the dealer could never fix and after it had spent more months with the garage then me I moved on. Probably still my fave car aside from the issue. On the other, in my older age I now have a 5yr old Dacia Sendero to drive to the shops. That has been the most reliable car I ever owned and cheap.
Owned a P38 from new for around 10 years. Owned a L322 also for about 10 years, overlapping with the P38. No question in my mind, the L322 may have been a more comfortable, sophisticated, powerful and refined vehicle on road, but the P38 was a much better Range Rover. In my case the P38 was also far more reliable, and cheaper to run. I would not have a modern Range Rover if you gave me one for free, but if I were in the market for a comfy 4x4 again the P38 4.0 ticks all the important boxes for me. The L322 onwards are best regarded as Chelsea tractors.
The P38 was in a movie called "Very Bad Things". It was in black. And it was love at first sight for me. I've been eyeing these for a few years now, I'm just waiting for a place to keep it so it doesn't rain away. Despite the fact that they are creeping up in price now they might actually be cheaper to buy today. Yes, you pay more to buy, but they've often been sorted out by now. All the important stuff has been paid for. Whereas a few years ago all you could find were cars that would be very expensive to mend.
I bought a black P38 HSE LPG converted around 8 months ago. The previous owner had it for 12 years and had most of the work done. I rarely drive it as it isn't my daily but I need a coolant leak investigated but that's about it.
A bloke I used to work with was telling me about Rover when they were alive & working with Honda. Panels that were rejected by Honda were shipped off to Rover. Rover management were also very pig headed when making decisions on the day to day running of operations. The stillages that held panels were needed in another part of the factory, trouble was there were none available as there were still panels on them. So they took completed panels off the stillages & scrapped these panels, so that they could then have more panels put on them. When BMW took over they were horrified to see the wooden floors in the factory, which were then ripped out & replaced. Having seen behind the scenes at the BMW Mini pressing plant in Swindon it's amazing how many of the ancient buildings are still in use. Lots have been revamped but not as many as you'd think.
Thanks Jay... you convinced me that it was a good idea to own one... I'm now the proud owner of the very car you are driving after seeing it on eBay whilst watching your video... cheers 😂
I have been lucky enough to own a p38 4.0 Autobiography for 20 years bought at 5 year old - only once has it left me at the side of the road, due to a failed universal joint at 23 years old - but that was my fault as it was making a noise for a few weeks beforehand and I did not have the opportunity to replace it. I believe the 4.0 to be the most reliable, as it does not have the head gasket issues of the 4.6 or the lack of power of the diesel. Mine also has the Harmon Kardon stereo which does sounded wonderful… At 25 years old now I need to spend a little money on it, but how many cars can get to this age, when they have also had a hard working live, never been garaged, Ben used to tow caravans, transport rubble, beds, furniture and even two sheep, when my trailer was broken…..
Great presentation on the P38.. I own 2 of these in Africa and both have been down for over 2years now due to Becm and ECU not communicating.. I've tried a few fixes but no avail, recently discovered a guy who does hacked ECUs that he e the EKA lock out code disabled, can't wait for shipment to arive
The bad guys in many action films in the late 1990's also had these Range Rover's. Some feature in the Tomb Raider film (mainly because Land Rover provided the cars and special vehicles Defender) and they also featured in some of the 007 films and the one that they were heavily used in chasing 007 on a BMW bike, Tomorrow Never Dies
Its cool that this HSE is made of Aluminium, from what am seeing at 13:21 the corrosion is not too bad. If it were steel it would have turned into a pile of dust by now. My sis has a Disco 200_Tdi that has been laid-up for 23years now, the panels are Aluminium and in good shape but the roof and floors are steel and have completely corroded away. The Diesel engine starts though but it never impressed me since am a fan-boy of Mercedes Diesel engines which are always light years ahead of everyone else.
It is certainly my favoutie shape of Range Rover. I love the classic in 2 door but they aren't common at all... and later Range Rovers were just too blingy. This was a wonderful evolution of the classis visually. I just wish it had a better diesel engine - namely, the venerable BMW M57 which did get released towards the later 3 or so years of the P38's life. I guess what I really should look at is the early BMW powered L322s... but it was the start of the real Chelsea tractor image in my opinon.
I drove two of the first gen models and they were agricultural, which is what we used them for - taking hay to the fields, towing lumber and the occasional pulling out of a dead fowl from the horse. The second gen looked sharp, sophisticated, but I never saw them in proper work settings. Then, with the third gen, they gained a bit of reliability, so I can imagine them being a cheap workhorse for some farmers. The recent models are something else, I wouldn’t touch any and apparently, insurance companies are the same, assuming that only thieves are interested in these.
Love my 2000 MY P38 Vogue, had it 8 years now and I took time to find a good well looked after example. It's not a daily driver but is superb on longer runs and pretty much everything works!
Always thought these were the best looking of any of the Range Rovers released through the decades
They look decent anywhere, especially good in the foremans shop
Yup! I saw one in a workshop, looks damn good!
Definitely 👍
The looks were ruined for me as soon as someone pointed out they look like a jacked up Metro Cab.
@@MrNegativecreep07 exactly that. I always thought these were ugly from the beginning, even as a kid at the time. Nothing premium looking about it aside from the decent interior. The L322 was a much better looking improvement. Its aged badly aswell compared to the classic defender 90/110
Beep - Window not set
Beep - Sunroof not set
BEEP..
The constant noises of P38 ownership 🤣
Also, I borrowed one from a friend and it took me 15min on a forecourt to find the button for the fuel flap release.
The corrosion from the lamp guards isn't caused by drilling holes in the panels as such but from the steel rivnuts in the aluminium panels. The dissimilar metals don't get on, hence the bubbling.
Galvanic corrosion isn't it? Chemistry was never my strong point
Dissimilar metals. Electrolysis
That’s a sound I remember from every time the alarm sent the battery flat…beep beep until everything was set. And I get you about the fuel flap…it was a common phone call from anyone who borrowed it
😆
Typical, just like the Land Rover Defenders that suffer from corrosion due to the chassis meeting with the aluminium body?
I have a '98 4.6. still on air ride, i find it very simple and easy to fix as a diy mechanic. Plenty of online help available if something breaks. I adore the look of it and the sound of that old school pushrod engine. They are now so rare that it always gets looks on the road. You will find that those who moan loudest about these have haven't actually owned one!
They haven't even driven the cars they admire more than this one.
Amen brother
I had a P38 Vogue 2000 model and used to park it downstream of a local stream near a local ford and get my two ( then) young boys fish off the tail gate. Some of the best memories ever given to us and that car did 60,000 faultless miles
Yer OK mark 😂😂😂
I have a 1999 4.6 HSE. 250,000 miles and the thing is stout. The problem is in later years people buy them cheap and maintain them cheap. Stick to the service intervals and they are great!
I think you are about 95% right here and I think it's the case for a lot of older premium cars
It absolutely is. Even Ferraris - people buy them cheap, don't want to service or maintain them properly and then blame the car when it gives issues
Totally agree. People buy them and stretch their budget just so they can have the brand ownership. Then they do not have the money to Service and maintain them as required. Then when they go wrong they complain and say they’re unreliable.
@@JayEmmOnCars my mate had one for decades and looked after it but still had reliability issues, whereas my 80's Mazda, which got the same level care has been utterly reliable..
@@petesmitt You can’t compare an advanced 4x4 to a cheap small car.
I know highpeakautos is watching
🤣
And contemplating poetically about how the p38 is just as good as a land cruiser, if taken care properly. Pretty mooch.
How did I miss this?!
It's the time for highpeakautos to review the p38 😂
Lol 😂
P38 Range Rover: They say I’m very unreliable
L322 Range Rover: hold my airbags
L322 is generally a lot more reliable.
@@trainman665 Doug's L322 would like to have a word with you. But it broke down.
Debatable!
Your hate for Land Rover is truly astounding.
@@electrikoptik I don’t think it ever broke down, just had some minor faults?
I've watched a lot of JayEmm vids now and i must admit his journalist style is quite unique. But what i really like is how he points out the bad and the good in an entertaining and fair way. He also makes fun of himself which is both fun and smart. Gotta love this chubby fella. Keep it up!
I’ve had mine for 6 years now and love it, only 73k miles and I’ve looked after it well.
I would never get rid of mine now.
Great video mate
Had my P38 4.6 for 15 years, sold it 5 years ago but wish I still had it. Silly things break on it like leaking heater o rings, window switch packs, fuse box meltdowns and door handles, but everything is in scope for the home mechanic including the air suspension. Lots of enthusiasts online and all the information you need to fix these cars, they're only enormously expensive if you get a mechanic to fix it. Unbelievably brilliant off road, especially when raising the suspension to wade through water. Did a lot of green laning in mine and tackled some very muddy, steep and slippery surfaces; huge smiles per miles. Only let me down twice when the fuel pump packed up and then a cam position sensor. Air suspension is an easy system and great aftermarket bellow and pumps make for a magic carpet ride. I think you may have talked me into buying another one!
Had my 97 4.6 HSE for 17 years now, just done a trip to the Isle of Skye from north Wales in comfort and brim to brim 20mpg. Tows our twin axle caravan easily, carries white goods for our children and is used daily. Now a part of the family and I honestly don't know what I'd replace it with !
Fair play, you must of got a good one then
I remember jeremy clarkson tes 4.6 hse only got around 9MPG
In my experience 12-18mpg is what you can expect but it's well worth having a good LPG system on them makes it a lot more affordable
@@trianggaindralukmana2184 That was just idling around in city traffic. On a decent cruise you can get about 20mpg.
@@trianggaindralukmana2184lol. So you can get much less than 20mpg? Never would have thought that.
P38 is a fabulous range rover. I had a few of them. My last one was the overfinch 570. With the chevy engine conversion. I wish I still had it.
Here is my tip for anyone with a P38.
The air suspension is a releaively simple fix today with the internet info and it is just a question of changing parts. The issues I have are with the "locking" system which needs constant battery power to keep it working. After a few days or weeks (depending on your battery condition) the battery will go down and the vehicle needs to be reset with the key fob and door lock which is a real hit and miss procedure. (and the battery is dead). So I recommend that you always keep the battery charged when the vehicle is left for a period of time. This can be done at home by plugging in to a small charger or I use a solar panel because my P38 is kept in a garden. Purchase a digital voltmeter which does not require making holes etc and is more accurate to see the state of charge. I have used this method for years now and she always starts up first time.
The design has aged very nicely indeed, definitely worthy of being considered a classic Range Rover. Much in the same mindset as the XJ40, both that and P38a had a big task of replacing, such iconic predecessors.
All due respect Paulie but its askew!
I thought these looked very dated a few years ago, but they seem to have come back to life. Sadly I simply don’t have the wallet to run one 😮
Back in the day I had a client who used to say that the 4.6 p38 Range Rover he had was less economical
Than his Cessna
This video brings back a lot of memories to my late mum.
She replaced her Classic by one of these back in 1996 or so, but being Belgians, it was a manual Diesel. (At the time Diesel was about 50 percent cheaper at the pump than petrol and in some years up to 90 percent of new cars in our country were oil-burners)
I must say that BMW engineers should get off their high horse, because the one thing that always let us down in the car was their inline 6. (ok, the battery too)
Even though the German lump was much, MUCH quieter than the old VM Motori 4-cylinder, it overheated chronically and ate through head gaskets until the cilinder heads themselves started to crack.
The clutch was the most numb-feeling and hard to press item I have ever sampled and the engine had the annoying tendency to stall in each of the 5 forward gears unless you eased off the left pedal with extreme delicacy. As a consequence of all that hesitancy to engage, you had to replace the often-slipping clutch every 60.000 miles or so.
After three years of constant break-downs from the BMW engine, my mum had had enough and bought... an E39 BMW 5-Series Touring, because my dad was a happy BMW driver. She hated that car with a passion for being 'common as dirt' (her words, not mine) and replaced it with... A Range Rover Sport TDV8. That car was incredibly unreliable as well, as were all her next Range Rovers, but she kept on buying them because she loved them so much, all the way up to her death in 2019.
The P38 is criminally underrated and definitely deserved to be a classic.
The only thing about the p38 is it had to follow the classic, and then the l322 came along. Compare a p38's interior to an l322 and it's lightyears away in difference.
Nice interior but a real deep sink hole for repairs and maintenance even just off the forecourt from new. Had a work colleague who purchased one from new and it was as described always in the dealership every other week. Fortunately he extended the warranty so wasn’t liable for an historic list of repairs and replacements but without that it would have been a financial nightmare.
@@peterbest5938 you don't buy a range rover unless you know your probably going to pay 3 times the value on repairs. I'd probs go for a later tdv8 l322 as I've heard there better made.
@@ldwp6395 a close family member bought a 322 and once again it was forever in the workshop having money it shouldn’t require poured into it simply because of poor quality design and parts. He eventually switched to Porsche (Cayenne) and though whilst not the cheapest on servicing is infinitely more reliable
@@ldwp6395not true with the P38. Parts are cheap and they are mechanically simple.
If you do your own work on them they don't cost a lot to maintain.
This is the 2nd best looking after the facelift L322 imo
Great cars, the main issue when they got old was failing electrical connection plugs, the BMW diesel was by far the best one & was perfectly quick enough for that car.
BMW only provided that Diesel engine on the understanding they were power restricted to 135HP so there was plenty more power to be had, with a tune or Chip. It can become 175HP
As an owner of a DSE for 12yrs I can report the worst thing about them was the various audible noises which couldn't be changed or switched off, they were absolutely torturous, considering a cheap phone could be switched to silent it was really bad that a 50K car could not.
My P38 2.5 Diesel has now down 155,000 and looks superb. It's not a rapid motor at all but it's lovely to drive, comfortable, commodious and Stately.
Great job on the P38 review. I bought my P38 about 18 months ago and absolutely love it. It’s my daily driver and does so with comfort and style. A less than common site here in New Zealand but fits our roads and lifestyle perfectly. Climbing the ski field roads with ease 👍🏾
Ex FiL had various P38s as company cars. Nice interior, nice to drive but the main dealer costs were obscene for servicing and downright mental for the things that broke on a regular basis.
6:47 the sound of the 4.6 realllllyyyy gets me going.
@@tamatomlinson yeah, especially if you feed it through a decent sound system. What a roar!!!
The best looking of all the Range Rovers. A classic.
Not just this Range Rover that was plagued with issues. My dad had two of the early Discovery TD5's built around the same time. Both had major faults with them. The one he first purchased had issues with the manual gearbox stalling out even though you had the biting point, the cooling system failed whilst on a summer caravaning holiday in Devon and then it had electrical problems. He got the Land Rover dealership to exchange that car for another one due to the issues. The second Discovery wasn't too bad until it that heatwave of 2003 and our family decided to go to the South of France. Lets say a Land Rover that are tested in deserts at 30 plus can't cope with sitting in a light traffic jam in a heatwave in France as our Discovery decided it didn't want to use all of its 5 cylinders and switch to two cylinders. When the engine issue was repaired it then decided to drop all of its electric windows on a cold rainy day on my dad. Funny enough my dad got it repaired under warranty and drove it straight to a Mitsubishi dealership and traded it in for a used Mitsubishi Shogun.
Range rovers are crap and unreliable
Yeah - ok.......
The Shogun or Pajero 3.2 diesel is a far better built vehicle and certainly far more reliable than any Landrover diesel, consumer ratings are consistently very favourable by comparison.
@@rossawood5075 Never had an issue with the 3 I've owned....
Bought my unmolested hse 4.6 last august and I love it. Eas works fine. Steering was a bit of a pain to sort out with some scary death wobble at times but seems to be ok now. Just doing the headlining at the moment.
We have a 2001 Epson Green P38 4.0 Thor and works great and we have had very little reliability issues.
I think they are drastically under rated , to me they are a great compromise of an old fashioned build with modern functionality- a bit like a Mercedes G wagon
Great way to wake up on a Sunday. Coffee and Jay !
Had 2 P38s so far, absolutely loved them and luckily they've been good to me. They do attract attention, especially me being around 20 years old owning them. People didn't understand why I purchased one untill they came for a drive, then their opinions changed completely. The EAS system isn't too complicated and makes them worth so much more money. I actually put the EAS back on the 2nd one I owned after a previous owner had removed it.
Man you must have a lot of money.
@@shanepatrick641 - no, just brave.
People are in general better at technology so the EAS is going to be more fixable. People remove these systems dont really understand the compromises a normal suspension has,
Lies. they are the worst things on the planet
@@snakeybriskins6432 you must have been unfortunate and had experience with a bad example
I love my P38. I have an early 4.6 HSE and I've had to remove and completely rebuild the engine as it had a chronic overheating problem, but that's all part of the fun 😀 If you're going to get a P38, it's a good idea to get comfortable with spanners, as it could get expensive in garage bills.
I've never driven an auto P38 - they've all been diesel and manual. 0-60 drops to about 14 seconds and they will do 30 mpg on a run. The ride is sublime! Don't buy one on coils because it's an indication that the previous owner didn't understand it. DHSE is my chosen spec but very hard to find. Still my favorite Range Rover of all.
Great summary, really enjoyed this!
It's a shame you didn't get to experience an EAS equipped one - it's a really important part of the character of the vehicle IMO!
The 2.5 TD is definitely a bit of a slug but is characterful in its own way - a lovely (if somewhat strained 😅) straight six rumble.
@Umar.250 Why are you using James' profile picture?????
@@Mike_OckinerScam channel.
@Umar.250Reported.
Yep you've got to drive them with the EAS intact! Absolutely love my 2001 4.6 Vogue, despite the head gasket leak it's recently developed which is currently being sorted....
But the road tax here in Ireland makes the 4.6 a no-no.
Unless its registered as a 'crew cab'
😉😂
We have had a p38 in our family since 2000 and still daily drive my 4.6 Vogue. NEVER has either of the two we have had ever left us by the side of the road, I am very defensive of these cars as they get an unjustified reputation for unreliability; usually due to owner neglect. Yes sure there are problems, but my P38 has no more inherent problems in its design and build compared to my S124 Mercedes E320, yet to hear others talk of the the two its like night and day where as in reality they are much closer together. So, I was a little nervous when I saw this video thumbnail, but I should not have worried. What a brilliant and well balanced view point as ever James! Nice one.
I was waiting to see one of these on the channel as I absolutely adore them my dad has had his for 18 years now and despite having 200k miles it mostly works these with the with the air suspension working as it should ride absolutely fabulously and the interior in my opinion is an ergonomic masterpiece and if you're lucky enough to still have the Harman kardon saround sound system working it makes for an excellent long distance go anywhere cruiser (that is until you inevitably break down on the side of the road)
Yep, the Harman kardon surround sound system was possibly the best audio of any vehicle even to this day.
@@noway3795 agreed I still haven't heard anything even in modern cars that has managed to top it off
And the perfectly sculpted seats especially the rear ones. Very nice in velour.
Still a head turner, even after all these yrs
I had a P38 a few years ago identical to the one you're driving. I always wanted a RR so I bought the best one I could find. I ended up with the most unreliable, wallet emptying car I had ever owned. After 4 expensive months I put it up for sale and a friend of mine wanted to buy it. I begged him not to buy it but he was adamant that as I had spent so much money on the thing it would now be fine. He wouldn't take my advice so I sold it to him at a massive loss as I didn't want to ruin our very long term friendship. We still laugh about that car today, he threw money at it faster than I did while it in my ownership and he sold it after 6 months. He loved it but thought it was just an unlucky car, so he bought a diesel P38. He still owns it as it has cost him so much in repairs he's had to get as much life out of it as he can. RR's are lovely but I would never buy another. The L322 I had after the P38 was no better. I shudder at the thought of the money I wasted on those things. 😂
Remember this is not a vehicle that you can leave standing for months and then just turn up and start her up. ALWAYS keep the battery charged up to avoid the dreaded "reset" using the emergency key access code procedure..........and then you can!!!!
I kept mine for eighteen years because I liked it and it was (wait for it) reliable.
My Discovery 3 is now 15 years old, and, wait for it, reliable. Awesome car.
These things can happen
It’s possible. That’s like having an unreliable Toyota.
@@electrikoptik That’s a silly comparison. There’s no such thing.
@@reallynotpc Yes there is. We had a Hilux that was a nightmare.
Great up load very very informative and a very very fair view SO WELL DONE FELLA YET AGAIN !!! P.S. you still talk to fast and without wishing to sound rude at times toooo much "but we all love ya " !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a 2000 2.5 hdse…….the power from the bmw diesel was way to low, a had another chip plased and it did nothing for the driveabilety. I had a metallic bleu with the crème leather inside, the looks were great and of you had the speed at 120 km/h or 70 m/h it drove smoothly but it takes a loth of time to get there…..it was a nice car but it was very expansive to drive. Greetz from the Netherlands , ramon
I have owned one for going on 10 years now.. In that time the only things I've replaced have been a radiator, several alternators (those are the "main course" and batteries are the after dinner mints), a couple of sets of air bags, tires and valve cover gaskets. It's got over 200K on it now, and just keeps going and going. Everyone told me I'd be lucky to see 70K out if it, yet here it is. Oddly enough, still turns heads at the gas station... Probly from people saying "Holy crap! I can't believe there's actually one still running!
I have the 2.5 DSE. Replace the zenner diode (I think it's a Peugot or Renault part) on the alternator and that will stop your batteries getting killed. The OEM alternators don't put out enough voltage for modern batteries, that mod increases the output voltage to charge cadmium based ones. Never had a problem since. I have had my car for 9 years now and only on the second battery. First died due to being stood for months as I was working over seas. Totally my fault.
How did I miss this?!
The P38 is the definition of an under-appreciated gem !! and long may it continue so i can keep buying them dirt cheap !! the design is superb and although the build quality is not brilliant it really is a bit of a tank and can be used as intended .
You can buy them dirt cheap because no one else wants them
@@missionDan good . may that long stay the case
Always have a soft spot for the P38 as I was a metrology technician/dimensional engineer at West Yorkshire Foundries Hydro Aluminium an ex Rover Foundry and was responsible from 91 to 05 for tooling approval and dimensional reports of the aluminium V8 block and heads also the Storm TD5 Landrover head from 95-05 , obviously the TD5 diesel and V8 were available in the P38 and V8 in the classic.
blimey - don't stop there - tell us more
A few years ago it was the perfect swap car. It was available very cheap because of failed Air Ride. If knowledgeable some Arnot Air shocks and the widely available refurbishment kits for the pump and solenoid block would make it an easy repair and high value sales..... till I got my first one with the also very well documented shifted cylinder liners and combined with the shortage of replacement engines, it was the last I did. Still have my Disco 2 and to be fair, one of the big pre's of any Land Rover is there enormous available stock of spare parts and replacement stock manufacturer's. Older Land Rovers are very cheap to maintain cars if you have some sort of idea what you are doing and also share a lot of the big ticket items.
Please come and driver a few cars from our P38 South Coast stable later in the year. Overfinch Tuned 4.6 with upgrades from V8 Developments and ALR west sussex. Stock 4.6 HSE offroader still on air and does 2000 miles a year offroad as well as in road. A Holland and Holland amongst others. Diagnotics are cheap to buy and air suspension very easy to maintain and fix these days. Awesome offroad and I own a 90 &110 V8. Certainly better than the TD6 L322 if not a much of a motorway Muncher as a 4.2 Supercharged. Sidesteps cause rust in the sills and arches.
I also had a 97 P38 2.5 HSE. It was both the best and the worst. Wonderful when working properly, hell when it wasn't! I loved it and miss it. But I must confess I've had two great days with it: The day I bought it, and the day I sold it. Would love to buy another one again, but my bank manager says I'd rather not!
I had late Autobiography P38 and loved it. Dark blue, grey leather, 4.6 V8, what's not to like. Very underrated Range Rover, what will they be worth in 10 years when there are fewer. Be interesting.....
I love my 4.6 P38. I decided to sell it a few weeks ago. My mate came to take it away to his forecourt. I just couldn't sell it. It's so endesringly bad it's good...! It just looks lovely and has actually been reliable.
You’ll have try my diesel manual James next time you come to Chester. It has no sunroof, cruise, no aircon so nothing to go wrong. Basic spec
My mom bought P38A in a good condition from Crimea in 2019, we took it to Moscow, then pandemia started, so the car was just sitting outside for two years. In 2022 I've started working on it, and actually it is very reliable car. No signs of rust, engine is good, air suspension only had problem once. Also I was lucky to find a good mechanic that works with P38A exclusevely. Car is from 1997, 4,6 HSE, 277k km. Comfortable af, and still in good condition.
Subtle watch flex at 3 mins was that a rolex james?
Yes Submariner 41mm
going up in value by the day
Another great video James! 📹
Great video. If JLR could make cars as reliable as they are classy, they'd lead the world.
An iconic shape of Range Rover from my childhood. Fantastic video.
ahhh - loved my P38 - one of the things I'd mention is the curse of the 99p o-ring - essentially if you get in one and it has a wet drivers footwell then there is a failed o-ring on the pipes into the radiator behind the HVAC system, can be fixed by removing the dash and replacing with an Audi 80 interior radiator, as uses jubilee clips rather than o-rings on the pipes (a quicker fix is to drill holes behind the trim to get to the pipes and replace the o-ring, but it will fail again). The kicker though is that when these fail the coolant gets low, the engine overheats and the liners drop in the engine - causing exhaust gas to pressurise the cooling hoses - once it happens the engine is beyond repair. This happened a lot to the 4.6's in the early years as owners also had "low coolant" messages when the ball in the expansion tank would stop being buoyant....a deadly mix as the message pop's up, it was assumed to be the sensor in the bottle and...engine overheated and liners dropped. All this for the sake of a 99p o-ring design, rather than pipe clips! It really was a technical marvel for it's time - cruise control was pneumatic (which failed often), the air suspension had small "decidant" balls that broke down, turned into powder and coated the valves in the block and caused the EAS to fail, which then was fixed with springs (a crime in P38 world), the oil cooler pipes failed, the body control module would lose the security coding when the battery failed, and the battery would drain if you owned one anywhere near a baby monitor or wi-fi access point as the remote fob module would wake the car up when it detected *any* wireless signal and drain the battery overnight 😆 - the fix is to remove the blue arial wire from the module behind the panel in the boot (or buy a modified one that has a radio filter on it) - the book sign on the climate control is known as the "cheque book sign" - basically the servo's for the blend doors break, there are three of them and requires removing the dash to replace them, and they will fail again, oh, and you can't buy them new so likely any second hand ones will also be knackered.... that's just a few of the "quirks" of the P38 I'd add to those already mentioned, by far the biggest issue is the o-ring and I'd expect to never have working blend door motors - I really liked mine but constant fixing meant it started to be more trouble than it was worth, I even refused to sell it to an old couple who wanted a "reliable car to tow their caravan" as just couldn't, in all good conscience, sell them a P38 when they had zero mechanical knowledge!
So would you have another P38? and when you got rid of yours what did you replace it with?
@@cbv8 funnily enough despite everything I’d love another one! I replaced it with a Disco 3 and it’s a better car in every way, but isn’t a Range Rover and only pre 2006 come with the V8 - I can see very good P38’s being sought after in the future - ropey ones will likely have their engines scavenged for defender conversions sadly
4:39 that Bertone design on the right gave me Mk1 SsangYong Musso vibes. Think it was the slightly tapered front end and the cladding at the bottom. Then I did a quick search for said picture and the name Ken Greenley appeared both in the RR design team and for the Musso. So in a way that design did see the light of day but glad it didn't have a LR or RR badge on it
Your video froze just then during one of the drive-by shots! I thought for one minute you were having a laugh filming a ‘failure to proceed’ … before realising I’d lost the signal 😂
Haha nope
Great video. I had always admired these from a distance. Never thought I’d actually buy one. And now, as of two weeks ago, I’ve become an owner. One of the first things I was pleasantly surprised with was how quiet it rides. That’s always been towards the top for me. All the other things are minor annoyances that most P38 owners are familiar with. These are not for those who aren’t mechanically inclined, unless they’re happy to pay the shop time to maintain them.
I’m rather happy with my purchase, quirks and all. I look forward to all the wrench time, as long as it’s only in my garage.
When you mentioned the H&H Range Rovers I did what you said, stopped the vlog and Googled them. Their prices start at £140,000 and they are gun makers and suppliers. And the vehicles they customise are all Autobiography models and above. You'd need a bob or two to acquire one, one would imagine......
P38 4.6 on bulk LPG best comfortable long distance towing work horse You can find for BANGERNOMICS budget motoring 🤠
I have owned & driven G wagons, landcrusser, shoeguns & Navaras but when towing hard they all = money pits !!!
Owned 4 l322 s ,4.4 V8 LPG , 3.6 TDV8 & 4.4 TDV8 🤦= rot box , money pits which are a nightmare to work on.
Keep going back to a well sorted robust rot free P38
Best BANGERNOMICS workhorse by miles , all the quirky electrics are easy fix when you tune into them, You can work on any part of a P38 yourself
AND it was made in Britain
🇬🇧👍
...i still have 1997 4.6 HSE, all stock, no mods and paint looks as its new, shiny and bright..fantastic ride and very cool to be seen on the road these days as it stands out really really nicely out...i have had some small issues with it before and since there is no mechanic who really understand these things, i had to learn about it in order to keep it..and here it is, 26th year and runs like a champ..
It reminds me that in 1995, only few short months after this generation of the Range was launched in tiny Israel, local customers teamed up and filed a lawsuit against the main dealership, claiming that the frequency and severity of faults in those brand-new vehicles were so bad - it was just difficult to actually and oractically make use of them!
It wasn't sold in high numbers anyway (tiny country, 120% purchase taxes on cars etc), but it did sell well in the early months after the launch, and then almost didn't sell at all in the years to come until the next gen.
What a pity! Otherwise it would have been an absolutely fantastic classic.
I own a 2002 P38 HSE and I love it. And everything works. Even the navigation.
My dad has a Christopher Moltisanti green one with cream leather interior, LPG converted: it's a nice practical car. He can spanner and enjoys tinkering with it and I must say I think its rather cool.
I had a p38 4.6 hse loved the lpg conversation was worth it running a 4.6 V8 for the same cost as my wife's fiesta was fun the only thing it need doing was a new compressor for the suspension
Great timing for this. I used to have one that was stolen and have been looking for another recently!
This is mine and is currently for sale for £2300
Always loved the p38. Timeless design. Good one is hard to come by though.
Thanks for this review, your making older Range Rovers more attractive which I think they are too.
I had a P38 when I lived in America. I drove from from coast to coast and North to South with the only problem being a $3000 repair for a new fuse box after a short circuit caused by the HEVAC system! But in 4 years of ownership, I kind of expected some repairs. Overall it was an excellent car.
I have 99 4.0 se for 5 years now and she is so lovely off road car ever.
I’ve had my 1996 4.0 base model in Epsom green for nearly 20 years and is completely standard apart from Bilstein dampers and a stainless exhaust. It is absolutely brilliant and don’t see me ever selling it.
I had a 4.0 SE in that lovely light blue with brown interior leather. Loved it! Never went wrong, apart from the classic LCD not displaying anymore on the clock, and the classic book icon on the air con. But never bothered me. 😕
@Umar.250 about
Oh man, I purchased one of these here in the States with the 4.6 in 2017 with only 91k miles on it and it great shape inside and out. Worst vehicle purchase I have ever made in 20 years of driving haha. I have NEVER spent so much money keeping a car on the road, with parts failing that did not even make sense to fail. Months of waiting for parts. I owned a mid-2000s jaguar that did not have half the problems this had. My wife drove a 2003 Jeep Liberty with 150k miles that was in the shop 1/4 of the amount of time this was in there. I will never own another land rover again for as long as I live, but I am glad people are still keeping them on the road because they do look AMAZING and were ahead of their time in regard to comfort and features.
My daily drive is a 2000 Holland and Holland p38. I absolutely love it. I'm retiring it as my daily soon as im wearing it down faster than I'm maintaining it, but it's been rock solid reliable (with occasional air suspension faults....)
A friend of mine had the 2.5 when it was about 8 -10 years old. She absolutely loved it and it was the bees for an estate agent in a rural area, but the gearbox was either broken or she daren't drive it in case it broke. And as you say the local Range Rover independents were still lost on a vehicle that didn't have points and a condenser. I once drove it up a hill near her house and it made loads of great noise and the bonnet rose up but the speed didn't really. It was lovely in every way but it would have bankrupted an estate agent if - she hadn't married a hedge fund manager. They parked it in front of the new marital home for a few years as a sort of upmarket garden gnome....
I’ve owned my 1998 4.6 P38 for sixteen years. I love it even though it’s had its moments. Like the one you had on test, mine too has hevac, heated seats and cruise control faults. All been fixed in the past and all gone wrong again. My 1998 2.9 Volvo S80 on the other hand, has zero faults with electrics and mechanics.
I had a four litre se which never let me in the two years in my ownership I loved it
I owned one of these for a while. It was a definite investment in time and effort, but I went into it with my eyes open. Rebuilt the valve block, and rebuilt the entire v8. Replaced the alternator, repaired the door latches. Apart from that, and the horrific fuel economy it was quite a cool car to tootle around in. I had one of the earliest Australian 4.6 models, it got bought by a collector when I went to sell it.
I have had a '97 4.6 HSE black/black for almost 3 years. I love this car. In the meantime all bugs are fixed. Complete engine, now T-Head Liner with 300HP, and transmission were renewed, all engine attachments, axles, EAS, air conditioning, seats reupholstered, headliner covered etc., it certainly cost a lot of money but for the money I would not have gotten another good Range Rover. It is always a pleasure to move it.
I loved the look of these.
And I thought the Range Rover Sports gave this body signature a second chance.
I had a diesel one that was glorious, did a lot of horsy stuff with that and it was like off-roading in an arm chair. It had one problem to do with idling that the dealer could never fix and after it had spent more months with the garage then me I moved on. Probably still my fave car aside from the issue.
On the other, in my older age I now have a 5yr old Dacia Sendero to drive to the shops. That has been the most reliable car I ever owned and cheap.
Owned a P38 from new for around 10 years. Owned a L322 also for about 10 years, overlapping with the P38. No question in my mind, the L322 may have been a more comfortable, sophisticated, powerful and refined vehicle on road, but the P38 was a much better Range Rover. In my case the P38 was also far more reliable, and cheaper to run. I would not have a modern Range Rover if you gave me one for free, but if I were in the market for a comfy 4x4 again the P38 4.0 ticks all the important boxes for me. The L322 onwards are best regarded as Chelsea tractors.
My favourite of all the RRs. Still built for purpose before it became some footballers bling trinket. I'd have one tomorrow...
The P38 was in a movie called "Very Bad Things". It was in black. And it was love at first sight for me. I've been eyeing these for a few years now, I'm just waiting for a place to keep it so it doesn't rain away. Despite the fact that they are creeping up in price now they might actually be cheaper to buy today. Yes, you pay more to buy, but they've often been sorted out by now. All the important stuff has been paid for. Whereas a few years ago all you could find were cars that would be very expensive to mend.
And in the Bond movie.
And nothing beats the iconic P38 from Layercake
I bought a black P38 HSE LPG converted around 8 months ago. The previous owner had it for 12 years and had most of the work done. I rarely drive it as it isn't my daily but I need a coolant leak investigated but that's about it.
And Eyes Wide Shut (Tom Cruise has one)
I love my p38, brought it in 2019 for £400 currently off the road as rust issues, but has never let me down.
A bloke I used to work with was telling me about Rover when they were alive & working with Honda.
Panels that were rejected by Honda were shipped off to Rover.
Rover management were also very pig headed when making decisions on the day to day running of operations.
The stillages that held panels were needed in another part of the factory, trouble was there were none available as there were still panels on them.
So they took completed panels off the stillages & scrapped these panels, so that they could then have more panels put on them.
When BMW took over they were horrified to see the wooden floors in the factory, which were then ripped out & replaced.
Having seen behind the scenes at the BMW Mini pressing plant in Swindon it's amazing how many of the ancient buildings are still in use.
Lots have been revamped but not as many as you'd think.
Thanks Jay... you convinced me that it was a good idea to own one... I'm now the proud owner of the very car you are driving after seeing it on eBay whilst watching your video... cheers 😂
I have been lucky enough to own a p38 4.0 Autobiography for 20 years bought at 5 year old - only once has it left me at the side of the road, due to a failed universal joint at 23 years old - but that was my fault as it was making a noise for a few weeks beforehand and I did not have the opportunity to replace it. I believe the 4.0 to be the most reliable, as it does not have the head gasket issues of the 4.6 or the lack of power of the diesel. Mine also has the Harmon Kardon stereo which does sounded wonderful…
At 25 years old now I need to spend a little money on it, but how many cars can get to this age, when they have also had a hard working live, never been garaged, Ben used to tow caravans, transport rubble, beds, furniture and even two sheep, when my trailer was broken…..
Great presentation on the P38.. I own 2 of these in Africa and both have been down for over 2years now due to Becm and ECU not communicating.. I've tried a few fixes but no avail, recently discovered a guy who does hacked ECUs that he e the EKA lock out code disabled, can't wait for shipment to arive
Classic, nothing wrong with the P 38s, cars are like women if you look after them properly you shouldn't have a problem
i like the p38 just cuz Chrissy drives it in THE Sopranos and ti looks so gangster there
The bad guys in many action films in the late 1990's also had these Range Rover's. Some feature in the Tomb Raider film (mainly because Land Rover provided the cars and special vehicles Defender) and they also featured in some of the 007 films and the one that they were heavily used in chasing 007 on a BMW bike, Tomorrow Never Dies
Have just bought one... a bit unloved but I simply love it. Did I say I love it... 😁 brilliant and balanced video as always..👍👍
Its cool that this HSE is made of Aluminium, from what am seeing at 13:21 the corrosion is not too bad.
If it were steel it would have turned into a pile of dust by now.
My sis has a Disco 200_Tdi that has been laid-up for 23years now, the panels are Aluminium and in good shape but the roof and floors are steel and have completely corroded away.
The Diesel engine starts though but it never impressed me since am a fan-boy of Mercedes Diesel engines which are always light years ahead of everyone else.
It is certainly my favoutie shape of Range Rover. I love the classic in 2 door but they aren't common at all... and later Range Rovers were just too blingy. This was a wonderful evolution of the classis visually. I just wish it had a better diesel engine - namely, the venerable BMW M57 which did get released towards the later 3 or so years of the P38's life. I guess what I really should look at is the early BMW powered L322s... but it was the start of the real Chelsea tractor image in my opinon.
I have a 1983 2 door with a 3 litre Mazda diesel engine installed by motor and Diesel .
@Alan Olley this sounds like the perfect classic Range Rover. Got any pics of it uploaded anywhere?
I drove two of the first gen models and they were agricultural, which is what we used them for - taking hay to the fields, towing lumber and the occasional pulling out of a dead fowl from the horse.
The second gen looked sharp, sophisticated, but I never saw them in proper work settings. Then, with the third gen, they gained a bit of reliability, so I can imagine them being a cheap workhorse for some farmers.
The recent models are something else, I wouldn’t touch any and apparently, insurance companies are the same, assuming that only thieves are interested in these.
A V8 P38 is on my bucket list of cars to own…scouring eBay right now. Cheers, Jay!
Love my 2000 MY P38 Vogue, had it 8 years now and I took time to find a good well looked after example.
It's not a daily driver but is superb on longer runs and pretty much everything works!