I guess I've been REALLY fortunate compared to many on here. I've had relatively little issues with mine. I just drive it, fill up the tank, drive it some more, fill it some more, fill it again, and one more time just to be sure, then drive it again...

Ok, other than the fuel mileage, it's been an AWESOME vehicle to drive. Comfortable, capable, quiet, cool , and my wife loves it, so I'm lucky in more ways than one...

 

I am getting 14.5 MPG with Premium and mixed freeway / city driving.
My motto is -

I just drive 55..
and for city - I never am in a hurry.
Never ever floor the gas.
I never exceed even 1/4 gas pedal movement if possible.

People behind me hate me.
But they like to speed and pay huge gas bills.

Trick is - you want to have the rover doing about 40 MPH as the RPM is about 1,700
and you are in the best zone for MPG.

At 55MPH you are totally dialed into good MPG.

 

I had no idea the P38s had so many problems.

To the OP - I agree with these guys that overheating could be a fan clutch, or could be a cracked block and/or head gaskets.

Unless the guy is almost giving it away, I'd stay away from it.

 

I completely agree with your methodology.

For me, I also drive easy and careful, but not to the point of being hated. I change the oil regularly. And treat her nice. Only difference is that I use 87 Octane fuel. I drive 80 on the freeway. And I average 13.6 MPG with mixed city/freeway, mostly city and hilly.

PS: I'm still running stock tire size.

 

Most likely all of the above. I would have to get it for $4k or less.

 

Maybe they are more expensive where you are located, but 4k seems a bit high if the heads or block are actually bad.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking $2k or less. You could easily spend $7k-$8k on a new engine if the block is cracked.

 

Have the engine examined by a trusted mechanic to see if its bad. Otherwise count your blessings and look elsewhere. If your hell bent on a P38 then take your time and look for one that was well cared for. My advice... buy from rich people!!!!! Rich people sometimes like to give stuff away for less than its worth, simply because money is not an issue for them, and the plus to buying from rich people is that the chances are good that they took care of it, had it serviced on time etc.

You know another option is to treat yourself to a 2003 Range Rover. They are finally coming down in price and you can easily find one for 10K in great condition PLUS they have better engines and are more reliable I believe.

SOmebody correct me here: Doesnt the newer generation Range Rover (2003 on) have a new engine?

2005 RR $11,900: 2005 Land Rover Range Rover
2004 RR HSE $9,700: 2004 Range Rover HSE
2003 RR HSE $9,500: 2003 black range rover hse limited condition
2004 RR $9,100: 2004 Range Rover

See I found all these RR's in under 5 minutes of searching on my local Craigslist!

 

HAHAHA... Buy from rich people!! I will begin my search there! I'm torn on this P38 though. Only 107k miles and was never the daily driver. It's a solid 8 out of 10 outside of the engine...

My girlfriend keep saying "Don't buy another Rover, Don't buy another Rover. It will just break down." So I'll say "No baby, it will be ok. I am on top of everything going on with her." Then two weeks later, she'll be taking me to work for a week.

 

On a good note. It looks like I can pull most of the cooling system out of my wrecked Disco and swap with the Rangie.