I currently own a D2 and love it (2-years deep). I did a lot of research before buying and do not regret my decision at all, it's great.
I'm looking into buying a P38 for my wife. I have heard lots of not-so good stories about this model, even from LR enthusiasts. Aside from the air suspension is there anything about this truck that would be more of a nightmare than my D2?
I already know about the aluminum block, head gasket issues and the air suspension issue and ****ty milage.
Does the P38 suffer from the 3-amigos ABS issues?...I'm familiar with that fun stuff too.
Thanks for reading and I appreciate any impute.

Is the 4.6HSE the exact same engine as the 2003/2004 D2. I've heard that engine is more prone to overheating.

 

it all depend upon the year what problems you might have they go all the way back to 95. Like Disco they changed from a Gem system to a Boshe system in 2000. Early years had weak diffs (2 spiders gears instead of 4 on the later) that change around 98-99? I just bought a 99 P-38 4.0 for the wife, but it rides so nice with air all the way around I can bare to give it to her.

 

In 1999 they went to a 4 channel traction control and changed the diffs to the 4 pin style to handle the added stress. The engine management switched from GEMS to Bosch in the middle of 1999. The Bosch seems to be less trouble prone, but at this point they're all getting old. The 4.6 in the P38's was supposedly better than the one in the Discovery's because the molds were in better shape and they weren't just trying to get the run to last until they switched to a new engine. I really didn't see the same amount of posts regarding overheating, cracked blocks and slipped liners for the P38 as I've seen for the D2's, but there are fewer P38's in total so who knows. I had a 1999 P38 with a Bosch motor and it was awesome. Not to say I didn't have my share of crap to deal with. I fully rebuilt the EAS, I had a pressure switch go on the ABS which took a bit of effort to diagnose but was fixable (remans available), I had a blower lose a power transistor which is a cheap fix but you need to order the part from an electronics supplier. You will likely have some issues with the HVAC control, they tend to lose their backlighting. The blend motors on the HVAC can be a problem, especially if the pollen filters were serviced and they allow crap into the ducts. Replacing them can suck. The accumulator on the ABS needs to be replaced fairly regularly or the pressurization pump will be overworked which could cook it. There is a relay for the ABS pump which can sometimes stick on which will also fry the pump. Replace that regularly also. The plastic used for the interior trim gets crazy brittle so be super careful when removing panels or they will crumble. Check the wheel well for the spare for rust. They tend to leak at the rear hatch and the water ends up there. The hood latches (there are two) get sticky and the cable breaks pretty easily so make sure you check that.

 

That is all great info. So I really should be looking at 2000 to 2004...or 2005 whenever they finished? That is good to know about the 4.6 HSE. I always just asumed it was the same engine.
Thanks guys.

 

add $500 onto your purchase price to buy a diagnostic tool, between the EAS, ABS and a/c problems along with the standard issues every car has; it will pay for itself in dealer diagnostic costs.

 

Good point. I'm guessing my ABS Amigo will not work with it? I di have an ODB2 reader.

 

the obd2 will work for some of the engine stuff but if your going to get into a P-38, and planning on doing repairs yourself you will need a way to diagnose problems.

 

I have a 1998 and love it. Out of the 4 Rovers I have owned it has been my favorite hands down. It still has the original EAS system and is still going strong at 187k mi. It does have little issues like the A/C controls and my inside door handle broke. The MPG isnt that terrible if you stay out of the throttle, I can get 12 around town, 16mpg on the hwy, and around 13 towing my bass boat out to West TN. And thats with the 4.0.

 

I would be looking for a late '99 through 2002. Cream of the crop for the p-38's. I have a late 1999 p38. Love it. A beast off road too. Would leave my DII in the dust off road or on the highway for that matter.

 

I've had mine for almost 4 years now. Its not a bad rig, the paint is starting to fade though , going to repaint the hood and roof this summer. I average about 17 mpg with mine, and it has done 21 mpg several times while on road trips to and from McCall where the average speed was 40 mph, very little stopping of course. I have to say, for as old as it is, and the amount of miles that are on it, its not bad at all. As stated above, there is the usual rover BS, but they don't seem to have the mechanical problems that Discos have. I love our Disco, but its just not built as well as the RR.

I prefer the GEMs system because its simple and allows more room to work than the BOSCH setup. However, the GEMs rovers are starting to age a lot so I don't know if I would recommend them anymore.