To put it simple, rovers give you BS. Its the little crap, like windows, leaks, etc. The core is more solid than any other vehicle on the road in my opinion. I am squeamish with the thought of replacing my rover with a lexus gx470 or ford exploder (the thought had crossed my mind). I like the gx470, but I wouldn't know what to do if it had a problem. I would most likely take the lexus to a dealership and get raped. Rovers are different. They are easy to use/fix. Parts are cheap and advice is all over the place. My old rover sounds better and shifts smoother than my korean made piece of crap hyundai (04 santa fe with 58k miles on it). The rover NEVER starts with valve noise and NEVER shifts rough. The rover gives me BS, trust me, but I know I do not have to worry about the core of the vehicle. I'll be taking her on a 3hr drive tomorrow too! I wouldn't be surprised if she hit 200k miles one day. A couple months ago, a guy came to our office in a beat up RR like mine. I asked him what year and how many miles. He said it had 270k miles on it and was a 98! The engine sounded great too!

 

Yes! I would drive my Range Rover in AK without no doubt. People who are afraid on driving their Range Rover becuase of relaibility is stupid. Not every Range Rover out there has problem period!

 

I agree with LRScott's post - it's usually the little things that bug ya. I would have no problem jumping behind the wheel and departing on the voyage you described. Sounds fun!

That being said, I also would do the same in my 1995 Grand Cherokee 4.0 that has been fairly heavily modified for off road use. Given the choice I'd take the Rover - it's more of a tank and way more comfortable.

You do the regular and preventive maintenance and treat and know your vehicle well, then you should be in good shape.

I've found the Rover requires a little bit more electrical troubleshooting expertise than most of the other vehicles I work on, save for the Jaguar STR. The mechanicals of the P38 are straightforward. I've never had a Disco so can't comment but would assume it would be a similar ownership experience.

 

That makes a bit more sense. I assumed with the electronic traction control as well as the suspension that there would be more cause for electrical failure. Add that on top of power everything in an off road rig, and well, what else could you reasonably expect.

Crystal clear now, thanks everyone for your response.

 

Over the last labor weekend, I drove my 2003 RR to Crater Lake (Oregon) then all the way to Tahoe (California) and back without a problem. That is about a 1000 plus miles. I love my Range Rover. Also use it for everyday driving.

 

The key is maintenance. The EAS system is great but if it is neglected with bad bags it will give you hell. If you ignore the proper intervals for fluid replacement and service it will give you hell. If you buy one plan to do most of the routine service work and then be happy.

I have both a Disco II and RR P38, they each have their own purpose and both are fairly easy to work on. If you need mainstream aftermarket support for off raoding then the Disco is for you, if you want over all refinement and class with the ability to out wheel almost all stock vehicles out there then get the Range.

Either way, with a little money, know how and patience you will love the Rover as much as we do.

 

I took my 96 P38 4.0 on a dealer sponsored off road trip on Saturday at a resort in Southwestern PA. Did 2 hours in an obstacle playground called the "Crater" - lots of off camber, hill climbs/descents, log covered paths, rock garden, and 20 inch+ water fording. Then did a 2 hour ride through "the Trails" course - lots of log road type trails filled with mud ruts, mud pits, hill climbs, boulder fields. The P38 did great, lead the pack of mostly newer RR Sports, full size RR's, a few LR2's, and a few nice Disco 2's (one Disco had a 4" lift, AT's, ARB winch bumper, etc - nice truck).

I had the oldest truck and highest miles (155k)....but you know who did most of the vehicle recovery....yeah, the old guy. Of course i have a nice set of General Grabber AT2's and most of the others were on street/all season tires. I nonethless was impressed with some of the new model capability out of the box.

I guess the point of it is that even an older, high mileage P38 if well maintained and driven with some experience can be a fun, reliable, and very capable machine. I had no problems keeping up with a Jeep Rubicon with MTR's.

I'll start a thread with pics once i get them all off the camera.

 

Aren't the events just a blast!? I had so much fun on the last one. Ironically about 1/3 of the rovers were older than 7 years of age. I love that silly little series II rover that keeps showing up. It is the highlight of the whole trip. The sound of the little 4 cylinder engine is hilarious and awesome at the same time. And the little chirp the clutch would make while engaging will put a smile on anyone's face.

 

Yep, had a blast. Can't wait for the next event, I think it is in the early spring. Until then I have 50 acres of woods I get to play around on, so I'll give her some more exercise.

I was surprised, I thought there would be more older Rovers. No Series, no Defenders, and I had the only P38. Three total Disco's, perhaps one was a late 90's model. The rest were LR3's, LR2's, RRS, and full size RR's. The LR2's had a good bit of trouble keeping up when ground clearance became a neccessity, but for the most part they did ok for a little ute.

I see plenty of P38's around my area, but the offroad course was about a 2 hour drive from the dealer area, so maybe that deterred some folks.

 

I keep reading how unreliable Rovers are.

I have a 06 RR Supercharged (not sport) and now with 56k miles it has been bullet proof with the exception of a air compressor (warranty) and a sunvisor platic piece snapping.

My Merc GL450 was easily less reliable.

Am I just biding my time or are we talking about historic unreliabilty here?

John