Currently, I need a commuter. I'm doing 40 miles round trip in my Disco II. I want to stop putting miles on it so I can justify building it up for Moab trails.

In the meantime, I keep getting drawing to 90's vintage Range Rovers, P38s and the last of the classics. I need a car big enough to survive a cow impact (open range, with deer in the closed range portions), so the gas mileage of the RR is moot since the competition does not get much better.

My budget is around $5k, and luckily, thanks to Land Rover's reputation, Rangies are DIRT cheap. Most of the adds don't mention cooling issues like their fellow discos (all of which nearly need a head gasket by the time they get to the classifieds). The most common complaint in the classifieds is door-locks and sun-roof failures.

So my question is, if I maintain the cooling system, what's the chance I can get 200k out of a rangie without the block cracking?

There is nothing on my Disco or even P38 research that scares me maintenance wise. Everything seems rather straight forward for a DIYer. Even the EAS. However, a cracked block scares the snot out of me. Why? Because once you need that $7k engine overhaul, you choose toe become a "crazed enthusiast" and sink all of that money, or do the smart thing and part the land rover out and buy a Jeep TJ.

In my dream world, I'm not driving a Jeep TJ, but instead owning two Rovers.

So what say you? Is it stupid to pick up a $3k range with 130k on the clock (assuming it passes the Ultraguage temp test), keep $2k for maintenance and would I be likely to get 70k more out of it?

Or is one Land Rover enough, and I should just pony up $5k for a 4.0L Jeep Cherokee (solid but boring) or a 90's vintage Tahoe (tranny and interior suspect, engine/frame solid)?

 

Maintenance . Dont let the horror storys scare u off. They almost scared me into doing what u suggest.
Just take care of it like u would a truck from the 1970s and it will be fine




QUOTE=99Discovery;424828]Currently, I need a commuter. I'm doing 40 miles round trip in my Disco II. I want to stop putting miles on it so I can justify building it up for Moab trails.

In the meantime, I keep getting drawing to 90's vintage Range Rovers, P38s and the last of the classics. I need a car big enough to survive a cow impact (open range, with deer in the closed range portions), so the gas mileage of the RR is moot since the competition does not get much better.

My budget is around $5k, and luckily, thanks to Land Rover's reputation, Rangies are DIRT cheap. Most of the adds don't mention cooling issues like their fellow discos (all of which nearly need a head gasket by the time they get to the classifieds). The most common complaint in the classifieds is door-locks and sun-roof failures.

So my question is, if I maintain the cooling system, what's the chance I can get 200k out of a rangie without the block cracking?

There is nothing on my Disco or even P38 research that scares me maintenance wise. Everything seems rather straight forward for a DIYer. Even the EAS. However, a cracked block scares the snot out of me. Why? Because once you need that $7k engine overhaul, you choose toe become a "crazed enthusiast" and sink all of that money, or do the smart thing and part the land rover out and buy a Jeep TJ.

In my dream world, I'm not driving a Jeep TJ, but instead owning two Rovers.

So what say you? Is it stupid to pick up a $3k range with 130k on the clock (assuming it passes the Ultraguage temp test), keep $2k for maintenance and would I be likely to get 70k more out of it?

Or is one Land Rover enough, and I should just pony up $5k for a 4.0L Jeep Cherokee (solid but boring) or a 90's vintage Tahoe (tranny and interior suspect, engine/frame solid)?[/QUOTE]

 

I have RRC, D2 & P-38 IMHO the P-38 is a much better day to day commuter vehicle.

I looked for P-38s with stock EAS for a while and found a 99 Gems 4.0 with 80k, for like $3500 it was under $4k with shipping.

So far in the last year it has cost wires, plugs and u-joints, much cheaper than my D2 the first year which had the same miles on it.

Ps. I was told by everyone I asked do not buy a P-38, I must have been one of the lucky ones.

Also EAS parts are pretty cheap if you buy them from someone doing a spring conversation

 

Thanks guys. Nearly every P38 I've seen in Utah (unless it is over $9k) has been converted from air, either because they didn't want maintenance, or wanted a lift for Moab use.


So if "adding it back" isn't too bad, I might look into that, as it'd free up more potential candidates.


What about 180F stats? I really believe the best thing for my disco has been the TD5 180F stat (I never go above 200F, usually 188), but I can't seem to find anything other than an "in-block" conversion that seems to be sketchy considering changes to the rear of the block's cooling passages. Too bad there isn't a plug-and-play solution.


I did sit in a non-running P38 (auction place, dirt cheap). I wouldn't buy that version, but I absolutely loved it. Hoping to join the P38 crowd soon, and quit using the D2 Offroader as a daily..

 

look and wait, and look some more. you want a good one and they all weren't.

 

Thanks Drowssap, and everyone for their help.


I'm building a home at the same time I'm looking, and decided to buy my 750lb gun-safe now (so the contractor can just use a back-hoe and drop it into the basement). It was a scratch-and-ding, so a great deal; however, it still took 1/5 of my P38 budget away!


Looks like I won't be in the market until around May, but next spring I'm hoping to be a happy two-Landy owner!