Hello everyone,
Me and my father currently have an 88 Range Rover classic and we want to do some modifications to make it easier to live with (street tires, lowering ride height, etc), but we're wondering if it's worth it to put that money into it or just switch over to a P38. Unfortunately, we have no experience at all with P38s so it's hard for us to accurately judge if we'd like it. We made this post in the hopes that someone around the Westchester/NYC area with a P38 would be willing to let us see it up close or maybe even ride in it so we can compare it to the classic. Nevertheless, we'd appreciate any information comparing the P38 and the classic from people with experience with both. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help, I really appreciate it.

P.S. I know this looks slightly suspicious because it's my first post from a new account, hopefully the pic helps a little, but if there's anything I can do to prove I'm legit, please let me know.
Thanks again

 

I'd keep the Classic far more reliable and you can order the stock bits new or used to get it back where you want to be.

 

Army Rover’s advice might be the best but I really like my P38. You could sell your RRC, put all the money into buying a P38 and fixing any issues and have money left over. Used parts aren’t difficult or expensive to get. The P38 on air suspension is a dream. On the highway it lowers and handles very well. Off road you get a 2” lift at the push of a button and the air suspension does a very good job of keeping the tires firmly on the ground. I have a Disco 2 and a GEMS P38. The P38 is a much better vehicle but it takes more work to keep it in perfect order. If I had to choose one over the other it would be a very difficult choice.

 

I have a 1997 Discovery and a 2001 RR (still on air suspension).

They both have their issues but the Disco is a far more simple vehicle. The P38 introduces a bunch more electronic bits that can be trouble. And of course no P38 is without problems with the EAS (air suspension) at some point.

My choice would be to stick to the devil that you know. Every used car has unseen wounds that you will find out about the hard way.

 

Agreed about the simplicity of the Disco and the complexity of the P38. As I said the P38 is a much better vehicle, but if I had to choose between the two, simplicity might win.

 

Hey everyone,
Sorry I've been afk for so long, I've had a crazy week and so has the rest of the world. Thanks to everyone for all your advice and info. From what I can tell, if I switch to the P38, I gain better handling, more comfort, and more power at the cost of reliability. All of the pros are exactly what I'd like to change about the classic; we've considered an engine swap for power, suspension and tires for handling and tire noise, and putting on the front air dam for wind noise. All of these modifications would be expensive and would probably still not be as good as the P38. To be clear, the classic is perfectly adequate up to 50 mph, but after that the play in the steering, body roll, lack of power, and noise start to become very noticeable since we use it on curvy and hilly high speed roads often. We want a car that we can comfortably use for both weekend fun and as a commuter every now again. The P38 sounds like it could do that, but I want to be sure I know what I'm getting into. From what I've read, if I switch out the air bags on the P38 for conventional suspension, and get the special diagnostic machine for it, I should be able to deal with faults such as the climate control servos, sensors, automatic locking, etc. I would appreciate any info on other faults that commonly pop up and any advice on my situation in general. Thanks again for all the info I really appreciate it.

 

Most of the air suspension issues are caused by leaks on 20-25 year old parts, not electronics. It took me a while to sort mine out, but the P38 EAS system is phenomenal. I’ve only had mine to 160kmh, but it drives like a dream. I love my Disco as well, but it deteriorates the faster you go above 110kmh. I understand why people switch to coils, but I think the EAS is worth keeping. It’s very good off road as well. You get a 2” lift at the push of a button and the air does a really good job of keeping the tires on the ground.

 

I was actually considering leaving them on because of what you were saying. I'm going to look into the maintenance of the system some more and see how bad it is. About how long does it last without problems after you replaced the 20 year old parts?

 

The air springs should last 15 years, they’re cheaper than coils and much easier to replace. I would recommend Dunlop which are the ones LR used as original equipment. The valve body will also need new seals which are also cheap and easy to replace. You will at some point need a diagnostic device that covers P38’s. Ideally a Nanocom from Black Box Solutions, but they aren’t cheap (worth it in my opinion). Other options would include RSW Solutions which has a free download for very good EAS only diagnostics that you connect to a computer. He has a diagram to build your own harness. RSW also sells an upgraded version which does more systems than just EAS and comes with the harness. When I bought mine it was under $200. I’ve had my P38 for 4 1/2 years and so far it’s done everything I’ve needed diagnostics for. After I bought my Disco 2 I also bought a Nanocom Evolution as it covers both vehicles.
Hopefully this info is helpful.

 

All of that info is very helpful, thank you so much for taking the time to share it with me. Thanks in part to your opinions, I believe we are going to switch over to the P38, but first we have to sell the Classic. I think the only thing that would stop is from getting a P38 would be if we couldn't get a good price for the classic, but I doubt that'll be an issue. Of course I'd love to hear more opinions if anyone else stumbles upon the thread. Regardless, thanks again for the help.