P38 4.0SE M plate..Is it cheap

[Discotel]

Hi guys, I have been offered an M plate 4.0 SE, M plate...Its got 119K on it, looks clean enough and everything works on it. Tow pack full leather and full history up to 105K....dark grey colour...can have it for £3000

Is that a good price

Terry

[thermidorthelobster]

Yes, it is a good price.  If it looks in reasonable nick, you might get a bargain, but be aware that the V8s do have problems eg with porous blocks and slipping liners, although it's usually the 4.6s.  I'd be suspicious at that money that there's something majorly wrong with it;  or there could be some fiddly fault which you could fix and have a good motor.

Be aware that however cheap it is to buy, it's still a £60K car as far as servicing and maintenance goes.

[Discotel]

Hi mate, the guy I am buying it from is a mate, I have known him about 10 years and he has had it about 6 months, he sells cars and did not bother to advertise it as he liked it so much...I have asked him to be honest about any probs and he has told me its all ok...no warning lights or anything on the dash, I know I need to watch out for the air suspesion..What else can I do except take a mates word really..

Terry

P.S  How much is a service on this then..?

[Grant]

Thats what they go for at auction. Make sure it doesnt lose any coolant, gearbox works fine in low range etc. I bought a 4.0 cheap a few years back and rad clogged up causing the engine to overheat & slip a liner. The blend motors, heater o-rings, condenser and a few other parts packed up as well- what was a cheap motor suddenly became very expensive! Not trying to scare you, just check it thoroughly so you dont make the same mistake!

I recently bought another p38, it cost a fair bit more to buy but its worked out much less over time... buy cheap, buy twice & all that!

After buying i'd go through it & replace the rad, stat, hoses etc if they havent been already to make sure the engine doesnt overheat.

Good luck!

[Grant]

I know I need to watch out for the air suspesion

P.S  How much is a service on this then..?

The basics- oil changes (should do this every 6k at least) etc are easy to do yourself on the early models... phone around the specialists & see what they charge for big services

I wouldnt worry about the EAS- rebuild kits for the main components are pretty cheap. Air springs wear out & cost about £60 a corner. Yours will no doubt need doing- change them before the fail. light cracking around the bottoms is a give away

www.rangerovers.net

[Range Rover Blues]

One thing that causes slipped liners is that the auto box holds high gears too long, it causes uneven heating of the cylinder wall (as well as knocking) so if you are towing drop it into 3rd manually on long drags and don't be frightened of revving the engine.

[Grant]

One thing that causes slipped liners is that the auto box holds high gears too long, it causes uneven heating of the cylinder wall (as well as knocking) so if you are towing drop it into 3rd manually on long drags and don't be frightened of revving the engine.

sport mode does the job when approaching very steep hills as well- stops it slogging up at 2000rpm

[barnhill4x4]

One thing that causes slipped liners is that the auto box holds high gears too long, it causes uneven heating of the cylinder wall (as well as knocking) so if you are towing drop it into 3rd manually on long drags and don't be frightened of revving the engine.

sport mode does the job when approaching very steep hills as well- stops it slogging up at 2000rpm

  Thats what I do as soon as there is a steep hill infront of me. Makes it a lot easier to get up yhe hill, Without sportmode the car feels like its struggling

[agent006]

One thing that causes slipped liners is that the auto box holds high gears too long

Allegedly why the 4.6 suffers more with slipped liners is due to the different gearbox programming.  4.0 will shift down earlier in the same curcumstances compared to a 4.6.

[thermidorthelobster]

I've also heard, don't hammer them when they're cold.  Legend has it the police had lots of trouble with theirs, because they'd typically leap in them, start them up and hoon it off somewhere at high speed.  Slipping liners aplenty.