The diesels are totally gutless, unless you have them chipped. The 4.6s drive OK but are prone to slipping liners and porous blocks. The 4.0s are probably about the best compromise.
If you're buying a V8 at around 100,000 miles, be prepared to buy a new engine before long... A fairly large number of them don't last beyond this mileage. I bought mine with 115,000 miles on the clock, but it had had a completely new engine at 97,000, like many others. This is not cheap.
In a nutshell, you want to check:
- Air suspension system - this is fault-prone and can be very expensive to fix - best bet is if you can find one which has already had the work done (like mine when I sold it)
- Electrical gremlins - test everything and if possible have a long test drive to see if anything odd is going on
- Get it on Testbook or Rovacom and see what faults have been logged
- If you're buying an HSE, check all the numerous and expensive motors in the seats, mirrors etc
- Check the gearbox is behaving properly - changing up/down properly, not clunking etc
- Look out for odd engine behaviour (like loss of power) which could be caused by things like a dodgy crank sensor or mass air flow meter (the MAF meter is about £400 to replace)
- Rust at the tailgate lower hinge area (under the plastic, if it hasn't already broken off)
- If you're buying one with lpg, check the emissions to see if the injectors are caput (mine were, cost about £1300 to solve)
Also, take a look at Andy Cunningham's site at
http://www.p38a.co.ukGood luck - you'll need it! These are great cars *if* you can find one that works and have a well-padded wallet to keep it that way. Personally I am glad I went back to a Disco!
