1999 4.6 HSE. Good buy?

[elbendido]

Hey guys, long time jeep driver, was looking at land cruisers, but.found a 99 range rover with 95k miles for a decent price. Was wondering about the reliability at this mileage. I am an ase certified mechanic, so I can fix it myself, all my experience is with jeep as I've worked for Chrysler for 10 years. Thanks for any advice.
Ben
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[LtFuzz]

Airbags or springs? Probably airbags...

You'll hear from two crowds -- one crowd will tell you the P38 is an underrated truck with overstated reliability issues, the other crowd won't touch that truck with a ten foot pole.

One crowd is bigger than the other. Take a guess which :sombrero:

I will say they have the most comfortable front seats I've ever sat in!

 

[MatthewThompson]

If you're a tech, don't sweat it. It's an emotional decision. Do you like troubleshooting on the weekends after wrenching all week?

 

[dcarr1971]

Airbags or springs? Probably airbags...

You'll hear from two crowds -- one crowd will tell you the P38 is an underrated truck with overstated reliability issues, the other crowd won't touch that truck with a ten foot pole.

One crowd is bigger than the other. Take a guess which :sombrero:

x2
Despite the fact that I love the way they look, I'm in the "...won't touch that truck with a ten foot pole..." group myself. I have a friend who owns an independent Rover shop and who drives a P38 every day. It's a really nice truck, but he steers his friends away from them due to the problems he's seen...

 

[spikemd]

I am in the other camp. I took the plunge and very glad I did. I love the P38. It is the most comfortable SUV I have driven with the EAS (airsprings) still intact.

It definitely has its quirks, but if you are a mechanic, it is easy to work on. There is plenty of information on the web about fixes and common problems to be careful of. Check out rangerover.net and the forum for the P38 to really get an idea. That said, I have also had two audis and a few bimmers and the audis were plagued with more issues than my rangie. It just that people willing to spend $70k for a vehicle demand some reliability. Also, early fixes for the car for EAS or other electrical issues were astronomical costing thousands in repairs. Now, those same repairs can be made for less than $100 if you do them yourself.

I will definitely be an emotional purchase. Go in with the understanding that it will need attention just like any Land Rover.

On the flip side, they are quite capable offroad with solid axles front and rear, 4-wheel traction control from 1999 to 2002, 4.6L V8...

I like mine:

 

[Daktari]

I kept my dad's P38 , had it for 6 years and sold it last year .Was a 1998 4.6 HSE bought from new.

As many people in the thread says ,if you like to make Saturdays....and Sundays work ,is a very good car for that.

My Dad's is a helo pilot ,so he treats cars as planes or helos as he makes a lot of preventive manteinance on the vehicles in general

when i receive the P38 ,had 6 years of lots of trips and 220.000 Km on the clock

from the beginning i replace a few parts ,some of the things that i remember

-ABS accumulator ,as dad explain to me that it has nitrogen or something that cool down the brake pump ,so i replace it ,knowing that the ABS pump assy is a part that has expiration date

-Bladders ,somebody told me that rubber has a lifespan of 6 years .So i replace the 4 (myself ,very easy) the bladders - try to buy Dunlop or continental i think

-EAS compresor ring ,a teflon ring that has the piston .The kit i bought was with the cylinder too

-Fuse box ,and fuses

-New and bigger radiator , matrix heather and thermostat (replace all hoses too)

-Brake disc ,pads and all thing replaceble in the steering

I made all these changes a week after i had the truck ,a month later i made my first 3000 Km trip ,and from then 6 years without problems

No problems of EAS ,no problems of overheating ,except for the roof interior that fell off ,and it was a moving tent

I sold it last year with 460.000 Km on the clock (a week later had a few problems with the oil pump :sombrero: ) the new owner rebulid the engine and is still running

i miss that Range a lot!