IN ASSOCIATION WITH
BUYING AND VALUES
P38s are not expensive to buy, though prices are creeping up for exceptional examples. It’s wise to buy the best you can afford (though best is not necessarily the most expensive). There is cash to be saved by buying at the cheap end of the market with the intention of restoring and fixing, but it’s necessary to research the potential costs of doing this before buying.
Asking prices are currently around a maximum of £10,000 (including Japanese imports) for a well-preserved and maintained example which should be a beautiful vehicle. But expect to pay up to 50 per cent more for exceptional specials including Westminster and Autobiography versions, limited edition Vogues, 50th Anniversary models, rare Holland and Holland versions and specials from Overfinch who, incidentally, produced a seven-seat conversion.
At the opposite end of the market, values fall to around a minimum of £2000 for a running vehicle that can be put into order, with plenty of realistic buys between those extremes.
After spending years in the doldrums, P38 prices for good examples are now slowly rising, while the bad motors are being broken for spares. It has to be remembered that P38s reach a new retail price of almost £60,000, plus optional kit, so this machine cannot be expected to be cheap to run or restore. But, for the money, there’s currently little on the market to beat it on value.
SERVICING AND MODIFICATIONS
Basic servicing is a DIY proposition, though major service work is best entrusted to a specialist, but costs are not excessive given the type of car. For the V8 engines, a 6000 mile oil and filter change is necessary to ensure a long life and efficient running. Camshaft timing on both petrol and diesel engines is chain driven, so there are no cam belt concerns. Parts are easily available including for all engine options. In general, service parts and routine consumable items are surprisingly inexpensive from aftermarket supplies, and that helps to make an already good example affordable to maintain.
There’s a good range of accessories available, too, including underbody protection, roof racks, winches and winch bumpers, raised air intakes, sill protectors and tuning mods such as remapping and the ACR 4.8-litre conversions. Coil spring conversion kits were a common
way of eliminating air suspension gremlins, though originality is gaining importance and a well-maintained air system should be reliable.
For rebuilds and restoration, rear chassis sections, headlining repairs, new interior woodwork and leather repairs are available, as are specialist repairers for complex items such as the BECM. In short, the P38 is as serviceable and almost as modifiable as any other beam-axled Land Rover.
SECURITY
P38 has a sophisticated security system and, while it was at one time plagued with faults relating to the BECM plus outside radio wave interference, these issues have now been rectified, or at least the independent expertise exists to identify and eliminate them.
In recent years the model hasn’t been a target for thieves, mainly due to the rock-bottom values. Even if prices appreciate, mint examples and special editions are not likely to be stolen for their parts and, as classic status develops, those cars will become more known on the enthusiast circuit, making them harder to dispose of. Nevertheless, you can’t have too many thief deterrents, and security accessories and improved systems are readily available.