Matt S

Hi, I'd go for the Td4. Well, actually I have, twice. I had a 2005 model which was bloody great, but I had to sell it to fund other stuff. I then drove round for a year in a series of crapmobiles (Clio/Corsa/Civic - apparently only dull hatchbacks beginning with a C were considered that year... ) then I decided enough was enough and I needed another FL. I bought a 2001 Td4 for comfortably less than £2k, and have been using it pretty hard for about 6 months now. It's just as good to drive as the '05 (which I bought at 2 years old (the car, not me) from a main dealer ) and although I'm not much of a fan of the pre-facelift look, the owning experience isn't really any different. I still get 440 miles from a tank of fuel (about £80-85 quid), still love the driving position and ride/handling combination (yes, I've had better but for what it is it's not bad at all) and still get annoyed at the small boot and cheapo plastics on the dash. Yes, stuff can go wrong but if you have one already you'll know that, and nothing is really that bad (if you have a healthy credit card and a healthier sense of humour). For the question you pose, ie. do you change a petrol FL and a Disco 1 for a diesel freelander, I would say yes, it is probably the ideal compromise. They aren't perfect, but what else would you buy for the money they sell for now? A normal estate car is a possibility, but it's just not a Land Rover and besides, any car can go wrong (just ask my neighbour who swapped a lovely '95 Defender 90 for an Audi A6 tdi estate, a car that is probably best described as 'reassuringly expensive') Out of interest, my father in law ran a '98 L-series diesel for about 5 years, and it was OK but nowhere near as good for towing as the Td4, as it had lots less torque and just felt a lot 'flatter' to drive in general. All just an opinion. Buy the best you can and enjoy! Cheers, Matt

I appreciate this is not the most helpful response, but I needed one a while ago for my '05 Adventurer, and couldn't find one anywhere for sensible money. I gave up after 3 years and sold it without, but I was keeping an eye on the salvage/breakers sites as I reckoned that'd be the best bet. They're everywhere for FL2's though aren't they?!

Here is a short story that helps to answer this question... A few years ago, some local youths with a lifted 1996 Mitsubishi Shogun (snorkel, big wheels, bad-boy attitude...) were sat next to a river in flood. They had refused to take it on. I appeared in my 2005 Freebie Td4 5-door, on the way back from doing some shopping, with the 2 dogs in the boot, to be greeted by said youths with scorn and derision (I wouldn't if I was you...' and 'Is that thing even four wheel drive'). Sort of by accident (but a bit on purpose, because they were knobbers) I took the Td4 through said flowing river, where the depth gauge said 2ft+ (600mm-ish). Anyway, pathetic male pride and all that, me and my Freebie properly went for it. I needed the wipers to clear the water coming up over the bonnet and up the windscreen, and it did get a bit interesting using lots of rpm to do about 10mph, but we got through, without floating or any other problems. I probably wouldn't recommend it, unless you are being heckled by teenagers, but it didn't do any harm and it cemented everything I'd hoped about owning a Land Rover. The official 400mm wading depth is very very safe... (Important PS: never drive through rivers in flood, it can be very dangerous - in this case I knew the route very well and took a chance which paid off - I still have nightmares about what might have happened... I raise this as an example of what the Freelander can do, not what it should...) Hope this helps in some way... Matt

Hi Stu, Reckon the Freelander has got to be a better bet than the X-type. With a decent 54(ish) plate the Freebie should be pretty reliable, and though I will admit I know nothing much about the Jag (other than some are 4x4), my mate had a recent diesel Mondeo estate and it was a lot of trouble, and eventually died, horribly expensively. I actually really like the look of the X-type, but why wouldn't you get a Subaru? Yes, the fuel economy won't be anywhere near as good, but the reputation and reliability of the Sube would get my vote for a 'normal' car. If, however, as you say, your Dad is after a 4x4, and your Mum wants to sit up properly, then with a Freebie you can go properly off road, tow 2 tons, look at Range Rover drivers eye-to-eye (nearly), and it has a character that really befits the 'green oval'. It would be my choice, even though I have a strong desire for a Subaru Legacy.

Hello, It's been a while since I've posted, because back last February I sold my Freelander (2005 Td4) as it was the only thing I had that was worth anything, and I needed to spend money on the endless pit that is my house. It was replaced by a 1.2 Corsa, which was replaced 2 months later by a Renaultsport Clio 172 (which scratched a bit of a performance itch in a juvenile kind of a way...). Both replacements were, to put it mildly, carp. The Freelander is a brilliant car that is maligned by those who don't 'get' them. Chosen carefully (see forum for advice...) they are very capable, honest, and practical vehicles. The Clio got sold a few weeks ago, since when I've mostly made do with borrowing my wife's Focus estate. That's a TDCi, so it's quite nice. But unfortunately the Freelander itch is back, because I'm currently borrowing a 2001 Td4 and I want one all over again. Soooo, I'm putting my (very limited) money where my mouth is, and I'm buying an S plate 2.0 diesel with 130000+ miles on it. Even I think I might be a bit mad, and I love the things... Still, it has a full service history, new VCU, brakes and tyres and is very cheap so it might be OK (all fingers, toes and everything else crossed). The point I'm making is that it is a bit of a leap of faith, buying one of these things, even for the faithful such as me. But if you do it right, and do your homework first, you should end up happy. I say this as in the last 8 or 9 years my extended family has had 7 Freelanders between us (all diesel), and still have 3 now (though one is a Freelander 2, which is a different beast altogether) so I've been around a few, and they've all been reliable and done what they should, when they should. Apart from when my 2005 model wouldn't start in the snow last year, but that was the battery. Could have happened to anyone Get a good one and you'll love it... good luck!

Hi, I've had my 2005 (55) Td4 for 3 years now, and done 40k in that time (now on 79k miles). Mine came from a main dealer with 12 month LR warranty and cost £9.9k back then! I also got a very good p/x at the time. It's not a Sport, or an auto, admittedly (I didn't want that spec) and while I don't want to pour cold water on your plans, the one you've seen seems a bit pricey to me, even with the warranty - the recent weather has helped dealer prices it would seem... Reliability wise, I had the fuel pump replaced under warranty in 2008, the rear wiper mechanism replaced under warranty in 2008, new glow plugs in 2010 and a new starter motor last year as well. Not bad in 3 years, but not perfect since the starter motor decided to go just as the snow fell, on a Sunday morning at 6am a week before Christmas! The thing is, I used to change my cars a lot because I get bored of them easily but every time I drive the Freelander I love it. It's got me out of some tricky situations (flood water over the bonnet, deep snow when all else was stuck etc) and still just goes on like a 'normal' car. I get 37-39mpg however I drive it, and I think it still looks great. Every time I think of changing it for something else, I can't ever come up with anything other than a Freelander 2, which I can't afford. As for leaving the world of VW/Audi, I have had several VW's and 2 recent Skodas, as well as a Merc and a BMW (and an MG Maestro once as well - less nice) and the Freelander is probably not as tactile as those (except the Maestro), and the attention to detail is noticeably less than on other vehicles, with odd mixes of plastics on the dash and prehistoric Rover 200 switchgear, but it feels solidly built, with proper engineering where it matters. I've even got 2 of the original tyres on it (Michelin Synchrones, can't get them any more which is a pity because 79k miles out of a tyre - still with 3mm left - isn't too shoddy...) Overall, I highly recommend the vehicle and would have another without hesitation. If you can squeeze a better deal out of the garage and you've found one you like, why not? Good luck!

Thanks very much - looks like I'll be going for a set soon then! (nice pic too...) Cheers, Matt

Hi all, Sorry to resurrect an old post, but rather than start a new one for a similar topic... Does anyone have experience of using 215/65 16 General Grabber AT2's? These are the standard 16 inch wheel tyre size, so should be no problems there, but what about wear rate, noise, on/off road performance etc? I want to replace my Michelin Synchrones with a set of these, but before I spend the best part of 400 quid I thought I'd just ask for some opinions as the Michelins have been brilliant, but are no longer available. Apparently the AT2's will be superseded next year by a new tyre as well, but I like the look of them and fancy a change to a more aggressive tread pattern . Cheers, Matt

Hi, Yep, still the same Td4 engine. 2006 will mean you are looking at the last of the Freelander 1's, the durability of the VCU and IRD are said to be vastly improved on these later versions, certainly not had any problems on my 2005 model which is now on 77000 miles (hopefully not famous last words ) Cheers, Matt

Hi, Not quite sure how useful this will be, but here goes... My brother in law has a Freelander 2, one of the first (on a 56 plate), which he's had since new. There were early teething problems (nothing major) but it has been excellent since. I have a 55 plate Freelander 1 on 72000 miles which has also been superb for the 2 1/2 years I've had it, and the only thing I would want to replace it with is an F2. Incidentally I recently drove an F2 off road at the Land Rover Experience, and would highly recommend it to you before purchase - it will give you a very thorough test of how comfy it is, and will probably surprise you at how good it is in the rough stuff. As far as £18k goes, they are definitely around for that kind of money with small mileage (Land Rover were selling new ones for £19.5k earlier this year), but it will depend what spec you're after. Just one thing... it will probably feel pretty slow after the Type-R... Good luck.

It'll be worth the wait Sounds like a very nice vehicle, have fun with it (and get it properly muddy...) Matt

'if the "tightness" is a charactoristic feeling of the car, does it result in going through back tyres like they're going out of fashion?' Well...I did have to get a new tyre last year, and used the (unused) spare, but seeing as the ones they replaced had done 60k miles I didn't think that was too bad (Michelin Synchrone's, don't make 'em any more apparently.) That's all I've bought in my 30k miles, tyre-wise. Not too bad?? As for off road, mine never fails to surprise me with what it can do. You're right, it's no 90, but then you can do 100mph and nearly 40mpg (although not at the same time ) whilst listening to the stereo in lots of comfort, and when was the last time you saw a 90 that could do that? And yes, I'd love a 90 - but it wouldn't suit what I use my vehicle for, whereas the FL is pretty damn good. Horses for courses and all that...

Hmmm. When I got my 2005 FL, 2 1/2 years ago, I read lots of scary things about transmission failure and dire problems with almost everything. So much so that when I reversed across some gravel on full lock in my works car park and felt a 'tightness', I thought sh**, it's broken. Expense. Except that that was nearly 30,000 miles ago, and it still feels exactly the same (at 70,000 miles). I just got used to it, and came to realise that it just feels different to other vehicles. I still think if your parts were worn then they probably needed replacing, but don't worry about the new bits - I think it's just a characteristic of the vehicle. Enjoy it, don't worry!!

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