ancientcameraman

Hi, Just thought I would chip on this one. I was in a similar position as martin t, looking to buy my first Freelander 18 months ago. As has been mentioned all of the usual faults can be found on these pages and it certainly helped me to ask a few sensible questions and look in the right places. I purchased an 03 Kalahari TD4 from a local small specialist with 130K miles for £2300 that reputedly drove as " they should", obviously being new to Freelanders I couldn't judge this accurately. Although there was little history other than a couple of ancient bills from a main dealer she drove cleanly and quietly and was remarkably presentable. I am not worried by high mileage if everything is hanging together nicely. In the last 18months I have done 18k miles with little or no trouble. I did have a complete service (every job listed in the Haynes manual service section up to 60000 miles) performed after 3 months of ownership by my usual mechanic. As commented the notional warranty from the dealer is largely worthless unless your vehicle blows up on the way back from its initial purchase, my enquiry about a couple of points was met with a " what do you expect" approach - which at this sort of price is probably fair. Other than the above service I have had to replace the front discs and pads, I could see the discs where about run out when I made the purchase so carried on until the pads practically met ! The lack of hill descent was tracked down to a broken wire under the gear shift gaiter. A new rear diff oil seal was also required - this took 3 trips back to local specialist ! ( Not so special maybe) In terms of advice/observation I can say that I get about 44mpg providing I don't have to spend too long on the motorway keeping up with the flow, taking the prop off (the vcu has started to fail) doesn't really add to the fuel efficiency and you do feel less planted on the road. ( I will re-instate 4wd at some point) The sunroof did work in a very leisurely fashion but I have taken the advice and shut it and taken the fuse out. Having 17" wheels is fine for the road but get a spare set of something smaller for some less expensive and more competent off road rubber. I think I have stopped the water accumulating in the rear tool box but have learned to only drop the tailgate glass if desperate as it has come adrift from the lifting mechanism twice and its an irritating job to do in the dark in a carpark if your in a hurry! There are a few clonks from underneath and no doubt a couple of joints will be required for the next mot. The handbrake isn't brilliant despite a couple of strip downs. My circumstances have changed since getting the car, so my limited off road use is now virtually nil hence the lack of importance of a vcu replacement but I am reluctant to part with her, - there is something about "Freelandering" Cheers

Thanks for the input gentlemen, weather permitting she will be on the ramps next weekend for a proper inspection and a plan of works scheduled ! I also found out today that I will need to budget for that spare set of wheels with more aggressive tyres and a new pressure washer, a very tame trundle along some of the by-ways on Salisbury Plain earlier today( ok there was an excursion or two onto a couple of side tracks) showed the limitations of the road rubber and had me unblocking the drain on the drive by hand ! Sill Smiling Tho

Good Afternoon All, I have recently purchased my first Freelander, an 03 TD4 with 130k miles. She does indeed drive and run very well with no knocks or bangs from the drivetrain. The history is pretty good re engine service etc and she appears to have been well cared for and has not been used for towing. Having done some research before buying I am aware that a few items are likely to be reaching their end of life assuming they have been replaced at their usual interval or may be way overdue. It would also appear that for the last couple of years she has been on very gentle duties. My off road aspirations are pretty modest, a set of more aggressive rubber will probably suffice at this stage, I am thinking that before I start to stress any of these components to any great extent I should renew the items most likely to fail with age or sudden stress ! I am thinking : viscous coupling, prop bearing and supports, suspension bushes (all look rather old and perished) with poly ones. Is that the right order to work through my list (not enough budget to hit it all at once plus I will be doing the work myself) and should I have other items in mind ? Secondly I am negotiating for a cosmetically damaged, engine blown 1.8 face lift 04, for the wheels and tyres but I can I assume that most of the mechanicals are the same as my earlier version ? I fancy being able to re-bush the suspension arms ready to install another day. Thank You