Howling Mad Murdock Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 First of all thanks to everyone who helped with pointing me in the right direction in my other post. I have a Freelander 1 lined up, 53 plate, 120k on the clock, 1.8 petrol, 5 door, priced at £550 for quick sale. He's local and my boss knows him well so he's not a rip off merchant. I know the "propshaft bearings" have been done recently and it says in the add "4wd is now as it should be along with hill descent" (he says he has receipts). New tyres fitted 5k ago. Not sure of the exact model (waiting to hear from him and haven't viewed it closely yet). From the pics the engine bay is pretty clean apart from some flaky paint on the bulkhead. Interior looks ok but some wear to the leather. If the Mrs gets really fussy I'll just buy seats for £150 on eBay. He says I can test drive it as I please, he says nothing to hide. He's selling as he has bought a FL2. It has some minor scratches on the passenger side but I can have them sorted with the money I will save on trade price, otherwise the paintwork is a very deep gleaming black and you can see your face in it. I will have around £1k to play with after purchase so some questions... Paintwork gets priority due to much salt in the sea air here but am I looking for specific corrosion spots on the FL1? (My 206 has 2 notorious ones). Do FL2 alloys go straight on the FL1? I have seen a set cheap that are very nice and will store the other set. Regarding the flaky paint on the bulkhead (just being fussy), would you say sand it off and replace with heat resistant paint? Faded plastic trim going grey. Would you try something like bottled plastic treatment of have it painted? Where do I find a bar that goes between the factory fitted roof bars that I can mount lights on? Side steps, I've seen them starting at around £130. This is a must as my Mrs and her mother are midgets and without them I will have to carry step ladders for them.Do they cost much to fit? Light guards front and rear, any ideas on where to shop for them? Chunky mudflaps. Good or bad idea? The Peugeots suffer bad from salt sprayed up from the front wheels so I'm looking at avoiding corrosion. Factory fitted speakers. Can they cope with a 200w stereo at full chat? I am a Motorhead fan and guitarist so pretty deaf hence play it very loud. HID headlights. Good or bad idea bearing in mind I will be using a lot of unlit roads in the middle of nowhere? I've seen the rubber nudge bars. Are they worth fitting? The switches on the driver console, where can I get some to trigger auxiliary lights? At the end of the day £550 seems a good deal. I have also been offered a TD4 that's a year older and same mileage for £995 from a local garage but the MoT length etc is the same so why pay £445 more for an older car just for a valet that I can done myself? Unless you guys can justify the extra money on the TD4 I'll go with the £550 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrycol Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 I would always buy a TD4 over a 1.8 petrol grenade. However are you sure it is a TD4 and not an L series - I thought the 1.8 was phased out moving to the V6 when the TD4 replaced the L series. The 1.8 engine is prone to major heating issues caused by the poor design of the thermostat - caused head gasket and slipped liner issues - there were mods that only some times fixed the issues - the one saving grace is that the car you are looking at is 17-20 years and it is still running so that is something. In Aust 1.8s have no value and cannot be given away but I guess it is different there. So check the engine out thoroughly - and I mean thoroughly, check the VCU is working and check the IRD is not making any noises. If it were me - I would pay the extra and go the TD4. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 I've had a 1.8 and a TD4, the TD4 is more bulletproof and a bit more economical BUT as you've spotted the 1.8's have a bad reputation and are therefore much cheaper. To be honest, any 1.8 still running should be fine as most either died a while ago or got the fixes done. With the fixes done properly they're cracking little engines (same as the early Lotus Elise) and you can get a bargain. If I was towing I might favour the TD4 but for zipping about the 1.8 is great, and as you say it's half price. FL2 alloys don't fit FL1, and pre-td4 alloys don't fit post-td4 vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howling Mad Murdock Posted June 23, 2017 Author Share Posted June 23, 2017 Cheers guys. I've taken the advice given previously on here and for £550 it's a bargain. It looks the part, I know it's been looked after as the guy likes his Freelanders and my mechanic is going to check it over properly for me. It's got a year's test on it so if all else fails I'll keep it a year and get rid, if I like it as much as I think I will it'll be done up very nicely. It gets delivered in the morning and one quick spin around the block will tell me how much I like it. Fair dues, £550 for a 4x4 with a year's MoT is not to be sniffed at. I'll see how it goes at first before I throw my money at it but in reality I can't see any real problems with it after the advice I have been given. Once I've had it cleaned and valeted I'll post some pics. And I'll post some before and after pics when I get it done up. Thanks again guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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