russdix Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Hello. I had been pondering for a while about changing my 2000 (Y) Scenic for a freelander.which would be used a runaround, covering about 100 miles per week + driving holidays in lake district once or twice a year, so nothing really heavy. Having seen them out and about they look great on the road having a really solid road presence. My interest then went a stage further as i started peering through the windows of parked up freebies taking in the cabin space, trim levels, equipment etc.I then went further still by comparing road tax, ringing my insurance company for a ball park quote, reading reviews on tinternet and so on. The other day i was fortunate to be handed the keys to a 1.8 by a trainee on one of my courses, in order i have a "spin" in it and see what i thought. Well, that did it for me, i am smitten, bitten by the freebie bug. My latest stage in this addiction was to join this forum and "gen up" on which model to go for which up to now given the 1.8`s CHG curse is the 2.0 TD4, with the best service history, highest spec and newest plate allowed by my budget (approx 6k + trade in for scenic) I appreciate that most of the posters in this forum are posting because thay have problems with their beast but surely there must be an equal if not greater amount of users who don`t post and have a preety much trouble-free experience. I know what a spanner is and what it does but that's about the limit of my mechanical expertise and i don`t particularly want to line my local mechanic`s or LR dealer's pockets unnecessarily. So now i have a quandry which only you lovely people in cyberspace can help me with. How reliable actually ARE the freelanders, Do i bite the bullet and get a freelander or do i go for something else more reliable and seek counselling for my addiction. Please help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsetfreelander Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Well I am on on my third Freelander. First was a X reg 1.8 (company car) which sure enough blew its head gasket and wore rear tyres out quickly(can't remember the mileage). Second was a 52 reg TD4 manual which did 82K miles without any problems. Current one is a 04 reg TD4 auto which now has 55k miles and hasn't had any problems so far (apart from wearing out pads and discs more quickly but it's an auto). All had been properly serviced at the correct intervals. Build quality of the TD4 versions (built when BMW were running things) was clearly better. Would I have another ? Probably yes, the new Freelander - is a nice car but to me it just looks too big (and it's got a Ford transit engine in it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llanigraham Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Im on my second. First was an L series diesel that I part-ex'd for a Td4. In total I've probably done over 100k miles in them both, and am now considering buying an FL2. For the mileages you are doing buy a diesel. One of the things that "kills" the 1.8 is short journeys. The Freelander is really no worse than any other second hand car; yes some will have problems, but then you could be buying a Toyota!! No car is ever perfect, so do what you want to do, buy a Freelander and have FUN!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russdix Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 Thanks for that. How much freelander will 6k get me? Could i get away with spending less and still get a good TD4 (5DR)? Any other tips?? cheeors ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono123 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Go on get one, they have their problems but dont we all? You will have a good time if you get a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russdix Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 I am admittedly sold on the idea, especially after reading some of the more positive posts on this site and recieving some encouragement from the posters above. Does anyone have any suggestions on convincing the other half that a freelander is an essential addition to the household???? Cheeors ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt S Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Hi, I am on my first Freelander, a 2005 '55' plate 5dr Td4 which I bought just over 2 years ago to replace a BMW 3 series. Having had it for around 25,000 miles now, I wouldn't be without it. It's proved itself time after time, in floods, snow and a bit of greenlaning. It has been the most reliable car I have ever had (it is my 17th - lots of makes including Mercedes, VW, Nissan, Skoda and the BMW). I would recommend one without hesitation. Your budget should get a facelift Td4 (53 plate onwards), but bear in mind that prices have actually gone up recently (maybe due to the weather??). 'Bad' points I think are pretty limited; slightly crappy interior - the dashboard is made from about 10 different types of plastic that don't quite match; small boot; and quite pricey to service. None of which detracts from the overall ownership experience - it has loads of all-round ability, and lots of charm. Add to that 37mpg, ability to cruise happily at 80mph in comfort and a Land Rover badge and it's hard to think of anything else to get. If your experience is anything like mine has been, you won't be disappointed. Good luck Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russdix Posted February 12, 2010 Author Share Posted February 12, 2010 Had a look round the local used car dealers and trawled the interwebnet for TD4`s within my budget local to my home and it seems that either my search criteria is too stringent or 53-55 plate 5dr TD4`s are as rare as peacock eggs. LR dealerships seem expensive in comparison to others, is that because i will get a superb aftersales service along with an excellent, well serviced, vehicle for my money with a second-to-none warranty package or are they just expensive because they carry the green oval? Where i live borders a huuuge rural area (Northumberland) so i would have thought there would be a few freebies about. (not that i`m stereotyping rural inhabitants, of course) Could it be that the recent weather conditions have caused an upsurge in 4wd popularity??, or could i just be looking in the wrong places or indeed not looking hard enough?? Maybe i should put my search on hold and see what`s out there in 2-3 months time. Any comments/suggestions would be welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt S Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 You're right to say that prices are stronger at the moment - I took mine to a local independent land rover specialist to look at a Discovery (before deciding that I really don't need a Discovery) and though we didn't get into actual figures, the seller did say that prices have gone up considerably and that I would get a good p/x price for mine. Now he might just have been trying to flog the Disco, but looking at used Freelanders they do seem pricier than last year. Partly this is probably to do with the weather, and the fact that the whole car tax thing (where 4x4's initially seemed to be getting a hammering) has actually worked quite well in favour of the Freelander (£215 a year is still bad enough, but not the £400+ of others). All that said, if you are prepared to travel you'll find the right vehicle. I have just had a quick look on Autotrader and among many many others there's a 56,000 mile '55' plate Td4 5 dr for £6200, a couple of 50-odd thousand mile '04' plates for around £6300 etc etc. Don't know if these are any good, but it shows that they are out there. Mine did come from a LR main dealer, partly because they gave me an excellent trade-in price for the BMW, and partly because the stock was much better than local garages. You do pay a bit more I'm sure, but the warranty was useful, with no quibbles or arguments about what is and isn't covered (I used it twice - once when the fuel pump failed and once when the back windscreen wiper went a bit funny). Plenty of users of this forum seem to have problems with their vehicles so might be a consideration. I will admit that the current LR stock looks pretty feeble at 2 vehicles nationally under £8k though!! As far as waiting a couple of months goes to see what prices do, I guess they will drop when the weather warms up and everyone forgets that ordinary cars don't do snow Like I said before, if you do decide to go for it I don't think you'll regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russdix Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share Posted February 15, 2010 Thanks very much for the replies to this post. I have found them both informative and reassuring. For me, aquiring a new (old) vehicle is a big financial decision so the information on this post and indeed the whole forum has been very helpful. It`s also good to hear about owners's good experiences, as all too often people will concentrate on on the bad news. Then again if it wasn`t for people airing their woes with the freelander others wouldn`t learn from them. I will post again in the near future as and when i acquire a freelander, no doubt there will be someone to help me through any problems which i may (or hopefully may not) encounter. Many thanks once again and keep up the good work here at LR4x4 !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason110 Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 dont know if you have seen this in the for sale section! http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=52901 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon_CSK Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 You're right to say that prices are stronger at the moment - I took mine to a local independent land rover specialist to look at a Discovery (before deciding that I really don't need a Discovery) and though we didn't get into actual figures, the seller did say that prices have gone up considerably and that I would get a good p/x price for mine. Now he might just have been trying to flog the Disco, but looking at used Freelanders they do seem pricier than last year. Partly this is probably to do with the weather, and the fact that the whole car tax thing (where 4x4's initially seemed to be getting a hammering) has actually worked quite well in favour of the Freelander (£215 a year is still bad enough, but not the £400+ of others). All that said, if you are prepared to travel you'll find the right vehicle. I have just had a quick look on Autotrader and among many many others there's a 56,000 mile '55' plate Td4 5 dr for £6200, a couple of 50-odd thousand mile '04' plates for around £6300 etc etc. Don't know if these are any good, but it shows that they are out there. Mine did come from a LR main dealer, partly because they gave me an excellent trade-in price for the BMW, and partly because the stock was much better than local garages. You do pay a bit more I'm sure, but the warranty was useful, with no quibbles or arguments about what is and isn't covered (I used it twice - once when the fuel pump failed and once when the back windscreen wiper went a bit funny). Plenty of users of this forum seem to have problems with their vehicles so might be a consideration. I will admit that the current LR stock looks pretty feeble at 2 vehicles nationally under £8k though!! As far as waiting a couple of months goes to see what prices do, I guess they will drop when the weather warms up and everyone forgets that ordinary cars don't do snow Like I said before, if you do decide to go for it I don't think you'll regret it. On my third freelander Fist one a V6 blew head gasket and needed new engine. Second a TD4 Auto did 55K in 2.5 years from new and traded in for a FL2 Auto both great machines and no complaints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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