Buying a Freelander.

[Jase71]

Hi. I know you might be bored with this question but I'll bore you again with it.

I'm thinking of buying a Freelander and don't know a great deal about them.

I've been told to buy something else because "they always break down!" But I don't believe that!!

Plus I don't like anything else other than The Land Rover Brand.

I have about £7k to spend. And I like my Gizmos and Toys on a car.

Also been told to look at the Face Lift model in Td4 sport form as this is the one to go for.

Is this the case?

Look forward to Anyones comments. Thanks Jase.

[Litch]

If you like toys & gizmos on a car don't bother with a Freelander, even the HSE is sparten in that department!

My wife's 06 TD4 HSE has powershot operation only on the drivers window (what about all the others?), no trip-computer, no exernal thermometer, manually switched electrically folding mirrors, no remote opening & closing of the windows, no auto wipe, no auto dipping rear-view mirror, no cruise control (option) yet a sunroof on a vehicle with air-conditioning and horrible cheap plastic trim.

As someone once correctly commented, reminds me of my old Rover Metro in many ways!

Buy the vehicle and enjoy ownership but don't expect it to be as well appointed as a premium car of similar value.

With regards to reliability there is some truth but a lot of ill-informed rumor in what you have heard.

The 1.8 petrols are not a great engine, my wife had one in her MGF and twice it had the head done (under warranty luckily) but if you get one that has had the latest conversion carried out it 'should' be ok as long as you keep and eye on the water-level (like every other day).

The TD4 is reputed to be a good engine (hope so) but there are plenty of niggling things across the vehicle to try your paitence. In our case I think most of these are down to lack of use and very poor yet expensive main-dealer servicing. Check all the switches work and that the transmission is ok, then give it a service youself so you know that it is all up to date, take no notice of a stamped service-book or promises from a dealer that they have 'given it a thorough going over and service'.

[Jase71]

Thanks for the reply. I think we'll be going for the Td4 for deffo.

As for Toys and stuff I was thinking on the lines of Elec windows, Parking sensors and Heated Windscreen. Lol.

Don't want to get too comfy in a car or I'd be sleeping in it.

[Challo]

I would steer clear of the Freelander if i was you.

I had one for a couple of years and it went wrong a lot.

Also the bits aren't cheap.

I have now got a proper Land Rover and am chuffed 15 months on.

Oh yes it breaks down but when it does its a lot cheaper to fix.

Hope this helps

Chris

[Jase71]

Ta for that. I'd love a Defender 90 bur I need something to take "The Folks" out in too. Or there would of been one of them sitting on my drive a long time ago.

[Litch]

I would steer clear of the Freelander if i was you.

I had one for a couple of years and it went wrong a lot.

Also the bits aren't cheap.

I have now got a proper Land Rover and am chuffed 15 months on.

Oh yes it breaks down but when it does its a lot cheaper to fix.

Hope this helps

Chris

That's not really a helpfull statement but I am guessing that with the quip about getting 'a real Landrover' you are actually just after a reaction.

They don't all break down (especially if maintained correctly) and I haven't found parts to be any more expensive than any other vehicle, certainly servicing parts are cheaper than they were for the Saab which the Freelander replaced and so much more of it is DIY without the need for diognostic checks / resetting.

I am a firm believer that a poor Landrover experience is down to poor maintenance whether that be prior to or during ownership. In my experience if you stick to servicing schedules (or make them more frequent) and use good quality parts you will get a lot more out of the vehicle.

We've had LR's in our family for 40-years and I was pleased when my wife decided that she wanted to get a Freelander as it adds another Green Oval to the list. I have to say I have been very impressed with it and while I wouldn't want to own one myself (stick to the 90 thanks) it is a decent vehicle and worthy of the LR badge.

[FridgeFreezer]

When "proper" Land Rovers break down it's "character" - your 7k will get you a far better Freelander than any other LR model. The freebies are pooh-poohed by many LR owners, mostly based on folklore over a few common problems which are sorted now, very few who take the p*** out of them have ever driven let alone owned one.

Some major parts are expensive; VCU, IRD, diff mainly because there's not many used ones on the spares market, and freebies are still worth money. The difference is you can buy 2nd hand LR bits all day long for Defenders, RR, Disco etc. Prices for new bits are no different to the rest of LR's range and I've found all the parts I've had to buy (mostly service items) pretty cheap even from main dealers.

I've been really pleasantly surprised by my freebie, as a smaller cheaper runabout than other LR products it stacks up well, and as a more capable and interesting alternative to a small eurobox it also stacks up well.

[Ally V8]

And on snow / ice they are far better than most people give credit for.I wouldnt rush to buy a sport one with the very low profile tyres,they transmit alot more road noise and follow ruts in the road more than the ordinary ones - nowhere near as nice to drive.The 1.8 K series can be a really good engine,put together correctly with all the later mods.People rave about the TD4,but I am not a great fan,they are expensive to repair and do go wrong,the earlier L series diesel didnt go quite as well but never seemed to give any trouble.

Maybe I'm the wrong person to give advice - I only see the broken ones.

[Forby4]

And on snow / ice they are far better than most people give credit for.I wouldnt rush to buy a sport one with the very low profile tyres,they transmit alot more road noise and follow ruts in the road more than the ordinary ones - nowhere near as nice to drive.The 1.8 K series can be a really good engine,put together correctly with all the later mods.People rave about the TD4,but I am not a great fan,they are expensive to repair and do go wrong,the earlier L series diesel didnt go quite as well but never seemed to give any trouble.

Maybe I'm the wrong person to give advice - I only see the broken ones.

I disagree, the sport handles and drives far better than the other models in normal/wet road conditions. The low profile tyres and harder suspension gives it amazing cornering and handling for a 4x4 and thats coming from a Golf Gti. I'm not saying it handles as good as a GTi but it's a huge improvement over the other models IMO. Road noise wise i wouldnt say there was any difference.

The TD4 is also reputed as being the best engine to go for. The only thing i would agree with is the wider wheels of the sport do tend to follow ruts a little more, but its really not an issue, the car is easy to control.

If you intend to do serious off roading, i'd probably recommend a different model as the sport sits 30mm lower. But then it does look great for it.