ChrisH Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Hi Just getting back into landrovers after a few years away from the sport I want to get back into having a 4x4 capable for doing some off roading also to use to get to a Stage to marshall events. I have my eye a 52 plate Freelander 1 1.8 Petrol, 5 door at a good Price. i was looking at a 90 but then the £ signs just kept rolling up. I don't really have much to tinker with the project. But have a mate that has all the tools.. I wonder how much cider this will need???? So what are people's views on how good these cars are off road. what adaptations are needed to make the car more useful off road? suspension kits, tyres, Any help would be appreciated. kind regards Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 The answer is varied tbh. Personally I like the Freelanders. And they are far better off road than many will give them credit for. You do NEED one with traction control though. On things like wet grass, sand or snow. They can be supremely capable. And arguably better than a Defender. But they do have some major drawbacks. Relatively poor ground clearance, lack of suspension articulation and large over hangs. And of course no low range. On rutted, rocky or more severe terrain these limitations will show themself. Grounding and damaging the underside and bumpers can be easy on terrain where a standard Series 3 will simply trundle through. The weak clutch for manual cars means controlling low speed can be a challenge too. Overall I think they are good vehicles. A few niggles, but no worse than most cars. The 1.8 K Series is a peach of an engine and suits the Freelander very well. But expect to do at least one head gasket failure. But fixed correctly it really shouldn't be a major issue. If you think you'll do a lot of off roading, then an auto will help with the low speed control. But I think that will limit you to a KV6 or TD4. For off roading you'd more than likely be better off with a Disco 1 or 2 or even a Jeep Cherokee. Remember a Discovery is essentially the same as a Defender under the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 As a for instance. This looks fairly tame in a Defender. Which you can fairly easy drive round this course without damage, again and again. A Standard Freelander would be unlikely to make it round at all. I know as I've tried driving two of them on this terrain. They are just too low, lift wheels off the ground. And will stab the bumpers into the ground. You also have to drive them very aggressively and a lot faster, which just increases the risk of an accident (or getting it wrong) and ultimately more damaging to the vehicle. A lifted Freelander on slightly bigger tyres might be better as it'll have better ground clearance. But the suspension won't flex any better, so it'll still lift wheels in the air. And larger tyres will make the crawl speed even worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy50 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Don't do it ,they are rubbish ,simple as that .Your money would be better spent on finding the best 200/300 TDI Disco you can ,brilliant off-road ,relatively cheap to run and loads of space inside ,try not to get a sunroof model ,they leak ,and check for rot in the sills ,inner wings ,rear cross member etc ,I'm making em sound bad but take your time looking ,there are loads of em ,and you will find a good un, just don't ,whatever you do ,buy a Freeloader . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Have you owned one Ozzy50? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Have you owned one Ozzy50? No one has ever owned a disco without rot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Factory fitment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Don't do it ,they are rubbish ,simple as that .Well it's a simple view yes. It's also completely inaccurate.For the record my Mum is on her second. And I have two cousins with them, one of those is also their second one too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy50 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Well I must have bought the only unreliable, badly made Freeloader Landrover ever produced ,oh yeah and all the ones I have worked on ,replacing transmissions, rear diff mounts ,head gaskets ,clutches ,rear window motors ,rear window seals etc etc .Nowt wrong with a difference of opinion ,my opinion is they are carp ,and yes that is from (a lot) of experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy50 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 No one has ever owned a disco without rot! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Well I must have bought the only unreliable, badly made Freeloader Landrover ever produced ,oh yeah and all the ones I have worked on ,replacing transmissions, rear diff mounts ,head gaskets ,clutches ,rear window motors ,rear window seals etc etc .Nowt wrong with a difference of opinion ,my opinion is they are carp ,and yes that is from (a lot) of experience. and I guess Defenders never need anything at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy50 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Or range rover's ,or series ,but none of them have a transmission part that costs £400 and should be regarded as a service item ! Someone asks for advice ,different forum users give different advice ,the asker then decides which advice,if any to take ,simple ,my advice is don't buy one . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Just on value though, get one that has had its head done, and the VCU/IRD recently and you're laughing, and still pay less than 2K. Defenders start at 2K that need a full rebuild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 I know that's what I have been looking at 90'stha would minimum need a rear cross member year most would need a chassis but then yes they may hold their value. But if your not mechanical mined it daunting to do that. Along with a deep pocket. Been down the discovery td5 route that spent even week in the Garage. I'm not going to do hard core I let others with deeper pockets than me. This question was a ask how I could improve the freelander offroad. Not how it runs or sunroofs (is doesn't have one) It a runner just got a mot, looks clean and under £1800 looks a right bargin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 You can fit marginally larger tyres (10% or so), and have read about a 40mm lift, which is more involved than a solid axle land rover, but all bolt on stuff. Then you may want to look at better skid plates. Drive it till it breaks, fix it, drive it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 There are lift packer/spacer kits. Think up to 2" and some under body protection. But you can spends a fortune and gain only a small amount of ability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 You can fit marginally larger tyres (10% or so), and have read about a 40mm lift, which is more involved than a solid axle land rover, but all bolt on stuff. Then you may want to look at better skid plates. Drive it till it breaks, fix it, drive it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 Thanks Bowie that sounds great thanks for the positive Reply. Yes I'm looking and lift kits at moment. I'm likely only to be going off about once a month so I'm not want to spend much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 I think the real mistake is in the title "cheap offroader" there isn't one! The rest is just personal choice. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy50 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Wasn't deliberately trying to give a negative reply ,just offering advice from personal experience, that's all . James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwakers Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 a freelander will be anything but a cheap offroader, you be better off buting a discovery thats already been to a few pay and plays( so already has mud tyres and beaten to hell on the bodywork) and drive it til you kill it. then youll know what you need and can go buy what will work for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Just returning to this thread, if its just an off roader id buy the cheapest disco or raingie with 12months test and knackered bodywork that runs reasonably and have some fun for a year for about £750? after that break it sell it scrap it get a quote to mot it again and see how you go. im not sure how nice a thing you want, you keep even do it with a 500 freelander to dip your toe in so to speak. will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Thanks Bowie that sounds great thanks for the positive Reply. Yes I'm looking and lift kits at moment. I'm likely only to be going off about once a month so I'm not want to spend much. I was positive, just realistic. Personally I'd try it and see before spending any money on lift kits. If it's muddy/slippery, then road tyres will be fairly limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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