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considering freelander as second car

11242 Views 40 Replies 24 Participants Last post by  Tempus Fugit, 
R
okay so i have realised we need a second car in the clan, preferably roomy, and 4x4 is essential due to the muddy festivals i enjoy going to.. so i immediately thought freelander :D id love one like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2003-LAND-ROV...9800043?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2a0bfdaa6b

but would consider older to bring the price down.. i just think that one looks the dogs business :D so any advice, pointers, what to look for etc would be appreciated

cheers
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J
I hate Freelanders. Hopeless in anything worse than light snow. Why not a Range Rover or a Discovery ? Something that might actually work :lol:

Plus, if you want to do basic off roading, in mud, a diesel would be better for torque so you don't risk bogging down and not being able to take off again.
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R
yeah tbh it is a toss up between the 2 diesel engines, me personally preferring the TD4
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W
Defender all the way!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2003-LAND-ROV...8409564?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2a0be872dc
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You could do a lot worse than a diesel Freelander and it is more than up to tackling any sort of off road work you are likely to ask of it. I've take them round parts of Eastnor that most owners would never try and apart from unhooking the rear silencer they manage just fine.

If you are not too concerned about fuel, the V6 performs well too, but I would steer clear of the 1.8 four cylinder - not enough power, too many head gaskets.

No one in their right mind would run a Defender as a daily drive. ;)
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S
Budget will dictate what one you go for, but don't be fooled by the condition as its the engine that is the major concern. I started looking at Freelanders in the beginning, most were poorly maintained and one had HGF and the garage didn't give a damn. TD4's will cost you a bit as they are the later ones. The V6 variant will give you the same issues as found in the ZS, vis and plenum. Personally on a daily basis I am more than happy with my TD5 Discovery, however don't forget it's a Land Rover and expect to do something on it regardless of age or condition. Saw an 04 plate series 2 Discovery last night having a right nightmare starting it at the petrol station. So they all have their little issues. Defenders are great, but even a rough one is over priced, cheap parts but not an ideal daily driver. Most Landy forums call Freelanders Gaylanders for some reason! :D

What do you want from it?, draw up a list of pro's and con's and see what it points to.
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red200 said:
yeah tbh it is a toss up between the 2 diesel engines, me personally preferring the TD4
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Older Freelanders had the Rover L series engine fitted (upto 2001 I think), those would bring the car's price down and still be reliable.

Just tuned my L series (98 reg 200) to 131bhp with only a decat, chip tune and a K&N filter and it's great fun.
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Dont be put off by the 1.8 - we have had our 2004 Freelander since April and its been fine. We have been all over the country in it, including taking 4 people, plus luggage (boot and roof box) on a trip to the highlands of Scotland and back - all one one headgasket


We managed to get a very good specc'd facelift model with reasonable mileage for 2K less than a high mileage diesel equivalent. Bought AA warranty for £11 a month which includes breakdown in case of any nasty surprises. To be honest the engine is the least of your worries - Diffs, VCU's, IRD's are far more expensive and complicated than the K series!

Would I be without the Freelander? No! We live down a single track road with a hill at the bottom and the next doors RAV4 is at the bottom of it stuck in the snow - the Freelander is outside the house! They are a 4x4 that works and works well! I've driven it in snow, mud and across a field and never had a hint of a problem getting traction.
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jmurray01 said:
I hate Freelanders. Hopeless in anything worse than light snow. Why not a Range Rover or a Discovery ? Something that might actually work :lol:

Plus, if you want to do basic off roading, in mud, a diesel would be better for torque so you don't risk bogging down and not being able to take off again.
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eh??? now on my third Freelander..never had any problems with mud, snow, sand and ice.....not sure what you're doing with yours??!!!
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RichardK said:
eh??? now on my third Freelander..never had any problems with mud, snow, sand and ice.....not sure what you're doing with yours??!!!
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This. My parents' Freelander was more than happy to tow my mate's Rover 75 up a relatively steep hill in a couple of feet of snow last year. Dad said it hardly felt any different than to when it wasn't towing. It's a very capable car. The old Freelander did have a lot of issues with reliability and I'm not actually a fan of it but it was a very capable off-roader, speaking from experience.
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jmurray01 said:
I hate Freelanders. Hopeless in anything worse than light snow. Why not a Range Rover or a Discovery ? Something that might actually work :lol:

Plus, if you want to do basic off roading, in mud, a diesel would be better for torque so you don't risk bogging down and not being able to take off again.
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slightly biased unbalanced view there......i have had a 3 door facelift freelander sport td4 for the past 3 years with no problems whatsover.....and i take issue with the offroad comments,they are more than capable of green laning and are probably more capable than a defender or disco on your typical wet grass scenarios due to their light weight and low pressure footprint.

just find a good properly serviced late model td4 and use it as god intended....you wont get anything other than an old baggy and worn out defender or disco for the same money.

and as a bonus,you dont end up looking like that pair of 'off road' ***** off the fast show,which most defender drivers appear to closely resemble or a dodgy sheepcoat wearing range rover used car dealer!
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J
Only just seen this post, I have a basic 1.8s 2001, here in Sheffield we have had over 18inches of snow and for 3 days our Freebie was the only thing that moved taking neighbours on hospital runs and to the shops as no gritters have been seen on our estate. Not once did traction control cut in and the hdc was fantastic on some of the hills around us. So don't knock the Freelander not even the 1.8 it has done everything I have asked of it including towing a caravan to the Scottish Highlands and around North Yorkshire.
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jimbo2107 said:
Only just seen this post, I have a basic 1.8s 2001, here in Sheffield we have had over 18inches of snow and for 3 days our Freebie was the only thing that moved taking neighbours on hospital runs and to the shops as no gritters have been seen on our estate. Not once did traction control cut in and the hdc was fantastic on some of the hills around us. So don't knock the Freelander not even the 1.8 it has done everything I have asked of it including towing a caravan to the Scottish Highlands and around North Yorkshire.
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I'll second that:)
We previously had a 2001 1.8 petrol Freelander and now have a 2005 TD4 - its brilliant in this weather. As my wife normally uses it, I am now thinking of getting another one for me (possibly an earlier 1.8) to use in winter rather than the TF.
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J
Must agree with all the above comments, the Freelander is a very capable 4x4,i have seen them in action in some very rough ground (petebog landrover fest for one) and they surprised me. As with all cars they have there issues but don't let that put you off any off the engines fitted.

One other thing i mostly see a lot of TD4s with the autobox fitted, not so many manuals with this engine.
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Julian.heap said:
One other thing i mostly see a lot of TD4s with the autobox fitted, not so many manuals with this engine.
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Probably due to owners with auto boxes trying to get rid of them, rather than those with manual boxes. The Jatco semi-electronic is not a very efficient device, so fuel economy suffers. Where it scores is creeping around at very low vehicle speed, which a manual is at a disadvantage - the problem with Freelander not having a "low range" transfer box.
Agree wholeheartedly with 1955Diesel about the off-road capabilities of Freelander. If you are prepared to knock a few bits off due to low groundclearance, they'll go anywhere a Disco will go. I took a proto L-series Freeloader around Eastnor with a couple of colleagues (after Job1 launch), and the thing just wouldn't get stuck - until the floorpan was completely grounded on soft, sticky mud. We got a bit muddy walking around after the car picking up bits of plastic, but as the thing was still driving in a more-or-less reasonable fashion, we deduced that these bits of plastic were extraneous to the operation of the vehicle, and must therefore be put there by either a) tarts in Sales and Marketting, or b) extreme astute Service managers that could see a good sale coming. We did draw the line with Gearbox Hill though...........
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I had a KV6 SE3 (convertible) Freelander for three years and loved it. I can't understand anyone complaining about the off-roading capabilities. I previously had a Series II Disco & I was initially concerned about how the Freelander would perform off-road but I soon forgot about that: even on extreme Land Rover days organised by the dealership, the Freelander would go through 90% of what the Discos and Range Rover's could.

The only thing that was a problem was the convertible roof - putting it up and down was a pain.
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jmurray01 said:
I hate Freelanders. Hopeless in anything worse than light snow. Why not a Range Rover or a Discovery ? Something that might actually work :lol:

Plus, if you want to do basic off roading, in mud, a diesel would be better for torque so you don't risk bogging down and not being able to take off again.
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Ehh, so you comment on a car that you have not driven, I have driven a Freelander 1 off road and they are pretty good actually.

Back on topic, the diesel is a sound engine, BMW or the L-series, very reliable and plenty of torque. 1.8 K-series after 2004 was updated with MLS and different oil rail so not much to worry about, the V6 is great but drinks fuel.
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I was going to say that he probably saw it on Top Gear, but I think that even they rated its off road capability quite high. As for diesel v. petrol and manual v. automatic, they just require slightly different techniques rather than one being much better than the other. They will all tackle worse conditions than I would put my own car through (but great fun when you work for Land Rover! ;) ).
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Steven211 said:
1.8 K-series after 2004 was updated with MLS and different oil rail so not much to worry about.
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Is this when they got the remote thermostat as well?

Also seriously considering a Freebie and being swayed toward the 1.8 because they are so much cheaper than the diesels. Anyone got any thoughts on early low mileage vs late high mileage, or petrol vs high mileage L series? There's also the tax to consider - I'm sure late 1.8s fall into the re-mortgage your house tax bracket.

I've had 2 K engined cars, and while I've had head and gasket problems with both of them the last HG we did only cost £250 in parts and mates rates labour so go figure.
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PeteD said:
Is this when they got the remote thermostat as well?

Also seriously considering a Freebie and being swayed toward the 1.8 because they are so much cheaper than the diesels. Anyone got any thoughts on early low mileage vs late high mileage, or petrol vs high mileage L series? There's also the tax to consider - I'm sure late 1.8s fall into the re-mortgage your house tax bracket.

I've had 2 K engined cars, and while I've had head and gasket problems with both of them the last HG we did only cost £250 in parts and mates rates labour so go figure.
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Not sure about that to be honest, I would personally go for the diesel but its your choice.
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