I got it for the wife for the winter, Paid too much and when i took to the garage to see what the noise was (the coil spring )
and found out it was not 4x4 it sickend me , That's why I was asking in the real world what would be a good price.
I've had diesel and petrol Discoveries before shifting to Freelander - mines the Rover L Series diesel. Must admit that when I first got it, I found it a bit boring - but I also found that for the off roading I did (which was down the beach and river beds for fishing) it was at least as good as the Discoverys - obviously having to be more careful of logs etc.
That all changed 3 years into ownership when the transmission went bang! Over here it was going to cost as much as I paid for the car (£3.5k) to get the bits to repair it as 4wd - so I got an IRD rebuild kit (bearings etc) shipped over from the UK for about £150 and rebuilt it all less the crown gear on the rear pinion. I put it all back 2WD running all the gear (inc props and knackered VCU) just less that gear to drive the back axle.
So its castrated for some of the things I used to use it for, although I still take it down less challenging river beds, but in doing all the work on it, I really got to like the car! Its so much easier to work on that Discoveries. Everything is so much lighter and more accessible, bits don't sieze up anywhere near as much as Discoveries and often work is preventative rather than cos something's broke - its been really reliable.
If you're willing to put work into it, and obviously a bit more cash, there is a chance it could be reinstated as 4WD (anything Freelander can if you throw a lot of money at it). It really depends on why the props were removed - which obviously you won't know so it would need to be looked at. Its surprising how many have had their props removed just because the support bearings were noisy - nothing wrong with the major bits - if that's the case, the its a set of props from a breakers and a recon VCU with support bearings - it'll set you back £300. If there was mechanical damage though, that's when it starts getting (even more) expensive. You need to check the oil in the IRD - if its grey/metalicy looking, that's the bearings ground to a pulp. Then you need to check the crown and pinion gears for the rear pinion - if they're damaged or have to much wear on them, then you're going to need a recon IRD (£700!). If the gears are OK then one of those rebuild kits to replace the bearings and seals will sort it out - but there's a fair amount of work pushing and pulling 8 bearings - it depends how good/confident you are at that or whether you have any mates who are, as if your not, there's obviously labour to consider. You also have to consider whether the rear diff is sound - the IRD usually goes first but will need to be considered. Bits should be purchased from reputable sources, such as...
http://www.bellengineering.co.uk/freelander-1-products/
You could of course sell it and buy 1 that's still 4WD. You really want to budget that it will need a new VCU (as above) and you really need to do a bit of investigative work on the IRD (eg check its oil colour) to make sure you're not buying a lemon.
Don't be put off them though. They can, and will, chew their transmission, but they are a pretty reliable and capable little truck. I've had mine 8 years now and its been boringly reliable other than that (granted major!) transmission issue. If you makes sure all tyres are matching, pumped to the same pressure and regularly check your VCU - transmission problems should not be an issue. A TMPS (tyre pressure monitoring system) is a wise investment with a Freelander. Some info...
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/tests-new-freelander-owners-should-do-on-their-car.312863/
It was when mine went bang that I signed up to LandyZone to find out what I'd done wrong! Wish I'd signed up and asked before it went bang! Bit like you now probably wishing you'd asked for some buying advice!
Good luck.
