Freelander 1 Auto buying advice needed please!

Hi

I need to buy a Freebie 1 Auto for my disabled father who has just had his motability car taken away because the new rules means someone with only one leg is only "disadvantaged", not disabled.

I've been driving a manual freebie 1 for years (and have posted about its woes here many times!), but I've not owned an auto model yet. It will probably be the petrol model, but thats all I know so far.

Does anyone have any advice on what to look out for specific to the auto model?

Thanks in advance!

Ian

The only petrol FL1 will be the V6. You won't want one unless you don't mind 19 Mpg.
The TD4 auto is more economical at between 30 and 40 Mpg depending on driving style and type of roads driven on.

The V6 is by far the nicest Freelander to drive. However this does have a high maintenance requirement and can be troublesome with coolant leaks.
The TD4, while not as refined. Is more economical and has a better reliability.

Most problems with the Jatco auto box are usually down to lack of maintenance.
Give it a fluid change at least ever 50,000 miles, which is really simple to do, we've posted about it numerous times.
Early auto boxes had a tendancy to self destruct at around 80,000 miles, like mine. But from 2004 onwards it was altered and rarely happens on these.
Finding one under this milage now would be rare.
It's not the most refined box, but it does the job well.
Other than that, you have the benefit of no clutch or master cylinder. It will crawl along in a traffic jam without having to press the accelerator and it goes like stink if you put a Synergy chip on it.
Mike

If you are considering buying a V6 so that you can have the auto, heed this warning....

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/heeeeelp-overheating.302603/#post-3781092

I would strongly recommend you go for the diesel option. Much more reliable and economic.

I have a 2006 td4 auto and touching wood do not have any problems when I brought it I immediately had the fluid change but it only had 47,000 on the clock ,the earlier one I had a 2001 td4 auto was fine until I reached about 160,000 and then started having trouble with it , it was my fault not having the fluid changed, I know a local auto box specialist that do it for about £40 all in including the fluid I have used them for years and they know everything there is to know about auto boxes .

Thanks for all the replies - sorry I didnt answer sooner, I had a couple of days without internet as was having fibre installed.

I'm not really bothered about economy as its being converted to LPG like mine anyway. Adding to that, my father thinks diesel is the stuff of the devil so it kinda has to be petrol...

My Dad is very mechanically minded so if I tell him to keep an eye on the coolant, I know he will. He loves poking around an engine, even if he isnt actually doing anything

I wouldn't have the KV6 LPG converted. It's not really designed to run on it and suffers as a result. The KV6 can burn valves on LPG and it makes extra cooling for an already stressed cooling system.
Best bet, for minimum maintenance is buy a TD4 auto. The V6 while superb to drive, can be troublesome, difficult and very expensive to repair when needed.

Well I've just had a message from the seller that he has sold the one I was buying, for less than I was willing to pay...

Found another one locally, but it says no compression on cylinder 5. Is this an easy fix?

Pluribus said:

Well I've just had a message from the seller that he has sold the one I was buying, for less than I was willing to pay...

Found another one locally, but it says no compression on cylinder 5. Is this an easy fix?

Click to expand...

No.
Don't buy a V6. If you must. Don't buy one with a problem before you start. The KV6 is a reasonably complex engine and you need to know how to work on them. Hell, not even main dealers know how to work on them.
They aren't an engine for the average tinkerer to mess with. The KV6 is a beautiful engine. It's just not really suited to the Freelander installation. I know how to fix them and love them, but wouldn't have another on a Freelander.
TD4 is the best auto option for the Freelander.

Nodge68 said:

No.
Don't buy a V6. If you must. Don't buy one with a problem before you start. The KV6 is a reasonably complex engine and you need to know how to work on them. Hell, not even main dealers know how to work on them.
They aren't an engine for the average tinkerer to mess with. The KV6 is a beautiful engine. It's just not really suited to the Freelander installation. I know how to fix them and love them, but wouldn't have another on a Freelander.
TD4 is the best auto option for the Freelander.

Click to expand...

Thanks Nodge. All the cars I've booked time to look at have now been sold so it looks like its back to the drawing board. Plenty of affordable cars up north but not many down here...

As you already own a freelander you should be aware of most of the commonly occurring issues so, if you want a freelander auto, 1) get a td4 and, 2) amongst all the other things you need to do (or check have been done), get the autobox fluid changed as soon as poss. The jatco is good provided the fluid is changed at the right time. Check that the big cylindrical electrical connector on the front of the box is secure too. Corroded or loose connections in this can be common and a bit of a pain.