Buying a freelander!!??

Hello

Im looking at buying a 3 door freelander td4 and id like some help. Being new to them i dont know what the major faults are or what to stay away from.

At the moment i have been offered a 2002 y reg for around £6000. It has 94000 miles and has been garaged and generally well looked after. The owner says that the clutch is going (which i dont thinks going to be too bad to replace) and that there is a flat spot in the revs which i have felt myself crusing at 70 on the motorway and the power just goes, is this the turbo?? Other than that i think the cars looking quite good.

Also what is likely to need replacing/servicing at 100000 miles? Thats my only problem any why im pushing for a lower price.

Cheers for any help you can give.

Tetfoo

Hi...

I've only had a freebie for a week, but will chuck in my penny's worth as I have very recent experience of the current market.

Firstly, if it's a Y reg, it's not a 2002 model. 2002 goes from end of 51-reg to 52 reg.

Secondly, what model is it? (ES, S, GS etc).

Saw an 02 plate TD4 GS station wagon go for £5000 at an auction last week, only had 60K on the clock. Can easily pick up a post 2002 station wagon for under £6K, so if you really want a three door (why???) then they're even cheaper.

My advice would be to befriend a mechanic and take him to a nearby franchised landrover auction (I can recommend some if you tell me where you live)... there's roughly one a month in most parts of the country. The money you save will be more than enough to cover any small-medium repairs plus slipping the mechanic a few quid to give the car the once over. The cars are usually just that bit too old to be Landrover approved used cars, or ex-lease/fleet cars.

I paid £7450 (including buyers premium) for a 2002 ES Td4 station wagon, with full service history and only 50K on the clock. I sold the bull bar and side rails on Ebay for £350, because I didn't want them. The car is immaculately looked after and has never been off road (up until last week!) I paid slightly over the odds, because it was exactly what i wanted (jet black, ES). Cars very similar are in Autotrader this month for over £9500.

I dropped unlucky, in that I've had a few things go wrong in the first week, but nothing serious - electric sunroof jammed and back window stuck, plus needed to re-grease front CV joint. Total cost of repairs so far, £0.00. I haven't fixed the sunroof yet, as it still goes up, but not back and the window runner was fixed with araldite and a zip tie!


Auctions are a bit of a gamble, but nowhere near as much as buying from a private buyer.

I would look at purchasing one with a warranty.


I bought mine through a Network Q dealer about 9 months ago.

At no cost to me, I have had the following fitted

• New rear window motor
• New Clutch plate
• New Gear box seal
• Front brake pads replaced.


I am looking to extend the warrenty in January

Hope this helps

Andrew

It all depends how much hassle you're prepared to take on to save some money...

I do a lot of work on my own cars, mainly because I'm tight , but also because I'm a pretty competent home-mechanic. A new window motor, for eg, costs about £75 and takes about 30 mins to fit. A network garage will probably charge you 2 hours labour for such a job. I fixed my rear window one yesterday and it's now stronger than a brand new one and it took me a total of about 50 mins to an hour work. It cost me about 15p for the amount of Araldite i used and a zip tie!

The price of buying a vehicle with a warranty, especially from a big brand place like Network Q will always include the cost of all but the very biggest repairs (such as a new engine).

Buying a new car, for example, may give you peace-of-mind, but it'll cost you around £10K or more over the three years of the warranty in depreciation alone. That's a few gearboxes or engines, even at Landrover prices! (Not to mention the fact that you will probably pay Landrover's extortionate service charges).

On a car with 90K on the clock, a warranty will probably either not cover very much or will be extremely expensive.

you only need to look out for one thing - another make!

Feebies are good vehicles when running, but probs with breaking chassis, gearboxes prone to everheating, engines which are irrepairable, convince me that these are dogs just worth shooting!

But what are the alternatives in the price range?

Show me a car that has the combination of looks/image, off and on-road ability and price and I'll buy it.

Rav-4... hairdressers' cars.
X-Trail... old man's cars (I'm 28)
X3... to expensive and not an off-roader
X5... ditto
Merc M class... ditto
Suzuki Vitara... not in this lifetime.


Kia Sorento seems about the best alternative (may be too big for some people), but the residual values are still a bit more than I want to pay for the spec. Meybe in a year or two.

ShotgunDrew said:

But what are the alternatives in the price range?

S.

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its not the price - its the after purchase costs - I have had my (albeit V6) for less than a year - had chassis rewelded (£200), vis valves and manifold changed (£800), prospective new engine (hg) (£lots and LOTS), Leaky heater matrix (£800)....... the cost of the Freebie wasnt bad, but when you add another £4K or so - it isnt quite such a good buy.

how about a proper Landrover? Is the Shogun still made (you didnt mention it)?

The td4 manual is allegedly the pick of the range, but I have to say that mine hasn't impressed me so far... very shoddily built!

a little bit of bed-time reading for you....


http://www.myfreelander.com/overview.htm

At least this one has set my mind at rest!

http://www.myfreelander.com/transprobs1.htm

Think this one has settled another issue, although the noise seems to come from further down the steering column...

http://www.myfreelander.com/steerprobs8.htm

Hmmmm. This is just what i wanted to know. Id heard rumors that they were good to buy but required quite a bit of money and attention to keep running, but never any specifics.

So when looking at a freelander, what are the biggest/main problems to look at in terms of replaced parts. I guess that high milers are a no no then as they will need more engine parts. What has to be replaced and when?

I was looking at getting a 3 dr td4 manual as im not so keen on the 5 dr but im having doubts now.

Cheers guys

I need a car that is capable of off-roading, but is comfortable on a 20 mile commute down fast, winding A-roads. I am also vain enough to want something that looks good and has a few extras (leather seats etc).

The Freelander is the only vehicle that had all of those things (in my current price bracket).

I have probably just been unlucky, as my Freeby is mechanically sound (I think) but I've had a few little things go on me... if you buy a basic model, you'll probably be fine, as there's a lot less to go wrong!

The td4 engine is brilliant... good economy, but goes like stink when it needs to. I believe they're also above average for reliability (in terms of the actual engine.)

There are a few things that are prone to problems, but I believe most of these can be avoided if you keep your eyes on things like the oil/fluid levels and make sure the intercooler is working properly etc.


I am going to give the Freelander a few months then make a decision... do I:
A. Keep it and risk the expensive repairs (or get an extended warranty fron Warranty Direct)
B. Sell it and get a "banger" 4x4 (maybe an old defender) for my shooting activities and a nice road car for my commuting or...
C. Sell it and splurge on a nice, nearly new 4x4. (Probably a Touareg or a Kia Sorento).

ShotgunDrew said:

I need a car that is capable of off-roading, (maybe an old defender) for my shooting activities ).

Click to expand...

Gulp. . . .