Defender to a Freelander?

I've had a couple of discoveries, a couple of series 3's, and I'm currently selling my defender. The thing is great but costs the earth to run. I'm constantly chasing minor niggles, and I never really use it off road. Somebody else could really make use of it and I'll happily make use of the money

With it being the biking season, I'm going to persevere on 2 wheels for as long as I can last, but at some point I'll need to be replacing the landy. I may wave goodbye to the green oval and go for something sensible, but the idea of a freelander, which has always been so unpalatable, suddenly seems to make sense.

No idea about freelannders though, so what are the tax, and fuel economy of a freelander 1 like? and what's the better engine to go for? Also how car-like are they? I'd get another tdi discovery but the tax, and repairs on them, not to mention rust just make it uneconomical considering I don't really need a 4x4. I'm looking for a runaround by the way so budget of 1000-1500 would be ideal.

If you have a look through these Freebie pages, you'll also see they can be absolute money pits.

The 1.8 petrol (called the K series engine) blows head gaskets. Two diesel versions, the L Series and the TD4. Both good lumps but some prefer the L Series. The TD4 is a BMW lump.

Had my Freelander for over 10 years now and Ive never cared what other people say about it. Its a great car to drive, and yes its reliable (shock, horror)
Never got stuck in any snow, mud etc. Never broken down.
Between 28 mpg(around town) to 42 mpg( long runs) approx 30mpg towing.( tows up to 2000kg)
Mines a Td4 (BMW M47) Used in loads of beamers. Quite straight forward to look after, some good how too's on here.
And its an Auto. Personal preference, but I wouldn't have a manual, why bother, stick in in drive and go!
Tax is about £280 per year.
Some good bargains around now. If possible, take a Freelander owner with you. We know all the tricks.
Mike

If you've been driving Disco's and Defenders you should be handy with spanners so a Freelander should be no problem. Like any car they have their weaknesses but if you spend a bit of time reading here you'll soon figure out what they are.
For the money you have you'll get a reasonably fresh K series with around 100,000 miles maybe even a face lifted model, or high miler L series or maybe a very high miler TD4.
I bought a 04 face lifted K series with 104,000 miles for £1450 with 11 months MOT knowing I would soon need to do the head gasket but I've done them before and they're not that big a job. It goes well and is very comfortable. The rest of the car was very clean so that was what sold me on it over a diseasil.

What I find surprising about the Freelander is that from the outside it doesn't look that big or high, yet when sitting it you feel like you're sitting up high. Must be the seating position or summat but I like it.

I had a 300tdi Disco before I had the Freelander. While I liked the Disco and it was great off road I got sick of having to fix something every weekend. The Freelander is more reliable, more economical and has more HP per tonne, so is better at towing the pikey wagon

Freelander is a great jump in and go car no hassle quite nippy and comfortable. TD4 gives good mpg and mine has been totally reliable. Only changing it now cos I need a pickup truck or I'd keep it.

op2:

Well cheers for the comments so far boys. Freelander seems like a good choice cos' it's like a best of both. Even the disco's I've had still turn every trip into an 'event' if you know what I mean. Freelanders seem to have far less fuss, and the lack of chassis to rot is selling them to me lol.

I'll tell you now, Freelanders are the best "all rounder". I've owner many series vehicles (still have a Lightweight) , a few Discos, 200 and 300 , a couple of 90's and 110's 2.5N/A and a 200 Defender 90.
Series vehicles are ace. Love 'em,but not practical as an only vehicle and a thirst that is unquenchable . Disco's were great, but too big for just me and the other half and getting only 30 mpg on a run. 110 - again, great but no point with just the 2 of us. The 90 was too big AND too small. The load bed I found inadequate for a vehicle that size.
The 4 Freelanders I've owned have all been 3dr variants.My first was a 1.8 and while it was pretty gutless, it actually drove well. I then had my famous V6 that I modified with roll cage and bucket seats etc etc and this was a little beauty. But drank like a fish.(to see it in action check out "Cars that Rock" with AC/DC's Brian Johnson on the Quest channel or Youtube.The episode on Land Rovers. That Blue V6 being raced near the end is my one.I built it. )
And I currently own 2 Td4's that are also modified for off road racing.
Warm,practical,economical, easily parked, not tiring to drive on long journeys and the above fore-mentioned programme proves testament that above all, despite the continual myth about not being able to off road, they truly are a REAL Land Rover.
I love mine, they bring a smile to my face every time I drive them.

we love ours I am on my second td4 auto gs the first one I had for about 10 years and after 175000 on the clock I did start to have a few small troubles and while going to buy a spare at the local landy place I was offered a 2006 hse td4 auto, and he gave me a good trade in price I jumped at the chance , my wife's 1800 petrol and yes she had the head gasket done and now the wife has had it for 14 years, and will not part with it it keeps passing MOT the only one problem last time was a rubber bush needed replacing other than that no problem you pay your money and takes you chance, but have a good look at one ,make sure it has the rear diff in place and do either a one wheel up test or drive backwards in a circle if it feels like it is breaking, then the vcu needs changing hope this helps

lol, if you were thinking about a Freelander, I don't really need to add my 2 penth after all these recommendations

I'll just confirm that I agree with what's been said. We owned TDI & V8 Discos for over 10 years before shifting to Freelander about 5 years ago. At first I was completely indifferent to the Freelander - I didn't miss the maintenance agro that came with our V8, but did miss its character - the Freelander was a bit to car-like boring. Once I got to know a bit more about it though I really appreciate it and think its a great smaller 'truck'.

I did suffer transmission melt down - but if you keep an eye on tyre pressures and VCU condition that won't happen. Other than that its been almost perfectly reliable - literally other than servicing I've only had the ABS modulator fail - not bad for almost 5 years motoring.

My personally opinion is that if you want low-cost hassle free motoring, then don't go for the petrol engines, only consider diesel. There's very little between the TD4 and L Series - although the TD4 is a bit more refined but can have niggly issues with the fuel pump and engine sensors. The L Series is a much simpler engine, all-be-it a bit agricultural, and I feel more 'in character' for a Landie - I love owning and running mine.

I've recently done a 3,000km road trip round the South Island here in NZ with 5 adults and luggage, up over mountain passes etc and it performed great, returning about 37-38 MPG - I'll get a bit more if its just me and my son away for a fishing trip. The TD4 is about the same - but an auto will hit you by about 20% more fuel. It'll also tow weights well above its legal (about) 2T limit (I brought my SIII 109 SSW home on a transporter fine).

Well having settled on a 5 door, diesel model spec I'm now wondering whether I'd be better off spending a bit more and going for a 2003 onwards higher milage td4, or spending around 1650ish for a tidy L-series. The interior of the facelifted td4s seems more modern, and the front end will stand the test of time much better I think as early freelander 1s do now look quite dated.

I'm embarrassed to admit that having owned lots of 'proper' landys, most of which have been kitted with snorkels, expedition roofracks etc. I rather looked down on freelanders and their drivers as though they were basically boring car drivers flaunting a logo, in a vehicle which would get stuck on wet grass let alone off road.
...the truth is, that for the stuff I get up to (camping trips, mountaineering, dog walks, nipping around town) the freelander is a far more suitable vehicle. I dare say that 90% of defender drivers are in the same position as me, but are just too macho to admit it. In the back of my mind I've always rather resented any land rover I've owned, on the basis that typically for say 5 miles of greenlaning I do, I probably spend 60-100 miles on road getting there and back, in a vehicle that is too noisy, large, thirsty, and plain unreliable.

ReadySalted said:

Well having settled on a 5 door, diesel model spec I'm now wondering whether I'd be better off spending a bit more and going for a 2003 onwards higher milage td4, or spending around 1650ish for a tidy L-series. The interior of the facelifted td4s seems more modern, and the front end will stand the test of time much better I think as early freelander 1s do now look quite dated.

I'm embarrassed to admit that having owned lots of 'proper' landys, most of which have been kitted with snorkels, expedition roofracks etc. I rather looked down on freelanders and their drivers as though they were basically boring car drivers flaunting a logo, in a vehicle which would get stuck on wet grass let alone off road.
...the truth is, that for the stuff I get up to (camping trips, mountaineering, dog walks, nipping around town) the freelander is a far more suitable vehicle. I dare say that 90% of defender drivers are in the same position as me, but are just too macho to admit it. In the back of my mind I've always rather resented any land rover I've owned, on the basis that typically for say 5 miles of greenlaning I do, I probably spend 60-100 miles on road getting there and back, in a vehicle that is too noisy, large, thirsty, and plain unreliable.

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You'd be surprised just what does get stuck on wet grass around here.. Aooooooooo!

ReadySalted said:

Well having settled on a 5 door, diesel model spec I'm now wondering whether I'd be better off spending a bit more and going for a 2003 onwards higher milage td4, or spending around 1650ish for a tidy L-series. The interior of the facelifted td4s seems more modern, and the front end will stand the test of time much better I think as early freelander 1s do now look quite dated.

I'm embarrassed to admit that having owned lots of 'proper' landys, most of which have been kitted with snorkels, expedition roofracks etc. I rather looked down on freelanders and their drivers as though they were basically boring car drivers flaunting a logo, in a vehicle which would get stuck on wet grass let alone off road.
...the truth is, that for the stuff I get up to (camping trips, mountaineering, dog walks, nipping around town) the freelander is a far more suitable vehicle. I dare say that 90% of defender drivers are in the same position as me, but are just too macho to admit it. In the back of my mind I've always rather resented any land rover I've owned, on the basis that typically for say 5 miles of greenlaning I do, I probably spend 60-100 miles on road getting there and back, in a vehicle that is too noisy, large, thirsty, and plain unreliable.

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I can understand "all of the above"

I very rarely "go off roading" in my Landies - but often to get where I want/need to be, it is off road. At various times of the year, at least once a week I will be on the beach or river bed - primarily depending on what fish are running/feeding where - be they Trout, Salmon, Kahawai, Elephant fish etc. The Freelander usually is as good at getting there as my old Discos. Sometimes its better and I don't need to worry about being in or out of diff lock. Sometimes, the Disco has advantages - such as navigating drift wood where the extra clearance was helpful.

One thing you mention about the 90's is a small amount of space in the back considering the size of car - the Freelander's are a bit like this as well. They have huge amounts of rear leg room, but that comes at a cost of boot space - so the rear seats often need to be folded up. Its fine for our Springer, and a friend, to fit in comfortably - but we generally don't have the roll out load space cover installed - just to give a bit more space there.

Definitely changing from Discos to Freelanders hasn't cramped our lifestyle. When we go camping, the tent, all 100KG of it, goes in the boot, the boat (all be it not a massive one) gets hooked up and all the gear goes in there. The Freelander shifts it all with ease, and it has to shift it over some pretty challenging terrain.