Ex Freelander owner

Hi

Looking for a bit of advice please, I used to be a Freelander owner but recently got rid of it (before the ridicule starts, no, I don't have boobs or run a mobile hairdressers!!!) been thinking about making the jump over here and treat myself to a Disco 2 TD5. Like the looks, think it'll be a bit less fragile and alot more comfortable.

My budget is suggesting I'll be looking for something from early 2000's, a couple of questions, at that age should I keep clear of anything approaching 100K miles, is auto better than manual, what hidden dangers should I look out for? The car if I buy one will only be used occasionally and sit idle on the drive as I work away from home for 6 months of the year.

I'm hoping the answers will be "100k and its just run in, auto is the way to go and apart from checking the air suspension and everything electrical works there's no worries!"

Thanks in advance

freely3 said:

Hi


I'm hoping the answers will be "100k and its just run in, auto is the way to go and apart from checking the air suspension and everything electrical works there's no worries!"

Thanks in advance

Click to expand...

That's right....

Main thing to check is serious rust on rear portion of chassis (they're almost all a bit rusty). As long as the diagnostic lights come on with ignition then go off (it has been known for people to disable them) most things are relatively straightforward.

If you want to do any work yourself a diagnostic tester (nanocom / hawkeye) is a good investment.

Get a very late 300tdi, early TD5's weren't great

i have a very nice 202 td5 ES Premium for sale, 93k miles

The car if I buy one will only be used occasionally and sit idle on the drive as I work away from home for 6 months of the year.

If this is the case make sure you give it a good run when you do take it out. This makes sure you get a the oil nice and hot and a good flow through the intercooler. Just had to have mine changed after a major breakdown. Was told later that short runs on a regular basis are not kind to the TD5.

Hope you find a good one

Rob

Thanks for the advice gents, much appreciated.

Been reading through various threads, seems the EGR blanking/bypass and de-catting the exhaust are popular mods and or improvements. I fitted a Synergy2a unit to my old Freelander TD4 and found it vastly improved the driveability, from what I'm reading on here "chipping" the TD5 doesnt appear to be very popular - am I mistaken and is it worth considering??

Thanks in advance

I have just changed my trusty Freelander to a 2004 TD5 Auto. I must admit, apart from one electric window motor and rear diff mounts I had four years of trouble free motoring with the Freelander. I think the Discovery is more prone to having things go wrong (already sealed sun roofs, starter solenoid kit off fleabay and a few other small issues). That said, you can 'feel' that it is a real Land Rover, there is no comparison. Discovery is a much better drive. As said before, check for chassis rust, warning lights and give it a good test drive listening for any unusual noises. There are loads of them for sale so take your time and be patient. There is one out there with your name on it!! Oh, and you will need to dig deeper into your pockets for diesel, I checked loads of manuals and autos. I personally prefer the auto and I do a lot of towing. Get around 22mpg knocking round and commuting to work and just over 30 on a run. Can't complain. I too am looking at the EGR and de-cat options. Good luck with the hunting!

freely3 said:

Thanks for the advice gents, much appreciated.

Been reading through various threads, seems the EGR blanking/bypass and de-catting the exhaust are popular mods and or improvements. I fitted a Synergy2a unit to my old Freelander TD4 and found it vastly improved the driveability, from what I'm reading on here "chipping" the TD5 doesnt appear to be very popular - am I mistaken and is it worth considering??

Thanks in advance

Click to expand...

It's almost mandatory it makes such a useful difference! They should have left the factory like this. An average re-map gives 150-160bhp compared to 136 ex factory.

I favour Mike from Dynachip because he's a good helpful guy and doesn't bull****. He comes to you as well!!!!