Freelander Commercial 53 plate TD4

Hi Guys (and gals),

I'm looking for a little advice,

My company has offered to buy me a company car/van, my work involves visiting most of the transmitting stations (the masts you see dotted about on top of hills everywhere) to carry out electrical suveys, this obiously involves driving up and down some very steep slopes (mostly gravel) .

I own a Defender 90 hardtop and a range rover classic so i thought i would keep with the tradition and look for a Landrover!!!

I have chosen the commercial model so that i will not be taxed on the vehicle.

My question, is it the right vehicle for the job?? I have heard so many horror stories as far as reliability goes (diffs, gearbox, electrics etc) . The budget will only strech to about 7.5k so i am facing the age verses miles scenario!

Another question, does the Freelander have a diff lock or is it only high and low?

Hope someone can help me make my decission.

Cheers

Detter off with a disco in my opinion!

use mine for work as a go anywhere van, never let me down so far. no diff lock or low/high, an all together more sophisticated system using a viscous coupling which use good old laws of physics, no electrickery or nuffink.
Usually most drive to front wheels, but when front wheels start to slip, differing prop speeds causes the silicon gel in the unit to solidify and then send drive to the rears. Once the wheels grip again, both props at same speed and gel liquifies again, and rears stop driving.

Thanks Wigley,

Have you heard of any horror stories? I am going to view one tomorrow so if you know anything i should keep my eye out for let me know.

Cheers

bit tricky this. all through this forum are people that have experienced various problems with their freelanders. By far the best known is that of head gasket failure on the petrol 1.8 K series. That said, you're going for Td4, so shouldn't be an issue. See how it drives, if it feels right, it probably will be okay. Other common issues seem to be VCU seizing, which gives you pemanent 4 wheel drive, which will then in turn damage the IRD (intermediate reduction drive). The check seems to be to get under the vehicle and mark the two props in line with tippex, drive it around for a bit, then check again. If they still line up, chances are it may be seized. Take it to an empty car park, drive it slowly on full lock then dip the clutch / put it in neutral. If it doesn't coast gently to a halt, but stops quicker than you would have expected, then there may be a problem with the VCU again. Then try it backwards. Other than that, general used car rules apply.

Try searching through the freelander pages on this forum, and you'll get a feel for what is common, and how much it costs to deal with.

If you do have a problem, chances are someone on this forum has the knowledge to advise you. Although there are a lot of people who have spent a lot of money on faults on this forum, in balance, they are probably only a small number of all the freelanders out there.

Just to give you a guide on price, maybe check eBay to give you an idea, there are a few Td4 commercials on there. The one I bought was advertised on eBay, but when I went to see it, I did a private cash deal there and then.

K.C. Car Sales

The above is one I went to see at easter, with a view to buying, but couldn't agree on a trade in price for my astravan, and the dealer knew f**k all about it. Tried to tell me the cruise control button was for firming up the suspension on the motorway! His advice was to sell my astravan privately for more cash than he could offer as a trade in, then go back. (There was only about £300 in it). Then, while trying to sell the van found the one I bought, which was 18 months younger, only had 37k on the clock, FSH, was an absolute minter, all for £6.5k no vat private sale.

Oddly, the one from the dealer is still on his forecourt now! Perhaps I should go back and tell him I've sold my van !

I wouldn't say mine does major off road, but I have used it a few times where an ordinary van might have struggled, but with no problems at all. Still early days, but I really love driving it. Really practical for work too, with lots of room in the back for tools, materials and spares, and easy to get to them 'cos the roof is a fair bit higher than an astravan or escort van for example.

Thanks again for the advice

The one i went to look at was very tatty to say the least!!

The one you had a look at looks okay, do you think the dealer will budge on price cause it's sat there so long?

If so what do you think i should offer him??

How do you check the VCU in an automatic?? No clutch. I take it the VCU is the viscous coupling unit??

when I went to see it (actually the thursday before good friday), after the haggling over the px on the van, we then talked straight cash deal, straight away knocked £500 off the sticker price, then talked him into another £100 off, which came out at £6895 plus VAT. Took it for a short test drive and it seemed okay, but it was the first one I drove. Although it was clean outside (aren't they always), it seemed inside had been cleaned some time ago and could have done with brightening up if you get my drift (i.e. bit of trim cleaner on the dash and leather, and also on the black rubber seals around the sun roof and doors). Maybe a haggling point.

As for checking the VCU on an auto, would seem it could be done the same as a manual, as you can put the box in neutral and let it roll. Maybe do the car park test if you are on a test drive, as I don't think the seller would be too impressed with you climbing under to put tippex on the props. (didn't do it to the one at KC 'cos I didn't know about it at the time, just took it for a short drive on normal roads)

happy hunting !

oh, and also just remembered that the door speaker grills were beginning to discolour/rust. easily replaced from a breakers / eBay, but again, could be a haggling point as to the overall condition of the vehicle.

and because he thought the cruise control button (motorway symbol) to the left of the steering wheel was for firming up the suspension, he also said that the cruise control wasn't working. Chances are it was, but he didn't know how to work it. Again, perhaps you can haggle on it not working (I didn't test it, didn't go far enough to find a clear road)