Why did you....?

Curiosity here.

What made you choose a Freelander?

For me I liked the look of the FL1 anyway and when I needed a new car a FL1 came up half the book price so I grabbed it.

In the real world I wanted Land Rover capability in an easy to use vehicle that does everything daily but doesn't cost the earth. I got more than I bargained for, the Freelander does a lot more than people give it credit for.

My Mrs has a say in this, she hates 4x4s and went mad when I bought the Freelander but within a mile she loved the car and the mother-in-law sits in the back thinking she's the queen behind the subtle tints. They're both under 5ft tall but find it easy to get in and out of.

With 140k on the clock would I buy another if Freda gives up the ghost? You bet your life I would. But I'm hoping she'll hit 200k and go for years yet

Some of the guys here will say their hairdresser boyfriends wanted them to buy the Freelander 1. I on the other hand not being that way chose mine out of need to transport my dear old mum to the shops as a carer and a ardent LR fan. True mine has been a right royal pain but boy the comfort outstripped my old 110 and motorway or drive general is second to none. Best of all it can hold enough hairdressing equipment

We got our first LR a Disco 300TDI in about 2000. Got it cos my brother worked at LR and thought we should show our support! It did well for us cruising around the UK and Europe in it. When we shifted to NZ we sold it and wanted to get another here. Had trouble finding a decent diesel at a reasonable price, so ended up with a D1 V8. That was a terrible car. Cost a fortune in bills and I don't know how we managed to keep it running till 2010. By then, when the car was actually working, petrol had gone up so much that we were not going places because of the cost. So looked to replace it with a D2 TD5. Mrs Grumpy though said she'd like to swap it for a Freelander, so we started looking at them.

A '99 diesel came up for sale that looked in decent nick, had about 60k miles on the clock, and they wanted $7,200 (about £4k) which was a pretty decent price back then, so bought it. To be honest, after the Discos it seemed a bit boring, but we'd get touching 40mpg on the run, it was reliable and, as I say, was just as capable as the Disco when I took it off the tarmac - so I was happy. Then in 2013 it went BANG big time as the IRD let go. To get the parts to fix it here was going to cost as much as we'd paid for the car, but funnily enough, its what really warmed me to the Freelander. In the end I got an IRD rebuild kit sent over from the UK, got the IRD off, gave it to a workshop to have the bearings etc installed, got them to remove the crown gear on the pinion and I put it all back together as 2WD - and it worked! After years struggling with heavy seized components on the Discos, it was a pleasure to work on. So, although its lost a lost of its off-tarmac capability, I'm actually really into this car and apart from that 1 episode, which was probably my fault for not understanding how the transmission works, its been ultra reliable. All the work that has needed doing, belts aside, I've done myself and on the whole enjoyed doing it. Its been a great daily drive and taken us and family on great trips economically and without fuss. Its a very practical car, nice to drive, lots of comfortable passenger space and towed what ever I've hooked up to it very well. The only thing I don't like is that I find the boot is to small for the size of car, always folding up the rear seats to have enough room for stuff.

I needed a 4x4 for my boat, found a 2001 td4 with 6 months mot for £250 which was a bit rough body wise, it is great for the boat and the wife and kids use it when their cars are of the road, ive brought/sold/broken 11 freelanders in 4 years all under £300 each, ive still got 2 now, I think they are easy to drive with decent mpg, cheap enough road tax and cheap insurance. Servicing and parts are cheap compared to many 4x4, yes it has a few negative points but overall I've been really pleased with the freelander.

deangermouse said:

I needed a 4x4 for my boat, found a 2001 td4 with 6 months mot for £250 which was a bit rough body wise, it is great for the boat and the wife and kids use it when their cars are of the road, ive brought/sold/broken 11 freelanders in 4 years all under £300 each, ive still got 2 now, I think they are easy to drive with decent mpg, cheap enough road tax and cheap insurance. Servicing and parts are cheap compared to many 4x4, yes it has a few negative points but overall I've been really pleased with the freelander.

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VED 315 Pounds pa my insurance AF 733 Pounds Manchester

couldn't afford a Range Rover

Wanted a stable mate for my D3 kept the F1 and sold the D3.
Dave

I went back to my current FL1, as I needed a rest from working on my D3. The D3 was sold and I got my weekends and some money back.

Although recently the FL1 has had some gearbox issues, which I'm sure I'll sort out, eventually. It's still very low maintenance, compared to the D3 it replaced.

I loved the look of the facelift FL1 and wanted an affordable LR that was reasonably comfortable. It fitted the bill. It certainly needs cosseting but I'm still a happy owner 6 years on

I've got an FL1 & FL2 (see signature).
It all began with a new, company car, an FL1 when they first came out. Loved it, and when my lease ran out bought a 3.0L V6 Jag saloon. Comfy, but **** on our narrow twisty, pot-holey roads. For half the winter I couldn't get it out of the drive, which sloped left to right as well as downhill, if there was a hint of ice. Traded the Jag in for a 3 year old FL2 when it had a mere 32k on the clock and never looked back.

One of my (numerous ) daughters bought the FL1 Sport, not appreciating these things require maintenance. After a year or so of utter neglect it broke down and I had her transfer the ownership to me and I'm slowly fettling it back into shape. Engine and brakes are all sorted and I may, or may not, return it to 4WD.

saxavordian said:

VED 315 Pounds pa my insurance AF 733 Pounds Manchester

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VED £265 Insurane £160 year, cheap insurance in Scotland

saxavordian said:

VED 315 Pounds pa my insurance AF 733 Pounds Manchester

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£480 insurance in Manchester

where are you

when the FL came out us local LR addicts were agast I really hated it ,it was so different to the other LR vehicles . My favorite is the 12 seater, my 110 has been to the Lake District 5 times from Essex but her indoors was finding the lack of suspension a bit trying so being a LR nut we went for a face lift FL, it has been brilliant, we have done 51.000 miles without problems it is comfy and the trips to the lakes rather more pleasant than in the old 110, the FL has 187.000 on the clock and still going strong

The fl1 facelift is one of the better looking "suv" in my opinion

This is very interesting. Here in Northumberland (I've been here 11 years but from Yorkshire originally) the Freelander is a very popular vehicle. With is being a semi-rural area (I mean any town is just 5mins from the countryside) Land Rovers seem to be the vehicle of choice. FL1's are plentiful as are early Discos and early Range Rovers but the FL1s seem to outnumber other Land Rovers.

It seems to me the FL1 is a car you either love or hate. We love ours

In contrast we travel down to see my parents who now live just outside Skipton and everyone there seems to have a new Range Rover or new Disco. Not that it has anything to do with the extortionate housing prices there (wink).

pardec said:

£480 insurance in Manchester

where are you

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in New Moston.North Manchester Freelander 1 no props so classed as mod. cats walk in pairs carrying flick claws just in case

I have always admired the disco but am dead chuffed with my hippo, a face-lifted FL1 sport bought as a project on a well known car sale website. it currently needs the back window wires replacing and I've just discovered that the rear OS passenger window needs attention too. Used as a daily drive I'm finding it economical and as it's a TD4.

Three years ago I moved and went from an 8km commute in my MGF to a 40km commute. I didn't want to be running the MG to death in cutthroat traffic where Dodge Ram pickups are a typical vehicle.
Being a British car guy the Freelander seemed like a reasonably sized and comfortable commuting vehicle. I probably should have paid more attention to fuel mileage as all of the Freelanders here are V6s.
I have learned a lot and spent a lot fixing the issues that came with my Hippo and now have a reliable (For God's sake-Knock on wood!) vehicle for my daily drive and have become a real fan.
Next week-brakes!

saxavordian said:

New Moston.North Manchester Freelander 1 no props so classed as mod

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Fit the props and save £300 pa on insurance.