DAKA

New Member
My Dad has asked me to go and look at a Freelander in the morning and I have no idea what to look for.
I dont want to waste my time in kicking the tyres so I thought you might be able to give me some pointers please.


Its 1.8s petrol 90 000 miles

Its got a new head fitted as the cam belt snapped.

Usually I would walk away from any serious repair but I assume landrovers are tougher ?
What do I look out for ?

If the subject has already been done to death please reply with a link or two to any previous posts .

Thanks.

Pete
 
Freelanders are not - walk away.

look in the freelander faults thread and save his money for at least a TD4.
 
The 1.8s are prone to HGF. Before I even read your first sentence, I had already predicted that you'd mention HGF. It really is that common and that's why they are much cheaper than the BMW powered TD4 diesel versions. It's not a question of "if it will happen", it's a question of when.

Some Land Rovers may stand being knocked about a bit. But they're certainly not known for reliability and buying a petrol model Freelander 1 is just asking for trouble.

Imo, I'd avoid it like the plague. Even the rest of the diesel models still have their own fair share of common problems. I'd hate to have to add serious engine related issues to that list as well.
 
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Thanks for all your help, I wasnt sure what to expect and I am impressed at the speed of response and unanimous agreement.

I had searched and found a 'poll of faults' which made the petrol faults look better than diesel 160 verses 165 , its a good job I asked :)

Thanks again.
cheers
Pete
 
Thanks for all your help, I wasnt sure what to expect and I am impressed at the speed of response and unanimous agreement.

I had searched and found a 'poll of faults' which made the petrol faults look better than diesel 160 verses 165 , its a good job I asked :)

Thanks again.
cheers
Pete

If you can provide us with more info as to what the vehicle would be used for and what his requirements are, we could advise on an alternative if you like.
 
If you can provide us with more info as to what the vehicle would be used for and what his requirements are, we could advise on an alternative if you like.

Thanks but its a tall order to tick all the boxes ..........

Lives in the middle of nowhere on a nature reserve, 500 meters from the B road.

last winters snow caused him to damage his car trying to find the road.

Intends to use it in the winter only say 5000 miles a year.

To include some slow winter off road work , grass / stubble forest tracks, nothing too rough and always other 4x4 around to tow out of mud.

Mum cant manage to get in high vehicles so we thought a freelander was a sensible compromise.

do you think the diesel freelander makes better sense.
 
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you'll get loads of replies from the rufty tufty tratter boys saying a defender is best, or buy a disco.

truth is, if you want car like levels of comfort, with shall I say "gentle" off road ability, a td4 freelander will fit the bill. mine was rock solid during all the snow, and is fine with a bit of greenlaning. just need to watch the ground clearance if straddling ruts etc.

I say this particularly noting your comments about a high vehicle being difficult for your mum to get in and out of.

if your into wading through 12" of mud, then it's not the vehicle for you.

good luck with your quest.
 
Thanks but its a tall order to tick all the boxes ..........

Lives in the middle of nowhere on a nature reserve, 500 meters from the B road.

last winters snow caused him to damage his car trying to find the road.

Intends to use it in the winter only say 5000 miles a year.

To include some slow winter off road work , grass / stubble forest tracks, nothing too rough and always other 4x4 around to tow out of mud.

Mum cant mange to get in high vehicles so we thought a freelander was a sensible compromise.

do you think the diesel freelander makes better sense.

I have a diesel Freelander (TD4 51 plate manual) and have had nothing but trouble with it but some people on here say they're fine. We have a love hate relationship going on. One minute I want rid of it but when I do look for a replacement, I usually find that there's nothing that ticks all of the boxes for me. I had a BMW 3 series before that and over 5 years, it never let me down, not once. So I guess you could say that I'm expecting a lot of my Freelander.

If your father only intends to use it for driving in the winter, I guess MPG is not a major concern?

The Nissan X-Trail is generally said to be on par with the Freelander in terms off road capability. It doesn't have that much ground clearance (a little more than the Freelander afaik) making it relatively easy to get into. It boasts better ride handling and is more reliable overall. It's also more practical and has a massive cargo compartment by comparison. However, this does come at a price. They will typically cost a lot more than 1.8 Freelanders and somewhat more than a TD4. However, if he's willing to buy one with slightly higher mileage then perhaps he could compromise there.

The ageing Discovery 1 with side steps may be worth considering. They're reasonably comfortable and you can pick these up for Freelander 1.8 money. The diesels deliver reasonable fuel economy for their size. Parts are relatively cheap. They are very spacious and practical. However, they are not the most reliable vehicles in the world and they do suffer from well known rust issues. Though, I'd say it's much less of a risk than a Freelander 1.8.

There's also the Discovery 2. It's basically an evolved Disco 1. Better handling, slightly better fuel economy, better comfort, better performance, more electric gadgets etc and arguably more classy too and less agricultural. Some say they're generally more reliable than the Discovery 1 however, when things do go wrong, it's likely that repairs will cost much more. You will be unlikely to find a low mileage diesel TD5 version for under £4k though.

Then there's the Japanese 4x4 and 4x4 crossovers. Japanese cars are renowned for their reliability as you're probably already aware. I don't know much about the Toyota Rav4 and the Honda CRV but they're similar in size to the Freelander and have generally similar performance and characteristics. Though, they're not as capable off road than a Freelander, but by the sounds of it, your father doesn't need a capable off roader. It may be worth looking into those. That said, if I was spending much time in the forests, I definitely wouldn't consider one of these. I will probably get laughed at for even mentioning it too. But for light off road use, reliability(?) and for practicality over standard cars, they're fine imo.
 
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TD4 freelander far more reliable and very able for mild offroading and winter use. Know of many including other halfs that has never let us down in snow ect and returns reasonable mpg.
 
Thanks for everyones replies :)
When I mentioned forest use I meant on semi hard tracks so the gaylander TD4 sounds to be a good choice.

I am meeting my Dad @ 1000 to view the petrol one and I think it is a bit late to cancel and it might be a good for him to look at it although I will advise to find a TD4 if he likes it.

Thanks for everyones help.

Great forum, you should be proud of it :5bparty:
 
I have a Td4 Van... 118,000 miles on it, never missed a beat.

Anyway, X-trail diesels have their own issues but I understand that the 2.5 petrol is a VERY good engine, and if hes only doing 5k miles a year, difference in fuel wont be that great.

Also, the 2.5's are much cheaper than the 2.2Dci's and tend to be of a higher spec.

Off road, Id say (having owned one) they are comparable with the freelander.

On a curveball, mate of mine just bought a Ford Explorer 4.0L Petrol for £1600. Seems happy enough with it and, like you, just going to use it to potter about with and use in snow next year.

S.
 

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