......and now I am wondering whether I should consider buying it, or run away.
So I would welcome any input either way.
The positives:
- 2005, 80,000 ish miles.
- Bodywork generally good for the age
- interior good. Cloth (which I prefer) but no obvious damage.
- No signs of abuse or rust underneath. Even brake pipes look pretty solid.
- Suspension might be a little soft but I don't really know these cars well so it could just be normal for the type. It certainly drove ok but was no sports car
-Brakes looked and felt fine.
-1.8 petrol but has had the head gasket replaced already
-rear tailgate window worked properly when opening the door.
-Its propshaft etc was all there.
The negatives:
This is going to sound like I have just copied all the issues from the "Test new Freelander 1 owners should do" thread!
- Water level in the expansion bottle was very low (only just over the outlet pipe). Make me suspicious of the head gasket replacement claim (or how well it was done). On the other hand, no emulsion on the dip stick or inside the top of the cam cover etc. Current owner claimed to not know what an expansion bottle is so could well have just neglected it. Or could be trying to pull a fast one.....
- Moving slowly on full lock (forward and back) I could feel the car dragging slightly. Not to the point of stopping it but a bit like I had left the handbrake half on. Made me concerned about the VCU but I have never driven a good one. Do they all do that a small amount?
- Odd knocks and a slight whirring noise from the back. If it wasn't 4wd I would have put it down to the exhaust knocking and a bit of rust in the rear drums (it hasn't be used much recently). But of course I have read the faults thread so am now wondering if the diff has gone!
- Rear windows did not work. Unfortunately some previous owner has "fixed" this by gluing them shut with silicon sealant. So it might well need rubbers as well as winder mechs.
- Passenger door lock did not work remotely.
- Leak into the boot: damp carpet right at the back and the cubby under the floor was also damp.
After that little list you are probably wondering why I am even considering it. I guess the main reason was it was cheap. I could afford a recon diff and vcu from bell engineering and it would still be cheaper than most others round here at the same age and mileage. Add to that I cannot help thinking that any 16 year old freelander is likely to have developed these sort of faults. So why not get something cheap and fix it rather than spend more and maybe still have to fix it a year or two down the line?
So there you have it. Silly to even consider it or some logic to my arguement? Your thoughts would be appreciated!
So I would welcome any input either way.
The positives:
- 2005, 80,000 ish miles.
- Bodywork generally good for the age
- interior good. Cloth (which I prefer) but no obvious damage.
- No signs of abuse or rust underneath. Even brake pipes look pretty solid.
- Suspension might be a little soft but I don't really know these cars well so it could just be normal for the type. It certainly drove ok but was no sports car
-Brakes looked and felt fine.
-1.8 petrol but has had the head gasket replaced already
-rear tailgate window worked properly when opening the door.
-Its propshaft etc was all there.
The negatives:
This is going to sound like I have just copied all the issues from the "Test new Freelander 1 owners should do" thread!
- Water level in the expansion bottle was very low (only just over the outlet pipe). Make me suspicious of the head gasket replacement claim (or how well it was done). On the other hand, no emulsion on the dip stick or inside the top of the cam cover etc. Current owner claimed to not know what an expansion bottle is so could well have just neglected it. Or could be trying to pull a fast one.....
- Moving slowly on full lock (forward and back) I could feel the car dragging slightly. Not to the point of stopping it but a bit like I had left the handbrake half on. Made me concerned about the VCU but I have never driven a good one. Do they all do that a small amount?
- Odd knocks and a slight whirring noise from the back. If it wasn't 4wd I would have put it down to the exhaust knocking and a bit of rust in the rear drums (it hasn't be used much recently). But of course I have read the faults thread so am now wondering if the diff has gone!
- Rear windows did not work. Unfortunately some previous owner has "fixed" this by gluing them shut with silicon sealant. So it might well need rubbers as well as winder mechs.
- Passenger door lock did not work remotely.
- Leak into the boot: damp carpet right at the back and the cubby under the floor was also damp.
After that little list you are probably wondering why I am even considering it. I guess the main reason was it was cheap. I could afford a recon diff and vcu from bell engineering and it would still be cheaper than most others round here at the same age and mileage. Add to that I cannot help thinking that any 16 year old freelander is likely to have developed these sort of faults. So why not get something cheap and fix it rather than spend more and maybe still have to fix it a year or two down the line?
So there you have it. Silly to even consider it or some logic to my arguement? Your thoughts would be appreciated!
