Freelander buying help
Discussion
Hi
my wife is after a Freelander and so far all she knows is it has to be red.
anything we should watch out for on mileage, series or known problems.
Looking to spend just over £11k and am thinking to get an older car with low mileage rather than a newer shape on high mileage.
cheers for the help
C43
my wife is after a Freelander and so far all she knows is it has to be red.
anything we should watch out for on mileage, series or known problems.
Looking to spend just over £11k and am thinking to get an older car with low mileage rather than a newer shape on high mileage.
cheers for the help
C43
You will be looking at a 04-56 freeby 1 then.
Spec goes from base to top spec, E,S,SE,HSE. There is a sport and sport premium but they are based on the S and have wierd and bizarre specs. Personally i would go for a SE or HSE. They have all the toys so dont buy a poverty spec model when you can afford the best.
TD4 is the best of the engine range, blank the egr (£56) and change the boost hoses to uprated silicone ones (£104) and thats the engine sorted. Service regularly with good oil and filters and its a good reliable lump with good scope for remapping if you wish. Mine is and the difference is impressive. Manual or auto is down to presonal preferance, note that td4s from 55 plate onwards get the higher road tax, my 04 td4 is £260 this year. I get 35-42mpg depending on useage and right foot.
3 doors are nicer looking imo than 5 doors, 5s are more practical.
Unlike other LR's rust is not an issue and off road damage is very unlikely. The rear boot seals can leak, replacement seal sorts it out. Never happened in mine though.
As ever, check all toys are working and that the bodywork is straight and the interior is in good condition. You should be getting 40k and below mileage wise so you can be fussy. My interior is in superb nick apart from some slight wear on the drivers seat base.
Spec goes from base to top spec, E,S,SE,HSE. There is a sport and sport premium but they are based on the S and have wierd and bizarre specs. Personally i would go for a SE or HSE. They have all the toys so dont buy a poverty spec model when you can afford the best.
TD4 is the best of the engine range, blank the egr (£56) and change the boost hoses to uprated silicone ones (£104) and thats the engine sorted. Service regularly with good oil and filters and its a good reliable lump with good scope for remapping if you wish. Mine is and the difference is impressive. Manual or auto is down to presonal preferance, note that td4s from 55 plate onwards get the higher road tax, my 04 td4 is £260 this year. I get 35-42mpg depending on useage and right foot.
3 doors are nicer looking imo than 5 doors, 5s are more practical.
Unlike other LR's rust is not an issue and off road damage is very unlikely. The rear boot seals can leak, replacement seal sorts it out. Never happened in mine though.
As ever, check all toys are working and that the bodywork is straight and the interior is in good condition. You should be getting 40k and below mileage wise so you can be fussy. My interior is in superb nick apart from some slight wear on the drivers seat base.
A.J.M said:
You will be looking at a 04-56 freeby 1 then.
Spec goes from base to top spec, E,S,SE,HSE. There is a sport and sport premium but they are based on the S and have wierd and bizarre specs. Personally i would go for a SE or HSE. They have all the toys so dont buy a poverty spec model when you can afford the best.
TD4 is the best of the engine range, blank the egr (£56) and change the boost hoses to uprated silicone ones (£104) and thats the engine sorted. Service regularly with good oil and filters and its a good reliable lump with good scope for remapping if you wish. Mine is and the difference is impressive. Manual or auto is down to presonal preferance, note that td4s from 55 plate onwards get the higher road tax, my 04 td4 is £260 this year. I get 35-42mpg depending on useage and right foot.
3 doors are nicer looking imo than 5 doors, 5s are more practical.
Unlike other LR's rust is not an issue and off road damage is very unlikely. The rear boot seals can leak, replacement seal sorts it out. Never happened in mine though.
As ever, check all toys are working and that the bodywork is straight and the interior is in good condition. You should be getting 40k and below mileage wise so you can be fussy. My interior is in superb nick apart from some slight wear on the drivers seat base.
Top post. I'm in the market for a dog carrier and looking at freelanders up to £7k. I've spotted an 05 plate SE TD4 with 80k on the clock up for £6.5k - are there any further issues to look out for at this mileage? Would be doing less than 5k a year in itSpec goes from base to top spec, E,S,SE,HSE. There is a sport and sport premium but they are based on the S and have wierd and bizarre specs. Personally i would go for a SE or HSE. They have all the toys so dont buy a poverty spec model when you can afford the best.
TD4 is the best of the engine range, blank the egr (£56) and change the boost hoses to uprated silicone ones (£104) and thats the engine sorted. Service regularly with good oil and filters and its a good reliable lump with good scope for remapping if you wish. Mine is and the difference is impressive. Manual or auto is down to presonal preferance, note that td4s from 55 plate onwards get the higher road tax, my 04 td4 is £260 this year. I get 35-42mpg depending on useage and right foot.
3 doors are nicer looking imo than 5 doors, 5s are more practical.
Unlike other LR's rust is not an issue and off road damage is very unlikely. The rear boot seals can leak, replacement seal sorts it out. Never happened in mine though.
As ever, check all toys are working and that the bodywork is straight and the interior is in good condition. You should be getting 40k and below mileage wise so you can be fussy. My interior is in superb nick apart from some slight wear on the drivers seat base.
jj333 said:
A.J.M said:
You will be looking at a 04-56 freeby 1 then.
Spec goes from base to top spec, E,S,SE,HSE. There is a sport and sport premium but they are based on the S and have wierd and bizarre specs. Personally i would go for a SE or HSE. They have all the toys so dont buy a poverty spec model when you can afford the best.
TD4 is the best of the engine range, blank the egr (£56) and change the boost hoses to uprated silicone ones (£104) and thats the engine sorted. Service regularly with good oil and filters and its a good reliable lump with good scope for remapping if you wish. Mine is and the difference is impressive. Manual or auto is down to presonal preferance, note that td4s from 55 plate onwards get the higher road tax, my 04 td4 is £260 this year. I get 35-42mpg depending on useage and right foot.
3 doors are nicer looking imo than 5 doors, 5s are more practical.
Unlike other LR's rust is not an issue and off road damage is very unlikely. The rear boot seals can leak, replacement seal sorts it out. Never happened in mine though.
As ever, check all toys are working and that the bodywork is straight and the interior is in good condition. You should be getting 40k and below mileage wise so you can be fussy. My interior is in superb nick apart from some slight wear on the drivers seat base.
Top post. I'm in the market for a dog carrier and looking at freelanders up to £7k. I've spotted an 05 plate SE TD4 with 80k on the clock up for £6.5k - are there any further issues to look out for at this mileage? Would be doing less than 5k a year in itSpec goes from base to top spec, E,S,SE,HSE. There is a sport and sport premium but they are based on the S and have wierd and bizarre specs. Personally i would go for a SE or HSE. They have all the toys so dont buy a poverty spec model when you can afford the best.
TD4 is the best of the engine range, blank the egr (£56) and change the boost hoses to uprated silicone ones (£104) and thats the engine sorted. Service regularly with good oil and filters and its a good reliable lump with good scope for remapping if you wish. Mine is and the difference is impressive. Manual or auto is down to presonal preferance, note that td4s from 55 plate onwards get the higher road tax, my 04 td4 is £260 this year. I get 35-42mpg depending on useage and right foot.
3 doors are nicer looking imo than 5 doors, 5s are more practical.
Unlike other LR's rust is not an issue and off road damage is very unlikely. The rear boot seals can leak, replacement seal sorts it out. Never happened in mine though.
As ever, check all toys are working and that the bodywork is straight and the interior is in good condition. You should be getting 40k and below mileage wise so you can be fussy. My interior is in superb nick apart from some slight wear on the drivers seat base.
I have an SE, 04 plate and i got mine for £6.5k over 2 years ago, Had only 37k on it, now sitting at 61.5k and its nice to see its still worth what i paid for it,
Main thing for them is tyres, dont put s
t one on it, and make sure the highest tread is on the rear wheels as this helps the vcu out as well. I replaced the crap ones the previous owner fitted to mine and got 4 michelin synchrone M+S rated ones as they were what LR spec'ed them with when new. Superb tyre and still available from blackcircles i think.Pretty handy off road and superb in the snow if you can plan ahead and not drive like a bellend. I had no issues with mine over the last 2 winters and i stay in central scotland, we got it bad.
You can pick up a dog guard and bot protector off ebay for a reasonable price, i got a geniune brand new LR boot guard for £40. Its great and goes 6" up the sides of the boot as well.
£11k should get you a pretty new one, even a decent S2 (came out around 2006). The TD4 was facelifter in 2002 ('nicer' front lights, etc) and you should get one for as low as £4k. Avoid the 1.8 Petrol and the V6 (auto only by the way) as the TD4 is far better in almost every way 
There are plenty of such forums on here if you go back a couple of months as it's a frequently asked question - and there are plenty of differing opinions!!
There are plenty of such forums on here if you go back a couple of months as it's a frequently asked question - and there are plenty of differing opinions!!
A.J.M said:
Apart from the vcu then not really. Anti roll bar drop links can get clunky and the rear diff mounts can wear out but from 04 onwards most of the issues have een reolved with the freeby.
I have an SE, 04 plate and i got mine for £6.5k over 2 years ago, Had only 37k on it, now sitting at 61.5k and its nice to see its still worth what i paid for it,
Main thing for them is tyres, dont put st one on it, and make sure the highest tread is on the rear wheels as this helps the vcu out as well. I replaced the crap ones the previous owner fitted to mine and got 4 michelin synchrone M+S rated ones as they were what LR spec'ed them with when new. Superb tyre and still available from blackcircles i think.
Pretty handy off road and superb in the snow if you can plan ahead and not drive like a bellend. I had no issues with mine over the last 2 winters and i stay in central scotland, we got it bad.
You can pick up a dog guard and bot protector off ebay for a reasonable price, i got a geniune brand new LR boot guard for £40. Its great and goes 6" up the sides of the boot as well.
Excellent, thanks for the info. I have an SE, 04 plate and i got mine for £6.5k over 2 years ago, Had only 37k on it, now sitting at 61.5k and its nice to see its still worth what i paid for it,
Main thing for them is tyres, dont put s
t one on it, and make sure the highest tread is on the rear wheels as this helps the vcu out as well. I replaced the crap ones the previous owner fitted to mine and got 4 michelin synchrone M+S rated ones as they were what LR spec'ed them with when new. Superb tyre and still available from blackcircles i think.Pretty handy off road and superb in the snow if you can plan ahead and not drive like a bellend. I had no issues with mine over the last 2 winters and i stay in central scotland, we got it bad.
You can pick up a dog guard and bot protector off ebay for a reasonable price, i got a geniune brand new LR boot guard for £40. Its great and goes 6" up the sides of the boot as well.
My father is on his fourth Freelander - 3 x FL1 petrol, 1 x FL2.
Both of us prefer the styling of 1, but after that the 2 is a much more accomplished car. I believe the 2 sits on a Focus-derived platform with all the advantages that brings regarding better on-road manners.
The interior of the newer car is a quantum leap in quality and ergonomics. Enough has been written about the petrol K series engine fitted to the 1, but it really wasn't up to the job in shifting an SUV. The diesel in the 2 is much more suited to the car.
I never really enjoyed the 1 on road (the 2 is much better - although being an SUV it is no sports car and will feel compromised compared with a good family car), but having driven both extensively in the snow and off road (several LR experiences) they are incredibly capable and probably man enough for anything that you will throw at them - so long as you drive with sympathy to the conditions and knowledge of the car (i.e. no low range).
I would spend the extra on a 2 - or alternatively find a higher mileage 2 for the same price as you are budgetting for a 1.
Both of us prefer the styling of 1, but after that the 2 is a much more accomplished car. I believe the 2 sits on a Focus-derived platform with all the advantages that brings regarding better on-road manners.
The interior of the newer car is a quantum leap in quality and ergonomics. Enough has been written about the petrol K series engine fitted to the 1, but it really wasn't up to the job in shifting an SUV. The diesel in the 2 is much more suited to the car.
I never really enjoyed the 1 on road (the 2 is much better - although being an SUV it is no sports car and will feel compromised compared with a good family car), but having driven both extensively in the snow and off road (several LR experiences) they are incredibly capable and probably man enough for anything that you will throw at them - so long as you drive with sympathy to the conditions and knowledge of the car (i.e. no low range).
I would spend the extra on a 2 - or alternatively find a higher mileage 2 for the same price as you are budgetting for a 1.
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