Would really appreciate some advice
Discussion
Hello there - first post and I was hoping to get some advice.
My Land Rover Freelander TD4 (2004, 87k miles) is currently in the garage having been in and out with intermittent starting problems and loss of power on the motorway. I had the option of spending £500ish to replace the fuel pump 'with no guarantee this will solve the problem' or just paying £130 for the labour it cost to figure out what the problem is, then getting the car back and part-ex'ing it. I've opted for the latter and am now trying to decide what's my best option - lease or buy.
I do approx 10k miles per year on my commute (Brighton to London and back twice per week) and will also be driving the car all over England/Europe on family holidays (we are driving to France in August). We're a family of four and need equal or bigger boot space than we have now with the Freelander (just under 480). I'd also like it to be as reliable/robust as possible. I'm not bothered about having a new car every 3 years and if I'm honest I'd have happily driven my lovely Freelander forever but it's turning into such a money pit that I can't justify it. The thought of breaking down on a country road in France with two screaming kids in the back is giving me nightmares.
I'm driving myself nuts trying to figure out if it's best to lease or buy nearly new (either via PCP or bank loan) - I feel like high mileage (likely around 12k all-in) plus two destructive kids might mean I get penalised if I go the lease route. But I like the reliability of someone else dealing with any issues that might come up with a lease car rather than me having to fork out for it myself.
After having a Freelander I'm really keen to have another SUV and have been looking at the Dacia Duster, Ford Kuga, Qashquai and Seat Ateca as good reasonably priced alternatives.
What would you do if you were me? I appreciate this is a 'how long is a piece of string' question but I'm going bog-eyed trying to make a decision on this. My husband has no interest (it has been and always will be my car/my problem for the lucky man who only has to cycle 10 mins to get to work!) and my mates have just about every conflicting opinion you could think of.
So I thought I'd ask a bunch of strangers! Haha!
Anyway - if any of you have any thoughts or advice I would very much appreciate it.
Thanks
My Land Rover Freelander TD4 (2004, 87k miles) is currently in the garage having been in and out with intermittent starting problems and loss of power on the motorway. I had the option of spending £500ish to replace the fuel pump 'with no guarantee this will solve the problem' or just paying £130 for the labour it cost to figure out what the problem is, then getting the car back and part-ex'ing it. I've opted for the latter and am now trying to decide what's my best option - lease or buy.
I do approx 10k miles per year on my commute (Brighton to London and back twice per week) and will also be driving the car all over England/Europe on family holidays (we are driving to France in August). We're a family of four and need equal or bigger boot space than we have now with the Freelander (just under 480). I'd also like it to be as reliable/robust as possible. I'm not bothered about having a new car every 3 years and if I'm honest I'd have happily driven my lovely Freelander forever but it's turning into such a money pit that I can't justify it. The thought of breaking down on a country road in France with two screaming kids in the back is giving me nightmares.
I'm driving myself nuts trying to figure out if it's best to lease or buy nearly new (either via PCP or bank loan) - I feel like high mileage (likely around 12k all-in) plus two destructive kids might mean I get penalised if I go the lease route. But I like the reliability of someone else dealing with any issues that might come up with a lease car rather than me having to fork out for it myself.
After having a Freelander I'm really keen to have another SUV and have been looking at the Dacia Duster, Ford Kuga, Qashquai and Seat Ateca as good reasonably priced alternatives.
What would you do if you were me? I appreciate this is a 'how long is a piece of string' question but I'm going bog-eyed trying to make a decision on this. My husband has no interest (it has been and always will be my car/my problem for the lucky man who only has to cycle 10 mins to get to work!) and my mates have just about every conflicting opinion you could think of.
So I thought I'd ask a bunch of strangers! Haha!
Anyway - if any of you have any thoughts or advice I would very much appreciate it.
Thanks
First off, can you get another quote for the fuel pump as £500 seems steep. There's also a fuel filter near the wheel arch on the back drivers side - often missed and the cause of a similar problem on my wife's TD4 a few years back.
Why do you like the Freelander - the others may be more car like but don't drive like a Freelander.
Our's is a 13 year old shed used for carrying rubbish, dogs and everything else. It never fails and is reasonably simple to fix yourself
Why do you like the Freelander - the others may be more car like but don't drive like a Freelander.
Our's is a 13 year old shed used for carrying rubbish, dogs and everything else. It never fails and is reasonably simple to fix yourself
trevt said:
First off, can you get another quote for the fuel pump as £500 seems steep. There's also a fuel filter near the wheel arch on the back drivers side - often missed and the cause of a similar problem on my wife's TD4 a few years back.
Why do you like the Freelander - the others may be more car like but don't drive like a Freelander.
Our's is a 13 year old shed used for carrying rubbish, dogs and everything else. It never fails and is reasonably simple to fix yourself
Yes I suppose I could get another quote - although the £500 would have included the £130 for labour plus (and I think he said a new filter which was about £30 - possibly the one you mentioned). Why do you like the Freelander - the others may be more car like but don't drive like a Freelander.
Our's is a 13 year old shed used for carrying rubbish, dogs and everything else. It never fails and is reasonably simple to fix yourself
I like the Freelander because it feels like a nice solid beast - a good family car, sturdy, great boot capacity. It doesn't drive that well if I'm honest, 0-50 in about three months, but I'm used to it now. And the mpg is something ridiculous like 35.
This is the second garage I've had to take it to (a diesel specialist) after my local garage admitted they couldn't figure out the problem. They told me to go to a local Land Rover dealer but they wanted £150 just to diagnose the problem hence taking it elsewhere.
I'm picking it up tomorrow and will hopefully be able to have a proper conversation with the mechanic - it was hard to do over the phone. I'm the second owner but I've only had it a year and it has full service history so I'm disappointed to have not gotten more out of it, mileage wise, before it started playing up.
steve-5snwi said:
Have you tried a Land Rover specialist ? Personally i'd rather throw £500 at the car rather than £250 per month on a loan or PCP
Hiya - thanks for your repy. Yes the Land Rover specialist wanted £150 to look at it so I balked at paying that much. Ironically I've ended up paying the other garage (a diesel engine specialist place) the same amount in labour costs for them to take it apart and do the same thing!I picked it up this morning and the bloke said he felt there were more underlying issues than the fuel pump and that unless I was prepared to pay a lot of money to get it fixed he'd recommend getting rid.
I've since been offered a loan by my in-laws (1% interest - bless 'em!) so might end up doing that. Am considering buying a 3 year old Kia Sportage second hand for around £10k that still has a few years warranty left on it, at least that way I'm covered until I have to stop paying for childcare costs and they're both in school!
RSTurboPaul said:
There might be some Land Rover forums worth trawling / joining - it's possible that someone has had the same problems and posted a solution for it, such as the fuel filter possibility posted above.
Yep good shout - altho they're all a bit scary over there hah!I've actually been having a think and I think the mistake I've made is taking it to garages that aren't Land Rover specialists (two separate ones now, at a cost of almost £200 to not be able to tell me exactly what the problem is). A lesson learnt.
Tbh it's been a great car and I love it so I think I need to try and get it fixed. I've found a well-reviewed Land Rover specialist near me - might try and get her booked in there and see if they can help.
Thanks for all your replies
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