Land Rover Freelander 2.5 V6...any good?

[ehyouwhat]

I've spotted what appears to be a nice 2000 W-reg Land Rover Freelander 2.5 V6 with an auto box, which on the face of things would make a nice tow-car. The car has around 90k on the clock but can be had for a shade under £4k. Are they any good? Is reliability an issue with these (I've heard reliability can be ropey on the 1.8s)? Will fuel consumption be truly shocking?

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.

[GKP]

They do like a drink! Expect very low 20s even if you're light of foot, but you'll enjoy the smoothness of the engine although you won't be bowled over by the horsepower.

[CY88]

We have a 2003 and have had no major problems to date (touch wood). Yes its thirsty, but so much nicer to drive than the other models.

[ehyouwhat]

Drove a 2002 model today. 2.5 V6i ES hardback 3-dr in a lovely colour, with 30-odd thousand on the clock, with full leather and cruise control, and full LR history, all for £5k.

It was such a smooth ride, far better than I was expecting. I also love the removeable hardback and the roof panels...although they probably wouldn't get too much use at this time of year!

Seems a bargain machine to me, an ideal towcar. I know the fuel consumption isn't great, but it's a small price to pay for a comfortable cruiser/workhorse.

I should think I'll be acquiring that car in the next couple of days.

[P100]

Not especially good as a tow car as they cannot pull anything like the weight that a Discovery or a Range Rover can.

There are some reliability issues with Viscous units, IRD drives and rear diffs but a good one is worth having!

As has been said, they do like a drink, are generally well specced and as far as I now there are no engine issues

Cheers Roy

[ehyouwhat]

I bought it anyway. Couldn't argue with the price, and everything seemed in order mechanically and aesthetically (apart from an overworn steering wheel - I was worried at first, but my mind has been eased).

The 2-year warranty I secured on the car makes me feel better too.