looking to buy but would like a steer

The Mad Hat Man said:

I have... and he is absolutely correct. and when it goes its 2 hgf's .


stick to a doozil.

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I've had an L series and 2 V6s.
The only one (so far!) that had HGF was the L series.
Even though the first V6 lost all it's coolant when a hose split, the head gasket never failed.

Maybe I've been lucky...

Bukko, everyone has their own experiences and will prove and disprove rules and generalised statements. You're right, I've never run a V6. Most of my comments were from the threads I've seen go through the forum, but on the V6 particularly the used cars listed for sale here in NZ. The 2.5s are the most common here and its amazing how many are listed with cooling issues. Unless of course, V6 owners are just more honest that others

I hope where I've put my personal preferences and opinions, that I've made that clear and the other stuff is generally accepted as being 'about right'. I did want to say something about the Jatco Auto boxes suffering all sorts of complex problems that can take ages to sort out. But I'm not sure if that's just generally true for all auto boxes or that we only see problems in the forum and in actual fact, they're quite reliable!

bukko said:

I've had an L series and 2 V6s.
The only one (so far!) that had HGF was the L series.
Even though the first V6 lost all it's coolant when a hose split, the head gasket never failed.

Maybe I've been lucky...

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KV6 is miles better than the 1.8. I've owned 6 vehicles fitted with them including a Freelander V6. The V6 is much better as it doesn't systematically blow HGs like the 1.8. If a HG fails on the V6, there will be a cause. The 1.8 HG just fails due to age.

Well I can't deny there do seem to be considerably more problems with the auto box than manuals.
But in my (limited) experience, correct maintenance is much more important than engine choice.

Having said all that I's still be very hesitant to buy a 1.8, so what do I know?

Nodge68 said:

KV6 is miles better than the 1.8. I've owned 6 vehicles fitted with them including a Freelander V6. The V6 is much better as it doesn't systematically blow HGs like the 1.8. If a HG fails on the V6, there will be a cause. The 1.8 HG just fails due to age.

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Mine hasn't failed in 2.5 years that I've owned it ...when is this going to happen then?...I could have replaced lots of head gaskets on the extra v6 fuel costs over 2.5 years anyway ...1.8's aint all bad if you look after em!

Anyway ...OP the risk with the 1.8 is that you don't know how its been treated before you buy it... good luck with whichever Freelander your daughter gets

Brack said:

I luv my 1.8 me

The 1.8 demands extra attention and would help teach your daughter the tricks of looking after a car properly - keeping an eye on the water daily and oil weekly, mods to update the cooling system are available for early ones ...makes them interesting and you feel good about life when your little 1.8 chugs along problem free ....theres plenty of power up in the higher rev range where she flies like the rest of them..as has been said the Diesel and TD4 are there too but for me the 1.8 is just interesting to look after

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I agree with this, to help your daughter get to know her vehicle, love it and feel proud of it, the 1.8 is the one she could learn from. I had mine 12 years before the coolant level started to drop, slightly, every 300 miles. If they are cared for, they're faithful, and you can learn so much with a car that requires attentiveness. If your daughter is interested in what goes on under the bonnet, with guidance, I think a Freelander is a good choice, particularly in a Land Rover loving family. First car makes an impression for life, just weigh it up, if a good history is present, your experience will help her develop and build up her own.

....and GrumpyGel, your advice should be a sticky for new buyers!

I'd like to see some evidence.
It would be good to have a poll of what engine have you had, did it have HGF, trouble is that would only allow for 1 answer per user.
I might knock-up a quick website just for that!

The book time on the v6 0-60 is only 0.4 seconds faster than the 1.8.......

I would love a v6 in many ways but for the foreseeable I am very happy with my 1.8, I sure as hell wouldn't swap it for a diesel......

But to be fair if I was buying it for my stepdaughter. I would be getting her an L series........

In my experience you can't rely on others to check levels as often as needed, also I listen to my cars noises and smells... And I act on them straight away.. Other people don't seem to notice things....

Oh and just for the record my 1.8 hasn't (as far as I am aware) had HGF but I have done the head gasket to replace the exhaust valves!!!!

ZDomZ said:

The book time on the v6 0-60 is only 0.4 seconds faster than the 1.8.......

I would love a v6 in many ways but for the foreseeable I am very happy with my 1.8, I sure as hell wouldn't swap it for a diesel......

But to be fair if I was buying it for my stepdaughter. I would be getting her an L series........

In my experience you can't rely on others to check levels as often as needed, also I listen to my cars noises and smells... And I act on them straight away.. Other people don't seem to notice things....

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This^^^^
However the book 0 to 60 timings are very misleading. If you put a correctly running 1.8 and V6 on the drag strip. The V6 will beat the 1.8 as it has 50% more power, it has 10% more weight to lug about though.
This extra weight shows its self at take off but once the V6 is moving, it's much faster than the 1.8. In overtaking, say 50 to 70, the V6 really shows what it's all about.
I'm not anti the K4, don't get me wrong but the V6 is a better performer.
I feel that in the Freelander, the 1.8 is just a bit to small.
However in a lighter car like my VVC MGF, the 1.8 is a peach. And yes I have had to change the HG in that, at 48K miles!! The 1.8 can just pop HGs for no good reason. Some don't, but sadly, lots do.
On the plus side, the 1.8 HG is very easy to change, whereas the V6 is a nightmare!