Toying withe idea of getting a Freelander

[Irishrover]

:behindsofa:

A quick intro. to you Freelanders......

I have been an active member of the Range Rover section for a few years as some avid readers may have noticed, having owned a P38,4.6,HSE for about 10 years until selling it in August.

As the title suggests, I am contemplating getting a Freelander and the model that is appealing to me is the 2.5,V6-preferably automatic around 2001 vintage. I am a diehard petrolhead and not really interested in diesels or LPG converted.
I have seen a couple on Egay which are going for around £2K with FSH.
Not being very well up on Freelanders reliability and spares costs etc. I would like to hear the opinions of you guys, good & bad. I am fully aware of the good and bad points of Range Rovers...are Freelanders much the same ?

Not sure whether I am looking at a Freelander 1 or 2 so please bear with me on this one !!

Look forward to reading your honest opinions.

 

[hd3]

seek out posts by 'hippo' and 'nodge68' ..
they are two V6 owners hereabouts
( there are more .. but their LZ id's escape me just now )

What to look for on Freelanders ( mk1 )
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/1620217-post9.html

http://www.myfreelander.co.uk/Overview/overviewMenu.htm

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/what-makes-freelanders-betterer-than-other-4x4s-198074.html

freelander2 forum ( engines / 4wd transmission design different to mk1's )
Freel2.com - Index

re mk1 freelanders vcu
WHAT DOES MY FREELANDER’S VCU DO? | For Land Rover Enthusiasts
Symptoms - Bell Engineering

~~~~~~~

am sure there was a 'what do you hate about yer hippo' thread somewhere ..
but i neglected to save the bookmark ..

apart from my td4 .. only other LR i've driven .. and mainly on farm trax at that
was a series 2 or 3 ( can't remember which it were .. was back in the 70's ) ..
i.e. .. can't comment how they compare drive wise to a range.r .. never driven one ..

 

[Irishrover]

Thanks for that.
Great links.

 

[JonFre]

:behindsofa:

A quick intro. to you Freelanders......

I have been an active member of the Range Rover section for a few years as some avid readers may have noticed, having owned a P38,4.6,HSE for about 10 years until selling it in August.

As the title suggests, I am contemplating getting a Freelander and the model that is appealing to me is the 2.5,V6-preferably automatic around 2001 vintage. I am a diehard petrolhead and not really interested in diesels or LPG converted.
I have seen a couple on Egay which are going for around £2K with FSH.
Not being very well up on Freelanders reliability and spares costs etc. I would like to hear the opinions of you guys, good & bad. I am fully aware of the good and bad points of Range Rovers...are Freelanders much the same ?

Not sure whether I am looking at a Freelander 1 or 2 so please bear with me on this one !!

Look forward to reading your honest opinions.

What is your estimated annual mileage?

 

[Irishrover]

About 8000 at a guess.

The P38 was wrapped in cotton wool most of the time and only did 2000 a year average.

 

[fanatic]

Are you insane?
you should know by now the only freelander to buy is a diesel

Did you miss the k series petrol models are shilte memo?

TD4 if you must buy a freelander!

 

[Trewey]

I had a V6 Gaylander for 3 years and did 60k in it.
It did 18 - 19mpg at best.
It went through 2 engines (repeated HG failure) and 3 gearboxes.

Thank fook it was a Company car.

Nice drive though.

 

[The Mad Hat Man]

I had a 2001 KV6 - 6 months and £6.5 repair bills later (included HGF) i got shot. I used to be the same - petrol only & V, pref, but having had a couple of 200/300tdis, would be happy with a doozil.

next to no boot space either

as said TD4 - dont touch a petrol unless...
a) yu dont mind it off the road more than on it.
b) yu have deep pockets.

 

[Brack]

If you want a petrol then get a petrol, they aint all bad - try a cheaper one, I paid £850 (K1.8 with full service history) for mine last April. its a lovely vehicle and the only thing that's failed me is the petrol pump in that time. if it fails you so much that you would be out of pocket then sell it on e bay for spares or repair with the disclosed faults...many of the parts would be snapped up by diesel owners anyway!! I can't believe some Landyzone members would call K series owners "Insane" - diesels have their problems too as do all cars !! Honest opinion given.

 

[dave21478]

I have been thinking about a P38 - what real-world MPG did you get from the 4.6?

 

[dogsbody]

I have been thinking about a P38 - what real-world MPG did you get from the 4.6?

Why do you think it's called a 4.6 ?

 

[JonFre]

About 8000 at a guess.

The P38 was wrapped in cotton wool most of the time and only did 2000 a year average.

Do only 2k miles with plenty of cotton wool and you might be get away with a V6. I don't think you want to do more than 5k miles a year with one.

 

[Irishrover]

Thanks for all the input guys, appreciated that you are being open minded. After all the years on the Rangie section, I am used to the banter !!!:hysterically_laughi
My 4.6 used to give me approx 18mpg around the houses and a regular 20-22 mpg on a run driving at 70-80 mph with the cruise on. We also have a Vectra V6, 2.5 which averages out at around 28-32mpg which aint bad.
The Rangie had a porous block a few years ago at around 80000 and I put a new short engine in her. Ran like a dream after that.
Yes. I have noticed that the V6 is prone to head gasket failure but I am not afraid to replace them if needs be...can't be any worse than the V8 !!
I have seen a couple of 2001 Freelanders with 50000 & 70000 miles on them on Egay which went for around £1500, both looked in good nick.
I suppose it's personal choice but I have always preferred petrol burners to diesel and as far as LPG is concerned, I feel they are more trouble than they are worth.
Insurance wise, I was paying around £300/year for the Rangie with full NCB (Churchill)-what are the typical insurance costs on a 2.5 Freelander ??
Obviously, the P38's- and it now looks like the later Rangies are going the same way, have their usual Land Rover build and design problems but they are like Marmite..you either love or hate them.
Keep the comments coming folks.

 

[fanatic]

liner problems on v6 as well- buy a Diesel

 

[fanatic]

:hysterically_laughi

If you want a petrol then get a petrol, they aint all bad - try a cheaper one, I paid £850 (K1.8 with full service history) for mine last April. its a lovely vehicle and the only thing that's failed me is the petrol pump in that time. if it fails you so much that you would be out of pocket then sell it on e bay for spares or repair with the disclosed faults...many of the parts would be snapped up by diesel owners anyway!! I can't believe some Landyzone members would call K series owners "Insane" - diesels have their problems too as do all cars !! Honest opinion given.

:clap2:

 

[Hippo]

I keep being told my v6 is no good on ere. Whilst I would never have another, as I would have a Freelander 2 instead, they're not that bad. Those who have a lot of failures often don't look after their motors (themselves or garages) or their driving is crap so they trash it. That goes for any vehicle. Same as taking a vehicle to someone that don't know how to repair it propper.

v6 has problems just like the v8 does, but peeps don't like to mention v8 problems so much on ere as it doesn't get a laugh. Fewer v6's on the roads as the diesels were cheaper to run when comparing price/running cost when peeps first bought them. Freelanders suffer from being scrapped when costs pile up - v6 engine or gearbox failure - as it's simply not worth the cost of repair when compared to putting that money towards a replacement diesel. As per me write up v6 is cheap due to running cost and risk of failure. Buy one which int been fixed propper and the faults will return. 50 to 70k miles is the time when auto oil change (5th service or 60k) and cam belt (6th service or 72k) is suggested via service guide, which is why peeps sell them. If your handly with tools then go for it. Just make sure you check it propper beforehand and pick one which has been looked after.

Oh, and about £9k in 6.5 years, including servicing at main dealer x3, service/repair many times at home if I can, 11x tyres, auto gearbox (main dealer fitted), all service parts, wear and tear parts like new brakes, initial cost of putting a few things right and things like a stronger sump guard.

 

[Nodge68]

I agree with Hippo on most of his post. The V6 can be expensive if you get a failure but if you are good with your hands most is easy fixed!!

 

[Freelaner]

If you want a petrol then get a petrol, they aint all bad - try a cheaper one, I paid £850 (K1.8 with full service history) for mine last April. its a lovely vehicle and the only thing that's failed me is the petrol pump in that time. if it fails you so much that you would be out of pocket then sell it on e bay for spares or repair with the disclosed faults...many of the parts would be snapped up by diesel owners anyway!! I can't believe some Landyzone members would call K series owners "Insane" - diesels have their problems too as do all cars !! Honest opinion given.

failing that, an L-Series rather than a td4 if you want it bullet proof

 

[Irishrover]

Thanks Guys for the follow up..appreciated, As I first posted, I wanted honest feedback from all sides.
O.K., I realise that problems do exist with the petrol, both 1.8 & 2.5, but as has been posted, a lot of emphasis is placed on correct maintenance and driving tecniques-if you want to drive in a "Brisk & Sporty" manner a 4X4 is the wrong motor-buy a Beemer !!
I do all my own maintenance to ensure that work is done correctly and to MY satisfaction.
From what I am reading, the diesel never gives problems or suffer from engine failure..I find this hard to believe and I am still thinking Petrol.

 

[Vissie]

The Td4 doesnt have head or block issues generally, is what people are trying to say.

The injectors are trash and they require decent maintainance, but they are great engines.

I think the K series engines (kv6 and 1.8k) are good engines. They just suffer from being fitted into the Freelander, especially the 1.8 which isnt suited to running an ird unit on a 4x4.

I'd definately own a 1.8k over kv6 though, purely because the 1.8 is so cheap and easy to repair if you own a set of spanners. This is set against the v6 which is easy more expensive and harder to repair (maybe this is my opinion just as i detest doing the timing belts on the kv6 ) They are both easy to get parts for though.