Buying a freelander 1 XeDI

Hi everybody! I'm planning on buying a Freelander 1 XeDi second-hand to use to commute to college, ...
I'd prefer the L-series diesel engine because it only has 72 kW (98 hp), which means it's less expensive to insure (in Belgium anyway), which might be important because I just have my licence for 8 months (and unfortunately already had an accident).

After doing a lot of research I got the feeling the L-series diesel also is reliable enough for my purposes. Is this true? And what should I really look out for when buying one?

Btw, I really want the XeDI version because I think the xDi doesn't come standard with a passenger airbag. And because I'm mostly the one who drives when we go to a party or festival, I'd really want some extra protection for the other people in the car.

if buying an old car the airbags will need changing at considerable cost.
the l-series engine is reliable, however it has been put in a landrover so don't expect trouble free motoring.
if you do a search on here there are loads of threads on buying a freelander 1.
water in cubby box, ird and vcu issues etc. stay away from the petrol k-series.

Do they really NEED changing because they don't work properly anymore after such a long time? Or is it some kind of precaution?

Present said:

Do they really NEED changing because they don't work properly anymore after such a long time? Or is it some kind of precaution?

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Some of the early air bags had a 10 year change interval, more modern bags are now 15 years. I've seen many 20 year old cars where the air bag deploys as it should. I suspect the change interval is to play it safe, but what cost do you put on safety? There are seat pre-tensioners too!