Buying Freelander2, what to look for?

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Buel10

Active Member
Posts
232
Location
Wrexham
Hi all,
I am going to buy a Freelander 2 and have up to £6,000 to spend. Ideally I’d like an automatic diesel, FSH and leather spec (not sure what the correct phrase of the high spec is?) and under 100,000 miles.
Anything to look out for please, chaps?
 
Hi mate,

HSE your looking for (High Spec Edition) I have a 2007 FL2 HSE... Mines a problem child to be honest, but there not all like that! Its luck of the draw. look for the obvious, but pay attention to the service history!!! Ideally that belt would have been done any where near the 100k mark. A quick google search will give you a couple of the big ones to look for as well... My major issues have been turbo related and I have just had to replace my engine! Take her for a good hard test drive, if the turbo flutters. RUN haha Its been a massive headache for me.

I really haven't sold the FL2 to you, have i haha Honestly tho when it worked, it was a bloody great car. Plenty of poke, really comfortable and just nice to drive!

Good luck in your hunt, I hope you find a gem.

Chris
 
Hey Chris, I appreciate your honesty, it means a lot to me, thank you for that.
I’ll have to Google ‘turbo flutter’ as I’m unfamiliar with it.
Thanks so much for that!
 
Ive just been informed on another thread, my turbo flutter might actually be healthy! So don't not get one on the back of my concerns there mate. Honestly, do thorough history checks and you will have yourself a bueat im sure. bearing that in mind, you can buy mine if you want! haha £3950, 130,000 on the clock but the replacement engine has only done 90,000. ;);)
 
What to check everything between the front and rear bumper lol. Problems I've had replacement egr, throttle body and steering rack (apparently quite common as the top seal leaks)
 
Check everything electrical works. Including the sat nav if fitted. Make sure the sat nav disc is included in the sale and check its there before paying. Later models had a hard drive instead of disc.
 
If it has a disc sat nav it will need the disc to work. The map data is on said disc.
 
Looks clean and dent free. LR put a strange rubber curve round the wheel arch. They can collect moisture and mud. Look for rust there due to the mud being trapped.

It's a 10 plate so it will have a disc drive under the drivers seat if it has sat nav. 2013 years onwards was hard disk drive located on the left hand side of the boot behind a cover.

Make sure the disc is there on this one. Checking the system works should prove the disc is there i think.

It has the larger of 2 screen options so has sat nav. Also shows sat nav display on the screen in the pic.

Carpet hoovered so just valeted. XS spec level is reasonable and is mid range. Check it works in all gears including reverse. 6 forward gears. 6th gear on my SD4 wont into 6th gear until about 55mph so try to test drive it at motorway speeds. Can't remember when the TD4 auto goes to 6th gear. Regardless of that higher speeds point out more problems. Or make them more noticeable...

Look for service history and proof of the rear diff and haldex having oil changes. They're not listed in the LR service schedule...but they still need doing regular to reduce the chance of their failure. Can be a good bargenning point when it comes to agreeing price.

As with all car buying... don't be afraid to walk away if not convinced. Having fallen in love with it, it will find a loving owner soon if you don't buy it. You'll fall in love with the next one you look at.

Check all doors lock on first press of key fob. When pressing lock twice quickly it will also activate volumetric locking and bleep from the engine bay. Check all doors lock and unlock after locking and unlocking. Do same for the boot.

Also go on ere:

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

To see mot history. History looks ok. To be frank peeps use the mot as a tester sometimes. Mot before yearly service to confirm what needs fixed. So even a list of faults each year isn't really a big problem unless it's rust continuing to fail then fix then come back the next year. If it were silly stuff like tires or no headlights or wipers I would be concerned as the driver is a numbty

If you have a basic idbii diagnostic or betterer then plug it in to see if theres any concerns Other than that it looks tidy. 94k miles int a problem. If i bought it i would change all oils everywhere as a caution, including auto gearbox and diff's. The spec/miles/year make it a good buy on price.

Check the obvious like all 5 tires are the same. Also all prop shaft sections are fitted, which join the front transfer box to the rear diff. And select the Terrain Response options to see it enters them and confirms entry on the dash.

Its I shame it's gray. I guess the first owner never ordered a colour coat to go over the primer.
 
If it were silly stuff like tires or no headlights or wipers I would be concerned as the driver is a numbty

I always go by this guide in MOT history. If the owner can't be bothered to make sure simple stuff is checked and changed before the the MOT, then alarm bells ring, suggesting more important stuff has been ignored also.
 
Bloody hell, this has been a real eye opener and I’m incredibly grateful for the time you guys have put in.
The bumper issue has now concerned me....
 
Bloody hell, this has been a real eye opener and I’m incredibly grateful for the time you guys have put in.
The bumper issue has now concerned me....

A bumper that's been replaced isn't an issue, providing it's been done well.

The fact that the colour doesn't match, and it's not fitting correctly suggests it's not been done very well.
 
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