Buying my 1st Freelander - Any tips?
- Thread starter Big Tall Stu
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WLJayne
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For a while perhaps, but it's worth remembering that alot of what you may be doing is undoing the damage caused by negligent owners and spanner monkeys. Once it's all out of the way, with any luck at all you should be like Mr. Singvogel and Freelaner here
. The very fact that I won't have to go near another garage except for MOT's ever again makes all the problems I've had to fix 110% worth it - the money I've spent on parts and tools is chicken feed compared to the money I will save from what I've learned from the Freelander. Food for thought .Will.
Big Tall Stu
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If nothing, you guys have given me an insight more than most "road test" reports give on REAL ownership, so im very glad i joined. Im certainly not going to say i wont buy a freelander, but i have to think more about it.
Stu
Stu
Big Tall Stu
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Hippo
Lord Hippo
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What yer has to remember is some of us have suffered, shorry owned Freelanders for far too, shorry many years. We have learned the popular faults and can happily recite them at short notice. That dun’t mean our Freelanders are broke’d all the time. We know the bugs, pit falls and common features (design faults) through experience. Don’t let this put you off. This information is readily available on ere to assist you in maintaining your Freelander. Not all forums have been going long enough to collate such valued information. Nor do the owners want to par take in providing this sort of information to others. Some forums won't admit to common faults like we does. Not everyone wants to work until 2am trying to get the feker going. But we does. Why? Because we can. Freelanders are ok to work on and if looked after can last many years. Yes they does break sometimes. But there’s a chance you could buy any vehicle and get a bad one. Luck of the draw. Those who stick around and read up on Freelanders on ere often buy with knowledge of what to look for.
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Don't be put off by what you read, through the site there is literally every problem that the freeby can have and how to fix it, how much and how long to do it.
My own freeby has been an interesting experience, so far i've found that 3 local garage's are not upto par with working on mine, one of those was a LR specialist who lied/ripped me off big time.
But, it took the 2 bad winters in it's stride. I had no issues or fear's of getting stuck in it, or it failing to get me home.
It gets used for everything, this week ive taken the remains of a wall and a lawn to the local recycling centre, towed a works van home 5 miles and covered 200 motorway miles.
Buy a good one and it is a great car, buy a wrong one (like i did) and you will spend a few £££ or (££££) in my case to put it right but will eventually get the great car that it's supposed to be.
Parts are cheap and there are plenty of good specialist's and parts suppliers in the LR mags to keep it going.
My own freeby has been an interesting experience, so far i've found that 3 local garage's are not upto par with working on mine, one of those was a LR specialist who lied/ripped me off big time.
But, it took the 2 bad winters in it's stride. I had no issues or fear's of getting stuck in it, or it failing to get me home.
It gets used for everything, this week ive taken the remains of a wall and a lawn to the local recycling centre, towed a works van home 5 miles and covered 200 motorway miles.
Buy a good one and it is a great car, buy a wrong one (like i did) and you will spend a few £££ or (££££) in my case to put it right but will eventually get the great car that it's supposed to be.
Parts are cheap and there are plenty of good specialist's and parts suppliers in the LR mags to keep it going.
Stu – One of my biggest concerns about getting a Hippo was the fuel economy. I’ve only had my 1.8GS for two weeks (I’ve done just under 1,000 miles in that time) and so far those fears have proved unfounded (along with those about the doors falling off in the rain – waste of money buying genuine Land Rover bungees to hold them on!). So long as you treat the throttle with the respect it deserves you’ll get a decent return and when you compare the cost of doozle to petrol and the mpg these heaps give it’s six of one/half dozen of t’other. Good luck!
Big Tall Stu
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Im still pondering lol
I dont mind a bit of tinkering (when i have the time) i just dont want a car thats going force me to make the time lol
Maybe i'll go look a a few this weekend and mull it over a bit more, so for now i wont say never.
Thanks for all your helps guys
Stu
I dont mind a bit of tinkering (when i have the time) i just dont want a car thats going force me to make the time lol
Maybe i'll go look a a few this weekend and mull it over a bit more, so for now i wont say never.
Thanks for all your helps guys
Stu
You still havent spoke of a budget. The 04 onward models are better screwed together than earlier and have most of the niggles worked out.
I cant commit for general repairs as mine has suffered from 3 different garages messing up/lying to me.
But my mot results are not too bad.
1st needed a brake light bulb. I had been rear ended 3 days before though so not suprised with it.
2nd needed tracking rod ends changed, £50.
3rd needed new front ball joints, drop links, i got a couple of anti roll bar bushes changed and a fuel and crankcase filter changed as well. £340.
Im about to get new propshaft bearings fitted, £40 for parts, £60 labour.
Td4's can return mid 30s in normal driving, upto mid 40s on the motorway.
My best is 585 miles from a tank, which was 44 mpg.
Mine, had it over 3 years. Td4 SE. have covered 34k in it, and shall do another 20 easily as im now going back to college. If a future student (24 year's old) is going to run one. You will easily run one.
I cant commit for general repairs as mine has suffered from 3 different garages messing up/lying to me.
But my mot results are not too bad.
1st needed a brake light bulb. I had been rear ended 3 days before though so not suprised with it.
2nd needed tracking rod ends changed, £50.
3rd needed new front ball joints, drop links, i got a couple of anti roll bar bushes changed and a fuel and crankcase filter changed as well. £340.
Im about to get new propshaft bearings fitted, £40 for parts, £60 labour.
Td4's can return mid 30s in normal driving, upto mid 40s on the motorway.
My best is 585 miles from a tank, which was 44 mpg.
Mine, had it over 3 years. Td4 SE. have covered 34k in it, and shall do another 20 easily as im now going back to college. If a future student (24 year's old) is going to run one. You will easily run one.
Big Tall Stu
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My budget would be £5k but i'v made my choice now, im not going to buy a freelander.
I viewed 2 today at dealers, and both dealers told me the bad stuff about them and told me that they only seem to sell them to people who export them that dont care about the problems, neither of the dealers tried to push me onto other cars either, so if a dealer trys to put you off that must say something.
Im going to look for another shogun i think.
Stu
I viewed 2 today at dealers, and both dealers told me the bad stuff about them and told me that they only seem to sell them to people who export them that dont care about the problems, neither of the dealers tried to push me onto other cars either, so if a dealer trys to put you off that must say something.
Im going to look for another shogun i think.
Stu
Andrew McIntyre
Active Member
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My advice? don't bother. I've seldom owned a vehicle before that has more buzzes, rattles, bumps, and generally annoying niggles that are b*****ds to track down and cure than a freelander. As someone once said on here "buy a Toyota, they never go wrong". Maybe a slight overstatement, but I get the sentiment completely.
Hippo
Lord Hippo
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I wuv's ma hippo I does. It sometimes goes wrong. Spent a fortune on it. Luck of the draw really. See loads of them about. So they can't be that bad. Whilst some have problems, others never stumble across lz as theirs never misses a beat. At least we know the known faults, and what to do to get them fixed.
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