Freelander?

I'm thinking of buying a Land Rover Freelander, a 2000 modell, but a lot of
people tell me to buy something else like a Honda C-RV or Toyota RAV-4. They
claim that the Freelander is a **** car and that I will be very
dissapointed.

I need a car that can pull two horses and drive well on roads in the forest
(offroad nearly). I thought this car was the best car for this use. I was so
dissapointed when all I heard was that it was not worth buying.

What about a 2001 modell? I know they have made some adjustments on that
modell.

Camilla

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 20:09:05 +0200, "Camilla Carcary"
<[email protected]> made me spill my meths when he wrote:

>I'm thinking of buying a Land Rover Freelander, a 2000 modell, but a lot of
>people tell me to buy something else like a Honda C-RV or Toyota RAV-4. They
>claim that the Freelander is a **** car and that I will be very
>dissapointed.

I have a RAV4 for sale


--
Wayne Davies - Mobile 07989 556213 - Harrogate, N.Yorks, UK

<[email protected]> skrev i melding
news:[email protected]...
> On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 20:09:05 +0200, "Camilla Carcary"
> <[email protected]> made me spill my meths when he wrote:
>
>>I'm thinking of buying a Land Rover Freelander, a 2000 modell, but a lot
>>of
>>people tell me to buy something else like a Honda C-RV or Toyota RAV-4.
>>They
>>claim that the Freelander is a **** car and that I will be very
>>dissapointed.
>
> I have a RAV4 for sale

I live in Norway ;-)

Camilla

Hello Camilla
I have a 2002 Freelander Td4 Auto ES model, it has a 2Ltr BMW diesel engine,
no problems, but I have only done 24K miles, I have only needed to replace
front brake pads so far.
No oil leaks, no water leaks, and that's unusual for a Land Rover, so I
can't grumble. The 5 speed auto box is excellent.
I think the petrol engined Freelanders have had problems.
Gordon
"Camilla Carcary" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm thinking of buying a Land Rover Freelander, a 2000 modell, but a lot
of
> people tell me to buy something else like a Honda C-RV or Toyota RAV-4.
They
> claim that the Freelander is a **** car and that I will be very
> dissapointed.
>
> I need a car that can pull two horses and drive well on roads in the
forest
> (offroad nearly). I thought this car was the best car for this use. I was
so
> dissapointed when all I heard was that it was not worth buying.
>
> What about a 2001 modell? I know they have made some adjustments on that
> modell.
>
> Camilla
>
>

"Camilla Carcary" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I live in Norway ;-)
>
> Camilla

It doesn't make you a bad person! ;o) Besides Wayne can surely bung it on a
Ferry along with the Lada's which were exporting back home in that general
direction )

Wayne's optional extras will include a bonnet mounted gatting gun, in
Cerise, as a incentive too.

Lee D

"Gordoni" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello Camilla
> I have a 2002 Freelander Td4 Auto ES model, it has a 2Ltr BMW diesel
> engine,
> no problems, but I have only done 24K miles, I have only needed to replace
> front brake pads so far.
> No oil leaks, no water leaks, and that's unusual for a Land Rover, so I
> can't grumble. The 5 speed auto box is excellent.
> I think the petrol engined Freelanders have had problems.
> Gordon

Gordon,

Do you hump much with it? As in Caravan/Horse box? I've seen plenty of
Freelanders on the Tour of France and Spain towing large Caravans, wonder
how they would compare to the likes of my 1997 ES Disco.

Lee D

I sued LR because my FL was a piece of crap. Coolant leak that they couldn't
fix. I won. They paid me cash and my atty's fees. Thank God that piece of
S*&# is long gone...


"Camilla Carcary" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm thinking of buying a Land Rover Freelander, a 2000 modell, but a lot
of
> people tell me to buy something else like a Honda C-RV or Toyota RAV-4.
They
> claim that the Freelander is a **** car and that I will be very
> dissapointed.
>
> I need a car that can pull two horses and drive well on roads in the
forest
> (offroad nearly). I thought this car was the best car for this use. I was
so
> dissapointed when all I heard was that it was not worth buying.
>
> What about a 2001 modell? I know they have made some adjustments on that
> modell.
>
> Camilla
>
>

In our experience and the experiences of many other Freelander owners,
they are the best of British Un-reliability. There is always something
going wrong with our Freelander and even the newer TD4's are also
showing their British heritage in the form of problems.

THere are various Freelander forums on the net where you can see what
they are like.

http://www.freelanderowners.com/forum is the best forum for Freelanders

Get a Japenese vehicle, we have had virtuaqlly no problems with any
Japenese vehicle that we have owned.

Stevesub
2001 V6 Freelander

In message <[email protected]>
"Camilla Carcary" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm thinking of buying a Land Rover Freelander, a 2000 modell, but a lot of
> people tell me to buy something else like a Honda C-RV or Toyota RAV-4. They
> claim that the Freelander is a **** car and that I will be very
> dissapointed.
>
> I need a car that can pull two horses and drive well on roads in the forest
> (offroad nearly). I thought this car was the best car for this use. I was so
> dissapointed when all I heard was that it was not worth buying.
>
> What about a 2001 modell? I know they have made some adjustments on that
> modell.
>
> Camilla
>
>

If you're towing two horses (in a trailer I assume!) then the C-RV
and RAV-4 are pretty much exacty what you don't need. Freelanders - well
some are great and give no problems, others seem to be bug ridden.

Two horses and trailer is getting pretty close to 2 Tonnes, the
Freelanders max towing weight. If it was just the one then fine,
but perhaps a Discovery or Defender might be a better bet if
possible.

Richard

--
www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
Running a business in a Microsoft free environment - it can be done
Powered by Risc-OS - you won't get a virus from us!!
Helping keep Land Rovers on and off the road to annoy the Lib Dems

My next door neighbour has a Freelander and I have an ageing Discovery V8.
He tows a caravan but really knows when it is on the back, steep hill starts
can be a bit of a clutch event. I tow a 2-3 ton trailer all over the place
and the Discovery just eats the miles as if there was nothing behind me
(well ok, a slight exageration).
If you plan to tow a trailer with two horses I really think you should be
looking for something a bit bigger than a Freelander.
After 145,000 miles my Disco will still do 0-60mph in 20 seconds with 2 tons
of trailer.
Oh, and always get a 4 wheel trailer. Much better behaved, especially if
you get a blowout at 80mph fully loaded. A complete non-event (apart from
the noise and shredded rubber).
One last thing, My Disco has an automatic gearbox. I really would not
consider anything else, can't really fault it, and I really do work it very
hard. Also must have air con.

Pulling away on a really steep uphill gradient fully loaded is one good
test, no problem with Disco V8i 3.9 ES.
The other big test is stability. Overtaking a lorry at speed, going
downhill and being hit by the lorry slipstream can make a trailer swing and
start oscilating. Terrifying and I do mean utterly terrifying!!, if you try
and slow down it gets worse, you need to accelerate to straighten things up
or pray for the road to start going uphill. In the Disco / Trailer
combination it is rock solid, you can throw it around all over the place at
any speed and the trailer follows like a puppy dog (4 wheel Ifor Williams).
I nearly killed myself towing a smaller trailer behind a Montego Estate car,
started weaving from side to side on the M25 at just 55mp on a downhill
stretch, I was swerving pretty much out of control across all 4 lanes and
the hard shoulder, with the car being picked up and dumped from side to side
by the trailer, a serious underpant moment!
Towing is a pretty damn serious thing to be doing, and two horses in a
trailer are not only heavy but they have a habit of shifting their weight in
transit. Get a big and powerful tow car. Live with the fuel consumption or
get a gas conversion, a few hundred pounds per year extra in petrol bills is
worth it, and so what if Holland sinks and Ely becomes an island again, I
will be able to buy a boat and not travel so far to the sea! Bring on
global warming, it has little to do with us anyway, the heat output of the
sun is increasing, politicians are just using it as an excuse to hit us with
more taxes.... but that is for another forum.

Les

Dadio wrote:
> snip

> Oh, and always get a 4 wheel trailer. Much better behaved, especially if
> you get a blowout at 80mph fully loaded. A complete non-event (apart from
> the noise and shredded rubber).

> snip
>
> Les
>
>

So, what happened to the 60mph speed limit when towing a trailer then?

--
Regards

Steve G

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 23:22:56 +0200, "Camilla Carcary"
<[email protected]> made me spill my meths when he wrote:

>> I have a RAV4 for sale
>
>I live in Norway ;-)

Won't hold that against you, you need a thick skin to drive a RAV in
this group anyway
--
Wayne Davies - Mobile 07989 556213 - Harrogate, N.Yorks, UK

Sorry but I love my Freelander TD4 Sport, no problems at all, second one
owned, fantastic off road ability and looks the dog bo**cks in my
opinion!!!!!!


"Camilla Carcary" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm thinking of buying a Land Rover Freelander, a 2000 modell, but a lot
> of people tell me to buy something else like a Honda C-RV or Toyota RAV-4.
> They claim that the Freelander is a **** car and that I will be very
> dissapointed.
>
> I need a car that can pull two horses and drive well on roads in the
> forest (offroad nearly). I thought this car was the best car for this use.
> I was so dissapointed when all I heard was that it was not worth buying.
>
> What about a 2001 modell? I know they have made some adjustments on that
> modell.
>
> Camilla
>

Me too......

I have a '2000' V6 Freelander, had slight teething problems (starter motor +
water hose) but, it's a superb drive, the auto gearbox (steptronic) is
excellent.

The test came when we had deep snow up here in the hills last winter, what a
car, I'm pleased I bought my Freelander, I was one of the few that got home
safely!

Brian (Huddersfield)


"Andrew Cooke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Sorry but I love my Freelander TD4 Sport, no problems at all, second one
> owned, fantastic off road ability and looks the dog bo**cks in my
> opinion!!!!!!
>
>
> "Camilla Carcary" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> I'm thinking of buying a Land Rover Freelander, a 2000 modell, but a lot
>> of people tell me to buy something else like a Honda C-RV or Toyota
>> RAV-4. They claim that the Freelander is a **** car and that I will be
>> very dissapointed.
>>
>> I need a car that can pull two horses and drive well on roads in the
>> forest (offroad nearly). I thought this car was the best car for this
>> use. I was so dissapointed when all I heard was that it was not worth
>> buying.
>>
>> What about a 2001 modell? I know they have made some adjustments on that
>> modell.
>>
>> Camilla
>>
>
>

> Dadio wrote:
> > snip

> > Oh, and always get a 4 wheel trailer. Much better behaved, especially
if
> > you get a blowout at 80mph fully loaded. A complete non-event (apart
from
> > the noise and shredded rubber).
>
> > snip

> So, what happened to the 60mph speed limit when towing a trailer then?
>

A bit of trouble with the right foot, you know how it can be sometimes.....
Places to go, people to see, open roads ......

Trailer tyre pressures are pretty critical, 65psi in my case, let it drop
too much (45psi) and blowouts are inevitable.

Les

On 2005-08-28, SteveG <"s.goodfellow"@blueyonder <"dot>> wrote:

> So, what happened to the 60mph speed limit when towing a trailer then?

Also, several people I know who tow trailers for a living get livid
when they hear people say that to stop a trailer snaking you speed up,
one of them in particular gets very annoyed as he runs a trailer hire
firm and keeps getting trailers wrecked by people doing that!

--
For every expert, there is an equal but opposite expert

Ian Rawlings wrote:
> On 2005-08-28, SteveG <"s.goodfellow"@blueyonder <"dot>> wrote:
>
>
>>So, what happened to the 60mph speed limit when towing a trailer then?
>
>
> Also, several people I know who tow trailers for a living get livid
> when they hear people say that to stop a trailer snaking you speed up,
> one of them in particular gets very annoyed as he runs a trailer hire
> firm and keeps getting trailers wrecked by people doing that!
>

Agreed. I tow over 2 tons nearly everywhere. The net effect of
speeding up in a snake is that you usually still end up with the
snake, only now it's more scary because you are going faster. If you
really *can* pull it into line with acceleration that's OK, but not
many vehicles can do that with a heavy load. Slow down (by easing
off, not braking) until you are well below 40mph then if still weaving
a slight blip of the throttle cures it on vehicles I've used. If you
are clever and you do it at the right time, it's also possible to stop
a snake by braking reasonably firmly when the trailer is exactly in
line. Skill required for any attempted manouvre other than gradually
slowing down.

I also disagree with excessive speeding whilst towing. Plenty of
caravans littered along motorways are testament to that. People get
lulled into a false sense of security because they believe they have a
stable combination that hasn't snaked - yet...

--
Regards,
Danny

http://www.gaggia-espresso.com (a purely hobby site)
http://www.dannyscoffee.com (UK advert for my mobile espresso service)
http://www.malabargold.co.uk (UK/European online ordering for Malabar
Gold blend)
swap Z for above characters in email address to reply

Read my signature!!! Used to have a Td4 5dr manaual.
Was a great towcar on the few days it worked!!! No problems pulling a 1500Kg
6-berth caravan. Build quality was absolute crap. Went back to dealer 39
times in ten months. By the time I got rid of it I was on first name terms
with everyone at the dealership and the car had become a joke. 3 faulty
steering racks. Faulty steering cassette. Leaking sunroof. Faulty ignition.
Faulty immobiliser. Blown turbo. Ripped turbo hose.
These are just a few of the many, many faults. I got to see the labour
and parts prices put against the warranty. It ran close to £7,000.00 for the
10 months I owned the vehicle.

I still love Land Rovers, especially my 90. But the everyday ride and tow
vehicle that the Freelander was supposed to be has been replaced by a Jeep
Cherokee Ltd 2.8 CRD Auto. Just used it to tow my caravan to the South of
France and back, which it did with ease. I tried the same thing with the
Freelander last year and ended up coming home on the back of a recovery
truck courtesy of Land Rover Assistance.

I even looked into buying a Discovery II, but my wife was very annoyed
with the crap and discourteous Land Rover dealership. This coupled with the
fact that the same price used Cherokee was better equipped, more powerful
and produces more torque (better for towing) made it a no brainer. The
Warranty and Assistance is also identical to Land Rovers.

I personally would never have another Freelander unless it was a company
vehicle that I didn't have to care about.

Cheers, Stew.

--
1990 Ninety 2.5 n/a D (Jasmine) - the off-road toy
Ex- Freelander Td4 5dr owner - the worst vehicle I have ever had!!!
New Jeep Cherokee Ltd 2.8CRD Auto - freelander replacement.


"Camilla Carcary" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm thinking of buying a Land Rover Freelander, a 2000 modell, but a lot
> of people tell me to buy something else like a Honda C-RV or Toyota RAV-4.
> They claim that the Freelander is a **** car and that I will be very
> dissapointed.
>
> I need a car that can pull two horses and drive well on roads in the
> forest (offroad nearly). I thought this car was the best car for this use.
> I was so dissapointed when all I heard was that it was not worth buying.
>
> What about a 2001 modell? I know they have made some adjustments on that
> modell.
>
> Camilla
>

In message <[email protected]>
"90ninety" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Read my signature!!! Used to have a Td4 5dr manaual.
> Was a great towcar on the few days it worked!!! No problems pulling a 1500Kg
> 6-berth caravan. Build quality was absolute crap. Went back to dealer 39
> times in ten months. By the time I got rid of it I was on first name terms
> with everyone at the dealership and the car had become a joke. 3 faulty
> steering racks. Faulty steering cassette. Leaking sunroof. Faulty ignition.
> Faulty immobiliser. Blown turbo. Ripped turbo hose.
> These are just a few of the many, many faults. I got to see the labour
> and parts prices put against the warranty. It ran close to £7,000.00 for the
> 10 months I owned the vehicle.
>
> I still love Land Rovers, especially my 90. But the everyday ride and tow
> vehicle that the Freelander was supposed to be has been replaced by a Jeep
> Cherokee Ltd 2.8 CRD Auto. Just used it to tow my caravan to the South of
> France and back, which it did with ease. I tried the same thing with the
> Freelander last year and ended up coming home on the back of a recovery
> truck courtesy of Land Rover Assistance.
>
> I even looked into buying a Discovery II, but my wife was very annoyed
> with the crap and discourteous Land Rover dealership. This coupled with the
> fact that the same price used Cherokee was better equipped, more powerful
> and produces more torque (better for towing) made it a no brainer. The
> Warranty and Assistance is also identical to Land Rovers.
>
> I personally would never have another Freelander unless it was a company
> vehicle that I didn't have to care about.
>
> Cheers, Stew.
>

You seem to have had bad luck - other posters appear to be quite content
with their Freelanders. Judging by customers experiences the vehicles
reputation is far worse than the reality, in most cases. Interestingly,
the most unreliable part by far is the window lift motor/cable assembly,
made by...... VW. Says a lot about peoples perception of quality....

Richard

--
www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
Running a business in a Microsoft free environment - it can be done
Powered by Risc-OS - you won't get a virus from us!!
Helping keep Land Rovers on and off the road to annoy the Lib Dems

>
> Agreed. I tow over 2 tons nearly everywhere. The net effect of
> speeding up in a snake is that you usually still end up with the
> snake, only now it's more scary because you are going faster. If you
> really *can* pull it into line with acceleration that's OK, but not
> many vehicles can do that with a heavy load. Slow down (by easing
> off, not braking) until you are well below 40mph then if still weaving
> a slight blip of the throttle cures it on vehicles I've used. If you
> are clever and you do it at the right time, it's also possible to stop
> a snake by braking reasonably firmly when the trailer is exactly in
> line. Skill required for any attempted manouvre other than gradually
> slowing down.
>
> I also disagree with excessive speeding whilst towing. Plenty of
> caravans littered along motorways are testament to that. People get
> lulled into a false sense of security because they believe they have a
> stable combination that hasn't snaked - yet...
>
> --
> Regards,
> Danny

>

Yep, agree with all of that. My real point was that whatever I do with the
Discovery / trailer combination is that it is rock solid. No issues at all.
The most stable setup I have ever towed with.

Les