Freelander?

I've got a Discovery 1 which I love, however the girlfriend's car has recently bit the dust and the temporary replacement isn't much better, so we need a permanent 2nd vehicle ASAP.

I got lucky with the Disco as it was so cheap that I didn't really need to worry about faults etc as they were to be expected for the price, however if I'm paying around £1,000 for a Landy I want to know it is in 100% running order.

I've come across this and am very tempted, however it is quite a distance away from me so before I view or anything I'd like to know of any common faults I should look out for.

As far as I know it has the same 2 litre diesel engine our Rover 220 had and that never gave us any problems (until 190,000 miles of poor maintenance caught up with it) so that should be OK.

I know there are people who dislike the Freelander mainly because it doesn't have the off-road abilities of the Disco or Range Rover, but this is only going to be used for general commuting.

"Currently in 2 wheel drive. Drive shaft included to reinstate 4 wheel drive."

I will eat my shoes if it doesnt have serious transmission problems.


It would probably be ok as a two wheel drive runnabout, but whats the point in buying a 2wd 4x4?

dave21478 said:

"Currently in 2 wheel drive. Drive shaft included to reinstate 4 wheel drive."

I will eat my shoes if it doesnt have serious transmission problems.


It would probably be ok as a two wheel drive runnabout, but whats the point in buying a 2wd 4x4?

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With that in mind, would it be a good opportunity to haggle the price down low and then think about fixing at a later date? 4WD isn't essential and is something that I could probably fix myself (even if a new transmission was required) next year with the help of some mechanic friends.

A replacement IRD and VCU adds up to nigh on a grand for the parts. With a bit of patience you can find a working one for sale for not much more than that one, so no, its not worth it unless they prettyymuch just give it to you - which they wont.

OK, thats the worst case scenario for the repairs - it MIGHT just need a new VCU, but thats a hell of a gamble to be taking. The seller will tell you its been converted to 2wd purely to save fuel and that is bollox of the highest order.

A 2wd Freelander is a pointless device. Some on here will happily tell you they get on fine in 2wd and never spin the wheels etc etc. In my opinion, they are morons, but lets not get all personal about it. Its a car designed to be all wheel drive and crippling it into front wheel drive undeniably compromises handling and usefullness. My TD4 with the prop removed would undesteer badly and pulling out sharply on a wet roundabout was impossible without wheelspin.

Oh, and its nearly winter too - gonne a be pretty embarrasing getting stuck in 4 inches of snow next to folk in Renault Lagunas, no?

You are right, with that in mind I'll give it a miss! So I take it that is one common problem to look out for then? Gearbox issues?

A very high number have the propshaft removed to hide transmission problems.

Most commonly, improper care ( they really need all 4 tyres the same make and model and within 4mm difference in diameter due to tread wear) means axle speed difference between front and rear overheats the VCU which becomes too stiff which winds up the transmission (like driving your Disco with the centre diff locked on road) and the weakest part in the chain is the transfer box, called an IRD which fails.
A failed IRD will often still work in Front wheel drive mode with the propshaft removed, so thats what most people do rather than fork out £1k plus labour on a low value car.

An awful lot of people are dishonest enough to claim the old "I run it in 2wd to save fuel" excuse and will happily tell you it just needs the prop refitted to make it 4wd again - if thats true why dont they spend half an hour fitting the damn thing themselves and sell the car for more? because they know its buggered - thats why.

dave21478 said:

Some on here will happily tell you they get on fine in 2wd and never spin the wheels etc etc. In my opinion, they are morons, but lets not get all personal about it.

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I've got a lot of respect for what you do with your Freelander, but you're the moron on this thread Dave. I've been driving my L Series (which the op is looking at) for 3 years in 2WD. I can absolutely and catagorically say it does not spin the front wheels any more than a 'normal' 2WD road car - period - full stop. I have a gravel drive. When I pull onto it from the road there's a bit of a rise and it does not spin the wheels, we also have a Toyota Starlet and I often have the wheels spitting gravel back onto the road in that. Over those 3 years driving, I think I've felt it lose traction on tarmac pulling away once (for a tiny moment) and in total you could count the times on 1 hand. In fact with Traction Control it has more grip than a 'normal' 2WD car - I still take it onto gravel river beds and the TC does kick in and help me along.

I completely agree that Freelanders are rarely converted to 2WD to try and save money on fuel - if a seller says that, disbelieve anything else they tell you about the car as well. However, buying 2WD Freelanders can be seen as good buying. If you buy a 4WD one, you do not know its history. It may be sitting on matching tyres now - but for how long, and how much damage has been done previously for a car with a 'premium' 4WD price? If all you want is a car that's not going off road and you like the Freelander, a 2WD one is a good option. Similarly, if you want 4WD, then you could get a 4WD one and its transmission fails soon after you get it. Or you could get a 2WD one at a reduced price, budget for a VCU (£250 with bearings) and IRD bearing kit (£150 although you probably only need the pinion bearing) and possibly a crown/pinion gear set (£175). So for somewhere between £250 and £600 you've got a 4WD system you can trust.

This was my 2WD Freelander in the week. I have taken a 2WD car there, but you have to be VERY careful. Admitedly you still have to be careful with the Freelander, but nowhere near as much.

pretty much concur with GGel , I run a freelander in 2wd , as a nice commuter vehicle , if I need 4wd I have two defenders , if you are happy with a two wheel drive Freelander then you can get one cheap, but don't buy with the idea of fixing to 4wd as often its not cost effective, also with what you want to spend a freelander supposedly 4wd is a risky venture .

I'm in two minds now! As I said 4WD is not really required as it will only be used in the same fashion her previous Rover 220 was - for driving back and forth to work and to the supermarket etc... All done on busy grit-treated roads.

If the weather gets REALLY bad then there is the Disco she could use. Having two 4WD vehicles would be pointless to be honest.

I already contacted the person to see if it is still available and I may get back to them now and try to do a bit of haggling. If they are receptive I'll take a drive down there to have a look in person and maybe make a deal.

Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated.

Commuting in a two wheel drive Freelander is like going rock climbing in wellies.
Its possible, but there are a lot of better options.

For less money you could get a better car, more comfortable, more reliable and without the inherent problems that a 2wd freelander has.
If you specifically LIKE freelanders, then yeah...do whatever.... but if you just want a second car for going to the supermarket, whats the point?

Same old same old........

A 2wd Freelander is more comfortable to drive than a 2wd people carrier. Some like the Freelander's height as it doesn't hurt their back getting in/out. My v6 spins the front left wheel when in front wheel drive only. This is due to the way the drive power comes out of the ird. It happens in the wet and if there's leaves etc in the gutter and me wheel is on them. TC stops it spinning.

Well, spoke to the owner and I've provisionally made a deal at £850 but will hopefully knock that 50 quid off when I hand over the cash.

I've expressed my concerns about the gearbox and despite still sticking with the story he did it to save fuel, the fact he dropped the price quite easily says to me that he isn't 100% truthful.

Either way, I'll go down and test drive it and providing there are no other issues and the transmission is fine in 2WD mode, I'll sign the paperwork and drive it home, then we can get rid of that wretched Peugeot 406 we're using as a stop-gap.

Good luck with it. If its anything like my L Series, you'll get an almost boringly reliable vehicle! Its not going to be as economic as your old 220 - but you should get 35-40mpg out of it. You'll probably also find it really sluggish off the mark - but once they're moving, performance isn't that bad. I'll wager as well that if you get it, you'll be leaving the Disco at home for the longer runs and taking the Freelander. Its comfortable (like the Disco) and you'll be getting a lot further for your $1 of fuel.

GrumpyGel said:

Good luck with it. If its anything like my L Series, you'll get an almost boringly reliable vehicle! Its not going to be as economic as your old 220 - but you should get 35-40mpg out of it. You'll probably also find it really sluggish off the mark - but once they're moving, performance isn't that bad. I'll wager as well that if you get it, you'll be leaving the Disco at home for the longer runs and taking the Freelander. Its comfortable (like the Disco) and you'll be getting a lot further for your $1 of fuel.

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Trust me, 35-40MPG is more than I was getting from the 220!! That thing had only had about 3 oil changes in its live (180,000 miles when we bought it) and was puffing out so much black smoke I have no idea how it passed an emissions test.

Looking forward to seeing it - will be going down tomorrow afternoon (got a half day at work) and will take the girlfriend so all going well she can drive the Disco home and I'll take the Freelander. Then just to stick that Peugeot on Gumtree for some poor bugger to buy.

Good luck with it. An L series in 2wd will probably be OK as they are pretty gutless until you get them going and with a heavy engine it won't spin the wheels too much. My K series in 2wd was horrible unless I drove it like a granny.

Its a TD4 he is looking at.

Well, £800 later I bought the Freelander! Got a bargain I think.

Plus I managed to flog the 406 to somebody desperate for a temporary run-around. God help them!!

dave21478 said:

Its a TD4 he is looking at.

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Ah, Couldn't see the ad so thought it was an L series.

scottishlad said:

Well, £800 later I bought the Freelander! Got a bargain I think.

Plus I managed to flog the 406 to somebody desperate for a temporary run-around. God help them!!

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Good luck with it. I love mine even though it is a K series and therefore will break my heart several times over.

Alibro said:

Ah, Couldn't see the ad so thought it was an L series.



Good luck with it. I love mine even though it is a K series and therefore will break my heart several times over.

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Yeah he removed it after our phone call.