Going to be looking at my 1st freelander

so decided to go and look at a freeelander as a new daily driver so just wanting some advise.

its a 1.8 2003 model with 129000 miles, is this too much milage for the engine? what do they usually need doing/should have had done at this point?
Head gaskets apparently been done costing £700.

also hes said the hill decent doesn't work and the abs light is on, from reading this could be the brake switch, the cables under the gator or possibly the drive shaft with abs ring for sensor on? is this right could itr be anything else?

Apart from checking boot cubby for damp, check the vcu working which not sure how to do when I go to view considering I wont have jack long bar and weights with me
is there anything else I should be aware of, check?

cheers

Personally I wouldn't touch a 1.8 petrol with a barge pole. Surly there must be a nice TD4 around which will serve you better in the long run.

Grayo said:

Personally I wouldn't touch a 1.8 petrol with a barge pole. Surly there must be a nice TD4 around which will serve you better in the long run.

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Agreed...... Look for a TD4.

td4 not petrol........also you will need deep pockets.....but worth it

Another vote for TD4 or L series. Either way, avoid the petrols. How much are they asking anyway?

its up at £1300, all td4s seem to be a million miles away or the decent ones are ie leather interior few other niceties..

is £2000 going to get me a reasonable td4?

Should get nice l series for that! It's an older shape and a little noises than td4 but less electrickery that a td4 if your worried about your budget.

Well I paid £500 for a 2000 L series with 106k on it, and I love it to pieces. £1300 sounds way steep to me especially as there are problems with it.

This don't look bad to me.
Land Rover Freelander 2.0 Td4 Serengeti Station Wagon 5dr Full Service History+LONG MOT

Paulmitchell1984 said:

its up at £1300, all td4s seem to be a million miles away or the decent ones are ie leather interior few other niceties..

is £2000 going to get me a reasonable td4?

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Worth travelling....... you can find facelift 2004-2006 models for under £4k I found a 2004 Sport with 77k for just under £4k.

There will be a few 2004-2006 models with 100K+ in your price range especially if you are willing to take one with faults!!!! And remember Xmas is coming people need the cash!!!!!!

is the l series just a 2.0 engine, are they any noisier than a trator of a disco?

tbh the less electricery problems the better.

oh and the one linked is nearly 3 hours travel away...i dont mind the travel so much, i just dont want to get to a car and find its not as advertised, something not right etc etc

I went for the facelift TD4 because it is a BMW unit to be honest I wouldn't have bought one if it didn't have the BMW engine.

L series is the old 2.0 turbo diesel that was in the Rover 75's etc, not as sprightly as a TD4 but damn near bulletproof (and cheaper to tax too) mine is £225 for the year.
Allegedly cheaper to fix if/when they go wrong, but mine starts within a second or two of turning the key every time and purrs like a contended kitten (although it does sound like a "proper" diesel engine for a few minutes as it warms up)

I had an L series and now a TD4. The TD4 is more refined and goes better, but the L series has less 'problems' and is deemed more reliable. It is basically a good engine. For £1300 you should get a nice L series. I tried to see and drive as many as I could, travelling hours before finding just what I wanted 6 miles from my door... £3k for a 2004 facelift TD4, but I knew I was going to spend another grand getting it ship shape. For that amount I would have bought one that was going to need the money spending anyway, but the way I did it, I did all the jobs straight away and now have a nice reliable Freelander. My L series I had needed the usual window cables, and VCU and it's support bearings, but nothing apart from that. It was a 50th anniversary model so had full leather etc. BMW make great petrol engines but their diesels need TLC as can be seen on many BMW forums. I reckon you'd be happy with an L series, just budget for a VCU as it will probably be shagged unless they have proof of a recent change (recon is fine as long as it is from a reputable company) but either way try to at least do the reversing check. All VCUs feel a little tight, but when reversing full lock at slow speed, it shouldn't stop quickly when the clutch is dipped.

i would try and find a good td4 if u can, best thing about them compared to the L series, is its a chain driven engine so the "shall i change the cambelt" subject is totally eliminated.

cambelts im not bothered about they get changed regardless when i get one, i dont trust people and receipts can be "found" or made up lol


when you say the reverse test iv not read about that, any more info?

Look after a BMW engine and it will look after you.....Look after a Rover engine and it will stab you in the face in my experience!!!!!!!!!! TD4 is the way forward amigo!!

Haha! But the L series is a good engine... so good they added another cylinder and called it a TD5.


Basically, if you reverse at very slow pace and push the clutch down, the car should slow but not like it's got a handbrake on. If the car feels 'tight' like the handbrake is on, then chances are the VCU is shot. It's a quick simple test, but also they get hot after 15 miles or so if they are shot too, and of course there's Hippo's weight test.

If you find a good L series then I think you'd be happy with it. Best thing is to drive one and a TD4 then look for the 'normal' faults with both on the internet then decide. I agree the TD4 is a better engine when it's running right, but IMO they are more temperamental as well. TD4 with Ronbox is a great thing as long as everything is working. My TD4 had 11k miles and all the usual things had gone wrong with it needing 4 new injectors, all tensioner pulleys, MAF sensor, intercooler hoses, thermostat, and it had had a new clutch/dual mass flywheel and clutch hydraulics at 84k.

My L series had 150k and the only thing I did to the engine was change the fuel pump belt (simple job) and everything else was original. It's a bit more 'vocal' than the TD4 and not as powerful, but even they can be tuned. The TD4 drives like a petrol.

cheers for that, got 4 days ff next week so may go to local garages and have a drive round in some, and steer clear of petrols