Looking for advice buying a freelander
- Thread starter bigray
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Snifflebag
Active Member
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- 720
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- NE Hants
Probably an FAQ on this forum...
:search: on the forum and you'll find numerous threads about buying Hippos.
Basic rules are the same as for buying any new vehicle - check all the obvious bits (oil; smokey exhaust etc); check all the electrics work as expected; look for dampness in the rear cargo area - rear door seals are known to leak; check the transmission and drive train (look up tippex test for a simple but crude check for a seized VCU); check the underside for damage; look for service history, particulaly to see if cambelt, VCU or IRD have been replaced; the L series diesel is agricultural but pretty robust, the TD4 more refined.
You know the sort of thing
:search: on the forum and you'll find numerous threads about buying Hippos.
Basic rules are the same as for buying any new vehicle - check all the obvious bits (oil; smokey exhaust etc); check all the electrics work as expected; look for dampness in the rear cargo area - rear door seals are known to leak; check the transmission and drive train (look up tippex test for a simple but crude check for a seized VCU); check the underside for damage; look for service history, particulaly to see if cambelt, VCU or IRD have been replaced; the L series diesel is agricultural but pretty robust, the TD4 more refined.
You know the sort of thing
OldIrishWulf
Well-Known Member
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- 3,974
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- Great green Hibernia .
make sure you budget in a few hundred £'s for the things that will go wrong in the first few weex of ownership.
Yes, make sure you can afford to run an old LR. Too many owners expect a £25k motor for 2, although this would be nice, of course but aint gonna happen.
BigRog
Active Member
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- 115
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- West norfolk
Do not buy a petrol, unless it has had the engine modded, buy from a dealer, and ensure you get or buy a warrenty as long as possible.
I have had a v plate TD for 5 years and has the IRD,Viscous coupling and rear window mechanism replaced other than that, various lights on at times but they have dissappeared or been reset, it has just been running costs. We also have a 55 plate TD4 so you can guess how we feel about them. do not take too much notice of some of the guys on here slagging it, the FL is a good bit of kit and is no worse than a lot of high tech vehicles, and considering how many have been sold since 97, you are bound to get a history of faults, try a Ford forum and look at reccurent faults.
For cheaper spares use Ebay or similar, Landrover prices are robbery as are most main dealers, it can reduce prices by up to 50%. In the recent snow, my wife was very pleased to be driving one of ours and was one of the few that actually made it to work at the Hospital every day.
I have had a v plate TD for 5 years and has the IRD,Viscous coupling and rear window mechanism replaced other than that, various lights on at times but they have dissappeared or been reset, it has just been running costs. We also have a 55 plate TD4 so you can guess how we feel about them. do not take too much notice of some of the guys on here slagging it, the FL is a good bit of kit and is no worse than a lot of high tech vehicles, and considering how many have been sold since 97, you are bound to get a history of faults, try a Ford forum and look at reccurent faults.
For cheaper spares use Ebay or similar, Landrover prices are robbery as are most main dealers, it can reduce prices by up to 50%. In the recent snow, my wife was very pleased to be driving one of ours and was one of the few that actually made it to work at the Hospital every day.
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