New Freelander - first post

Hi - first post here and great to find an excellent LR forum.

I have been browsing and searching for a few days but thought I should join as we have just put a deposit on a 2004 Freelander SE 1.8 that we pick up next week.

My wife decided one day that she wanted one and her owned from new 2008 Punto was chopped in for the Freelander. I was a little unsure at first giving up a car with a manufacturers warranty for something 6 years old but I am very happy with the car and deal that we got.

I think I would have preferred a diesel - I ran a TD4 equivalent in a Rover 75 to 225,000 miles with no issues but the wife wont drive a diesel so that left either a V6 or the 1.8. I have an MG TF VVC 160 (so hang out mainly on mg-rover.org) as a weekend car so no stranger to the 1.8 inherant issues and hopefully we have a good one!

Anyway we have got a warranty for 12 months should anything need doing and looking forward to owning the freelander. Unfortunately I wont get much chance to use it but looking forward to owning it anyway

I wont be going far so thought I had better introduce myself - and of course will post some pics when we pick it up!

Tell her she's gettin a diesel,or else .......a sickychento

OldIrishWulf said:

Tell her she's gettin a diesel,or else .......a sickychento

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I tried that approach - she is the worlds only person that cant drive a diesel. This has its advantages as my car's fuel never goes down unless I drive it

Congrats on your new purchase.

Hope you get many trouble free miles. Owning an MG you'll know all the problems that can be had, but look after her like you do the K in your MG and she should be grand!

doesn't she know that diesels are easier to drive coz they are less likely to stall.

Bbroomlea said:

I tried that approach - she is the worlds only person that cant drive a diesel. This has its advantages as my car's fuel never goes down unless I drive it

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Why won't she drive a diesel? That is really odd. Perhaps she still has a negative view of diesels? People shouldn't knock modern diesels. They can often match and even beat their petrol counterparts in terms of performance and of course, they pretty much always excel in terms of fuel economy. The TD4 is a much better engine. It's newer, more refined and much more economical than the 1.8. (by around 10mpg) Not to mention the fact that it has more torque, which is kinda handy when you're driving a hippo.

I got my Freelander TD4 a few weeks ago to replace my BMW 318 1900cc petrol. If anything, the Freelander is actually easier to drive, and surprisingly, the engine is also slightly quieter. I was expecting it to be much noisier with slightly noticeable turbo lag. Also to my surprise, there's absolutely no turbo lag. To be honest, it's somewhat difficult to tell the difference. That's perhaps not the case with older diesels though.

Rich

I cant remember the last time i owned a petrol car and i dont think i ever will again. The TD4 is a great car to own and drive. Put ya foot down m8 and tell her she has no choice.

I totally agree with all of the diesel comments - I have driven only diesel for the last 8 years and would never go back to petrol for my commuter hack. On Wednesday I had to do a 500 mile round trip and I averaged 59 mpg according to the trip display in my Audi A4 - and I wasnt really hanging about.

I dont mind the k series though and think behind the gasket issues its a good strong engine - it rarely shows any issues other than a popped headgasket, which in itself is a fairly simple fix if caught early. Owning the TF has got me into the routine of checking the fluid levels every week and properly warming the oil up before giving it some stick. I am not convinced its at home in the freelander though but I guess time will tell!

Welcome to the fold old chap; pull up a wing-back and settle in. Despite some of the well-known and documented 'things for improvement' the K series Freelander is a good vehicle...provided you look after it.

A Happy St. Georges Day to all by the way.

Trouble driving a diesel? My wife has only really driven diesels, when it came to drive my old xr3i she was stalling and hopping everwhere!

Diesel L series or TD4: Better MPG, More reliable, better for towing, dont eat head gaskets, good performance

Petrol:............................

Simple choice to me, Diesel all the way