New to all land rovers advice needed.

Hello
The wife has decided that she wants a freelander, having never had anything to do with land rovers at all, i dont know the first thing about them. Funds are limited so we only have £2-3k to spend.
Any guidence would be greatly appriciated.

td4 all the way, preferably auto. avoid 1.8 petrol like the plague due to head gasket problems, L series diesel a bit sluggish compared to td4.

lots of pitfalls to watch out for (as with any vehicle) but especially but not limited to: VCU problems causing IRD problems (check for missing rear prop shaft to hide problem), leaking boot seal, funny tread wear patterns on tyres, window regulator cables and so on. If you do a search on here, and check the poll, you'll find out what most of the common problems to look for are.

leave

vcu?? Ird??

viscous coupling and rear diff

no the wife.

Only get a diesel, I personally prefer the L-series as it tends to be more reliable.
You'll get a good L-series for £1500 to £2000 easily from a private sale.
If you search threads on here you will find what to look for when buying one.
Best if you buy from a trader as you may need the warranty.

Is the 1.8 head gasket problem one that is sorted once the gasket has been replaced the first time or is it a reoccuring fault??

Sequential HGF is a common occurrence on both the 1.8 & 2.5 K series engines.