newbie can anyone help me find my first freelander

hiya guys
Thanks for taking the time to read this but i have just joined landyzone but i don,t yet own a land rover . i have had mgf`s for a while now and am a member of mgrover.org and know how helpfull a group can be , so hopefully someone here can find the right land rover for me .
After owning mgfs and doing most of the work on these myself , i am pretty conversant with the 1.8 k series engine having also changed the head gasket myself.problem is they only have 2 seats and i have 2 children so want something fun keeping them in mind .
i would like to find a 1.8 freelander , i love open top driving so would love a 3dr hardtop/softtop model , don,t mind a bit of mechanical work but the bodywork needs to be good condition cos tbh i am not that good with body work repairs guess i don,t have the patience for it lol , but heres the killer blow i have less than a £1000 to spend , if anyone can point me in the right direction please let me know , i live in south wales but don,t mind travelling for the right car .
hopefully speak soon
matt

Dont
just dont.

oh - and :welcome:

:welcome2:sadist

cheers guys , i know i need my head read but still want help finding a goon un

yu wont.
it will destroy yo bank account.
get a doozil.

try a scrapyard.

ok ok lol help me find a diesel then

I loved the k series in the mrs old rover 214 bubble ,154,000 miles before the head went but mhm has a point ,however if it's what you want then good luck to ya.

The 214 was the only good K series engine - that was before they mucked it up.

Seriously tho - dont touch a petrol Freelander unless yu have serious money or a workshop.

It is unlikely that yu will get a doozil for that money, but good luck - look up the freelander faults thread.

Keep looking at the faults on ere to see what goes wrong. Diesels are much betterer and more reliable than petrol. Your budget of 1k is far too low for diesel. Expect to pay a little out when you get it, for repairs also. £500 will get you a dead 1.8 petrol with major hgf and feked or no vcu, on ebay. Hence 1k won't get you a working Freelander. Even the v6 costs more than that.

Hi Matt,
like you, i've had 2 Mg's, an 'f', and a 'TF', also a ZS. I too love the 'open top feeling', so when i hooked up with my current partner, (and her young son and 2 dogs), the sports car had to go.
I bought a 1.8 millenium edition, 3 door. Paid £100 on ebay for an immaculate soft top...job done.
Then i joined Landyzone, and after reading all the horror stories about HGf etc, began to think I'd made a huge mistake.
Ok, so it did need a new cyl head (not HGF) and VCU shortly after i bought it, but apart from the usual stuff (exhaust, CAT, brakes etc) its been fine. Now covered 105,000 miles.
I think i've been lucky!
Its a great looking vehicle, fun in the summer, brilliant in the snow, practical with the dogs and kids and I love it!!
However, I am prepared to get my hands dirty when it needs it.
I guess if you can find a diesel 3 door (if they made one?) it would be far better than the k series...but i speak as i find, and i love mine!
Incidentally, i never had a HGF on either of the mg's, or the MGZS that i had.
Cheers, Russ

Yes, they made diesel 3 doors, both auto & manual if you go for the later Td4.
For £1000 you're better looking at a mark 1 Rav4 as you're unlikely to get a get a good diesel Freelander for that. As for petrol, you might get lucky but..............................................................................................

Best of luck.

chromiumuk said:

you're better looking at a mark 1 Rav4

Click to expand...

wash your mouth out with soap chromy !

Another MGF enthusiast bought a 1.8 and then, after hearing our cries of dismay, went and fitted the upgraded headgasket and oil rail. So far, touch wood, he hasnt had any problems. If you have as much experience as he did with the engines, which you seem to be saying, then perhaps you should find a good body with HGF and do the same

Well they are out there too


2000 LAND ROVER FREELANDER GREEN | eBay UK

2000 LAND ROVER FREELANDER ES GOLD | eBay UK

1999 LAND ROVER FREELANDER SILVER | eBay UK

FL's with good bodywork are generally easy to find, unless, of course they have been really abused. They dont suffer from rust, as a rule, so maybe, as Skynet says, look for one with a blown motor...
When i got mine, the paintwork was really horrible. It had been parked under trees for most of its life, but after hours and hours of elbow grease, t-cut, polish, bumper black etc, it gleams like a new pin. Sadly some f*cker decided to 'key' the passenger door and rear panel...guess what my next job will be...?
Russ

Hiya guys
i have found a freelander in the right price bracket for me but have to mention it is a 1.8 petrol , one thing i didn,t mention is that i already own 2 other cars and have a company van so the freelander would be something to tinker with and only probebly cover a couple of thousand miles a year . The seller does list the car with a couple of faults tell me what you think , there is a possibility i could make some money out of this car which would help me move onto a diesel .

the seller quotes
There are only really two issues that will need attention at some point: Firstly I think the central bush on the rear diff needs replacing - you get the clicking noise on sharp cornering that is a common issue on FLs - easily replaced with a part that costs about £10. The other issue that could do with attention is the right hand rear subframe mount onto the chassis - again a standard FL issue that doesn't cause problems whilst driving other than a clunk over bumps! could probably do with two rear tyres soon .

What do you think .

Centre diff mount east. RHS rear chassis/subframe mount may be the splitting. Cut n weld job. Ask owner to confirm what the problem is. Not easy unless you can do it. Look in the Q and A's section for the mad hat man's thread on it.