Should i buy a freelander ??? help please

Hi guys,

First post so please be gentle.

I currently have a focus ST which will need to go in the next couple months and i thinking of a Freelander to replace it.

Why do i need/want a Freelander you may be thinking, the ST is crippling my bank account due to getting 21mpg round town and we are getting a fox red Labrador in the next few months. I think the extra boot space will be a godsend and from what i can gather they will do 30mpg round town ? im looking in to 03-06 TD4's btw.

Im fairly clued up in cars, i know the lump is from the 320D so not worried about reliability from that end, whats the rest of the car like ? iv heard horror stories like you do on every car blah blah but i thought you guys would be the men/women to talk to.

So what do you guys think ??

Many thanks

Sam

Dont think 30mpg in town more like mid 20s plus derv is more costly than petrol

First of all you should take yourself to the Introduction forum and say Hi.

Secondly, don't expect a 4x4 to save you much money. They have an appetite that needs plenty of maintenance and money to keep at bay. Tyres can cost around £100 a corner for 4x4's

If you just need a cheap-to-run dog/family carrier, get a basic estate car. Focus 1.6, C-Max etc....

I've got both, well the Freelander is 1.8. It's better on fuel than the ST. The boot floor is a lot smaller on freelander though, but you do have the height. Should be plenty big enough for the dog.

Hi Plymouth Sam,
If you want a Freelander, go for it. I"m an older driver on my second Freelander and I love the look and comfort of them as well as the capability to carry most anything and go nearly anywhere.
My present Freelander is a 2001 TD4 Automatic and most of our driving is stop start short runs but we still average 25/30 mpg, but on a long run, driven sensibly I can get 35/40 mpg, possibly even more.
Yes, we do have water ingress around the rear door and we do get a lot of condensation on the inside of the windscreen, but what the heck, you can get that from any car.
My advice, buy one but make sure you have enough money to rectify any fault.

Skynet said:

First of all you should take yourself to the Introduction forum and say Hi.

Secondly, don't expect a 4x4 to save you much money. They have an appetite that needs plenty of maintenance and money to keep at bay. Tyres can cost around £100 a corner for 4x4's

If you just need a cheap-to-run dog/family carrier, get a basic estate car. Focus 1.6, C-Max etc....

Click to expand...

This ^^^^

A good Freelander will serve you well, a bad one will put you off them for life. Get the best, lowest milage one you can and make sure you check it out thoroughly before buying.
They are all pretty basic compared to modern cars, even the latest F1 TD4 HSE has less electronics & toys than a similar priced car and anything that does go wrong is usually fixed DIY.
With regards to fuel consumption, no reason why you shouldn't return 30+MPG urban and high 30's-40 MPG on a run. As with any vehicle, driving style & poor maintenance are the killers when it comes to fuel but even spirited driving will allow you to achive good consumption.

whats the rest of the car like ?

Click to expand...

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f38/freelander-everything-you-need-know-46437.html

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/1620217-post9.html

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/noob-q-buying-214443.html

WHAT DOES MY FREELANDER’S VCU DO? | For Land Rover Enthusiasts

Freelander - Fix problems, repairs, diagrams, whats wrong, faults, upgrates - Land Rover

~~~~~~~~

td4 specific :
ROVER 75 MGZT ENGINE FAULT FINDING

Maf sensor problems.

~~~~~~~~

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f69/2004-freelander-1-sales-brochure-specification-197513.html

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f69/2001-freelander-1-sales-brochure-specification-195912.html

~~~~~~~~~~~

( various LR vehicles ) .. Common Faults and Questions:
Common Faults and Questions - Land Rover Zone

freelander mpg
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/mpg-my-td4-results-181789.html

Skynet said:

First of all you should take yourself to the Introduction forum and say Hi.

Secondly, don't expect a 4x4 to save you much money. They have an appetite that needs plenty of maintenance and money to keep at bay. Tyres can cost around £100 a corner for 4x4's

If you just need a cheap-to-run dog/family carrier, get a basic estate car. Focus 1.6, C-Max etc....

Click to expand...

Agree!!

simple answer........ YES!!!! do it they are great! be prepared to get your spanners dirty tho!

Get it throughly checked over by a mechanic before you buy it.

I didnt do that because I "thought" I knew enough about cars to make a judgement.

I have paid the price.

When its running though ....this car is a joy.

PlymouthSam said:

Hi guys,

First post so please be gentle.

I currently have a focus ST which will need to go in the next couple months and i thinking of a Freelander to replace it.

Why do i need/want a Freelander you may be thinking, the ST is crippling my bank account due to getting 21mpg round town and we are getting a fox red Labrador in the next few months. I think the extra boot space will be a godsend and from what i can gather they will do 30mpg round town ? im looking in to 03-06 TD4's btw.

Im fairly clued up in cars, i know the lump is from the 320D so not worried about reliability from that end, whats the rest of the car like ? iv heard horror stories like you do on every car blah blah but i thought you guys would be the men/women to talk to.

So what do you guys think ??

Many thanks

Sam

Click to expand...

Buy the BMW 320d.

At least the water pump is easier to get to !

Buy a volvo estate .

PlymouthSam said:

Hi guys,

First post so please be gentle.

I currently have a focus ST which will need to go in the next couple months and i thinking of a Freelander to replace it.

Why do i need/want a Freelander you may be thinking, the ST is crippling my bank account due to getting 21mpg round town and we are getting a fox red Labrador in the next few months. I think the extra boot space will be a godsend and from what i can gather they will do 30mpg round town ? im looking in to 03-06 TD4's btw.

Im fairly clued up in cars, i know the lump is from the 320D so not worried about reliability from that end, whats the rest of the car like ? iv heard horror stories like you do on every car blah blah but i thought you guys would be the men/women to talk to.

So what do you guys think ??

Many thanks

Sam

Click to expand...

Hi there and welcome to the forum,

Personally I would recommend that you buy something else rather than a freelander tbh, I myself have just bought one 3 weeks ago and its been a pain in the arse!

Mines has a great service history and is in excellent overall condition but its been in and out of the garage every week since I got it partly due to the dealer being a bunch of dodgy bastids but even though it is now all ok I do not trust it one bit, that might change however I have seen more horror stories about them than good things and wish I had done some more research before buying mine.

I have had a few landrover's over the years and the discovery is the best that I owned however they are not very economical but can carry almost anything.

My advice would be buy a nice estate car or ppl carrier as will be cheaper to run, maintain and will also be alot less problematic.

Hope you get something you like.

I bought my 2000 TD comercial gaylander brand new, it was bought to haul me welding equipment round as i was a site welder, its been maintained, cleaned weekly (more if needed) and i gotta be honest 13 years later she is still mint showing no signs of rust etc she has now covered 185 thousand odd miles, apart from usual servicing costs and consumables it has had.....
1x starter motor
3x batteries
1x rear exhaust (the rest is original)
2x set of brake discs
The following items are due to me not listening to others and could of been avoided
1x diff
1x diff housing
1x VCU
That really is it, its been the best work horse ive ever had,ive got every MOT certificate and Tax disc she has had, she isnt a work horse anymore and i cant bring myelf to sell her as i have become emotionally attached to the old girl so use her as my run around rather than fire the Disco up, so id say buy wisely and you will have a great motor, look after her and she will look after you,im just about to give mine a new life and do a lift, sliders etc etc and start her off laning and pay and play days

The Freelander does not do well in any review, it obviously has it's problems well covered in this forum.......however I've had my 53 auto TD4 now with 72K for 2.5 years & can honestly say it is the best car I've had (which may not say much for the others!!).
It does everything I ask of it esp in the winter, I use it regularly on trips to France & am planning to take it to Italy this year 4 up (yes I will ensure I have break down cover).
Yes I've had a few problems, new starter motor, suspension bushes & prop shaft bearings but surely these things will need to replaced with any vehicle of this age.
It does mist up but I've learnt to deal with it with the A/C, it's used for very short trips so only returns 23-24 around town, low 30's on a run but I am heavy right footed. I've never suffered from the water ingress.
I've had the gear box oil changed, it's regularly serviced, I keep the tyres matched, my VCU is about to be checked & changed if ness by Bell Engineering (although I think it's ok). I've not blocked off the EGR yet but it's kept clean along with the crank case filter at the back of the engine.
Once you are on top of it all it is a brilliant car. I've been thinking about a FL2 or a Discovery3 but I am reluctant to get rid of mine due to it's reliability.
Not everyones experience but that's mine, perhaps I was lucky enough to just get a guddun

Well, there you go. Conclusive proof that some of us love our Freelanders and others hate the fecking things - on balance, if I were you, I'd save the cash and potential stress and stick with the Focus ST for a while longer yet!

Thank you for the warm welcome (most of you )

So it seems like every car there are lovers and haters. I once had a yellow MG ZR 160 with yes, the k series engine and yes of course HG failure occurred and no i didn't listen to anyone before i bought it.

It does seem by all accounts you can get a peach or lemon of a freelander then, im not overly fussed on the MPG as long as its better then mine currently then im happy.

Im keeping my options open as nothing is concrete just yet but i shall be sticking around to learn as much as i can, i reckon over the years forums have saved me over a grand in parts/labour. Luckily i pay trade for parts and labour is free also.

I also thought about the x trail or the rav 4, neither i like as much as the FL. Does anyone have experience on them ??

cheers

PlymouthSam said:

Thank you for the warm welcome (most of you )

I also thought about the x trail or the rav 4, neither i like as much as the FL. Does anyone have experience on them ??

cheers

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Washing machines!!

Sharp looking, the ST, like it!

Yea bide your time, Sping is coming!

DD3 said:

Sharp looking, the ST, like it!

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Well it is for sale.......