td4 auto or manual you decide

ok looking to buy a freelander

option 1 is a y plate td4 manual 73k miles

option 2 is a x plate td4 auto 65k miles

both are about £4500 and look ok

do tow caravan occasionally and commute about 50 miles a day mostly fast dual carridgeway.

have found out that y plate £245 tax X plate £205

any suggestions on which to go for appreciated

Thanx,

Dave

tow with a manual clutch weak people seem to agree that auto best for towing

heard that the manual clutch wasnt the strongest but was always told auto boxes traditionally arnt good at towing but that was on other cars

1-0 to the auto me thinks

thanx

Auto for towing.
Clutch on manual OK for solo, and most times when towing, but either get it wrong, or face a steep incline and you will be facing a silly bill (was £1,000 when my first one went).

So the auto is a year older but has done 10m less miles and is cheaper to tax.
I'd go for an auto every time, especially for towing or off roading.
The Freelander is designed for towing, the auto box even has a towing mode, that prevents it hunting between gears on long hills.
As others have said the Freelander clutch, though fine for normal use, will not withstand much abuse.

If an auto, make sure that the gbox oil cooler is uprated. Overheating is a common problem if you dont.

auto also holds more oil giving it a higher calorific value.....

omg. shows how much i know. before today would have said manual every time for towing!!

kickstartthedog said:

omg. shows how much i know. before today would have said manual every time for towing!!

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20 years ago when autos were 3 speed and cooked at the slightest provocation maybe.
Took ours through the desert, 43 degrees heat, 2-3 hours in first gear, v.often at the redline crawling over rocks. When she got hot she just turns of the air con - did I say 43 degrees, in a black Freelander, with aircon turned off :doh:
Open the windows, and fill the cab with sand or drink lots of fluid.

Granted I wasn't towing in that instance

beast o bodmin said:

auto also holds more oil giving it a higher calorific value.....

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:d:d:d

I'd never owned an auto, and was pretty much dead set against them. The I test drove a td4 auto, bought it on the spot, really happy with it, tows really well.

auto every time now.

Been towing with my TD4 auto for a few years and it's great. Nothing worse than changing gears all the time when towing as you've got enough to concentrate on. Especialy if the wifes in the car chewing your ear off

Just check the autobox changes smoothly and theres not banging or jumping, cos that will be a big bill.

just like to point out too that they seem a bit pricey. my td4 auto i bought dec 09 it x reg 63k 2 owners i gave £2500 and its es spec with full leather etc, granted i got a steal but haggle down a bit

parkers said dealer £4500 private £3500 this is a semi pro so £4000 sounds good. think you may have got a good deal there!!!!

beat it down as hard as you can though, the book will also give you an idea of the trade in price he will have allowed. when you cant get the price down insist that it has a full service plus crankcase breather filter and book stamped. also the auto fluid should be changed at 60k so make absolutely certain this is done as it will help prevent future issues.

Auto definitely, especially with that X-plate tax situation. There's still a chance that the Y-plate & on wards could face steep tax increases from 2011 as they only deferred it to band K for one year (2010-2011). Also the manual has that rather fragile dual mass flywheel to consider. True autos can fail as well but the freelander ones do seem to be very good in that respect.
One thing though is to try & haggle a bit more on the price. My 03 auto 3 door cost me £4,700 with 52k on the clock two years ago from a dealer through ebay (not a recommended method for buying freelanders though) & has been really good. I would only get rid of it if road tax does go silly & it is worth your paying a very small premium for a good condition X-plate.

The Y plate will have the updated IRD ratio, will it not? Someone said it was changed in 2001.

chromiumuk said:

There's still a chance that the Y-plate & on wards could face steep tax increases from 2011 as they only deferred it to band K for one year (2010-2011).

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I don't see how they're deferred. The Freelander TD4 manual emits 205 g/km, thus placing it firmly in band K. Those which were deferred include cars built between march 2001 and march 2006 which emit 225g/km or more. What you said does apply to the 1.8 petrol and also the TD4 auto however. (if they were built between March 2001 and March 2006)

"Please note: All cars registered between March 2001 and March 2006 that produce more than 225g/km CO2, will temporarily join Band K in 2009 and 2010."
http://www.parkers.co.uk/News/Road-tax/Guide-to-tax-changes/

RichM said:

The Y plate will have the updated IRD ratio, will it not? Someone said it was changed in 2001.



I don't see how they're deferred. The Freelander TD4 manual emits 205 g/km, thus placing it firmly in band K. Those which were deferred include cars built between march 2001 and march 2006 which emit 225g/km or more. What you said does apply to the 1.8 petrol and also the TD4 auto however. (if they were built between March 2001 and March 2006)

"Please note: All cars registered between March 2001 and March 2006 that produce more than 225g/km CO2, will temporarily join Band K in 2009 and 2010."
http://www.parkers.co.uk/News/Road-tax/Guide-to-tax-changes/

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RichM's right, the manual won't fall into this ludicrous category - I say ludicrous as the only things that differ are the manufacturing dates - before Mar 2001 you're off the hook, Mar 2001 - Mar 2006, temporarily off the hook Mar 2006 onwards and you may as well be taxing a Range Rover (and come 2011 those with the temporary reprieve will also be paying over £400)
I doubt any new government will see sense so I'll be selling my 2004 td4 auto this summer -they get enough tax out of me as it is!

Norbet said:

RichM's right, the manual won't fall into this ludicrous category - I say ludicrous as the only things that differ are the manufacturing dates - before Mar 2001 you're off the hook, Mar 2001 - Mar 2006, temporarily off the hook Mar 2006 onwards and you may as well be taxing a Range Rover (and come 2011 those with the temporary reprieve will also be paying over £400)
I doubt any new government will see sense so I'll be selling my 2004 td4 auto this summer -they get enough tax out of me as it is!

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That was the point I was trying to make. I knew the auto was affected but just assumed the manual would be similar. Like you, I think it will be time to renew soon but I need to wait till next year. Car will be paid for & I'll just look on it as a loss & not worry about how low prices have crashed. I'm not paying over £400 per year for moat cleaning & duck houses.

reg date was 26 jan 2001 does this mean then that it does have uprated ird
tax at the mo is £205 year will this go up to £400 as well?