thinking of buying a freelander

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lohnmc7

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i know you have heard it all before, but i currently drive a bmw e39 5 series 523i and i was thinking of a small jeep like the freelander.
my son and i fly large model aircarft and will be useing a trailer to tranport
them to the flying feild, so i was thinking 4x4 car like and something that
sorts out all the family needs in one go.
now fuel encomny is not a real isue with me , so i was thinking of the petrol freelander:(, but reading some of the posts on here you guys do not like the k series engine in this little jeep.
i am on a budget and i would consider the deisel bmw engine one, but going back to the 18 petrol engine did rover not bring out a modified head casket kit to sort this problem out. i do all my own maitenance on the bmw and i know the e39 very well, but if you got a 18 petrol freelander with history and say 50.000 miles. would you guys recommend one;).
thanks in advance for any help on this.
sorry for the long post, but i am interested in a freelander even with all the touble they sometime give.
 
Do not buy the 1.8.

Yes, the gasket got modded...but its still a pesky beast.



Get yourself a nice disco, comfy, good for towing (freelander is restricted cos of its weight) easy to work on and likes messing about in fields.
 
Firstly the Freelander is not a Jeep. A Jeep is an actual brand of car and if you're talking to 4x4 enthusiasts, you should avoid getting that muddled up!

The Freelander TD4 (Diesel) sounds suitable for what you need it for. With appropriate tyres, it will handle fields fine. As long as you don't intend to navigate deep ruts. Ground clearance is the main drawback of the Freelander when comparing it to the likes of a Disco or Defender. Though, if you don't want/need the Freelander as a daily drive, you may wanna consider an older Disco 1 instead. You can get them for much less though they do have some common issues that you'd need to be aware of and look out for.

The Freelander is a crossover vehicle. It's intended to be a compromise between a car and a 4x4. It's nothing more and nothing less. Also, the Freelander isn't "small". It's still a big car and it's a similar weight to the Defender 90.
 
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Last time I looked they were made by Land Rover rather than Jeep:p

As you will have gathered after reading about them on here the 1.8 engined Freelanders don't have the best reliability but it does make a big difference if you can fix it yourself.

There was a new HG design brought out that does help, this is supposed to be fitted with a strengthened lower oil rail to keep the engine more rigid, if the engine is in good condition with the liners above the block face and the head surface in good condition then fingers crossed the new gasket will be fine.

I had a 2001 1.8 model that I bought new and it ran perfectly for the 3 years I had it and I have taken a chance and bought a 1998 1.8 as a winter runabout (the wife uses the TD4) but I must be mad as I have a bit of a liking for the K series engine (also have an MGF and one of the 'new' NAC MG TFs).....might have a different view point in a few months though depending on how this one goes :eek:
 
thanks for the replys lads, some mixed points of veiws on here, but i will
do some more research on this and i have heard also a few worries about the 4 wheel
drive system. big f##k up and some horror stories out there.
may give a wide birth and look for a estate.
 
lohnmc7 said:
thanks for the replys lads, some mixed points of veiws on here, but i will
do some more research on this and i have heard also a few worries about the 4 wheel
drive system. big f##k up and some horror stories out there.
may give a wide birth and look for a estate.
Click to expand...

audi quattro.
 
They're not that bad that you should avoid them, just choose wisely, and take on board the typical faults. That way you can look out for the failts when buying. The wealth of faults on here is a bonus, in helping you keep it running if you buy one.

This evening I took mine for a drive as I needed to warm it up after changing the collant expansion tank. Everythings running ok. No faults codes either. Couldn't ask for more. :)
 
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