Ossy

Ossy

New Member
Right, I need some help in choosing between two freelanders. It'll be a first Landy for me, and while I've learned alot already from this forum I'm still lacking on experience to make up my mind.

The two cars in questions are:

2003/03 TD4 GS 3dr auto, 64000 miles

2003/52 TD4 GS 5dr manual, 78000 miles

I don't have a family to be carting around so the 3/5 door isn't a big factor. I really quite like the 3dr auto (but need to get them to sort out a dented boot door which is showing a little bit of rust) though don't know what kind of warranty I would get. I could probably manage with the tax hike with it being auto. The 5dr manual would come with 12 months warranty but just seems a little less 'fun'. It'd be an everyday car, monthly 700 mile round trip motorway runs and occasionally towing a small boat as well as getting me around the moors in inclement weather and some light offroad.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of auto over manual as far as driving on and off road and also reliability? Any opinions - which would you go for and why?
 
We run both a hippo (td4) the wife's and I have a disco. I would get the 5 door over the 3 expecialy if you are getting a 12 month warranty as you may just need it with the milage on them. I you want to go off road then get a disco end of story.
 
Thanks for the reply. Logic is telling me to go for the 5 door so it may win over. Whilst I'd love to get into off roading, realistically it'll never be more than the odd field and along the beach to launch the boat - I would go for a disco if I wanted more but I also do the motorway miles which is why I've gone for the freelander with the smaller engine.

A new complication has occured which I would appreciate any thoughts on. I went to do a data check on the 5 door - and it told me the registration (taken from photos) is for a Renault Master van. Alarm bells are ringing, though there may be an innocent explanation as it has apparently just come off a private plate. Is it possible that this is a mix up - they may have got the plates made wrong? I'll be on the phone in the morning anyway seeking a full explanation and will do what I can to check before I do anything. What can I do to check? Ring the DVLA - I doubt they'd help me what with data protection etc.
 
HPI check. Had this with mine, and it had been on a private plate before (unbeknown to me), but HPI showed what it was originally registered as, and when it was changed. The reg mine had was legit, but crucially, land rover had no record of it. Every time I try to order parts against the reg no, it shows as no trace.

HPi check is worth every penny, can be done on line

oh, and mines a td4 auto, love it loads, absolute peach to drive. do loads of motorway miles in mine as well as round town, just point and go.
 
Optimus - so what exactly happened with you? I went online via RAC to do the check but before it got to doing any checking it came up with the Renault van. I'm not going to dismiss it out of hand, but I'm not going to hand over a penny until I'm 100% sure that it's legit. Equally I don't want to spend £9.99 getting a check done on a renault van when it might just be a simple honest mistake in getting the plates done.

At this time on a sunday night there's not much I can do about it anyway, but it's really put a spanner in the works, and now I'm 2 weeks without a car and need to get some wheels!

Thanks to everyone who's replied so far, I hope to be around on the forum for a while now I'm going to 'join the club' and already have some ideas of what to do with the car when I get it (whichever one I go for) from the threads on here. 'tis a nice place with lots of knowledge :)
 
For wot its worth....


I have a 3 door TD4.. and i wish i had'nt!!




Forget the gaylanders, get a disco, wish i had!!..


If ya want to join us on the "gaylander trouble forum" go ahead, buy
one, the choice is yours!!
Hope ya got plenty o money!!:amen:
 
Ossy said:
Optimus - so what exactly happened with you? I went online via RAC to do the check but before it got to doing any checking it came up with the Renault van. I'm not going to dismiss it out of hand, but I'm not going to hand over a penny until I'm 100% sure that it's legit. Equally I don't want to spend £9.99 getting a check done on a renault van when it might just be a simple honest mistake in getting the plates done.
Click to expand...

When I went to view it, took down reg and crucially, chassis number, which you need to get the guarantee from HPI, along with the document number on the logbook. Fill in all the details on the HPI website, and it comes back and tells you about the history of the car, and even if the logbook was a fake. Mine had a different reg when it was first registered (obviously a private plate as a) it spelt a word and b) the plate was 2 years older than the vehicle. Chassis number, current reg, colour, mileage etc all checked out ok, and there were no markers about finance, accidents or the like so I bought it.

I also checked out the reg it orignally had and it was now on a Fiat Punto, which was taxed, mot's and insured, so I was fairly happy it was legit.

Welcome to the forum, lots of debates on here about freebies being bad. like all cars, some good some bad, but a bit pricy if (when) they go tits. If you're handy with a spanner, most of it you can do yourself.

Life can be a bit rocky on this forum, but take a light look at it all, don't take anything to heart. The answers to all your land rover related problems are probably on here somewhere, just search, or ask. Be prepared for grief if you ask something thats already been covered before.
 
My 2003 TD4 auto (5door) is excellent, one of the best cars I've had. Will be on a 120 mile journey - in it's comfort - later today having covered 110 miles yesterday. Just take sensible care of it and don't let idiots play with it.
I assume its been properly serviced. Having had 3 door cars I don't want anymore, retrieving stuff from the back seat is a pain.:)
 
Off roading - Auto
Towing - Auto

One of the weak spots is the clutch, and both those activities put fara more strain on it.

Against an auto, possibly higher road tax (lets see what this afternoon brings)
Will use more fuel. Difficult to put a figure on, so much depends on driving style, but probably about 2-3 mpg.
I went for an auto and have never regretted it.
 
Love my TD4 auto. 5 doors is bonus even without kids - an no leaky roof problems with the hardtop - one less thing to go wrong.

The auto's can fail - Ashcroft do them for about £1000 - but a clutch replacement etc can easily add up to more and more often.

MPG is a bit lower than manual and as they said lets see what happens with the tax.

Auto makes towing etc easier and I think it's a big bonus off road. It also has the option to shift to semi manual via the steptronic - i've used it a few times off and on road. Also had a sport mode if you need to boot it.

Get a good one and you should'nt have too many problems.

So far ive serviced it, new tyres, new PAS pump and new starter motor. Aint bad for a 6 year old car with 76K on.
 
Davec said:
Off roading - Auto
Towing - Auto

One of the weak spots is the clutch, and both those activities put fara more strain on it.

Against an auto, possibly higher road tax (lets see what this afternoon brings)
Will use more fuel. Difficult to put a figure on, so much depends on driving style, but probably about 2-3 mpg.
I went for an auto and have never regretted it.
Click to expand...


Me too, I have a 3 door Td4 auto which I love. I prefer the style of the 3 door & deliberately went after the auto model. It does use more fuel, official figures are as high as 5-6mpg difference, but I've found mine to be slightly better than official figures & on par with what most people on here get 30mpg town, 34mpg semi urban & over 40mpg on motorway at 60mph. Acceleration is a second slower to 60 than the manual but a roverron box & egr bypass soon sorts that out. The tax is a big issue & after reading another thread would it appear that there will be small hikes for the next two years before the bigger rise comes in so it appears to have been delayed.
 
Well thanks for all the replies. I've been around a bit so know how forums work and all the pros and cons of asking for advice etc. I expect to get flamed a bit as some of my questions will probably be really dull, but I'll be sure to use the search function first....

I've gone for the 3 door auto. Logic went out of the window and I went for what I actually wanted - if I'd gone for the 5 door I think I might have regretted not getting the nicer looking, if leaking (no signs of it) 3 door with the very smooth auto box. Salesman was also very good (at being a salesman) and reeled me in with a nice discount plus fixing the dent at cost - to be added into the sale contract.

I'm picking it up on wednesday/thursday so will probably be on here alot more after that! I'm keen to have a look at the handbook - I've never owned an auto and would like to find out how the steptronic works to make sure I get the most out of it - the learning process could be quite fun. It's a good motor, with 64,000 miles, one owner and full LR service history.

As far as tax is concerned, I heard tonight in the pub that it'll probably get delayed, which can only be good (if it's true). If not, it's £100 a year difference which I should be able to live with for the advantage of not having to use the left side of my body too much ;)

Been great to get so many friendly replies, and I hope to be around for a good while. I've got lots of spanners and sockets and a basic understanding of engines, so hope to do alot of servicing/maintenance work myself. I dare say I might be interested in doing some green-laneing up around my way if the opportunity presents....

Out of interest, the HPI thing was a genuine mix-up. The reg should have read BWH not BHW at the end - the plates have been done wrong, and he read me the V5 info on the phone, then HPI'd it for me on his computer. Nothing dodgy, and a very nice 5 door manual in North Yorkshire if anyone's looking. I'll PM details in case anyone's looking, but won't post it as I'm sure there's some rules about advertising etc. etc.
 
Ossy said:
Well thanks for all the replies. I've been around a bit so know how forums work and all the pros and cons of asking for advice etc. I expect to get flamed a bit as some of my questions will probably be really dull, but I'll be sure to use the search function first....

I've gone for the 3 door auto. Logic went out of the window and I went for what I actually wanted - if I'd gone for the 5 door I think I might have regretted not getting the nicer looking, if leaking (no signs of it) 3 door with the very smooth auto box. Salesman was also very good (at being a salesman) and reeled me in with a nice discount plus fixing the dent at cost - to be added into the sale contract.

I'm picking it up on wednesday/thursday so will probably be on here alot more after that! I'm keen to have a look at the handbook - I've never owned an auto and would like to find out how the steptronic works to make sure I get the most out of it - the learning process could be quite fun. It's a good motor, with 64,000 miles, one owner and full LR service history.

As far as tax is concerned, I heard tonight in the pub that it'll probably get delayed, which can only be good (if it's true). If not, it's £100 a year difference which I should be able to live with for the advantage of not having to use the left side of my body too much ;)

Been great to get so many friendly replies, and I hope to be around for a good while. I've got lots of spanners and sockets and a basic understanding of engines, so hope to do alot of servicing/maintenance work myself. I dare say I might be interested in doing some green-laneing up around my way if the opportunity presents....

Out of interest, the HPI thing was a genuine mix-up. The reg should have read BWH not BHW at the end - the plates have been done wrong, and he read me the V5 info on the phone, then HPI'd it for me on his computer. Nothing dodgy, and a very nice 5 door manual in North Yorkshire if anyone's looking. I'll PM details in case anyone's looking, but won't post it as I'm sure there's some rules about advertising etc. etc.
Click to expand...


Congrats Ozzy - welcome to the Zone!
 
Good choice, I hope it serves you well.
A couple of points, it's a Land Rover, it doesn't have steptronic, it has Command Shift.
If you do use it off road, be aware that HDC only works in the positions shown on the selector. It does not work in Command Shift first. I've tried to find out why, but never managed to get a reason, but they changed it for Freelander2.
 
Davec said:
Good choice, I hope it serves you well.
A couple of points, it's a Land Rover, it doesn't have steptronic, it has Command Shift.
If you do use it off road, be aware that HDC only works in the positions shown on the selector. It does not work in Command Shift first. I've tried to find out why, but never managed to get a reason, but they changed it for Freelander2.
Click to expand...


the hippoo auto is quoted as having a Steptronics box - and yes - the auto is the next tax bracket :(
 
Steptronic is a BMW term, which is probably why Land Rover are so keen that they use Command Shift.
Tax band depends on date of first registration, at present, and now extended. Mine is same band as a manual.
 
dont anyone listen?

look in the fookin Rave - copy attached - it states quite clearly Steptronic!


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