Freelander 1 Which freelander to buy?

Evening all, having just bought a 1980s series 3 for myself to commute to the train station, wife wants to chop the Audi A2 in for a Freelander. Having a quick read it looks like a TD4 is the way to go? Looking for any personal recommendations for model type, garage to look after the beast and where to buy? I'm in higham, near Rochester, Kent. Any help appreciated, thanks all, Mark

Hi Mark, everyone on this group agrees the Rover L Series diesel is the best Freelander. Some may come back and say that's rubbish and that the TD4 is better - but they know the L Series rocks really

So save yourself some cash and don't buy the TD4 - just cos its got 'the BMW engine' - it'll save you a lot of cash and hassle running it as well.

You won't need a garage with an L Series - just change the oil & filters every now and then and drive it! Occasionally other bits go wrong, in owning mine for 5 years I've had to do some work on the brakes and replace a couple of pipes, but they're easy to work on and you can do it all at home quite easily - just put it into a garage every 60K miles for them to change the belts.

Running a Freelander's nothing like a Series - or a Disco/RR for that matter. Everything is so much smaller, lighter and less rusted solid. With the L Series the engine's hardly any more complex than a 2 1/4 either. So its bullet proof and will return the same mpg as a TD4 - little less refined and a bit slower off the lights than the TD4 - but that's because it hasn't got all the electrical and common rail gizmos that fail and cripple the car.

There's lots of buying advice threads in the Freelander section - have a search for an objective view - but remember - all those people that say the TD4 is great - if they were on their shrink's bench, they'd be crying like babies cos they aint got an L Series

Oh and regardless of which model you get - just understand how important it is to run exactly the same make & model of tyres on a Freelander and they've got to be pumped t the same pressure. If you don't know why it may seem petty - but ignoring that will cost you £1,000's - search on here about how the IRD/VCU works - you need to understand that, and you'll get great motoring out of a Freelander. If you don't understand it, at some point you will curse the bloody car, until you realise it was your mistake - I've been there, done that and got the Tee shirt - until I found my salvation in LZ.

Check the 4WD system is still hooked up and working when buying - its amazing how many people buy Freelanders, then realise at some point later they've bought a 2WD car. They're expensive to put back cos there's almost always some severe mechanical (IRD) issues with the car. Be prepared to replace the VCU when you get it - so budget in about £250 plus fitting.

I've written far to much, and there's plenty of info to search but in summary.. make sure its got a working 4WD system, understand how the 4WD system works so you don't have problems and make sure its got a Rover diesel lump under the bonnet

Same as Grumpy BUT read Td4 in place of L series

1.8 petrol - nice, but buy a set of spanners and paracetamol.
2.5 V6 - fast, but buy Saudi Arabia
Td4 - nice, but buy a diagnostic tool
L-Series - slower, but buy a coffee and relax.

Some other questions will be down to personal taste and what you plan using the Freelander for. For example, 3 or 5 door? Facelift (late 2003 onwards), or pre-facelif? Will you want a manual or auto gearbox? The auto may be better for offroading and towing, not having a clutch to wear out.

Reading people's experiences the older L Series diesel, it seems a rock solid engine, and straightforward to maintain, even if it's not chain driven like the TD4. The TD4 replaced the L Series in later vehicles, and as Grumpy has already said, being more complicated with its electric sensors for the management system etc., can cause its own problems. Some people have looked after their engines (both types) and have over 200k miles on the clock.

The K Series petrol 1.8 engine has not been mentioned so far. (some would say, and with good reason too),[edit, Dave just has as I was writing this]. They had/have a reputation for head gaskets blowing on them, (which when I had one was a constant concern - I never checked the coolant levels so much on a car). But with an uprated gasket, and several other improved engine components, reliability is said to have been improved.

Then there is the V6 if you want more power, and don't mind the hit in terms of fuel economy.

Echoing what others have said, make sure the car you buy has the prop shaft and VCU attached, and that it hasn't 'been removed for fuel economy'. When I was looking for a pre-facelift diesel, (personal preference over the newer models - which probably goes against the grain of most people (but I like the big black bumpers, although the headlights are not as good)), I found it quite difficult to find a Freelander in the colour/body style I wanted with the VCU still attached. Most people just remove them once they start causing the drivetrain make noises, which is indicative of an expensive repair bill. So the prop and VCU are removed, not putting the strain on the IRD, which hides the problem of a likely knackered IRD which are not cheap to replace. It's a simple job to change the VCU ahead of causing damage though, which is what I'm doing at the moment.

Unless you are very fortunate, there are likely to be little niggles with the car even if you do pick what looks like a good-un. But thankfully places like this forum are a godsend for helping diagnose and attending to the problems. I'm not a mechanic by any means, but armed with toolkit, a jack and ramps, am quite happy to have to go at jobs I see several have tackled and shared experiences of on here.

Good luck with the hunt, (and try not to punch the sellers that get you on an 80 mile round trip telling you their car is in 'excellent condition', and you turn up and it's scratched/dented to ****, then they say 'well, it is a 12 year old car').

Jim

I have a K series 1.8 - Their reputation for HG failure has been mentioned. I like mine and it's taken me on interesting and heart stopping adventures off the beaten track. They are cheaper to buy due to their reputation, not to hard on fuel, better acceleration than the diesels [well the L series anyway], only came in 5 sp'd manual [as did the L series]. The motor is is very easy to work on [ everything is accessible], parts are inexpensive [generally], there are mod's recommended to ensure HG longevity along with good routine maintenance [ie: coolant / oil levels, tyre pressures...]. If you are interested there are other mod's which can help economy power...]
Best mod's for the 1.8 K series: Replace HG and associated bits [ there is a proviso here as to which type of HG to use], clean out casting leftovers [flash / burrs] from the head's coolant apertures, fit a remote PRT thermostat, fit a coolant level sensor in the coolant tank, check / replace a cracked / crazed coolant tank and its cap too, check / replace any dodgy coolant pipes, clean the cooling system, an extra: use rain water / demineralised water and the red OAT coolant.

As a 4WD the FL1 is quite good. Tyre choice is a big thing on where you wish to go, just make sure they are a matched set and inflated evenly! [don't forget the spare needs to match too in case of a puncture].

I think with used cars it really depends on how the previous owner treated it. My TD4 FL1 is 13 years old this year and I have owned it for about half that time, and I would not describe it as an unreliable car. If they are serviced properly there is no reason that the TD4 should me more unreliable than the other engines. In all the time that I have owned it, the only problem I have had with the actual engine (touch wood!) was the blocked crankcase breather that I obviously swapped for the BMW part.

TBH they are all good. 'Proper' Land Rover drivers sneer at them, but they like to spend their weekends covered in Waxoil and with the welder out.
I know I joked about spanners, but I have a 1.8 petrol and the engine bay is so empty it is a joy to work on. Same is true of the L series.

I would also say L series im a little bias because i have one but i have to say its been great. And also just scroll threw the forum for every post where the L series had a problem theres 20 post where the td4 had a problem so its either a rare engine or actualy just works better.. And usualy conversations about the td4 start out with "did you take it to the lr specialist" and the L series with " did you try hitting it with a hammer" ok not 100% true but close enough

wow, thanks all for the amazing in depth replies. Lots to think about. I'm starting from ground zero experience wise so this post will help greatly. Much appreciated all for your time and input.
I'll post back when I've had a good read up. regards, Mark

My advice would be to hit autotrader and find a couple of each variant to go and drive then pick from personal preference.

Have a look at the common faults but try not to end up scaring yourself out of buying one [I nearly did]. I previously owned the 3 door 'convertible' manual TD4 and found the roof to be a faff so never used it after the first attempt. Now a 5 door TD4 auto convert and loving it.

Also check the basic spec level of each model and make sure you buy the one that ticks most, if not all, of your boxes. Bit's like heated seats and cruise control can be added later though [in most cases].

Also check the fuel tank cradle, they're prone to rot and then become an MOT failure. £308.00 to replace..

The Mrs has had her TD4 2003 model since May, and we both love it.
Though replacing one of the injectors was a bit of a shock as was the crankcase pulley, but other than that all has been really well with just the odd niggly bits that can happen to all cars.
It had its MOT in October and sailed through, without even an advisory.
We decided to go for the TD4 as we wanted an Automatic and the benefit of not worrying about the cambelt. I can see why people like the L Series though for its simplicity. Being an automatic though some parts are more expensive because of it, as we found out with the injectors.

Choose your spec carefully, particularly if you want a particular option or feature. I particularly wanted a facelift with the heated front screen which took some finding, at a price I was prepared to pay. I also wanted auto transmission and leather. Anything else I need, I'll add myself.

Looking back a heated screen would of been my choice to

1997 Discovery said:

Looking back a heated screen would of been my choice to

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The heated screen was top of my options wish list. It's the most expensive retro fit to do unless you can to a deal with a windscreen replacement company. The wiring is easy enough to retrofit on the TD4 or V6 but the windscreen is over £1000 if you have to buy one. I don't believe that the 1.8 has a large enough alternator to supply the power needed as the heated front screen was never an option on that model.

On the 1.8 the heat from the failing head gasket keeps the screen clear.....

davidsmith1307 said:

On the 1.8 the heat from the failing head gasket keeps the screen clear.....

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oh dear oh dear