2 wheel drive Freelander 1

Hi All, I have been looking at the above on ebay today and listing after listing said " rear prop removed for better mpg". This smells like the hold on a Grimsby trawler, if you want good mpg, you don't buy a 4x4 in the first place. What's the problem guys?

Props removed for better MPG is a load of rubbish. It makes so little difference, it's virtually undetectable.

Normally they are removed to hide some serious 4X4 system fault, or keep the vehicle mobile when the VCU has failed.

run away quick. everything he said^^^^^^ and more.

Do you need 4WD?

I've been running my Freelander 2WD for almost 5 years now - been perfectly reliable and a great car.

However, I did put a new bearing kit in my IRD when it all went BANG. Sometimes the props are removed because the support bearings were noisy or the VCU was going tight. No damage will have been done to the car and it will be fine 2WD - or fix the issue reasonably cheaply and you're back to 4WD. Other times they will have been removed after damage has been done - running as 2WD will be a gamble (but a £150 bearing kit fixes that) but expensive to put back to 4WD.

In days gone past when F1 were still high value, these types of car were the best but - cos they were cheap and the money saved could be used to put in new (recon) parts that you knew would make a good car. They are less attractive though now prices are lower.

A lot of dodgy dealers take the propshaft off because they can't be bothered with the time or expense of replacing the VCU support bearings or rear diff supports.
It's not always because of serious issues but buyer beware.