Freelander Purchase?

[9dawgs]

Hi guys, My daughter(not mechanically inclined) is interested in purchasing a Freelander. We don't have any particular vehicle picked out right now but I'd like to know what to look out for. I have no expierience with Freelanders but I've heard some good and bad stories about them. If any current or past owner could give me their "honest" opinion on the vehicle I'd appreciate it. The things I'm interested to know are:

1. What are the good/bad years
2. What are common problems with any particular year
3. Gas milelage?
4. Average reasonable cost for any particular year (I live in Florida)
5. Any abnormal upkeep routine? (ie; other than regular oil & filter changes)

These are my questions but please feel free to give me more info if I've missed something Thanks!

[rmuller]

Try also posting to the forums at muddyoval.com ... a lot more FL people hang out there.

[chrisvonc]

I hate my '02 so I would say avoid them and go with a newer one, but my '03 was not bad while I owned it. Best advice, if your going to get one, buy it from a LR dealership and spend the few extra bucks and get the genuine Certified extended warranty. Its going to pay for itself. My '02 fell out of original warranty earlier this year and its been in the shop so much since then, i've already broke even on what I spent on extending the warranty.

[Roverdude]

My '03 SE3 has been brilliant. In nearly 3 years, only had one idiot light that came one which necessitated a trip to the dealer. Other than that, no problems at all (knock on wood!). Mileage has been very good (19-21 mpg mixed), it is very comfortable, and looks pretty sharp. I pretty much use it as a commuter, but I have taken it off-road a number of times and they can hang with the big boys surprisingly well.