Looking to buy, what to look for... - Land Rovers Only

Loki_australia · 07-12-2005, 10:04 PM

Hey guys I'm new here

I've begun looking into finally buying a decent car now I have got a job and nearly finished uni.

I really like the look of the 3 door freelander so thought I would hit the net and do a bit of research on the car.

I have read a bit about problems with the heads going fairly early on in the cars life

is this a "nearly every car" problem or is it only a few of them? (don't want to fork out cash every few thousand ks for a rebuild or new heads)

are there any things I should really look for when buying one second hand.. my budget only goes as far as a 98 - 00 model and things that should be serviced in the last few years in the books that I should look for? :p )

Thanks in advance and thanks for the cool LR site (hopefully I will be an owner of one soon enough and become more a member of the LR family

01001010 · 07-12-2005, 10:11 PM

You've got your head screwed on right! Welcome to the Fam - even if you dont't have one yet.

I can't answer your questions but others will come.

Why not a used Discovery Series 1???

appstatedisco · 07-12-2005, 10:17 PM

definatly go w/ a disco I over a freelander. It'll put that to shame. however, if fuel economy is you're main concern go with the freela....disco I TDi's!(turbo diesel) lol...

Loki_australia · 07-12-2005, 11:08 PM

Yeah I don't really want a big 4X4 cos I live in the city its mainly for going to the snow occasionally and camping (most of the off road will be gravel roads and the like no real cross country things) and I have a motorbike as my daily driver... may be my girlfriends daily car if she gets a job out in the suburbs somewhere.

thanks for the speedy replies too..

garrycol · 07-14-2005, 01:05 AM

Loki - don't buy a pre 2000 freelander they have problems with the IRD (Transfer Case) and the viscous couplings. If you have a failure you will be up for about $5k in repair costs - I know because I have just been through it and I know of a number of others who have had the same problems. Post 2000 are Ok in this respect.

Don't buy an 1.8i - again there are design problems with the head and on some the cylinder liners - our hot weather doesn't help matters. In Aust problems are usually fixed with a new engine - $5000+

You might be lucky with the above problems but it is just not worth the risk. Pre 2000 3 door 1.8s with average Kms only sell for about $13K so any of the above problems may not be economical to repair.

If you want a Freelander the pick is a post 2000 TD4 - no major problems, they are a dream to drive, go really well on the open road and don't use a lot of fuel. The V6s are also pretty good - a bit faster at the lights but not necessarily on the road but are a bit thirsty.

I also have a v8 Disco which is a bit more refined - bigger and uses a bit more fuel - but are just as cheap as Freelanders to buy.

Garry

da-hughes · 07-14-2005, 05:12 AM

Def go for a TD4. I've had it a year and it's been great. The economy is pretty good for a larger car and it has some power behind it. My misses has an MG TF, so the landy is a work horse. Not tried it in snow yet, but it's great for fields and muddy forest tracks.

The only down side is the interior quality, but it's a landy!

TimM · 08-23-2005, 04:55 PM

Hi, Im in the market for a Freelander also, so thanks for the info. I have heard that there are issues with the rotors and brakes, is this the case with post 2000 TD4 freelanders? thanks in advance

garrycol · 08-23-2005, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimM

Hi, Im in the market for a Freelander also, so thanks for the info. I have heard that there are issues with the rotors and brakes, is this the case with post 2000 TD4 freelanders? thanks in advance

I have heard this too but I certainly do not have a problem in this area - however I have actually costed the rotors in Australia and they are really cheap almost at a consumable price so shouldn't be an expensive job if it is an issue. $88AUD rotors, $77AUD Pads; Rear Drums $105AUD, rear shoes $139AUD - So Rotors and Drums are really cheap

As I said - brakes and rotors on my 98 are great - no probs - I believe the post 2000 brakes are the same as the earlier models any way.

HMBFreelander · 08-23-2005, 10:01 PM

Freelander front brakes can be an issue depending on how hard you are on them. Some owners report only 10K miles on a set of pads - I got 28K miles on my first set. The pads and rotors wear together so you have to change the rotors about every two pad changes. If you are a bit mechanically inclined, changing the pads is an easy job. Changing the rotors is only slightly more complicated. If you can do it yourself the cost of parts isn't too bad. You probably have a pretty good network of independent repair shops (unlike in the US) so you may be able to save some money over dealer prices even if you have it done.

I haven't heard of anyone having to replace the rear shoes. They just haven't been in the US that long!

I'd love to have a Disco for off-roading but I prefer the Freelander's size, economy and ride comfort. And it keeps up with the Discos pretty well.

I'd have a TD4 if were offered here.

Brian