Thread: Freelander 2 Buying Advise

Just speaking from my TD4 FL2 ownership experience there's not too much to fear. I have had mine for 5 1/2 years, 88K and during this time I required the power steer pump to be replaced at 18K, LR said that they had a bad batch from a supplier. Other than that I have had no problems except a few weeks ago I broke a radio button which is a bit annoying but not really a vehicle issue.

Major issues do seem non existent on this vehicle. There's been cases of injector failure and rear diff failure but really nothing else. Not anything I would call a "This will happen between X and Y kms so budget for it" type problems. The model is now 6 years old so if there were significant design issues they should be appearing by now. freel2.com will have more issues but as always you'll get the bias towards problems looking at forums.

Servicing is quite cheap if you do it yourself, take it to a dealer and you will pay some LR tax. Parts for a "B" service about $200, an "A" service a bit less. C service is only every 240K so that should be long enough away to not worry about it.

If towing look for a vehicle that already has a bar fitted as adding it later can be expensive due to the electrics. Be aware factory bar is only a 40mm receiver so if you need a special hitch you'll need to fit a Hayman Reese which uses a 50mm receiver.

Other than that not too much. You could have some problems but I'm not sure what they'd be, I guess you can get unlucky with any vehicle but the lack of problems you see here is a reflection of their reliability.

After 5 years I still love driving mine and it really has been an enjoyable experience..... touch wood!

I've had a TD4 08 since new and it's a lovely car. I agree with everything inside has said. UK reliability surveys put the FL2 at more reliable than Toyota as a brand. Generally Land Rover as a brand performs poorly in these surveys. The FL2 is the exception it seems.
I'm a member of the Subaru Club as well and there are stories to tell with them. Just been discussing an 07 Forester completely losing its manual gearbox after only 90,000 kms. Religiously dealer serviced too, but now $1850 repairs needed from the same dealer that has been 'servicing' it.
The main downside of a Landy is the sparse dealer network and the general complexity of the cars. They are marvels of modern engineering and you may need the right equipment to properly deal with some of the issues that will inevitably arise no matter the brand. Scarce means higher price unfortunately. I have to say mine has cost me less than my wife's VW of the same age and I have done over twice the kms, a lot of them on hard off road tracks.

Originally Posted by mikehzz

I've had a TD4 08 since new and it's a lovely car. I agree with everything inside has said. UK reliability surveys put the FL2 at more reliable than Toyota as a brand. Generally Land Rover as a brand performs poorly in these surveys. The FL2 is the exception it seems.
I'm a member of the Subaru Club as well and there are stories to tell with them. Just been discussing an 07 Forester completely losing its manual gearbox after only 90,000 kms. Religiously dealer serviced too, but now $1850 repairs needed from the same dealer that has been 'servicing' it.
The main downside of a Landy is the sparse dealer network and the general complexity of the cars. They are marvels of modern engineering and you may need the right equipment to properly deal with some of the issues that will inevitably arise no matter the brand. Scarce means higher price unfortunately. I have to say mine has cost me less than my wife's VW of the same age and I have done over twice the kms, a lot of them on hard off road tracks.

I have to agree with the above however in saying that, my mechanic at Ultra Tune Menai (NSW) has been able to perform everything so far that a Land Rover mechanic would do, and at half the price. My service has so far cost no more than your everyday Toyota, Holden or Ford. I was advised by a qualified Land Rover specialist that you don't have to get it serviced through a Land Rover dealer/specialist, as long as the services are kept up-to-date, then continue with who you know and trust. If in the rare case that something needs to be done that your own mechanic cannot do, then Land Rover specialist it is. An average service on my petrol engine has been no back breaker financially, and I would have no hesitation recommending someone to an extremely reliable and capable vehicle, however like any vehicle service is the key.

I haven't had a dealer service for well over 100,000kms. There are things like software updates and certain diagnostic and computer issues that only LR or someone with LR gear could do unfortunately.

Thanks for the response so far guys. It's good to hear direct from the horses mouth rather than trying to trawl through some guy who heard through his brothers friend's uncle that the freelander 2 isn't reliable.

I guess I now just have to put together ongoing costs vs the forester and weigh that up against the general benefits I will get buy purchasing the FL2 (i.e. better road driving, more offroad capability should the need arrive, better interior, a more premium luxury car etc etc). I don't think the Forester even comes close to the FL2 in terms of comfort and luxury, but I guess I will have to go and drive one or two to get a feel for how they drive.

It's good to hear there are no "X will fail at Y kilometers" stories as that is what I was dreading the most.

I forgot to mention that, like a lot of modern cars, go through discs and pads relatively quickly. Front pads and discs every 70K, rear pads every 50K with discs every second 50K is what I'm experiencing in the city. It's a DIY job for the average home mechanic.

I've been in a Subaru Forrester and the FL2 is miles above in terms of quality, interior and road feel. The FL2 is a significantly more expensive car though. When I bought mine you could not get a similar class vehicle with 5 star ANCAP, diesel auto with 2 tonne towing other than the FL2.

Originally Posted by mikehzz

I haven't had a dealer service for well over 100,000kms. There are things like software updates and certain diagnostic and computer issues that only LR or someone with LR gear could do unfortunately.

It's ok Mike, I checked with Roving Mechanical (Land Rover Specialist) and he said there's been no software updates so where in the clear.

Originally Posted by inside

I forgot to mention that, like a lot of modern cars, go through discs and pads relatively quickly. Front pads and discs every 70K, rear pads every 50K with discs every second 50K is what I'm experiencing in the city. It's a DIY job for the average home mechanic.

I've been in a Subaru Forrester and the FL2 is miles above in terms of quality, interior and road feel. The FL2 is a significantly more expensive car though. When I bought mine you could not get a similar class vehicle with 5 star ANCAP, diesel auto with 2 tonne towing other than the FL2.

50-70k will seem like a dream compared to how often I go through expensive brake pads and discs on my track car

Yep, I agree re: build quality. But the 08-11 FL2 HSE is comparable on price with the 09-11 forester XT premium and cheaper than the S-edition version I would most likely want. I know I will get a lot more car for $$$ with the FL2, hence why it is even competing with the forester atm considering I can replace/repair 99% of components on the forester myself.

The towing capacity is the other advantage of the FL2, but I still have my company car to tow with if needed (prefer not to).