I have an 98 Xedi and 257,000 km on her. Viscous couplings are a common problem however if you watch then you get no unexpected surprises.Buy all your parts from the UK and save heaps.
Buy diesel forget petrol.
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I have an 98 Xedi and 257,000 km on her. Viscous couplings are a common problem however if you watch then you get no unexpected surprises.Buy all your parts from the UK and save heaps.
Buy diesel forget petrol.
Thanks Heaps for your replys taking it all in,
I have no interest in a petrol, What Diesel motor is in the 98/99, is it a TDI or a TD4 do they have compter controlled engine or are they old school.
Looked at a TD 1998 model freelander at a car yard, 200kms, $7999 in great condition, the kms really worry me though?
Sarah
Sarah,
I'll be straight up here and say that I couldn't in all honesty recommend them on the whole to anyone. There ARE good reliable ones out there, (I have even considered a Diesel Td4 in the past, which is in my opinion the better one if you are really going to buy one) but My experience with these has led me to advise against buying one and look at a Subaru Forrester or Hond CRV etc. instead.
My issues with the early pre Td4 1998 to 2000 diesel ones are mainly transmission problems; viscous units, rear differentials, IRD units and tailshaft centre bearings etc. The excessive tyre wear has to be mentioned too, along with HDC and ABS faults. Injector pump failures arent all that common, but can be $2500 to $4000 to rectify. Timing belts(Both) and tensioners etc every 80k, IRD oils we change every 20k, I have recently had one with a porous BLOCK leaking coolant externally, and one with a cracked head leaking coolant externally. Badly.
I am impressed by the way they drive, they have good performance, they are excellent on fuel. BUt I am not working on them anymore, due to their ability to bleed some owners dry of funds and I quite frankly hate making those phone calls to tell them how much its going to cost them 'this time'. Very stressful I can tell you.
You needed to read this.
JC
I agree with Justin. Never owned one but seen more than enough of those that do.
FL2 entirely different vehicle although I know you're not looking at those.
If you really, really want a Freelander, then here is the standard advice for buying unreliable cars.
Firstly make sure it's checked out very carefully by a Land Rover specialist before you buy it, not Joe Bloggs the local auto club man. Also make sure there is a valid reason for sale. Talk to the places(s) where the owner got it serviced and beware of any reluctance to let you do that. Inspect the service history carefully, looking for gaps. Even then go into the purchase with your eyes open, and immediately have the thing serviced thoroughly after you buy it, by a specialist Land Rover mechanic again. Spend what you need to on preventative maintenance.
I hope you find one that's reliable.
Oh the horror of it all!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Scallops
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh34-TmzPcQ&feature=related"]YouTube - defender contra freelander 2 parte5º[/ame]
That only took you 9 hours of intensive searching to find that video Andrew:p
As I said earlier. My wife and I were going to buy a Freo 1 new in 2003, but bought a Subaru Forester instead. Never regretted the decision once.
Now I would seriously trade it on a new freo2 instead of a new subaru.
Three of our club members spent 2 hours talking to a couple who had just bought one at the GC caravan and camping show. They had a locked up viscous coupling among other things and had just bought it CHEAP.
There are better choices out there. Sorry
CC
There are always viable alternatives available, japanese or otherwise, to any model out of the Land Rover production line. The FL is not a failure prone vehicle, not more than any other Land Rover. Rather the opposite, in fact. And, apart from being rather crowded under-bonnet and some electric gimmickery, straightforward to work on.
Just my 5c...
Whilst my first reply to this post was in fun (I knew there would be plenty of serious answers), let me say this - I have driven the new FL2 and it was great to drive.
Having said that, the one issue I see with the Freelander is clearance. On a recent GCLRO trip, we were making our way along a track to our camping spot and a conversation began over the UHF. The short of it was everyone doubted a Freelander would have made it in in one piece.
Now - whilst this is hardly a scientific analysis of the Freelander - and before the Freelander nuts get too upset :p - all vehicles have limitations and intended use is what is important when buying a vehicle. But it is worth considering that these vehicles will be limited before any other Land Rover by their low clearance.
And as others have said, some of the older FL models were plagued with issues. In this category of vehicle, and for a vehicle of the vintage you are looking at, there are better choices from Japan.
I think it's great that a LR forum can in effect advise against buying a LR if that's the right thing to do. Not sure all other marque forums could do the same.
Hell for $7999.00 you can have mine. I can live with only a Disco.I'll find another bike.
More clearance is gained by tyre selection and a lift kit of 30mm is available and fitted to mine. Reinforce the plastic sump guard with something metal.
The original motor in the 98 is sourced from Perkins and is fitted to the Rover diesels of that period. They were sometimes fitted to the London cabs, excess mileage should not be a problem for the diesel however its the other bits that seem to cause problems like the VC unit unless watched. Keep all the tyres the same size by rotating when necessary as its primarily a front wheel drive with rear assistance.
They handle well on the road with the rack and pinion steering but don't brake as quick as a Disco even with ABS. It should not be a problem whilst you are sensible.
Mine has 257,000 km on the clock and in 135,000km since purchase I have fitted, the following parts,
- a full clutch assembly( Aust price $1700 UK price $1050 delivered in four days).
- 4 injectors(Aust price $2700 UK price $960 delivered incl GST).
- an Intermediate reduction drive unit)Transfer case) form the UK $1200.
- harmonic balancer on the VC unit(Unable to purchase as a seperate item in Aust $280 delivered form Ashdowns in the UK.
- 2 window regulators (Locally sources cant remember price each.)
- four Coopers tyres and still have plenty of tread.135000km and still going
- 2 front CV joints sources UK.
Its been to Perth twice from the east coast and goes moderate four wheel driving.It tows a trailer and boat when required and has never let me down unexpectdly. I am a maintenance obsessive with a pervision for Land Rovers, hell I know no better as I started on BSA motorbikes and still have several.
P.S. 36-37 mpg or 7.5-7.7 litres per 100km in the new money.
8.6 litres with a heavy trailer to Queensland from NSW.