I agree with this, if I was you looking at a FL1 I'd skip it and chose the Subaru Forester.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scallops
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I agree with this, if I was you looking at a FL1 I'd skip it and chose the Subaru Forester.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scallops
I think that is an unduly optimistic view.... I'm sure some of them had a good run, but LR did not cover themselves in glory with that first model.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jojo
Our Td4 is good. Dirt roads, light off road (look at the vehicle, if you want more serious off road then purchase serious off road), and great on tarmac.
Reliable. Economical. Comfortable, quiet ( I drive a defender).
Regards,
PeterW
We bought a 2004/05 TD4 SE Freelander for my wife about 12 months ago.
We don't need to take it off road, that's what the Range rover is for.
The FL is brilliant. It is really fun to drive, lots of get up and go, and is way more economical than the CR-V that it replaced. Pure city driving we get around 600km from a tank.
It is also very comfortable and well appointed.
I believe these last of the FL1 models are really very solid and clear of most of the previous issues that plagued them and really killed their reputation.
I would not advise against buying one, but my only experience is with ours which is a very late model - so I would recommend as new a model as is possible.
Take one for a drive and see if you love it! Thats what happened to us.
HTH
Dave
First post here because I have to put in my 2c.
I had one of the first TD4 auto's to come here...2002 i think?
Lots of little things under waranty and then at 60000 ish km I had white smoke and a blown engine. land rover wanted $25000 for a new engine. I rang all around town to see if I could find a second hand one but people just wanted to hang up when I mentioned freelander. My 50thousand car went to $2500 as a wreck within 4 years and very low k's....NEVER again!!
It was a great size and as I carry a kayak i loved the side opening door but dealing with landrover was never fun. I now have a 3 series BMW and have never had even a slight problem but hey its not a 4x4. I'm also looking at a Defender which is why I'm on this forum but it looks like their engines also have cooling problems. Still doing my research on that one.
Hi Timax - sad story for a first post. Unfortunately, you are not alone, but it was usually more with the petrols than the diesels.
New defenders are excellent. Haven't heard of anyone having cooling system problems though??? Are you talking about TD5s/TDIs?
Welcome to the forum.
Cheers
David
Timax - sorry to hear your problems however as far`as diesels are concerned this is a rare exception rather than the norm. The BMW TD4 diesel is one of the most reliable engines around and rarely has major issues. Certainly on par if not better as far as reliability goes compared to the TD5.
Overall - my early Freelander diesel has been more reliable than my two V8 discos and the Freelander has far more Kms than I ever got on the discos - now 260,000.
Garry
Funny that I bought BMW after the fact that it was the BMW engine that went. Although the engine was assembled in the UK I think.
The fact that it was a rare problem is why I couldn't get a new motor for it easily.
Re the new Defender, I would love one but would prefer to buy a low k second hand one to save some money. There seems to be many td5s around but I read they need new head gaskets at 150 ish ks and that the TDi 300 was a better motor. So where to now? Wait for the right car?
Put a v6 diesel with auto into an older body?.....that would be cool a 110 crew cab in silver or black with v6 diesel auto. Perfect for what I want.:D
My wife had her Freelander Td4 for about a year now, apart from the fuel lift pump that needed to be replaced (common issue, apparently) no problems experienced. Nice car, I am considering buying one for myself (in addition to all the others) for commuting to work.
Cheers
Had a 1999 petrol with air Freelander from new. In the 3 years of ownership put 75k miles on it. During this time only problem was the exhaust which was replaced 3 times.
Fuel economy was a fairly regular 25 miles per gallon around town and about 28 on a highway trip.
Comfortable car which everyone who traveled in commented on how good it was.
The early diesel was an old engine even then and not to be recommended. If you want a diesel go for the later TD4 engined one.
V6 petrol uses a lot more fuel for very little more performance over the 4 cylinder petrol.
As with any car have it checked out by an expert before you commit or pay the price. With a less common car you need to find someone who is an expert in that brand not just a car expert who works on Commmodores.
It is though a Land-Rover with all that means. Remember they have been building the Defender for 30 years and it still has all the same reliability issues there despite all the product development they are supposed to have done.