I bought my Freelander 1.8 XEI 3 door h/b (99 V) second hand for £14,700 with 7,500 miles from Wessex Land Rover in oct 2000 which was an absolute bargain considering it came with a/c, hdc, 16" alloys, cd autochanger & leather seats. Im now upto 16,000 miles and since then the clutch packed up on 10,000 miles, i called Land Rover assist who had someone with me in 20 mins and problem sorted 30 mins later. Car was recalled a few months ago for handbrake fault & whatever else. That aside i have had no problems at all. I take it off road greenlaning about once a month and it handles great.On road its very comfortable if a bit underpowered. My only gripe(L/R take note) is the ventilation which is hopeless as you cant demist windscreen & side windows at same time!. Comparing my car to others im more than happy with it. I hired a brand new Mitsubishi Montero (small Shogun)in Costa Rica last year,in 3 weeks a wheel arch lining collapsed & 1 shock absorber went, a truly nasty vehicle. I drive a T reg astra for work 60,000 miles, totally reliable, let down by Vauxhall dealerships ive used, put it this way i'd never dig in my own pockets for one. My previous car was an Alfa Romeo, blindingly quick, crap build with maintenance bills from hell, £6,800 in 7 years! I know many Freelander owners have had problems with theirs but im sure im not the only satisfied owner, ill be replacing mine with a TD4 next year. p.s Wessex Land Rover of Portsmouth who sold me the car & Beadles Land Rover of Sidcup who maintain it i cant reccomend highly enough
Freelander Td4GS purchased new Nov.2000. Much more flexible and car-like than the Discovery TDI previously owned. The acceleration from stationary is a welcome improvement, as is the improved fuel consumption. It tows well and the traction control was demonstrated when it recovered a motor-home bogged down on a caravan site. Small, irritating faults have occurred, mainly with door locks. While on holiday, Land Rover Assist were extremely efficient when we were locked out due to a faulty lock. The three year warranty and assistance package is proving valuable. T.Day [Log in to view email]
We live in the Scottish Highlands and need four wheel drive for the winter. When the Freelander was first mentioned I thought that it would be ideal but the price was just too high.
We eventually bought an XEDi station wagon which was a demo vehicle with just over 5,000 miles on it.
I have to say that it is fantastic. I get 36-38 MPG and it copes with our long, steep and winding drive in the depths of winter with thick snow and ice which my previous Defender 90 couldn't always manage.
It is more car like than anything else in the Land Rover range which my wife finds easy to drive.
The only niggles I have are minor. There is no one-touch open/close on the electric windows, no low fuel light and no height adjustment on the drivers seat.
Have owned a '99 1.8 Xei Freelander since oct '00 with 27,000 miles on the clock. Had a new clutch put on at 7,000 miles and a few minor niggles put right since purchase. Just had a full service done and was told the heating matrix needs changing after they found a leak, which requires removing the dashboard to get to it, but this will be done under the extended warranty. Overall im still very happy with the car, though i do check the coolant regularly to insure the head gasket isnt about to blow! Vehicle is maintained by Beadles of Sidcup who i find to be knowledgable & efficiant. If i wanted complete reliability id be driving something Japanese, but give me the comfort & off road ability of a Freelander anyday, faults in all.
Owned for 3 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2004.
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I bought a 2nd hand 1.8 petrol (K series) and initially thought it was the best thing since sliced bread (apart from the poor heating - designed for British climate? - and lack of space). However, having owned it for just under 2 years things have turned sour. Replacements include - wheel bearing, 4 new tyres, cam belt (before due!), subsequent engine damage, head gasket & water pump and I have now been told I need a new IRD. I am awaiting the response from Land Rover. By the way, those of you with the head gasket problems - yes it is a fault with the K series engine.
Owned for 2 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2004.
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My 2000 W registered 1.8XEI Freelander cost approaching £2000 in "non-covered" repairs in its third/fourth year. (Clutch, exhaust, head gasket etc. )The head gasket went 3 months after the warranty finished. I had kept a very close eye on the water system, so it was possible for a local independant garage to strip the engine,pressure test, skim the head and replace with a better gasket. I also had a new timing belt at the same time. This cost about £800, very much cheaper than the LR Dealership.It did allow me to part exchange at maximum trade-in value for a new Toyota Avensis Estate. ( Now Car of the Year 2004) and I have regained some confidence in my motoring. My advice is to get shot of a petrol Freelander ASAP, and tell everybody not to buy new ones.I have never had such an unreliable vehicle.
Owned for 4 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed January 2004.
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Recently purchased a 03 Freelander Td4 "Serengetti"with 2500K on the clock. Saved a massive £4300.00 on new even though the vehicle is only 5 months old, mainly due to the facelift model and the dealer stock rotation. Not had it that long but so far so good. It has been fantastic in the snow and the "car-like" feel on the motorway is great. Not a great deal else to comment on as it's still early days, but I'll keep you informed. My only hang-up is that it's my wife's car and I have to keep getting back into my Toyota Avensis after driving it !!
Owned for 1 month.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed January 2004.
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I have owned my S reg Freelanders 1.8 since new. There have been numerous things over the years that have needed replacing, notably the exhaust. However I have just broken down on the motorway and been told I need a new engine @ £3500. Landrover initially said they would pay 50% but now say because I didn't have it serviced at a main dealership, and Landrover parts were not always used, they may not contribute at all! I have done only 50000 miles. Anyone else heard this from Landrover? I would be willing to join together to protest to Landrover. At the moment I feel gutted.
Owned for 5 years.
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Reviewed January 2004.
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re gasket problems,and my previous comments on this site. i now have been informed that we should make a claim against the dealer, from where the car was purchased. the car has an inherent defect which puts the seller in breach of contract. unless the dealership, now called guy salmon, agree to pay all costs, i will persue this in the county court in uk, under the small claims scheme where i believe costs are minimal.this seems likely as they are unwilling to initially accept any responsibility. anyone need more info please contact [Log in to view email] i also am persuing with the group action with irvine mitchell and suggest others should register with them. tel 0870 1500100
I've had no reliability issues at all except a minor problem with the so-called sunshine roof (an option I didn't want but got with the V6). Now 3 yrs and 55000k.
Owned for 3 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed December 2003.
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Bought used 1.8(X 2000) from LR dealer last christmas. They sell their used vehicles with a minimum 12 mths guarentee. In this case 9 mths on the remaining manufacturers warranty and 3 mths extended warranty throuigh CarCare. The head gasket has just blown and a new engine is expected. The car has done 44k, the last service done at 29k just under 12 mths ago. In these days of manufacturers offering 20k service intervals LR dealer and carcare are doubting whether this is a valid claim due to thre being 15k since last service. HELP
Owned for 1 year.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed November 2003.
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Freelander 1.8 EXI
Just off this afternoon to hear how much the garage is willing to refund as regards my engine replacement. Don't suppose it will be much, already signed up for the group action. Lokking forard to hearing the excuses again when I ring customer service tomorrow.
Iain McIntyre (Freelander don't buy one)
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Never owned
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Reviewed November 2003.
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Just received a call from Landrover Customer Services regarding the fault with the engine. They are willing to pay 50% of the cost of the parts for the replacement engine and are not willing to discus the issue further. I will have to call into Landrover and organise the claim myself. Fo a car that has done such a low mileage and has a service history I am completely fed up this is a known issue and they will not accept that it is a problem. Will be calling into Landrover this evening and find out what is involved in the claim. More to follow no doubt.
Iain McIntyre P*&sed Off F/L driver.
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Never owned
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Reviewed November 2003.
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I too own a 1.8 R reg Landrover Free lander I had to replace the engine at the 60,000 mile point and having just had it done at a cost of £3778.00. Imagine my surprise at the Watchdog programme on BBC1. You could have knocked me down with a feather. I sat is silence while all the owners discussed their problems with the K series engine. I too am waiting on Landrover to sort out their act and speak to me regarding their apparent problem with the K series engine. I have had the replacement engine a few weeks now and laa seems to be well at present... Do I need to replace it again in another 60,000 miles answers from Landrover today (25/11/2003)
Iain McIntyre
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Owned for 3 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed November 2003.
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this car is too much to buy if you think your are going to sell any cars there dreaming.
Never owned
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Reviewed November 2003.
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Beautiful car,ride,style but I am totally $%^$&d off with 2x blown head-gaskets in 8 months. As this is my wife car and she does'nt drive it, we've only clocked up 2k in the 11 months of our ownership. I ve just had it towed back to the garage only to be told that basically the K series engine is Rovers bread and butter income. %^&*^%$$% I am now prepared to fork out money to top up a purchase of a diesel version as I cannot tolerate another episode in the K series again.
Owned for 1 year.
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Reviewed November 2003.
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I have now owned 2 Freelander 1.8 petrol engined vehicles the first T reg 1999 needed a new engine at 11000 miles the second purchased in March 2001 has been no trouble. I am informed that all 1.8 engine problems are on pre 2001 series vehicles is that correct?
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Owned for 2 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed October 2003.
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I have also got a "dead" S reg Freelander on my drive since the head gasket blew. Good news, however, although I missed the infamous Watchdog programme, I rang LR having read the other reviews on this site. They readily agreed it was a design fault and within 2 minutes offered to pay 100% of the parts and 50% of the labour costs - not bad to start with! I now have to contact Harwoods and see if they can sort out the problem asap, but I guess the labour costs is still going to be high - does anyone have an idea?
Owned for 3 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed October 2003.
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My Freelander also needs a new engine and I have been quoted £4,000 by Harwoods in Coulsdon (which I have refused to pay). Fortunately, the AA man brought the Watchdog programme to my attention and I have contacted Land Rover who apparently are going to make a "decision" in the next few days. If I am not happy with their decision then, I will be taking legal action against them.
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