Freelander 2? Talk to me Terry Tibbs

Man of Honour
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Does anyone have experience with Freelander 2's?

I'm looking to buy a cheapish second car (~£8k ish) in the next 6 to 8 months so I'm starting to look into possible cars. I'm not really sure yet what type of car we want although we're likely to need it for quite a few longer trips and some decent luggage carrying capacity would be useful (our other car is a Mini). There were many things I liked about my poverty spec 2019 Evoque, particularly for longer trips in poor weather, as well as some things I didn't like. I'm not prepared to spend that sort of money on this car. But the Freelander 2 popped up on my radar as seeming to be good value.

Are they plagued with typical Land Rover reliability issues?
What are they like to live with?
Are there any particular engines or trim levels to look out for (or avoid)?
Stupid idea, walk away?

Thanks.
 
Man of Honour
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I think with a cheap LR or RR a lot will depend on how handy you are at doing your own work and have the tools and place to do it. Can't speak from ownership experience but everyone I know who owns or has owned one always seems to be fixing something on them.
 
Associate
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I would say that if you wanted a car that would last the length of the journey then an 8k Freelander 2 is not the way to go. There are surely many more Japanese suvs out there that could do the journey without the risk of blowing up. That is spoken from seeing many friends' vehicles sat on the side of the road with blown engines/electrical issues, etc. These range from brand new Range Rovers to several year old Discos and Freelanders.

Walk away:)
 
Associate
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Avoid the 2l diesel. Numerous problems which result in needing a new engine.
The Discovery pool car at work suffered with low compression on a cylinder which resulted in consuming lots of oil. The engine eventually seized but not due to lack of oil. Land Rover said it was turbo failure that finished it off. Only 4 years old. It was well maintained and low mileage.
 
Man of Honour
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Thanks for the feedback all. I was hoping that the Freelander 2 was a little more reliable than other Land Rovers due to it being made during Ford ownership and using quite a few Ford parts. But perhaps not.
 
Soldato
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AFAIK the Freelander 2 was only ever fitted with the Ford 2.2 diesel, which generally speaking is a reliable engine. It's heavily based on the Ford platform and it's one of the most reliable Land Rovers I've known of in the trade. As long as you get one with good history I can't see it being any worse than any other car in that price range.
 
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AFAIK the Freelander 2 was only ever fitted with the Ford 2.2 diesel, which generally speaking is a reliable engine. It's heavily based on the Ford platform and it's one of the most reliable Land Rovers I've known of in the trade. As long as you get one with good history I can't see it being any worse than any other car in that price range.

Yep solid engine and platform, i would not touch the newer 2.0 diesel (not in the Freelander anyway) with a barge pole ours had terrible oil dilution issues.
 
Soldato
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Avoid the 2l diesel. Numerous problems which result in needing a new engine.
The Discovery pool car at work suffered with low compression on a cylinder which resulted in consuming lots of oil. The engine eventually seized but not due to lack of oil. Land Rover said it was turbo failure that finished it off. Only 4 years old. It was well maintained and low mileage.
Is that the newer Ingenium diesel in the Disco?
 
Man of Honour
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AFAIK the Freelander 2 was only ever fitted with the Ford 2.2 diesel, which generally speaking is a reliable engine. It's heavily based on the Ford platform and it's one of the most reliable Land Rovers I've known of in the trade. As long as you get one with good history I can't see it being any worse than any other car in that price range.
Thank you. This tallies with what I'd read online. No LR is ever going to be cheap and reliable. But it seems to be a bit more reliable than most other LR's because of heavy use of Ford and Volvo components. Also, while it does of course have lots of electrical components it seems to be from an era before absolutely everything was run by software. My 2019 LR was awful for software bugs.
 
Soldato
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I’m quite interested in one of these for my wife - I’ve heard mixed reviews but if you want a relatively small car with genuine off road ability there aren’t many other options short of spending 25k on a newish Jimny.
 
Sgarrista
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Thanks for the feedback all. I was hoping that the Freelander 2 was a little more reliable than other Land Rovers due to it being made during Ford ownership and using quite a few Ford parts. But perhaps not.


Have had 2 over the last decade, zero issues or problems.

The good: Comfy enough, cheap to maintain, loads of boot space with the seats folded, pretty economical. Most will come with all the extras, winter packs etc.
The bad: trim is terribly fit, stuff rattles and squeaks. Most second hand ones will look like theyve been cleaned in a gravel bath. Depreciate like mad.


TLDR: Buy a volvo xc
 
Man of Honour
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Have had 2 over the last decade, zero issues or problems.

The good: Comfy enough, cheap to maintain, loads of boot space with the seats folded, pretty economical. Most will come with all the extras, winter packs etc.
The bad: trim is terribly fit, stuff rattles and squeaks. Most second hand ones will look like theyve been cleaned in a gravel bath. Depreciate like mad.


TLDR: Buy a volvo xc
Thanks. Always good to hear real owners experiences.
 
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