Hello all,

I currently drive a Pontiac Firebird and I live in Michigan. The firebird is RearWD and for the past 3 winters I have not had much fun w/ it. I would like to get an SUV w/ 4WD and have been looking at getting a used Freelander (as I can't really afford a brand new one right now). I'm not sure a Freelander is the best choice for me based on what I want out of vehicle but it sounds good. I want an SUV:

-that I can afford (pricetag no higher than $15,000)
-that is unique (I live in Michigan - and everyone drives GM/Ford cars. I like Chevy Trailblazers/GMC Envoy's but EVERYONE has one - I want something unique)
-that has w/ AWD (preferably as an option you can switch to in certain terrains - i know the FL doesn't do this but thought I would let you know)
-that gets pretty decent gas mileage as I work about 40 miles from my work so i drive at least 80 miles a day. plus gas is $2+/gallon. But it is an SUV so I don't expect anything spectacular if it isn't a hybrid.
-that is pretty reliable that I don't have to take into the shop once a month.

Expanding on that last point, I was reading reviews on the Freelander on websites such as www. carreview. com and other sites and I read some REALLY bad reviews of the Freelander. People were saying that they drove them off the lot brand new and they started having problems like transmissions failing before 3,000 miles, brakes (pads and rotors) needing to be changed every 10,000 miles, etc etc. I'm not sure if all Freelanders are like this or if these are only the people who have had bad experiences and all of the people who have had good experiences are just not writing reviews.

I also do not do much offroading. So the HRC is cool but I'm not sure if I'll ever use it. Its possible that if I get this car, in face I can guarantee that if I get this car, I will do a little offroading but that's not a priority for me.

I saw a couple 02/03's for sale around me in the $13K range w/ 30K-50K miles. S and SE models. Can anyone tell me about their experiences w/ their FLs? I will hopefully be able to test drive one within this week as i'm on vacation next week.

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks

 

One more thing - the closest Land Rover dealership is about 50 miles away from my house - therefore if something needed to be repaired would it need to go to the dealership or can you take it to another repairshop? I suppose I should call my local repairshop and find out what they say, but I was just curious about this also. Thanks again.

 

I just purchased a 2002 last week. So far the fuel guage does not work properly, the check engine light came on and one of the brake lights burned out. The dealer I bought it from has fixed all that at no charge, so I'm pretty happy with it so far. I hate the fact that it does not have any armrests. Overall, I like it.

All the chicks think it's cute.

 

i have an 05 freelander, yes, chicks love em. only problem i have had with mine was the plastic latch on my console broke, fixed for free in fort worth. (300 miles from home). when it comes to oil change etc, i take mine to the ford dealership and buy mobil 1 0w40 and get my filters each time i pass through san antonio, fort worth, etc. i love my freelander, my dad has an LR3, that thing is bad a$$

 

It's a lemon. Don't waste your money.

I have a Freelander 2002 and I've had nothing but problems with it. Landrover has actually discontinued the model. You can check on their website...it doesn't even list it as a model any more. I've had my rover in the shop 12 times and 11 of those times was for replacement of defective parts!! Not a good percentage.

They advertise that this vehicle is the most travelled vehicle on earth and yet I can't get it out of the driveway!!! They talk about adventerous, quality, and supermacy but I have not seen any of these qualities. Save your money and buy something else.

 

I have an 02 Freelander, and have never had a problem with mine, than again it only has 27K miles on it, We are going to trade it in for a LR3, we need more space.


Larry
Anchorage, Alaska

 

i bought my wife an 03 HSE only 18k miles on it. we have owned it for less than 6 months, it has been at the dealers at least 10 times, with various electrical & mechincal issues. we are currently battling it out over sporadic startign issues.
my honeslt advice (and i'm a Brit here in the US) i hate to say it, buy a japanese car!!! look at a Rav 4 etc.

we are at our witts end with this car & serioulsy about to trade it in for something, (if they can get ours to start & stay runnign long enough to trade in!)

best
James

 

(I notice this thread is over a year old. Still, some others may be asking the same question.)

Consider a Subaru. They have good reliability ratings, are actually bigger inside than the Freelander, and have (arguably) better 4wd systems. Better gas mileage too.

I kept wanting a Freelander (SE3 semi-convertible - yes, I'm in CA not Michigan!). The car was too small for me, but the reliability ratings were what really scared me away. Ditto for the VW Touareg btw, even though it's in a totally diffferent price range. I ended up with a used Discovery II, which has been fine.