28th May 2007, 09:36
Yep, bought my Freelander 3 and a half years ago with 34000kms only on the clock,
One replacement engine, new exhaust which has only lasted 3years, ball joint replacement, new tyres only 15000kms then dead, brakes smell, petrol consumption a disaster, the sunroof has rusted away and will not work, water in the boot, and so much more fun, But it works today, imported it into Belgium from Sweden, and some days I really love it, Its been across Europe to Croatia, and Italy, and through Poland and to the UK many times, Maybe I am just a sentimental old English Git, who never says enough is enough.
Oh well, next car will be a Jag???
James in Brussels.
29th May 2007, 07:52
Sorry for your misfortune, but your general statements about the Freelander is a little over the top.
The head gasket on the 1.8 petrol will often go, but that does not mean that you have to replace the whole engine. It means you have to replace the head gasket! Which I did myself last year at the cost of £40. Even at a garage this is not more than £400-500. It's not the end of the world.
Besides that I've had very few problems with my two Freelanders. But I agree that the head gaskets on these cars are poorly designed.
12th Jun 2007, 15:21
I have a 2002 freelander and it is CR*P. with in a year I have had transmission problems, a broken window, the the petrol pump replaced. As of today my car is in the shop for bearings and drive shaft problems. I'm fixing it and selling it.
24th Feb 2008, 11:57
Please can anybody help me as I have replaced a new type gasket on my freelander 1.8. I've had the head skimmed and to my knowledge I've put it back together correctly, but now when I try to start it, it sounds like there's a lack of compression! I think that the timing is correct, but not 100% sure. can anybody please, please help??? paul...
27th Feb 2008, 04:44
My friend went through a nightmare with a Freelander. In the first year (2001) it needed a gearbox and head gasket and spent a ton of time in the shop on lots of little things. The second year (no warranty) cost her exhaust, fuel injectors plus a ton of other costly problems. She sold it and dropped nearly $20k and went and bought herself a used BMW 318i to drive around, she is terrified to change cars now. I wanted a 4WD at the same time as her and was VERY tempted because the Freelander is a nice looking bit of kit... I bought a Grand Vitara instead and it simply refuses to have money spent on it, 140kms and NOTHING, but a standard oil service twice a year (plus 1 timing belt, brake pads & tyres). Never missed a single beat ever and she has done some hard work. I have never owned a cheaper or more reliable car. Its ugly, but I not longer care about looks. When I was younger I spent endless hours as a Britt car nut working my weekends away on a series of Triumphs, Mini's, Rovers. I understand your love/hate/grief relationship, but you need to let go and never go back. The people who build/design these cars are almost evil and at best should be in jail.
1st Mar 2008, 21:29
To the driver of the Grand Vitara; Yes they are reliable, but unfortunately yours is coming due a clutch and this job is expensive. Check also the bell housing on the gearbox, as this is also a common and costly fault. To the guy who just fitted a new head gasket 28/2/08; have you checked the air inlet manifold? You might have a leak there.
20th May 2008, 03:05
Thank you all; I'm glad I read this site before parting with my hard-earned. I'm not going near one, new or old!
7th Feb 2010, 10:43
Oh dear, I have just bought one, a 1.8 1999, for my other half. Gear box fallen apart (bearings). Now I have read all your comments, I dread the bill :-)
9th Mar 2012, 21:18
This is a honest review. Although the car looks cool, it is is one of the worst cars. More times in a garage than on the road. The car gets multiple faults with the cooling system, clutch, ABS, doors, and windows, and these are expensive.
29th Apr 2012, 23:46
Buying a lemon is your own fault. I bought a 4 door XEDI for $9500 AU (£6100) with 130,000 km on the clock. I have driven 10,000 km in 5 months, and it has been great. No problems at all. Was bought with a perfect service history and 1 previous owner. Try looking for that next time.
16th Jun 2015, 22:33
"I wish all reviews were as honest and as straightforward as this."
So the positive reviewers are dishonest and only negative reviews are honest reviews?
9th Dec 2019, 08:28
Well, there is a mechanic in Nigeria, all he does to these Freelanders (1999 to 2004) is to first of all change their engine to a Toyota Camry 1996-1999 engine or a BMW engine. But he strongly advises Toyota engines.
Upgrades the radiator to a 3 cell because of the heavy traffic in Lagos Nigeria (at times one can be in it for 4 hours or more); you can continue to use the A/C with no problem. Then he turns to the major issues of back doors, rear windows controller to manual switches, seals the moonroof with silicon glue, changes the suspensions to Rav4 or CRV components. And then changes the box silencer to a type I can't remember (I think it was to a Toyota or BMW; I can't remember that part). The car worked like a horse. And the A/C was super freezing. I used it for a while before I decided to sell it off and buy an RX250 Lexus.
21st Apr 2007, 04:17
Exactly! Why? But they do..
When I see people in these cars I can only hope they have had a better experience than I did - but I really doubt it.
I just bought a new RAV4. The difference is unreal. The new Freelander was the same price, but please - Don't DO IT. RUN!!! The RAV is brilliant. We still cringe when we see those terrible cars and always marvel that they are moving. We can only guess they are on the way back from the garage, on the way to the next breakdown.