Thanks again some really sound advise I'll definitely bear in mind when I'm ready to part with my cash more than likely early in the new year though may need to wait a bit longer to avoid the winter prices as you suggest.

Actually another question about tow bars. I hear a lot of avoid tow bars as it's likely to have done a lot of towing. Make sense but a lot of the the 2nd hand cars out there do have tow bars do I really need to avoid that much? Surely the FL2 is made for such a job. Now if I was looking at a Fiesta with a tow bar...different story.
So what kind of damage or affect will towing have on it realistically? and should they really be avoided?

To clarify the car has let me down three times in total since purchase in April, used with FDSH, full MOT, one owner (who bought another) and 71k miles from an independant garage. First occasion was minor and related to the key fob docking becoming a bit ad-hoc (the fob is very worn) however switching to the 'spare' less worn fob resolved that. Second event was on holiday less than 2 weeks ago (Sunday afternoon) when the pulley (tensioner?) for the auxiliary drive belt failed. We got recovery through the C/Club Red Penant service by what turned out to be a Chevrolet dealer. We explained we were on holiday and he pulled out all the stops to get the parts delivered and back on the road on Tuesday. The third occasion was on Sunday eve at the Eurotunnel terminal in France about to board the train. The car simply rejected the key fob from docking. we were recovered to a nearby caravan site and on Monday the CC called the nearest LR dealer to Calais who simply said come back next week....... We eventually were recovered to Dover yesterday morning and on to Landrover Canterbury who said on arrival and without putting the car on diagnostics the problem was ECU related, complex and time consuming, and likely to need new parts, information they could so easily have given over the phone when they were called to book us in and saved time and my insurance company money. They could also have spent just a few minutes checking the car and key and quite probably sorted out the problem yesterday such that I now would be singing the praises of L/R - at least in the UK. We were transported home to Yorkshire and on return I tried the worn spare fob, hey presto, the car works fine..... I am now booked into my local indy for re-coding. This is the abridged version however the C/Club recovery team have stated to me they find L/R and their dealers particularly unhelpful when trying to get owners back on the road. i have spoken to the dealer principal (who did call me back but didn't seem overly concerned giving platitudes about how many times they help people out) and L/R UK who are 'investigating'.

I am aware they are possibly not alone and have also heard other brands who have a less than good customer service and reliability record (including, surprisingly Mitsubishi) but I don't get this service with my 9 year old 130k mile Audi (it is utterly reliable) or any other VAG product I have owned in recent years (or come to that the Vauxhalls, MG, Rovers I have bought whether new or very high mileage in recent years).

On the positive side my son has just sold his RR Vogue (which wasn't entirely trouble free but always sorted quickly by an independant) to replace it with an old shape RR Sport so he is quite happy to have another of their products. I however will be transferring to another brand ASAP. eh tu?

Lagoda wrote:

Thanks again some really sound advise I'll definitely bear in mind when I'm ready to part with my cash more than likely early in the new year though may need to wait a bit longer to avoid the winter prices as you suggest.

Actually another question about tow bars. I hear a lot of avoid tow bars as it's likely to have done a lot of towing. Make sense but a lot of the the 2nd hand cars out there do have tow bars do I really need to avoid that much? Surely the FL2 is made for such a job. Now if I was looking at a Fiesta with a tow bar...different story.
So what kind of damage or affect will towing have on it realistically? and should they really be avoided?

Mine came with a towbar. The car had done 8,000 miles and it had never been used once.

A towbar wouldn't and didn't put me off a good car. Its always worth a good look at the tow ball as, in my experience, many towbars are never/seldom used or just used for bicycle racks - particularly when they are the detachable type. As you mention, the FL2 (especially the auto) is a very good tow car and is not likely to fall to bits when asked to tow stuff. That said, if I was presented with two very similar cars to buy at similar prices where one had a fixed towbar that had clear signs of frequent use and the other had never had a towbar fitted then I would take the towing virgin one

Diesels are designed built for high mileage - tractor units on arctics regularly do in excess of million miles + so do not be deterred from a high miles.

In fact if you do your research, it is possible to find an 80k to 100k that might be less than three years old, a fleet car. If it has been regularly serviced it should be an attractive proposition.

And have a good spec in the bargain

Happy hunting

Pablo 'There is thunder' then 'There is the warble of a V8'

SD4 HSE Fuji White (my car): sidesteps, door protection
Golf 2.0 tdi White (wife's car)
Triumph Stag (my 1975 V8 toy - 37,600 miles... Just started its 2nd restoration... had it since 1986)

Tiguan Summit (gone, but nice car)
Porsche Boxster (gone, it was too fast)
SLK (gone, did not like it - lost loads £s)
Discovery Cairngorm (gone,very tractor like)
+ loads of other cars

last july I bought a 57 td4 hse auto with 98k on the clock it now has 122k on the clock, once the air freshener had stopped making the car smell nice I realised the previous farmer owner had probably used it to transport sheep or pigs or at least their droppings. Scrubbed the back out and now it smells fine. I think it used to have a tow bar and judging by the guoge in the plastic at the bottom of the drivers door its been off road a bit.

Since I have owned it I have driven down a track across a field that was covered in wet mud about 9 to 12 inches deep and then across a bit that was ploughed, through the middle of Thetford forest to visit a clients water equipment and down a very steep muddy slope on the way back. All of it was the same as driving on the road the car handled perfectly. The only work I have had done on the car is two tyres and new brakes and discs all round. The only breakdown was caused by the glovebox light switch coming loose and not turning the light off so the battery went flat. The tailgate lock plays up and the rear wash wipe has packed up but these are both due to water damage, I think the garage washed the inside of the tailgate with a jet wash to try to get rid of the smell from the farmer.

I would highly recommend getting a high mileage one mine was £12k and there are loads available at the moment for about £11k just don't expect good MPG

Buying any car, especially an older one without manufacturers warranty, is going to be a gamble unless you are a reasonable mechanic. I'm not so feel I have taken a gamble. Saying that I do know a chap who I went to school with many years ago and who owns his own garage and who I know I can trust if anything does crop up. And for me that means a lot. I have been ripped off by main dealers in the past (not had any experience of LR dealers may I add).

My 59 plate SE cost me £12,800 a couple of weeks ago. It's got 75k on it. Good spec though. Nice things to have rather than essential though. Panoramic sunroof, half leather seats, metallic paint, sat nav, decent sound system even if I cant get DAB or AM grrrrrrrr etc etc

Only thing I miss over the HSE spec is the memory seat settings switch Is there an upgrade for that?

Not withstanding my experiences i would support many of the general comments above. The cars are extremely good for towing, great at off road work and a very nice drive on the road being based on the old Focus floor pan. High mileage shouldn't bother you with a diesel and having owned 35 diesels over the past 28 years i have a bit of experience. If the car has a full evidenced service history and perhaps recent brake replacments or possibly new clutch too a towbar wouldn't put me off and didn't when buying mine. I too bought an ex workhorse car and had to spend sometime cleaning out the various odours but that is partly to be expected when buying such a car especially at the price I paid (£11k) for a 4 year old vehicle. Personally i would try and avoid the base 's' spec cars mainly for the lack of climate and lumber adjustment albeit that would apply to any brand. The objective downsides to the car are poor quaility plastics, they simply get marked/damaged too easily in comparison with almost any VAG product I have owned. As for economy I get around 40mpg solo and 25-27 towing a 1550kg 'van.

Otherwise i would still be keeping an open mind about some of teh other 4x4's out there unless you can afford to pay dealer forecourt prices which will at least bring you a comprehensive warranty for when it goes wrong! eh tu?

Sorry but warrentys mean nothing now a days new or otherwise /basedonpaifullexperinces

T Terran



'The' Car For The Modern Day UK Roads ( ie all the pot holes )

'A Freelander that leaks oil is just marking its territory' - Wise words

Now a member of the FL2 'Silly Bill' Club

I have had mixed experiences with warranties and I think it is as always down to reading the small print albeit i would say the L/R new car warranty does appear comprehensive and a used car warranty i had some years ago covered a costly climate control repair.

However for the most part I do not regard a warranty as a deal breaker and am as happy to buy at auction as from a dealer. eh tu?