Reply With QuoteGo with your head...Honda CRV
We have just had a kid and while we can just fit what we need at the moment in our current hatchback it is not ideal at all. Thinking of getting a new (to me) car. I know it seems a bit mad due to their reputation but I have always fancied a JLR product... my head says get a Honda CRV/Toyota RAV4 but my heart wants a Freelander 2... I have a habit of getting bored with things I buy with my head. Also considering a Volvo estate, would love an XC70 but prices seem very inflated on those. Raised ride height is not a non-negotiable but is actually genuinely useful when driving around Devon country lanes.
Budget is around 15k, must be automatic. Looking for as late a model as possible.
What have people's experiences been? While no car is 100% reliable, from a quick bit of research it seems that they don't actually seem to be too bad on the reliability front if looked after.
Last edited by watchstudent; 18th September 2022 at 18:14.
Go with your head...Honda CRV
Hi
We have have had the CRV and now have the Freelander 2. The CRV was really good and we enjoyed having it, but the Freelander just feels better and more premium.
We have had ours now almost 6 years and yes we’ve had a few problems with it but on the whole we have really liked it.
The issues have been mainly electrical (apart from wear and tear items) and it is still a really comfortable car to be in with the benefit of the high seating position and the ability to select different programs depending on the surface. We weren’t stuck when it snowed for example.
With your budget you should be able to get one of the last ones which were updated from the model we have.
I would say go for it.
Have you considered an XC60 rather than an XC70 ?
2 litre twin turbo diesel I had was a pretty good and capacious car.
Had a Freelander2 for a few years and it was faultless. Very spacious and comfortable to drive. We only changed it to go for a Discovery Sport when that came out. That was eventually traded in for a second generation Discovery Sport which we still have. I know they have a poor reputation for reliability but speak as you find. I'd happily buy another one.
Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves
Yep, id have one no worries, most reliable car they've ever made in my opinion. Lots of things to look out for but buy wise and you’ll be fine.
Yep, it is also being considered. I am a big Volvo fan (current car is a V40 cross country that has been great) but they just seem to be really quite poor value on the used market. I'd be looking at the 2.4L 5cyl engines if I was to go the Volvo routeOriginally Posted by reggie747
Had an FL2 in HST spec. Nice car which did everything asked of it, from station run to Kent-Cumbria round trips.
Only issue we had was with the EGR valve which I believe a lot of people simply blank off.
XC60 available with the more efficient, frugal and "green" 2.0 TDI. Performance is improved too...
And far worse reliability according to the Volvo mechanic I use. Real world improvement in mpg won’t outweigh higher purchase fee and repair costs.
They had massive problems with the egr valves on the 2.0 d4 that was a wide range of opinions when I was looking at one apparently due to the poor quality of the diesel from here compared with Sweden and the cost 1k to replace but never had it on the d5
Big, reliable, luxurious, Lexus RX.
Stay away from any and all LR/RR models. I would never own one without warranty.
I have this engine in my 13 yo V70 which I have driven from new. I get up to 55 mpg on a long run if I nurse the speed, which matters these days when the oily stuff is knocking on 9 quid a gallon.
Even at 13 years the car is still like new and I can’t bear to part with a car that is barely broken in, and one that I have looked after.
Find a good Indy like I have done, and it is not expensive to service and maintain.
A real effortless mile muncher with the comfiest seats bar none, and 250-300k miles easily obtainable with regular maintenance.
One thing to look out for is that the aux belt tensioner has been replaced under recall, and replaced at proper interval; same tensioner if left too long and snaps, can wrap around and take out the cam belt. Interference engine doesn’t like this.
No issues as long as you keep to Volvos recommended service interval.
Freel 2 prob the best of all l/rovers in my experience, Devon country lanes ring a Jimny bell tho.
To be honest an RX would probably be my number one choice, however the ones in my budget are 10 years old and I worry about a huge bill if the 10 year old hybrid battery fails. There are no independent hybrid battery specialists anywhere near me if that happens...
Re the comment about JLR products, have you owned one? I have asked a lot of people about this now and it seems the ones that haven't owned one tell me not to go near one and the ones that have say they have been great (mostly!)
Possibly the most overinflated prices on any <10 year old car imo!
If you need to know anything in particular let me know…I've worked on them from 2007 up to present day. Ive seen literally every fault they throw up…good and bad
Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 19th September 2022 at 12:54.
Had my FL2 for over 6 years now, apart from consumables & a wonky fuel gauge, and a split in the turbo pipe thingy, it has performed extremely well. It has always been looked after by a LR independent specialist who knows everything there is to know with LR products. It has always run on BP ultimate fuel & had proper servicing schedules carried out. Mrs Nealy' loves it as she finds it so comfortable on a long run, same for me, & the 159bhp/295 Nm of torque makes it quite nippy, overtaking is a breeze. She is on 154,000 miles now but honestly, feels like the engine is still as strong as when she left the factory. Only downside is the paintwork (Zambezi black) is beginning to dull on the bonnet and patches along the offside. Will ask for a quote for putting this right. She's such a good car I intend to keep her running for the forseeable & would happily buy another, in fact I probably will.
Good luck in whatever you choose though.
I've had three FL2s. All faultless.
"Upgraded" to a disco sport and regretted it.
An HSE spec LR2 with decent miles will go an an age.
Given LR are always rooted to the bottom of the industry reliability surveys, I am sure they have kept you in good business over the years.
Should you just avoid the LR brand if you want to avoid a money pit, or is it all about avoiding particular models. Or does the surveys tell a wrong story?
If i was solely working on Freelander 2s i don't think id be in business that long, however i cant say the same thing for the other models….i would buy a FL2 and old shape Defender in a heartbeat but would have to find a very good reason to purchase anything else…lets put it thats way
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
If you had to avoid just one LR brand SUV, what would it be?
Ironically what i currently own, on lease I add, but i wouldnt touch anything with the ingenium engine in it…horrible thing with lots of inherent engine problems. When they're great they're great, good power and expect 45 plus mpg on a run but that engine….jeez!!
I am quite into cars and researches range rovers a few years ago as I fancied one and also looked at the cayenne. The issues i discovered with the Range Rover models was shocking. So many expensive issues across multiple models in the range. I ended up with a Lexus isf. My next family car will likely be a Lexus nx.
If I could own a Range Rover under warranty I would.
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I am quite into cars and researches range rovers a few years ago as I fancied one and also looked at the cayenne. The issues i discovered with the Range Rover models was shocking. So many expensive issues across multiple models in the range. I ended up with a Lexus isf. My next family car will likely be a Lexus nx.
If I could own a Range Rover under warranty I would.
If you can stretch I’d go for one of these-
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...02208309251145
Looks amazing, not in my budget though I am afraid.
I had a lovely Freelander 2, not too young but very well maintained with decent mileage.
It became a money pit in year 2 of owning. It needed a new subframe as one had corroded massively (even though it hadn't been picked up as advisory on the previous MOT).. and the costs to get through the MOT were going to be astronomical. Like... £2200.. and the labour was by a garage who is a good friend... so a lower price.
The other subframe also had advisory for the next MOT.. and wouldn't be cheap.
I had only just had a new power steering system put in.... to the cost of £900.
Loved the thing... but I cannot be running a moneypit I am afraid.
That is just my two pennorth worth.
G
I purchased a Skoda Superb on the other hand a year ago... on a 2015 plate.
It passed it's MOT just last week with ZERO advisories. It is seven years old and hasn't had an advisory yet.
It needs a new clutch but that is one of those things.
Size wise... you could fit all manner of things in it.
Like an Octavia but with extra length... they are a really good car and my mechanic still drools about it to this day.
He says they are as reliable as hell and good to work on. Aside from the clutch (groan) hahahaha.
G
And a DMF? Gets expensive with that.
Quite early for a failure.
This says it all IMHO.
That does sound a bit shit to be fair.
There are loads of older ones on the road though, not sure that is an endemic problem. I just went on a bike ride to have a look at some on forecourts I must have seen 5 of them that were 12+ years old.
Superb is definitely one I am also looking at. Issue being I need an auto, the dry clutch DSG in the smaller engines is crap. The wet clutch one is ok but needs to be serviced every 40k and people rarely do it. I think I would probably rather take my chances with a traditional torque converter than a semi-auto.
Yeah flywheel too.
Wife works in the auto trade so I don't do too badly for part prices... and been quoted £250 plus vat for labour. All in all I will pay £750 inclusive of vat for clutch, flywheel and nuts / bolts pack.
DM Keith, main dealer Leeds, wanted £1400 (I thought I would have a look around) hahahaha.
I was like... nah you're okay thank you.
It's a crappy spend but she is 7 years old.
And like I said... sailed the MOT and hasn't had an advisory yet... so I will offset that (mentally in my head) against the clutch price.
G
I have the DSG in a 1.4 Octavia and think it works great.
Yes I think they are fantastic while they work. But unfortunately they basically have a finite life that is less than what the rest of the car would have because they can't be serviced. It is basically an automatic manual gearbox and when that clutch fails it is a bit of a bitch. I like to have my cars until the wheels fall off or they no longer suit my needs. This is all research related and not based on experience though!
I started having issues with that box in a 1.4 golf that had only done 80000 miles and got shot of it as other things were starting to go as well wouldn’t touch another one, the traditional torque converter autos have yet to be bettered in my opinion
My mates 1.4 Superb went kaput at sensible mileage when on holiday in France.
He just left it there and the family got the train home.
If you are going to buy a Superb, get a diesel.
I just hate the fact that it is ok for a manufacturer to make something as expensive as a gearbox unserviceable. Basically they are just satisfied it will survive past the warranty period then it is your problem and you can have a new one for several thousand £s if you like.
the 1.6 diesel also has the dry gearbox, the 2 litre diesels have the wet one which needs to be serviced every 40k miles which is preferable as it should last if you do that
As an XC70 owner, I am totally bias 😁
Mines a 2011 on 90000 miles so not doing bad!
My best mate had a 2010 Audi A3 with the wet gearbox had its services and had problems with oil leaks and then bought a brand new A3 with the same wet gearbox that went bang after 400 miles and cost 6k to replace I don’t care what the people on here say about them they are a flawed design that a lot of garages won’t touch and and a normal auto box will be a lot more reliable if looked after
To be honest, I feel the same way, seems like a lottery with VAG auto boxes. If I was looking for a manual I wouldn't even think about it, I would just get a Skoda Octavia Scout 2.0 TDI.
Although maybe I am a massive hypocrite if I am about to play the Land Rover lottery. From what I can tell at least most things on most pre 2015 Land Rovers are fixable/servicable.
For me, reliability is not just about the cost of sorting a problem out, it's the inconvenience as well. CRVs are excellent cars and highly unlikely to let you down (a very happy CRV owner).
Sent from my moto g31(w) using Tapatalk
There is a YouTube channel called high peak autos done by a car dealer who has done a vid on auto cars for less than 5k and he says just stick to traditional autos
My favourite car YouTuber!
I follow Matt as well
We've had two FL2's, loved them both in their own way.
First one was a 2007 model I think, cruelly taken away from us after being in a nasty head-on accident!
Second one was a 2010 HSE SD4. Fantastic car, super comfortable, definitely felt premium. We paid about £10k for it I think. We had to replace the EGR, and the transmission, and the rear diff was on it's way out. This was all within 2yrs. Rear diff is a known issue on these, have a search online.
That said, I still really like them overall. They do command strong money, in fact when we bought our current car the LR dealer said they still retail FL2's when they get a tidy example - customers love them. The LR specialists I used to take ours to were always positive about them too, much like FFF above has said.
You should be able to get a nice late example of one for your budget. Good luck!
You can't get better advice than that on a Landrover model tbh.
Although I've had 4 cars with the Ingenium engine so far, and never had a problem with any of them. Evoque D180, E-Pace D180, F-Pace D240 and F-Pace p400e and all never missed a beat. Mind you, I also had a Freelander 1 and never had the head gasket problem either!
Last edited by oldoakknives; 20th September 2022 at 18:55.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Can you pick me 6 lottery numbers?
In all seriousness the K Series was an abomination so you were very lucky. I have an ingenium and its been great however they have 2 major issues, the balance shaft and bearings and the timing chains and guides…if left unfixed turbo blows.
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