Hi guys

Advice pls.

I'm looking into my first land rover actually my first 4x4 , after reading reviews and looking at second hand cars I decided I wanted to buy the fl2.

My budget is 11k so probably 09/10 around 75/80k and hopefully looking at the hse model

My question is when I go to the garage what do I need to look out for ?

I'm not very mechanical minded so any help is much appreciated , I'm only looking at models with fsh and is the cam belt not done I would get that replaced


Regards carl

1. Look under the car.
2. Look for a full size alloy spare wheel. Not a BS space savers! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I'm sure the cam belt is 10 years or 100,000 miles so you will not find a car that has had that done. It's an expensive job if you don't need to to do it .

One thing to bear in mind is that these cars are expensive to run if you end up needing major repairs. An independant inspection might not be a bad idea , unless you are getting a 12 month Land Rover warranty.

On your test drive make sure that the power steering feels good, and smooth, not heavy at standstill. If it is a manual look for evidence of a clutch change, if it is auto , push the stick to the left and change it manually ( Command Shift ) , make sure it goes through 6 gears from a standing start. Listen for any whines and growls from the transmission or the rear end . If there are any walk away. If the sales guy says " they all do that" about any noise , walk away.

Insist on using the Hill Descent Control on a very steep hill, if it is working you will hear the brakes come on and off automatically , vary the HDC speed with the cruise +\- buttons. Try the four positions on the Terrain Response switch.

Do all the obvious things, lights, controls , radio, sat nav , do th electric seats work etc, seat heating ? Sun roof.

Check that you have four good tyres all the same brand, all the same tread depth, you are looking at around £400-£450 for set of good brand tyres.

Look for evidence of the alloys being sprayed, or repaired, kerb damage is often filled with body repair paste and sprayed to look nice, great untill you power wash it ! You can check by running your fingernail around the rim , a repair hardly ever follows the true curve of the wheel.

All that said the best fall back on a high mileage car is a Main Dealer guarantee otherwise you pay your money and you take your chances.

Ps lots of good independant service people in Kirklees and Calderdale. Stonelake at Copley are the ones we are currently using. Green Oval near IKEA are also brilliant but a bit further . 2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .

If there is a whine from the rear when driving it could be the diff, I have heard of people having the dealer replace the bearing before they buy the car.

On a note about testing the Hill descent, once your on your steep hill, make sure you come to a full stop before turning HDC on! You'll really need to be in first gear, it says not available in second gear but it does work!

Martyn,

Good luck with the search. £11k should easily get you one. I bought mine in April and it's a 2009 HSE and it had 88k miles on it. I Paid £9.5k for it. It has full LR history with every receipt for all the work that's been carried out. I shopped around for a while but there are some very good buys if you look hard and are prepared to travel. Mine had been part ex'd at LR sheffield and then sold directly to the small dealer in Bury I bought it off. I couldn't be happier with it. Cracking car in great condition.

I'm not mechanically minded but as other guys have said, checked the obvious:

Condition underneath
all buttons worked especially terrain response and hill descent
tyres
brakes
no oil drips
funny noises from diff/haldex
no water in the boot from high level brake light leaking

Good luck with it

There should be one coming up for sale in the Chesterfield area shortly, Black 2010HSE Premium auto, almond full leather interior, full size spare, detachable witter tow bar, Full LR history, facelift boot handle. Its a good car

All of the above are excellent tips.

Also lock and unlock the doors using the key fob. Check all doors and boot for actually locking AND unlocking. Operate all electric windows plus sunroof if fitted (tilt and slide). Some come without a spare wheel (not good); some with a steel spare (better); some with a full size matching alloy spare (best). Under the spare should be a scissor screw jack and brace.

Drive slowly in a tight circle. There should be no tyre scrub/shudder from rear tyres (Haldex issue)

Bob 10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)

Thanks for all the tips , I think I will try get warranty with it as a fail safe and obviously use all your tips and knowledge , I'm probably going to go automatic .

If it comes with a full AA inspection will all the above have been checked ? I haven't bought a decent second hand car for a long time it's a bit scary


Regards carl

look at drivers seat right hand side base they split,its not allways obvious till you push down on the seat

A dealer would try and give me less money for my MY13, a much better car with same mileage than this local car to you. I think this LR approved is very expensive with no heated screen. leather, fog lights, tow bar etc and 16 inch rims. I reckon a LR dealer is looking to make 2 to 3 K out of an older warranted FL2 even a GS.

http://www.usedvehicles.landrover.co.uk/search#/details/2694022 FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

I will have to buy from a car dealer as some of the cost will be finance , I take it the land rover dealerships cars will be silly money , so I'm just going to keep my eyes peeled for a good deal then go check it out .


Carl

Now I stated I would like the hse model with all the bells and whistles but I've seen I can get a 2011 /12 plate with lower millage 60k for a similar price , does this make morse sense ?


Carl

How long is a piece of string. Happy enough with our GS MY13 with full alloy spare and winter pack. Watch out for 2wd models though, Chelsea Tractor Version. Low miles is my preference and was expecting to buy another but now a keeper as not a fan of the DS or Ewoq.  FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

My heart says hse , my head says lower millage newer model 🤔

depends on what spec the newer model is and if you can live with the differences in toys between that one and the HSE

Its very nice having all the toys of the HSE, the premium Alpine sound system is very good, the leather is nice, the climate aircon is really good. The heated front screen is brilliant in winter etc etc
But the satnav is crap, the memory seats are waste of time if your the only driver (although electric heated seats are nice), the dipping mirrors are ok but if its an issue then do it manually. the puddle lamps are useless unless it really dark out with no street lights.

swings and roundabouts really, and personal choices.