Evening all. I've been lurking for a few weeks and found the forum really helpful. For the last 6 years my time has been split fairly evenly between a Renault Avantime and more recently a Citroen C6 but an expanding family and need to move on from a diesel has prompted the move. As much as I love the look and absolute comfort of my C6 I've never had a 4x4 and the Freelander 2 really appeals. My mileage is around 5k per annum so the reduced price of a petrol over the equivalent diesel should cover the higher petrol and tax bills. Well that's what my man maths tells me anyway!

There's 5 on autotrader currently and two of those seem to have been sold. Of the rest one is a possible but the others have mileage that is more than I'd like. If anyone has any tips on what to look out for I'd appreciate it. I hope I'll find one with a full service history but are there any large jobs that should have been done assuming I end up with one from around 2006/7 and with say between 60k and 70k on the clock? I understand the i6 is chain driven so no cambelt change but anything else?

I've put a wanted ad up but if anyone is likely to be selling soon please do drop me an email or PM. My email is ungarsee@hotmail.com.

Thanks

Phil

I do the odd long country trip which are long down under, hoping to do more. But your annual milage is the sane as what I do (14K km to date!). My mechanic which I have been using for decades told my to get petrol for all the typical city driving I have done. You may pay extra for petrol but you will not have the other diesel disadvantages. You will also have some fun taking off at the lights etc when needed!

https://www.mynrma.com.au/motoring-service...d-test.htm

http://www.caradvice.com.au/103489/land-ro...-2-review/

There are a lot of i6 Freelanders down under.

Click image to enlarge

I spent months looking at the Freelander 2 as a replacement for my Freelander 1 rally car. I went and looked at several, all diesel , all of those that were within my budget had very high mileage. However , I came across an i6 on eBay being sold by a Subaru Main Dealer who took it in px. It had 133,000 on the clock. However, everything worked, it had full main dealer service history and receipts for work done including one for a recent LR replacement engine at a cost of £12000, a new rear diff and haldex and lots more besides. Bodywork has the odd knock and scratch , but the price I paid was a couple of grand less than the equivalent diesels, and it's an HSE with all the bells and whistles. Drives like a brand new car, with now only 30k on the brand new engine..
You'll be very lucky to find a low mileage i6 cheap. There was one recently on eBay (again) that sold for around (IIRC) the £8500 mark with less than 50k on the clock. The 3 on Auto Trader are about right for the mileage.
I get around 15 - 18 MPG around town, but around 32 MPG on long motorway runs. It goes like the clappers. is very quiet when not thrashed and with the arm rests down, so relaxing to drive at steady motorway speed.
I am still looking to gas convert it, but haven't found anyone who'll do it for me yet.
As for what to look out for - the usual things that apply to all cars really. Then FSH. A high miler with FMDSH, if considered cheap enough should still present good value. Gut instinct too. There will always be another, so walk away if you're not 100%. However, don't pass something up over something that can easily be rectified,(scuffs to bodywork etc) especially if it's a good price. Which brings me to my next point. ALWAYS try not to spend 100% of your budget on buying the car. Leave a good wedge for unforeseen things just in case, or to get any paintwork done. If buying privately, you want to budget for at least a mini service unless you have receipts for recent service work.
Lastly, try and take someone with you who knows what they are looking at. A second opinion could save you ££££'s.
You may be able to get someone on this forum to come and look with you if there is a car local to them you wish to see.
They're a great bunch of guys and girls here. They are always glad to help. so just ask via the forum and I'm sure someone would go with you.

RealBeale wrote:

ALWAYS try not to spend 100% of your budget on buying the car. Leave a good wedge for unforeseen things just in case,

Thanks for the responses so far, appreciated. I've always tried to make sure I have funds in place for unforeseen costs. Having driven largely French cars for the past 6 years I've always been conscious of something going pop at the wrong time! My Avantime really focused my mind on that after the auxiliary belt snapped, wrapped itself around the cam belt (which had only been changed 6 months before) which promptly wrecked the engine! Rather an emotional moment!!

One thing I forgot to ask is are all i6's HSE and if so does that mean they are largely all the same spec? If not are there any particular options that are must have?

Hi Ungarsee- I drive a 2012 I6 XS which is a great car. It has all the fruit I'd want, - Bluetooth, Auto, Leather, Cruise & Fog lights, but is lacking a centre console & armrests (Do I REALLY need them??).

I've only had it for a couple of months, it's great car & I'm really loving it! I got this as a car to go camping and for my wife's daily drive, but I have to admit, I have a BMW 330i as a company car, but I prefer driving the Landy!...Does that make me weird?

It took a while but I've finally found one!! I can honestly say that I've never found it so difficult to buy a car and I'm used to buying rare beasts having owned a Renault avantime and Citroen C6 previously. The first one I found was sold while I deliberated over the weekend. The 2nd, the seller never responded and the third was sold from under me while I was on my way to complete the purchase!!

Anyway, it's a 2007 dark blue HSE i6 from a Dutch couple in Leeds. Picked it up on Friday afternoon and drove it back to London in some dire traffic and it performed perfectly. It's higher mileage than I originally wanted (85k) but it's in good condition and I managed to get it for a good price. I've not driven a diesel so can't compare but the V6 engine is so smooth and powerful when needed.

First port of call is to get the big 10 year service done. I've been quoted between £1k and £1300 from some local independent specialists, does this sound about right? Are there any other preventive jobs I should also get done at the same time? I know it's chain driven so no cambelt but are there any other belts etc that need doing? Any work will need to be done at a garage as I am 'spanner inept' so if anyone has any recommendations for a garage around south London or Kent do let me know.

Phil

Forget about the 10 years and big hit all at once on your wallet. Break the procedures down over several months and it wont seem too bad.

Have a short holiday and find Austin at Bell engineering to do a full transmission service while you have a wander.

Search on the site for things like change power steering fluid and brake fluid change. Get your water pump changed and new coolant fitted, coupled with a new alternator drive belt everything else should be the day to day stuff. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Ungarsee wrote:

I've not driven a diesel so can't compare but the V6 engine is so smooth and powerful when needed.

think he means hes not driven a diesel FL2 so cant compare to him now driving a straight 6 3.2 petrol.

Thanks Yorky Bob, I factored in getting the big service done with the price so will probably look to her as much done early doors for peace of mind. And thanks for the heads up on Bell Engineering. They are a fair way away but if they are worth the journey I may look into getting booked in.

Rogb, that's right. Never driven a Diesel Freelander but I'm enjoying the V6 petrol.