Correct gasman : Jules is spot-on…… would hate to splash out lots on 100k motor only to have lots of trouble with it…..!

Would echo your thoughts of this afternoon 3.18pm…….latest Jaguar advert was a joke…..car looks nothing special……à concept car……..in pink…………& not for traditional Jaguar customers…..we are too male, pale & stale apparently………………expect Tata will sell them off…….

IanMetro ….I remember the Dolomite Sprint……single camshaft driving inlet & exhaust…16v ….nice sound…
from the 70’s……I had a TVR from the same era….should have kept it……..but would seem uncomfortable & noisy now…….& not that fast by comparison to à Tesla or similar EV………….!
I’ve had the FL2 SD4 HSE Lux Auto from new….2012……after a D1 300TDI…..then D2 TD5 HSE…..lovely motor
….did 470k miles with it…99-2013….going from Oxfordshire to South of France often……was going to keep it but chassis was seriously corroded at rear…….& ongoing water leak at sunroof on passenger (wife’s) side
meant it had to go.
FL2 has been great…….actually better than D2……very few problems…..it’s a simpler vehicle….no air suspension….hydraulic anti-roll bars……with all the pipes/valves..which I replaced at great cost….
FL2 now 12 yrs old…..156k miles…..still runs great…..a few problems this year re: T/C hose & sensors…
see my posts “hesitation “ etc…..Technical………I looked at a PHEV DS three years ago but wasn’t convinced of the technology………..looked on internet today at same car……£60k in France…same price as 3 yrs ago….
……I think that’s cheaper than UK price…!….But I think I’ll keep the FL since as you say Ian it’s comfortable & the driving position is great……..especially with the adjustable seats on HSE………& what to replace it with ???……….
PS : I do carry lots of tools in boot …toolkit..booster…….just in case…..All since 2002 when we had coolant leak on D2 on A26 M/way in France…..I hadn’t got à spanner…couldn’t remove engine cover…luckily à Kubota Service van pulled up alongside…….(on services)….nice chap lent me the spanners etc….heater hose was chaffed on engine lifting bracket…….poor fitting…managed to bypass system….all ok….Frenchman wouldn’t take any money for his help……….lovely people……by & large.
Keep the FL2 until it gives too much trouble……….at least you know the car……

IanMetro wrote:

Just a driver wrote:

I would imagine most people who have a car like that, it’s a company car or have enough money to not worry about fixing it and just put it in to the garage. That would mean probably not on a forum like this looking for answers to what is wrong with their old car. Need to look at a different pool of people for answers to what the electric car is like.

Quote from my post from May 2021
"Having had a car (Triumph Dolomite Sprint) that during my longish ownership went from 'Dealer 2nd hand' all the way through to 'Classic Car', I hoped that I could follow a similar path with my FL2.

I found that after the first 10 years or so, parts started to dry up from the dealers but many cars started to be scrapped and lots of cheap 2nd hand parts became available.
Then over the next few years, the Dolomite became rarer and parts started to become dearer and harder to find.
Specialist parts suppliers (like Rimmer Bros) then became very important and useful, but gradually the bits that went wrong regularly on the car (brake master cylinder?) became harder and harder to source,
although if there was enough demand someone (including the Owners Club) would get a copied part made and offer it for sale.

Then gradually the Dolomite got rarer and rarer, and more expensive to keep going safely. Also trusted Specailist Repairers, who actually knew how to fix it, were then difficult to find.

The complexity of the FL2 seems to rule out the 'Scrap Yard' maintenance so I think that it may jump to the last stage and be expensive to keep it going as 'Classic'.

PS Unlike the Dolomite, I no longer even carry a tool kit in my FL2, not only is it very much more reliable, but I'm not sure that I could fix it on the side of the road."

https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic36889.html

As you say that after 7 years on this forum, the FL2 is now approaching expected 'Scrap Yard' maintenance and is on the way to becoming a 'Classic', and my profile may no longer fit the Forum.

I was really aiming my post at former Forum Members (who still read about the FL2 and give their experiences and help to new members) that may be able to help send me on my car buying journey.
If indeed I do pass my up coming 3-yearly Eye Test in January.

My problem is not so much the capital spend on a 2-3 year old car, but reliability, ongoing costs and driving position.

The DS should be the natural successor to the FL2 and the PHEV the most modern. I would still like to hear from a FL2 or ex-FL2 owners point of view.

MY Wife is running a 1997 300tdi Defender used everyday loves it and will not move it on. 2013 FL2 XS.
Defender 90 300 TDi.
Defender 90 300 TDi CSW.
1964 MGB Roadster.
1944 Willys MB "Jeep" with bullet holes. (gone)
17 hand Irish Drought Thoroughbred (mostly lame)
Nagging Old Boiler.

Mahatma Gandhi said if there is an Idiot in power those who elected him are well represented

If it’s not broke don’t fix it. I think people do get comfortable with a machine, be it car , washing machine, phone etc etc. we just get used to it, especially if the new one does exactly the same job just more money.

I wonder when people buy something new what % of people actually use all the gadgets etc. our tumble dryer and dishwasher are only used on one setting, the washing machine I think 2 settings. The same with the car, radio is left on ghr never changed. The rest of the buttons on the dash are never touched. Probably why a lot of people don’t bother changing for a new model of something

Its why I opted to be buy a FL2 without a sunroof.
We've had lots of cars with sunroofs in the past but to be honest we very rarely used them - just repaired them when they leaked etc.  Jules

Just a driver wrote:

I wonder when people buy something new what % of people actually use all the gadgets etc. our tumble dryer and dishwasher are only used on one setting, the washing machine I think 2 settings. The same with the car, radio is left on ghr never changed. The rest of the buttons on the dash are never touched. Probably why a lot of people don’t bother changing for a new model of something

Buttons, what buttons, too many car's have touchscreens with a ridiculous number of menus just to do simple tasks like alter the heating. In my eyes, not only is this stupid but dangerous.  Now at the point when I learn something new something old is lost out the other side !
Now retired so it doesn't matter anymore.
Freelander now gone.

agree ++++++

In fact Im told NCAP are marking cars down for having too complex menu systems etc

Its bad enough with so many young drivers driving whilst using their phones - the last thing they need is even more distractions

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-...year-high/ Jules

jules wrote:

Its why I opted to be buy a FL2 without a sunroof.
We've had lots of cars with sunroofs in the past but to be honest we very rarely used them - just repaired them when they leaked etc.

As I said 29/12……sunroof on D2 ended up being a pain with water leaking………that was main reason why car was replaced……sunroof always leaked on passenger (wife’s) side…..when making the first right turn water would pour down seatbelt aperture……..wife said “get rid of this sieve”……….!
We bought the FL2 SD4 HSE Lux Auto………with all extras…including sunroof…which is never opened but allows light into cabin…….newer cars have panoramic roof…..for same reason…I find cars with all-black interior without glass roof very claustrophobic……..
Seating in FL2 HSE being electrically adjustable is so much more comfortable……just suits us….lumbar is great……..can drive long distance with no backache……..
I like the HSE 19in alloys……..diamond-cut /black……mine were corroded…….dreaded salt damage…..replaced them with 19in Evoque alloys in gold……from Powerful.uk…..look nice……

Thanks to all for the very different suggestions. Just have to wait and see but DS does not seem to be the way forward. Have suggested a Santa Fe
OXon, I had a D1 and then a D2 for 17 years and NEVER had a roof window leak. Loved the D2 but becoming expensive. Really enjoy driving the FL2 and now being 83 looks like this will be my last car (Rachel Reeves/Keir Starmer ) permitting. Most of my mileage is local but do one good trip every year
2024--Beamish and Crich
2023 Solihull and Cosford and Bell Engineering
2022 Ardnamurchan and the Bealach Na Ba to Applecross.
2025--who knows

Thanks again to all who answered. What a great bunch of knowledge quickly given. Jim A
Fl2 HSE 2010 auto
Disco 2Td5 auto 2002 gone
Disci 1 300Tdi auto 1996 gone

Off topic but a sunroof is one thing I really miss in a car, despite having had leaky D2 sunroofs with water cooled seat belts, much to my wife's dismay also 😆
The non opening pan roof is pointless in modern cars, give me a simple electric tilt and slide sunroof, I'd actually forego climate control / AC if that was an option. Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

After driving cars and vans with tilt and lift sun roofs, air conditioning and climate control, I’ll say that climate control and heated rear mirrors is my sweet spot. The sun roof was a waste of time and weight. Climate control means that SWMBO and I can set (within reason) the temperature that we are comfortable with and why oh why do Peugeot and Citroen supply vans with no rear windows without heated rear view mirrors?!!!!

I quite like a non opening pan roof on a car - it lets light into the cabin without the fear of leakage or mechanical failure... Creates a more pleasant environment. I used to have a volvo V40 which was black inside, no panoramic roof and small windows - it created an interior ambience akin to being in a cave...

My XS has the "optional" factory fitted sunroof - My plan is to just remove the power fuse & seal it up with copious amounts of EBT+ if it ever develops a leak.

BossBob wrote:

After driving cars and vans with tilt and lift sun roofs, air conditioning and climate control, I’ll say that climate control and heated rear mirrors is my sweet spot. The sun roof was a waste of time and weight. Climate control means that SWMBO and I can set (within reason) the temperature that we are comfortable with and why oh why do Peugeot and Citroen supply vans with no rear windows without heated rear view mirrors?!!!!