Well hoping to look at a 2008 - 57 plate FL2 GS this weekend
It's got 60k, 1 owner, grey, er don't know what else what should i check when viewing/ on test drive?
It's at a small car forecourt so no flashy warranty (usual 3 month basic), will come with lights/ levels checks as they don't have a proper service bay.

I've had 2 FL1s - 2006 and 1998models - the 2006 was a TD4 sport which was great and i really missed it when i got rid but the LR2 looks so much more upmarket and with so many extras available it should keep me happy for a while?

Any info would be great

Did a test drive provide anything, whirring noises or bumps rattles etc

Never bought from a small garage, but would a full AA inspection be worth it for piece of mind? Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Haven't driven it yet - supposed to go today (sunday) as i'm still waiting for the seller to get back to me with figures first so i'm not wasting my/ his time

if its manual try and make the clutch slip, clutch and flywheels are an issue.

listen out for a whine from rear diff, not easy if your not used to the car but be aware

other that that pretty reliable as a rule


avoid towbared cars of any brand, you dont want to be paying for other peoples previous overloading of the car  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Ignore the last line of the previous post, a Freelander 2 can has a towing capacity of 2 ton and a noseweight limit of 150kgs so the chances of being overloaded are slim.
You will get used to him on here, eventually.
Listen for Power Steering noises when turning from lock to lock  p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

Just to echo the others

Check for the rear diff whining
Clutches, they can take a bit of a hammering if not careful
Some MYs had problems with knocking from the rear suspension. Pull the back wheel towards you and see if there is any knocks. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

Thanks for the tips
Unfortunately the dealer offered silly money for my p/x so i didn't waste my time going over to look at this FL - keeping an eye out so hopefuly another will be in the running?

Well decided to go and see this FL today as i had the day off work - 20 mile trip wasted

It is described as Immaculate and i was very dissapointed just from a walkround (didn't even open the doors).

Windscreen delaminating all round the edges - is this common?
3 of the rubber from the wheel arches (the bit which overlaps the panels) where twisted/ deformed so debris could get behind?
rear bumper out of alignment ot the o/s/r
3 different makes of tyres (only 1 as new)

Trying to get some figures on another at the min but this is 100 miles away - don't want to travel this distance to find it's in the same condition

It will look more expensive to begin with but try your local Land Rover dealership. They have good quality, warranted stock and know what they're talking about with what is, after all, quite a specialised vehicle. You need to think "Why is this car here?" if looking in a small dealership. There's good info on this website.

Personally I'd go for an auto every time - there are too many horror stories about clutches and flywheels, especially if you want to tow with the car.

Keep looking and good luck. They're lovely motors to own and run. Ours - 2008 Stornoway Grey HSE Auto
Tricia's - 2006 Royal Blue Beetle Cabriolet Auto
Mine - 2014 Vespa GTS 300 Super Sport Matt Black
Ours - 2007 White Bailey Pageant Champagne

I have looked at LR dealerships but comparing the same spec/ mileage/ age cars there can be upto £4k difference
I appreciate the dealerships know more about the cars but at the end of the day it's down to the previous owner and if they looked after/ maintained the car - and when trading it in it wont be worth an extra £4k so that would be lost on top of the depreciation

If you know what you're doing you certainly can get a very good car at a very good price from a non-dealer. My own car came from a Nissan/Renault dealer who'd taken it in exchange for an Infiniti (yes, really!). Excellent condition, immaculate, and probably 2k cheaper than a LR dealer for the same spec. But you do need to be careful.

Don't listen to the anti-manual brigade either! The manual is nice to drive with a good change. Sure some have had clutch issues, just as some have had auto box failures, but if you want a manual don't be put off. They do around 5mpg more than the autos too!

What mileages are considered too high for reliability?
The ones i've been looking at are 2007-2008 models with between 59k - 85k - what issues are there likely to be even if it was well looked after? - suspension/ electrics/ etc

I don't think anyone's reached such a mileage yet! There are plenty over 100k miles now and still problem free. See, for example http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic9185.html.

Generally the FL2 is pretty reliable. Problem areas can include the rear diff (bearing on the input shaft can fail), Haldex unit, clutches, auto boxes, steering rack in some MYs and the usual brake disks, etc. Suspension and electrics usually very good, although can be expensive if things do go wrong.

Listen for any strange noises which may indicate diff or Haldex problems, and watch for any errors relating to the electrics, etc. The latter may be as simple as a failing battery or poor earth connection, but they may indicate something more.

That's about all I can think of.

Mine's over 60k now with no serious bother at all (touch wood). Ours - 2008 Stornoway Grey HSE Auto
Tricia's - 2006 Royal Blue Beetle Cabriolet Auto
Mine - 2014 Vespa GTS 300 Super Sport Matt Black
Ours - 2007 White Bailey Pageant Champagne

How do i check haldex, diff, etc?
I've read about listening for a whine from the rear - this is the diff?
Clutch - try to make it slip (try to set off in 3rd and see if it stalls?)

Last FL i had was a 56 plate TD4 sport with 30k, fantastic car, should have kept it it started running on which i was told was due to a fuel pump issue? nothing else went wrong with it apart from that and it returned 38mpg around town.