Hi all, I'm just about to take the plunge into Freelander ownership. I've found a nice looking car, done a provisional deal with the dealer subject to a satisfactory test drive on Thursday. So, what am I looking for on the test drive? Be gentle with me please, I'm a total Landy virgin

Gordon

I asked to try it on the home drive, I know it sounds daft but its quite a wide car, then mix it up with town and motorway driving, our sales guy wasn’t to bothered as along as we didn’t do a full off road test. Listen for noises and creaks. Go through all the gears check the clutch is not slipping, try all the switches, if something sounds wrong it usually is. I insisted on an extended test drive to ensure everything got warmed up.

Have a good look underneath to see if its been off road, look for scratched of the plastic front plate and possible dents in the rear plastic fuel tank. Ask the sales person to show you the service book and check its up to date and check any recall work or software upgrades have been carried out

Hope that helps

Also Check tyres for nails depth of tread etc also wheels for kerbing damage

Nick  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Your not selling yours already Nick

Every 2nd hand land rover I've bought from a dealer, the service book has been out of date. Of course they always say they've serviced it and take it away and stamp it up. Whether it's serviced or not, make them stamp it!
If it's a land rover dealer, ask if there's a chance of a half day ticket for land rover experience. And find out how much fuel they put inthe tank - remember it's about 70 quid's worth if it's full. Don't be embarassed to look for dents and windscreen chips. Make sure it's got a loadspace cover. Has it got a jack and a spare wheel, and if not, are they going to give you one? The standard air-pump and repair job is gernerally agreed to be pants. Make sure they give you a warranty and, if it's a dealer, a year's free recovery.
Make sure you can take it on a fast road so that it gets into 6th gear - the manual needs to be doing over 50mph and the auto is probably the same.
And make sure there's an owner's handbook.

Echo all of the above plus........

Test absolutely everything electrical fully works as it should. Press every button, pull every lever, listen for every 'strange' noise etc. Check for the FL2 'faults' you will find on here where people have had problems. Even smaller problems such as seat belt wear on the B-post plastics, crease which becomes a split on the side of the 'leather' driver's seat etc. Even if you agree the dealer does not fix, then the price has to reflect. If possible, I always try and test drive along a road/route I know so I can concentrate on the car rather than where I am going.

Above all, be absolutely sure everything is as you want it BEFORE you drive away - I have a long tale involving a lost court battle because I mistakenly trusted a dealer - (nothing to do with a FL2 though). A warranty is good but only if it is a quality product which will actually pay out if you are unfortunate enough to have a problem.

On the pos side, FL2s seem to be very reliable and have very few problems. I wish I could say the same about my D3

try and set off with foot or handbrake on see how much you can make the clutch slip 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

Thanks for the advice everybody, I'll keep you posted after tomorrow.

Weather forecast is good, I hate buying a car when it's raining.

Not to get off topic but I am interested by donny's mention of a lost court battle. I do not know the circumstances of course but I do study law and here is my theory in a hypothetical situation.

Bear with me here

**You are NOT protected by S.14 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (which talks of goods being of satisfactory quality etc), if you have examined the goods before the contract is made, and later find a defect which that examination ought to reveal. However, if at any point up to 6 months from purchase the car developed a mechanical or electrical fault that they claim is not covered by the warranty then S.48A of the aforementioned Act applies.

This section basically says that any fault found within 6 months of purchase is viewed in the eyes of the law to have been there from day 1. Finally, they cannot use any smallprint to get out of the obligations arising from S.13, 14 and 15 of the aforementioned Act because under S.6 of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, you (the business) cannot exclude or restrict S.13, 14 and 15 of SOGA by making reference to any contract term.

There are other useful statutes and regulations too, such as the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 or the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

**Seek superior legal knowledge, my advice is given without prejudice.
 LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

The Doctor

As brief as poss:- autotrader advert showed a car with alloys fitted; haggled price & placed a small deposit over the phone to secure as it was a long way away; went to inspect/test drive/collect/pay balance about a week later but no alloys (crappy old steel wheels instead); dealer said he could not understand why ad showed alloys when it did not have any (but I did not have photo ad with me to prove); he promised to resolve by providing alloys if photo confirmed they should be there & in the deal - even allowed me to deduct a token £200 retention (thought this would be enough to make sure it got resolved) and note it on receipt; car was fine otherwise so took it and trusted him

guess what:- provided photo as proof but then dealer changed his tune. Took him all the way to court and Judge found in his favour - basically in line with your quote from S.14, in that the problem (lack of alloys) was evident when I inspected but I still bought it. Dealer came out with some BS excuses about how it came about and the Judge believed him. Judge said I could keep the £200 retention as that was the deal we agreed (replacement alloys cost a fair but more!) - I should have walked away and not taken the car until I was happy with it - but having travelled hundreds of miles and believing the dealers promises I didn't. Hard lesson but there you go - I am a lot sharper (i.e. pedantic) now - I tell you

Hi Bottom!!

my advice would be not to be too sympathetic with it. Brake hard, accelerate hard and take bumps at a little higher speed that you would normally. find a route that includes some cobbles - apologies but in Yorkshire we have plenty and don't forget up hill and down hill if you can manage that. If it behaves itself then back off and enjoy the ride - many strange sounds emerge when you are used to the car - what you will do is try to make them more hearable to your 'untrained ear'. Let it idle for a while and check that the heat comes though the heater. On the hole the FL2 is quite a quiet car - any squeaks and rattles should be easy to pick out. if you are buying from a LR dealer make sure all the recalls have been addressed. I would suggest if you can manage to do your testing over an hour and without the Sales guy sitting in then you will get an idea how it fits with you and your requirements.

Last thing - drive it in a tight circle at low speed and check to see if there are any jolts or bumps - there are lots of buying guides out there - take a look at them -

Enjoy - a lot of us on here do!!

Welcome

DR There's always a way forward!

2008 Freelander Td4 GS - Stornoway Grey - Now Gone - Sob
2011 Freelander Td4 GS 150 - Rimini Red - in its place - Better x far x 4!!

donny

That is an interesting story donny and as you say, mistakes can be learnt from and you are prepared for future. Always get something in writing, all official on letterheaded paper and signed etc.

Here is something useful though , my mate bought some trousers 34" waist without trying them on and they were too tight when he got home and tried them. The woman in the shop said tough luck as you should have tried them first and that the manufacturer of them makes trousers a little smaller anyway, it's just the way they are made. He was on the brink of admitting defeat until I went back to the shop and made them measure them. They were 33.5". She babbled the same crap as before but I pointed out that S.13 of SOGA states goods must comply with description and therefore if the label says 34" then they must be 34" no excuses. After some debate they coughed up a refund

I have only just noticed that I have gone past my 100th post, yay!  LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

Hi everybody, I thought I should update my original post.

Thanks to everyone for all the excellent advice, I enjoyed the test drive, couldn't find any faults and have now got a shiny black Freelander 2 sitting outside on my drive.

Special thanks to Past Master for mentioning the Landrover Experience freebies, I managed to acquire a half day one into the bargain.

Looking forward to taking a more active part in discussions here in the future.