I’m in the mood for a new (to me) vehicle & had more or less decided on a 2-3 y.o Land Rover Freelander but have just discovered that the Freelander as a model is being discontinued. Now as I can’t afford new I’m used to getting the previous incarnation of a car & I’m fine with that but is buying a model that no longer exists a bad idea? Do residuals take a bigger hit once it’s an ex model etc. I realise that I’m likely to get as many opinions as respondents on here but any thoughts would be appreciated.

Like VW vans, all bets are off when it comes to LR products and calculating residual values, even the least Landrovery one, the Freelander.

If you like it, buy it and worry about value when/if you move it on. Looked after they last for years so why not plan on keeping it until the residual value isn’t an issue?

Fashion, tax, petrol prices etc will have as much effect as anything else with something like that.

Most manufacturers do mid model cycle face lifts. This normally involves a tweak to the front grill and headlights etc. If you are buying a 3 year old vehicle it will be out of date any way. The biggest drop in value on most main stream cars is when you drive it brand new out of the showroom. Once it gets to 3 years old things have settled and the value is more to do with mileage, condition and spec than what the latest model is like.
I believe that the E type Jag is no longer made but I think the residuals on those are only moving in one direction 😉

I would be far more worried about it when it leaves its warranty period and eats your wallet.

Buying a newish car right at the end of a model line (which are usually heavily discounted) isn’t such a good idea for residuals or if the new version is far superior to the old model, isnt good for buying the old model. Buying a 2-3yr old version of a high residuals car like a Freelander, will be fine.

Buy the Defender- itll be a wise buy IMO as has a loyal following and will be v.popular

Yes, but you’ll have to drive a Defender until it’s time to sell…

Rachel

Buying a 2-3yr old version of a high residuals car like a Freelander, will be fine.

Past performance is no guarantee of future success…

the defenders being discontinued at the end of next year also….. prices on them are only going one way at the moment.

if i was in the market for one id buy a hippo at end of model line – id be more likely to buy an old one though and budget for repairs.

Toyota are remaking the original Landcruiser. I am waiting for them to be available for import. Love em, Japtastic. Buy a Defender now and I bet you’d be able to sell it in a year with zero depreciation. With the Freelander though? Freefaller?

your about 2 years too late to that party – defenders have been climbing stupidly for some time.

you seem to be thinking of the mk1 k series – id have any of the diesel mk2 onwards without issue.

i guarantee a remade land cruiser would be a case of never drive your dream cars……it will only dissapoint. i had a similar thing with vw campers – then i had a shot of one…. horrible thing.

I had a Freelander as a works car.
The biggest piece of junk ever.
It was more in the garage than on the road.
Electrical faults, oil leaks, the rear window opening itself and then not closing (this was great fun in the Winter), diff lock not releasing and so on ………..
If it was my cash I would cry but eventually I gave it back to the works fleet refusing to drive it a single mile more.
Avoid it unless you love broken down cars.
I have personally a very unfashionable 4×4 now – Dacia Duster. It’s been faultless.

Whether they make Freelanders or not anymore will have little effect on residuals, many others factors will play a much bigger part in it.

Have a look at 5-6 year old ones and you can get a feel for how it’ll go – Oil prices are falling at the moment and petrol prices will follow suit (maybe) shortly which will take pressure of thirsty cars like 4×4’s.

Oil prices are falling at the moment and petrol prices will follow suit (maybe)

Pmsl tax will fix that…

” Dacia Duster. It’s been faultless.”

obviously not a uk one…..can anyone say RUUUSSSTT

also – true depreciation on them has not been realised yet – very few have hit the open used private market.

“diff lock not releasing and so on …..”

how did it do that …. majik …. doesnt have one.

They’re a very good car, my wife has an SD4 version – quick, comfy and (feels) very safe; plus well-equipped.

We bought the previous model new as a run-out, saved about £5k (and the new shape would’ve been £10k more). Ran it for 7 years and 120k, so didn’t really matter.

All LR’s hold value now, they’re not cheap new and folk do want them – especially rural areas. As with any s/h car from a dealer, get a warranty included in the deal.

” Dacia Duster”

A bit like comparing a Hyundai i10 with a Mini…

Toyota are remaking the original Landcruiser. I am waiting for them to be available for import.

A friend had the diesel one, he loved it, all the other owners he met loved theirs too.
He sold it when the weekly fuel bill would pay the monthly payment for a new qashqai.
How’s the promotion/carreer ladder going mark? Only if you are fannying around buying seatpost shims and not wanting to spend £8 on a tube of carbon assembly paste for your bike I struggle to see how a land cruiser would ever leave your drive.

” Dacia Duster. It’s been faultless.”

obviously not a uk one…..can anyone say RUUUSSSTT

Correct, mine is LHD made in Romania.

” Dacia Duster”

A bit like comparing a Hyundai i10 with a Mini.

Maybe, but at least it works amazingly well – even in heavy Alps snow, not like the piece of crap Freelander I once had.

I currently drive a Subaru Forester so sadly not quite a powerful go-get-em Audi type 8)

Toyota are remaking the original Landcruiser. I am waiting for them to be available for import.

Read this and thought its was going to be an FJ40/45, not the (still sold in Oz, by the way) later 70 series.

The 70series is gorgeous. I hate the modern fad for melted-boiled sweet styling-cars

Toyota Land Cruiser 70 re-released to celebrate 30 years of iconic 4×4

**** sake hora- thats about as original as a vauxhall astra….

you alluded to a kadett and gave us a **** astra.

original !

Yep they are still flogging them in Oz, just swap Co.uk for com.au on the Toyota site

Who do you think you are? Richard Hammond in Bolivia? 😆

no cause he cocked his up – but that red one is blooming lovely in its original guise.

between that an a 70s 3 door v8 rangie id have a hard choice to make.

It does look very nice. I love classic/classy Toyota/Datsuns etc 😀

OP- so the answer is NOT a Freelander but something else 😉

“OP- so the answer is NOT a Freelander but something else”

im sure i read on this thread the answer was a dacia Ruster ?

I don’t think I’d bother with a Dacia. Initially I was excited but tbh I’d rather have a decent* secondhand post-depreciation better car.

*Not a Freelander.

Or a 2012 Disco HSE. Mrs iolo has one and that’s a nice place to be while driving.

“I don’t think I’d bother with a Dacia. Initially I was excited but tbh”

me also . i will probably end up with one in my life at “somepoint”

because they will be the future in bangernomics 4×4 – if they make it that far. Ive driven one – and a logan MCV – both were ok , but by the time you put in the 1.5DCI you were up to half decent 2 year old car money….. and the 1.2 TCE was pish once on the motorway – never mind making progress…

once the dealers stop controlling the usedstock and keeping residuals high they will have a depreciation curve of a chest of drawers out of a 3rd floor hotel window while oasis are staying.

The disco is a nice place to be but **** me – dont ever need a turbo doing -look at the book time for that – and it eats suspension bushes and brake pads like no one business due to it being a heavy beast.

The later mark freelanders are genuinely nice motors – go drive some- they are so far awayfrom the mk1s its not real.

id have a latest mark freelander over one of them Ejokes anyday – and ive driven the evoque enough – me ma has one…. the only thing i like about it is the panoramic glass roof.

Or a 2012 Disco HSE.

ask scapegoat of this parish about experiences with his- I remarked how lovely it is/think he feels different?

It’s a works truck so if it does start showing the world famous Land/Range Rover lack of reliability she can hand it back and get something else.

Thanks for all your thoughts. I’m just off of a long flight so will digest them later whilst perusing the Autotrader website.

Well, I’ve got an SD4 Freelander as a company car. It’s 20 months old, done 50,000, works hard towing and hasn’t missed a beat. Tyres lasted 48,000 miles. It’s fast, quiet, comfortable and has plenty of room inside (albeit with a high boot floor). Downsides? Fuel consumption isn’t wonderful (Better than a lot of others, though), plastic in the boot marks easily. That’s it. I love it. We’re going to get another whilst they’re still available.

iolo – diff lock not releasing and so on ………..

Which Freelander has a Diff Lock?

Which Freelander has a Diff Lock?

They don’t, but they do split the torque away from spinning wheels – but tbh if you need a diff lock you probably want something more ‘serious’.

I know that, I’m just responding to iolo’s mysterious stuck diff lock scenario in his loaned Freelander

No diff lock

Probably had a stuck viscous coupling unit or vcu which would take out the rear diffs on te mk1s which just proves hes comparing oranges apples and a potato. But definantly no diff lock on a freelander

For what it’s worth. We have an 09 plate Freelander2 and its fine. Had an issue with the fuel filter choking, and going into limp mode, and the boot release microswitch has just died, but it’s been fine. We’ve done 65K in it, we tow a caravan with it. I’d buy another one, and have no plans to get rid of it.