Second-hand sense: When it made its debut in 1997, the Land Rover Freelander met with an enthusiastic response. A lot of customers were ready to pay out substantial money for a car that offered something of the country, but in a grass and gravel sense rather than in any off-road sense.
Where the bigger Land Rover was rugged and utilitarian, the smaller Freelander was chic and pretty. In short it was ideal for those in the city who wanted to make a statement, however meaningless.
It was produced with a choice of 2-litre petrol or diesel engines, or a 1.8 petrol engine and, in fairness, was a pretty good workhorse. Permanent four-wheel-drive and hill-descent control made for good off-road performance. The overall design was practical and attracted a country following, proving that it at least had practical attributes.
The Freelander, however, has had an unhappy history. Over the past few years it has become known for a virtual litany of problems. Serious problems and niggly ones have given the previous generation of Freelander a bad name.
The new model, launched only in the past few months, has yet to prove itself.
Buyers need to be aware that the Freelander can be very problematic and should not think of buying a second-hand one without expert advice and back-up. Prices run around 20,000 for a 2000 2-litre diesel model with about 30,000 miles on the clock. A petrol version with 60,000 miles of the same age will cost about 17,000 but these are the asking prices in garages. Negotiation should reduce those figures substantially.