CHEAP BUT CHEERFUL
IT seems like yesterday that the original Freelander was launched, but in fact next year it will be celebrating its 25th birthday. The very youngest are now 15 years old, yet the first-generation Freelander doesn’t look at all outdated – especially the facelifted models from 2004 onwards.
Because Freelander 1 is getting long in the tooth, values are low. At the time of its launch this was Land Rover’s most corrosion-proof model, so many have stood the test of time well. The problem vehicles, as always, are those that have been run on a shoestring, where services have been missed and repairs bodged.
Twenty years ago, a new Freelander 1 would have cost you about the same as a new Defender Td5 – just under £20,000. Today, that Freelander in average nick will probably be for sale at £1000 or less, while the Td5 Defender might fetch £8000 or more. That’s because the original Defender is now regarded as a timeless classic, and is very much in demand. Far fewer Defenders were built than Freelanders, which were Europe’s best-selling 4x4 for several years, so there
