Really fancy a Hippo

[Micrashed]

I can think of lots of reasons why not, but I still fancy an L series engined Hippo. Has anyone here had one and actually liked it?

[dollywobbler]

I wouldn't own one, because a 4x4 without a low box is a bit like a pedal bike with no pedals, but if I did get daft enough to buy one, it'd be the L-Series for me. Meant to be quite agricultural, which is surely a good thing! The woeful electrics and differential issues would leave me looking at pretty much anything else though, even though I've always loved the looks of the Freeloader. Like a Frontera but somehow a lot more coherent.

[Bobthebeard]

Am prepared for ridicule, but what is a Hippo please? Apart from the obvious!

[warren t claim]

A nice Kia Sportage would be a better bet, a bit like the one I'm selling.....

[Barry Cade]

A nice Kia Sportage would be a better bet, a bit like the one I'm selling.....

 

A hand grenade with a wonky pin would be a better bet than a Freeloader. Good luck!

[Bobthebeard]

Am prepared for ridicule, but what is a Hippo please? Apart from the obvious!

 

Still no wiser! Is a Hippo a Freelander? If so had one, never again. A money pit that did nothing well and did everything else badly.

[Richard]

Am prepared for ridicule, but what is a Hippo please? Apart from the obvious!

 

Freelander. The most "in the fucking way" car on the road.

[skattrd]

First time I've heard them called hippos - gaylander and lots of other rude things maybe ...I hate the things.

 

I wouldn't say no to an L series, but in a smallish MG/Rover.

[Lacquer Peel]

My friend's dad has an '01 TD4 with nearly 200k on the odo, and it's still fully functioning.

[trigger]

I've never heard them called Hippo before, only ever "What a bag of fucking shit".

[Barry Cade]

My friend's dad has an '01 TD4 with nearly 200k on the odo, and it's still fully functioning.

 

There was a recall in 2002 for faulty odometers, they ran at 10x normal speed. If your friend's dad doesn't know, don't tell him

[MK5 Escort]

I must admit I've never heard of Freelander's referred to as 'Hippos' either.

 

Anyway, I'd avoid at all costs. My brother had two in quick succession and both proved to be equally as dreadful. Both were 'Y' plates. A classic 1.8 K Series followed by a diesel auto (BMW unit so I'm lead to believe...). It made no difference.

 

The K Series overheated on the M6 and expired in a cloud of steam and smoke. It was replaced by a warrantied 23k replacement and that wasn't exactly brilliant either. Being an idiot, he traded it for another Freelander of the same age but the diesel equivalent. That was plagued with engine management and fuel pump issues almost from day one.

 

Both also suffered from various irritating cabin squeaks.

[John F]

They're called Hippos (TBH only by people that like them, the majority of LR enthusiasts call them Gaylanders and wonder why their doors haven't fallen off yet) because of the advert shown in the original posting.

 

The early Freelanders don't enjoy a good reputation in the LR world, they're considered to be very much "soft roaders" that are used for transporting hair gel & curling tongs around.

 

In terms of reliability, apart from the much-documented K Series engine woes, the weak viscous coupling that provides drive to the rear axle appears to be the biggest culprit.

 

As an alternative, the Vauxhall Frontera does much the same sort of thing as the Freelander but has a low box. And can drive up Snowdon.

 

I've heard good things about the later Freelanders, but only by comparison to late Discoveries, which are a steaming pile of overweight electronic wank just waiting to go expensively wrong.

[Micrashed]

As an alternative, the Vauxhall Frontera does much the same sort of thing as the Freelander but has a low box. And can drive up Snowdon..

They can, and for a long while I get daily emails telling me of new Fronterror Sports being listed on the Bay of Evil. What puts me off them is the SWB one is only 4 seats (& I need 5 for all the family) and the LWB one too big for daily use.

Im back at the " I want something small that will tow 1800kgs of caravan and seat 5" thing again so that the wife has a bit more choice on 7 seaters and I dont have to say you need a bloody great van with windows so I can use it for the twice yearly towing of the van and all its shit up to Westmorland and back again. She could start looking at smaller ones like the new Zaffy, Trojand or Kia Carens

 

The Hippo (yes I do like them) would do that whilst also carting 20 stone of district nurse about on a daily basis and odd bits of shite that I need to carry.

[barmatt]

It depends what you want it for really,

 

As an offroader = NO

 

As a softroader = Maybe, but be prepared to replace the vcu on a regular basis

 

As a car = Yes, remove the rear prop and drive it in "mondo" mode, actually quite a nice drive.

 

Don't tell anyone on the landy forums that I said that

[Albert Ross]

I thought you were on about one of these....

 

I wouldn't give a Freeloader scrapyard space.

[John F]

They can, and for a long while I get daily emails telling me of new Fronterror Sports being listed on the Bay of Evil. What puts me off them is the SWB one is only 4 seats (& I need 5 for all the family) and the LWB one too big for daily use.

Im back at the " I want something small that will tow 1800kgs of caravan and seat 5" thing again so that the wife has a bit more choice on 7 seaters and I dont have to say you need a bloody great van with windows so I can use it for the twice yearly towing of the van and all its shit up to Westmorland and back again. She could start looking at smaller ones like the new Zaffy, Trojand or Kia Carens

 

The Hippo (yes I do like them) would do that whilst also carting 20 stone of district nurse about on a daily basis and odd bits of shite that I need to carry.

 

Ah. If you want it as a tow vehicle then it would be best to get something with a low box, especially if you're looking for something with a smallish engine.

[scruff]

You would be better off with an L series Rover car or something Jap.

Driven plenty and found them enormously dull, anyone who says they "are just like a Real Land Rover" has never driven a real Land Rover (which are crap but entertaining).

Sure there are loads which never put a wheel wrong, but any cheapies will have been run on the cheap and run into the ground.

[wuvvum]

When I saw the thread title I thought you meant one of these.

 

 

Although I suspect an L-series might struggle a bit with something that size.

[John F]

Well, my FIRST thought was that he wanted one of these...

 

[Micrashed]

" I want something small that will tow 1800kgs of caravan and seat 5"

 

Ah. If you want it as a tow vehicle then it would be best to get something with a low box, especially if you're looking for something with a smallish engine.

Yup, smallish, but able to tow 1800kgs and seat 5. I mean a Series III would do that, but good ones are out of my price range by quite a way - (Im talking £1000 plus my MicraShed budget here)

[Shep Shepherd]

I'd rather have a TDi Discovery.

[barmatt]

I'd rather have a TDi Discovery.

 

You can get a Disco with T&T for £1k and they'll pull anything with ease and they're a lot more comfortable and quiet than a defender or series especially at motorway speeds and they're not much bigger than a 5 door hippo.

[John F]

I'd rather have a TDi Discovery.

 

You can get a Disco with T&T for £1k and they'll pull anything with ease and they're a lot more comfortable and quiet than a defender or series especially at motorway speeds and they're not much bigger than a 5 door hippo.

 

Yep, a 300 TDi would appear to do all of what you want it to do, You can also get good deals at this time of year, as anyone that's survived this year's OMG SNO KAOS tends to offload them around now.

 

Boot floors, sills, front inner wings and rear wheelarches are where you'll find the rot. On 300 TDIs, watch out for the HG blowing on cyl. 4 at the back of the engine (a not-unknown fault), it's very common for the gearbox to crunch a bit going from 1st to 2nd gear, sunroofs leak so non-sunroof models are not a bad thing.

 

Fuel is about 30 mpg on a run at 60-ish mph, but they have a Bosch fuel pump so you can load up with veg oil for additional savings.

[barmatt]

I'd rather have a TDi Discovery.

 

You can get a Disco with T&T for £1k and they'll pull anything with ease and they're a lot more comfortable and quiet than a defender or series especially at motorway speeds and they're not much bigger than a 5 door hippo.

 

Yep, a 300 TDi would appear to do all of what you want it to do, You can also get good deals at this time of year, as anyone that's survived this year's OMG SNO KAOS tends to offload them around now.

 

Boot floors, sills, front inner wings and rear wheelarches are where you'll find the rot. On 300 TDIs, watch out for the HG blowing on cyl. 4 at the back of the engine (a not-unknown fault), it's very common for the gearbox to crunch a bit going from 1st to 2nd gear, sunroofs leak so non-sunroof models are not a bad thing.

 

Fuel is about 30 mpg on a run at 60-ish mph, but they have a Bosch fuel pump so you can load up with veg oil for additional savings.

 

300tdi's don't generally tend to have crunchy gearboxes it is the earlier 200's with the lt77 gearbox that had synchro's made of cheese.

 

If you are thinking of a disco I may be tempted into selling / swapping mine.

[willswitchengage]

+1 for also thinking you meant a Leyland Hippo, and wondering if Cummins made their L-series engine back then...

[Cavcraft]

I have to say a Freeloader is one of those cars I wouldn't buy (to keep) because of their reputation.

[Shep Shepherd]

I have to say a Freeloader is one of those cars I wouldn't buy (to keep) because of their reputation.

 

Same here, Billy. Having said that, there are a couple of people where I work who absolutely adore them.

[Timewaster]

It depends what you want it for really,

As a car = Yes, remove the rear prop and drive it in "mondo" mode, actually quite a nice drive.

 

Or you could buy a Sierra Cosworth and throw the turbo away, or maybe a V12 Jag and leave 6 sparkplugs out.

Better still, how about an aeroplane with the wings cut off!

 

WTF? The way to make it an acceptable car is to discard the one part that gives the car any reason to exist?

 

I think that tells you all you need to know.

[John F]

300tdi's don't generally tend to have crunchy gearboxes it is the earlier 200's with the lt77 gearbox that had synchro's made of cheese.

 

The R380 gearbox in the 300 TDi also has a reputation for synchro problems, usually between 1st and 2nd gear - I currently know four people apart from me that have got crunching 300 TDis

 

It's no big deal. I either change up at low revs or double-declutch to prevent / reduce the crunch.