Rover 75??

kevpants

I've been looking at getting a sub €10k car that I'll be spending quite alot of time in for work, a mix of short and long journeys. I'm looking at an automatic as I have the left hip of a 75 year old from clutching at this stage.

I did bit of research and there is a freakishly large amount of people recomending the rover 75 for this type of requirement. I wouldn't have thought of a Rover in a thousand years. Anyone experience in terms of how they fare after they cross the magic 100k milage mark for instance? I'm looking to hang onto it for a few years.

Looking on carzone you do seem to be able to get alot of car for very little money. I was leading towards the Honda Accord Automatic previoulsy due to sheer reliability. I'm currently a Citroen driver, hence I want something more reliable. Let me know your thoughts. I'm just intrigued by it now, maybe I could get myself a bargain.

iremex

had a volvo s80 auto. jesus as painful as the depreciation was on it, my god it was just sublime for long journeys. the seats were sooo comfortable and even though i am 6ft 4", there was LOADS of room in it. you can get one one for well under 10k. the D5 has got plenty of power and isnt bad on the juice

crosstownk

Go for the Honda, especially if its reliability that you're after. Rover 75s have a habit of doing in head gaskets - especially the V6 versions.

Autos in that class tend to be cheaper here as most people prefer manuals.

JohnCleary

If you're going for a diesel then defo recommend the Rover 75 - Theyre basicly a de-tuned BMW Diesel engine

Wouldn't recommend the Petrol varient (1.8 I think?) It's a KV6 engine, quad-cam if I recall. Very expensive to get any work done on it (Even a timing belt change)

I was very tempted by a R75 diesel as theyre a lot of car for little money, but the cosmetic's didn't really appeal to me.

In conclusion: If it's a diesel, don't let the name put you off

IrishRover

You can get a Synergy tuning module for the diesel engine which I'm told makes a big difference: http://tuning-diesels.com/Synergy/Synergy.htm

The 1.8 petrol would be a straight 4, the V6 would be 2.5 I guess.

kevpants

Thanks all. I think I'll see what the situation is with auto diesels available when I am buying. My sensible head says go with the accord...it's often right.

Just wanted to ask, the aforementioned citroen is in having repair done at the moment to an unfortunate mishap involving ice and the crash ropes in the middle of the motorway. Basically the bumper and lights were torn off. No chassis damage and car was driveable after (so long as it wasn't dark obviously!).

I'm going to sell it on but was wondering does a repair job like thatseriously take away from the cost? As I said there's no chassis damage but as it has technically been crashed so would a mechanic spot there's been repair work and tell a prospective driver to stay away? No damage done to any metal panels or that it was all plastic and electrics that were damaged. Cost a bloody fortune though!

crosstownk

If the damage is superficial then you should have nothing to worry about.

unkel

If reliability is more important than anything else, go with the Honda

The Rover 75 (designed and developed by BMW) is a solid car, especiallly when matched with the diesel engine from the BMW 320d and not with one of the Rover petrol engines. Incredible value for money - you would save yourself thousands initially that you'd most likely not spend on extra maintenance compared with the Accord. Resale of the 75 would be a bit of an issue, but if you intend to keep it for say 3 years, both cars would be pretty much worthless

crosstownk

unkel wrote:

if you intend to keep it for say 3 years, both cars would be pretty much worthless

But the Honda will probaly fetch a few hundred more. At the very least it will sell quicker.

JHMEG

Isn't it nice when things just work.

unkel

crosstownk wrote:

But the Honda will probaly fetch a few hundred more. At the very least it will sell quicker.

Agreed. On buying the 75 and keeping it for 3 or 4 years, I'd be prudent and I wouldn't expect anything back

kevpants

Cheers lads. Yeah well after the time i've had with the citroen the next car is being driven into the ground. I just want a car that I can happily do that to that won't give me too mant problems. If I saw a nice Auto 75 Diesel I reckon I'd snap it up at the right price but at least I know I can fall back on the accord if there's nothing out there.

unkel

Good luck hunting, kevpants

And let us know once you got your new motor!

Padraig Mor

JohnCleary wrote:

If you're going for a diesel then defo recommend the Rover 75 - Theyre basicly a de-tuned BMW Diesel engine

Wouldn't recommend the Petrol varient (1.8 I think?) It's a KV6 engine, quad-cam if I recall. Very expensive to get any work done on it (Even a timing belt change)

I was very tempted by a R75 diesel as theyre a lot of car for little money, but the cosmetic's didn't really appeal to me.

In conclusion: If it's a diesel, don't let the name put you off

1.8 petrol uses the K1.8 engine (twin cam) - this is the one prone to head gasket failure. No more expensive to fix than most engines AFAIK. KV6 is used in the 2.5 (and 2.0 I think) - v. expensive for work but not especially prone to head gasket failure. As mentioned the diesel is a BMW unit and pretty much bullet proof.

Resale value here sucks - believe me, I know! Am trying to trade mine (1.8) in at the moment and the offers are derisory. Funny, coz apparently the high spec ones (like mine) are reportedly holding their value in the UK and even increasing! Lot of car for the money...

podge3

I have a Rover 75 diesel - absolutely fantastic car. I fitted a tuning module from here http://tuning-diesels.com/Synergy/Synergy.htm and it goes like stink. I have attached a few pics.

Every time I sit in the car it puts a smile on my face - its just so comfortable.

Over 50MPG on long runs and 40 MPG around the town.

Have a look here for some informed opinions:

www.mg-rover.org

or

www.the75andztclub.co.uk

crosstownk

Padraig Mor wrote:

1.8 petrol uses the K1.8 engine (twin cam) - this is the one prone to head gasket failure. No more expensive to fix than most engines AFAIK. KV6 is used in the 2.5 (and 2.0 I think) - v. expensive for work but not especially prone to head gasket failure. As mentioned the diesel is a BMW unit and pretty much bullet proof.

Resale value here sucks - believe me, I know! Am trying to trade mine (1.8) in at the moment and the offers are derisory. Funny, coz apparently the high spec ones (like mine) are reportedly holding their value in the UK and even increasing! Lot of car for the money...

Every V6 I had on fleet (about 10) did in at least one bank's head gasket. Ok, the were 1999/2000 models so maybe there is a new engine now. But the woeful reliability across the Rover range caused the residual to drop like a stone making them uneconomical to lease (thank God).

For some reason the UK driving public love Rovers (probably because it's a indigenous brand). But elswhere they are not regarded as highly.

EDIT : Just seen Podge3's post. I must say I hate the look, both interior and exterior, of the 75. There is a certain 'Britishness' about the look that doesn't appeal to me. I understand that it appeals to some, but personally I don't like it.

eamon234

You should look at a high spec Skoda Octavia - well worth the money and the diesels are bulletproof

crosstownk

eamon234 wrote:

You should look at a high spec Skoda Octavia - well worth the money and the diesels are bulletproof

A good choice, to be fair, but I'd imagine Octavia autos are hard to come by in the used market. I do have one on fleet, I use it as a courtesy car, it's a 1.9TDI DSG Auto, and everybody turns their nose up when I hand them the key, but by the time they return it they love it!!!

@OP - You'll have to look long and hard for an Octavia auto, but if you find one it could be the answer to your prayers.

unkel

crosstownk wrote:

For some reason the UK driving public love Rovers (probably because it's a indigenous brand)

Agreed again. It is a very "British" car in the way it looks inside and out. And Rover of course was the last big mainstream UK manufacturer before it was Over

For the record, Mrs unkel has a 1.8 K-series engined petrol '01 75. Of course it had already had a HGF before we got it in the middle of last year and chances are it will throw another wobbly during our ownership. It was incredibly cheap though and it is a lot of car for the money (€6k for a five year old big luxurious car with low mileage)

crosstownk

unkel wrote:

For the record, Mrs unkel has a 1.8 K-series engined petrol '01 75. Of course it had already had a HGF before we got it in the middle of last year and chances are it will throw another wobbly during our ownership. It was incredibly cheap though and it is a lot of car for the money (€6k for a five year old big luxurious car with low mileage)

Once you're happy with it then what matter. But can you turn the key with devout confidence each morning................. Most models can't provide this. BMW an exception, and most Japanese makes too.

crosstownk

unkel wrote:

And Rover of course was the last big mainstream UK manufacturer before it was Over

Cues the music, holds the microphone.............. "It must have been love, but it's Rover now...................."

/gets coat and leaves.....................

IrishRover

crosstownk wrote:

For some reason the UK driving public love Rovers (probably because it's a indigenous brand). But elswhere they are not regarded as highly.

EDIT : Just seen Podge3's post. I must say I hate the look, both interior and exterior, of the 75. There is a certain 'Britishness' about the look that doesn't appeal to me. I understand that it appeals to some, but personally I don't like it.

unkel wrote:

Agreed again. It is a very "British" car in the way it looks inside and out. And Rover of course was the last big mainstream UK manufacturer before it was Over

I think James May was spot on when he said it isn't a British car, it's the German idea of what a British car is. Rover always knew how to make cars with great interiors, but I'm not so mad on the 75's interior. Mostly it's the sort of "art-deco" dials that put me off I think.

The Rover unreliability reputation is there just as much in the UK as well. If the majority of people there really did love Rovers then they'd still be in business. I think over here though there is an added anti-English sentiment mixed up with people's attitudes towards the brand too (which may be even subconscious a lot of the time).

In Japan, I think they have a totally different view of Rover and see the brand as exotic and luxurious - something to aspire to like Rolls Royce or Bentley.

kevpants

Podge 3 how in god's name have you kept those cream carpets like that!? I know the rover looks a bit like a "pipe and slippers" car but do you actually keep slippers in there for driving? Fair play though it looks showroom inside and out.

I did go down the Octavia route but I refuse to buy a car without aircon and it's almost impossible to find an auto elegance model for sale. Just shows you the mindset of the early Skoda purchasers. You know what else, the Octavias all seem to have hubcaps. I feckin hate hubcaps, dunno why. Ok I'm being a bit of a diva now I suppose but hey I bought a Citroen C4 I must be an idiot!