rover 75

mossfort

i was looking at a few rover 75 cars 01 - 04 and they look a nice car for the money. i know the 2.0 diesel has a bmw engine and is reliable but what about the petrol models? i know the 1.8 gives head gasket problems but is the engine ok if this work has already been done. i thinking about importing one from the uk as they are cheap and the vrt is very low. is the 1.8 engine fairly economical , any advice appreciated.

NewApproach

mossfort wrote: »

i was looking at a few rover 75 cars 01 - 04 and they look a nice car for the money. i know the 2.0 diesel has a bmw engine and is reliable but what about the petrol models? i know the 1.8 gives head gasket problems but is the engine ok if this work has already been done. i thinking about importing one from the uk as they are cheap and the vrt is very low. is the 1.8 engine fairly economical , any advice appreciated.

Ask RoverJames, he has one AFAIR

JamBur

PaintDoctor uses one as his work vehicle. Heseems to think the sun sines out its arse:) I'm sure he'll find his way here soon enough to let you know

johnos1984

Mossfort.

Very good cars but the work must of been done correctly on the petrol engine for it to be a success. Through owners forums I know where there is a tidy diesel coming up for sale at a garage and I can pass the website on to you if your interested.

I'll let the owner know you will be contacting him. Any work he does is a high standard as he is a rover specialist and he will haggle.

Hope that helps

Owen

JamBur wrote: »

PaintDoctor uses one as his work vehicle. Heseems to think the sun sines out its arse:) I'm sure he'll find his way here soon enough to let you know

Screw you Burnsey! :pac:

Savage vehicle to be honest. I'm especially enjoying the pre-heater which gets my car warm with the engine off while I'm inside having a coffee in the mornings, and then the heated seats when I get inside. And if the traffic's bad, there's always something on the TV

If the headgasket was replaced with the upgraded one from LR, the liners hadn't dropped and the root cause of HG failure was also sorted then the 1.8 should be fine, providing a competent person fixed it. 1.8 is a tad underpowered in them though. Not as bad as you'd think.

I have one sort of, it's an MG ZT, mine is the 2.5V6, love it, auto with snow mode is a joy in this weather. The 75s are a bit soft suspension and handling wise compared to the ZTs but they are still a very decent drive.

I would think you'd do better waiting for a suitable one to pop up for sale here than to import one from the UK, they are not sought after here so they go for small money. The 1.8 isn't particularly economical unless you are really light footed, none of the k series cars are too good on fuel in reality. Unless you are mainly on the motorway or good roads at 60 to 70mph you will struggle to average the low 30s, not too bad though all considered.

Owen

Motors Mod Unkel is selling one on adverts at the moment.

PaintDoctor

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Motors Mod Unkel is selling one on adverts at the moment.

I thought he sold that months back

Owen

She's still there boyo :
http://adverts.ie/126303

johnos1984

RoverJames wrote: »

I thought he sold that months back

As did I or was he also selling a fiesta that sold?

PaintDoctor

PaintDoctor wrote: »

She's still there boyo :
http://adverts.ie/126303

:eek:
They really are unloved over here, savage car for the money.

johnos1984 wrote: »

As did I or was he also selling a fiesta that sold?

That was a different chap, I think

bazz26

I'd go for the pre facelifted model made before 2004, they were better built and made of higher quality material.

johnos1984

bazz26 wrote: »

I'd go for the pre facelifted model made before 2004, they were better built and made of higher quality material.

Project drive started in 2001 so the slow decline happened from then on.

the best built/finished on is a Cowley built 75 identifiable by its black sills. The wooden dash board is in fact wood unlike everything which came after

johnos1984

johnos1984 wrote: »

Project drive started in 2001 so the slow decline happened from then on.

the best built/finished on is a Cowley built 75 identifiable by its black sills. The wooden dash board is in fact wood unlike everything which came after

I thought the Cowley built ones had chrome sills ?

johnos1984

RoverJames wrote: »

I thought the Cowley built ones had chrome sills ?

I'm certain it was black

Cowley built car

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1629175

Longbridge has colour coded sills

http://cars.donedeal.ie/donedeal/classifieds/viewFullPhoto.jsp?cid=4633144&ad=1721433

Crap pictures sorry

Anorak :P

johnos1984

Lets just say in a small way I'm sorry I didn't go bangernomics just one more time

I'm liking this although I'd imagine I'm on my own

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1600066

Owen

'Full options' my arse.

johnos1984

PaintDoctor wrote: »

'Full options' my arse.

The interior is exactly what I would want or else the green/beige colour one.

Exactly how I like my Rovers

JamBur

Way to prove me wrong:)

Its a lot of car for relatively little money though, I'm suprised PaintDoctor doesn't just move into his on a perm basis.

In my eyes they have an element of rarity on Irish roads that elevates them above the bog standard beemers & audis.

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Screw you Burnsey! :pac:

Savage vehicle to be honest. I'm especially enjoying the pre-heater which gets my car warm with the engine off while I'm inside having a coffee in the mornings, and then the heated seats when I get inside. And if the traffic's bad, there's always something on the TV

Nforce

I'll be going for a ZT or 75 Tourer 135 diesel in the new year. As I prefer to do my own servicing and diagnostics does anyone know which package works with Rover group cars (eg. I've Carsoft/INPA-EDIABAS for my E46).

Owen

None of the above I'm afraid. The only 2 diag tools I've seen which work perfectly with the 75 is either the Rover Testbook, or the Launch X431. Neither are cheap.

Nforce

Nforce wrote: »

I'll be going for a ZT or 75 Tourer 135 diesel in the new year. As I prefer to do my own servicing and diagnostics does anyone know which package works with Rover group cars (eg. I've Carsoft/INPA-EDIABAS for my E46).

Paper clip to reset the service indicator
Wouldn't bother with anything else.

Nforce

Thanks guys.

VolvoMan

bazz26 wrote: »

I'd go for the pre facelifted model made before 2004, they were better built and made of higher quality material.

Models prior to that didn't exactly escape Project Drive either. You will still find things like headrest piping missing over earlier models and unpainted door mirrors lower in the range.

RoverJames wrote: »

I thought the Cowley built ones had chrome sills ?

The Cowley built examples can indeed be distinguished by their sills.

They are in my opinion the best ones that were ever built, but are getting quite old now. You'd have to go further back than '00/01 to find one.

dcmraad

I will be selling my 2001 cdt auto conn SE very soon.

Burgundy, cream leather all elec
165,000 miles FSH, just serviced, serviced every 15k
Auto oil changed at 90k

Nct mar 2011 tax jan

will need wishbones and bushes and (possibly) tyres for nct, been my baby for 6 years.

I love it but need an estate

VolvoMan

While we're on the subject of 75's, I'll take the opportunity to post what I think is the best interior to have ever gone into this class of car:



Absolutely sumptuous and so opulent that it could nearly be a Bentley or a Roller.

Owen

Mine has that exact interior, but with the HiLine Nav, Auto Stick, Wood Steering Wheel, and HK Speaker Grills.

dcmraad

Here is mine. Cream leather all the way

dcmraad

Apologies for posting this again. But it is worth it.

Excuse the poor pics, inside of a ZT..........

mossfort

johnos1984 wrote: »

Mossfort.

Very good cars but the work must of been done correctly on the petrol engine for it to be a success. Through owners forums I know where there is a tidy diesel coming up for sale at a garage and I can pass the website on to you if your interested.

I'll let the owner know you will be contacting him. Any work he does is a high standard as he is a rover specialist and he will haggle.

Hope that helps

that would be great if you could pm the name of the website to take a look.

challengemaster

VolvoMan wrote: »

While we're on the subject of 75's, I'll take the opportunity to post what I think is the best interior to have ever gone into this class of car:



Absolutely sumptuous and so opulent that it could nearly be a Bentley or a Roller.

I'm hardly the only one to think that looks disgusting. Much prefer full cream leather.

That ZT looks nice!

mossfort

RoverJames wrote: »

If the headgasket was replaced with the upgraded one from LR, the liners hadn't dropped and the root cause of HG failure was also sorted then the 1.8 should be fine, providing a competent person fixed it. 1.8 is a tad underpowered in them though. Not as bad as you'd think.

I have one sort of, it's an MG ZT, mine is the 2.5V6, love it, auto with snow mode is a joy in this weather. The 75s are a bit soft suspension and handling wise compared to the ZTs but they are still a very decent drive.

I would think you'd do better waiting for a suitable one to pop up for sale here than to import one from the UK, they are not sought after here so they go for small money. The 1.8 isn't particularly economical unless you are really light footed, none of the k series cars are too good on fuel in reality. Unless you are mainly on the motorway or good roads at 60 to 70mph you will struggle to average the low 30s, not too bad though all considered.

roverjames from what you said i think the 1.8 might be best avoided.
the reason i was thinking of importing from the uk is because these cars are more plentiful in the uk and there is a lot to choose from.
also the uk cars seem to be in better condition and an lot of them have full main dealer service history. i think i,ll have a look at the 2.0L diesel ones that mg zt really looks the part . are they a sporty version of the same car and can they be got with the diesel engine?

challengemaster

mossfort wrote: »

roverjames from what you said i think the 1.8 might be best avoided.
the reason i was thinking of importing from the uk is because these cars are more plentiful in the uk and there is a lot to choose from.
also the uk cars seem to be in better condition and an lot of them have full main dealer service history. i think i,ll have a look at the 2.0L diesel ones that mg zt really looks the part . are they a sporty version of the same car and can they be got with the diesel engine?

From wiki:

The MG ZT is a high-performance MG-branded version of the Rover 75 executive car, produced by MG Rover at their Longbridge plant in Birmingham from 2001 to 2005. Styling is similar to the 75, although uprated springs and chassis modifications make for a far firmer ride.

Engines: Petrol go from 1.8 to 4.6 v8, diesel is 2L CDTi

dcmraad

Apologies for posting this again. But it is worth it.

Owen

The Coupé concept, which was actually built and driven. The problem with Rover is that they'd all these incredible concepts on the books, but reliability, the British workforce and profitability/BMW all conspired against them to pull the rug out from under them.

Gotta remember when the 75 was launched, Jag had their revised car at the same show, and everyone looked at the 75, not the Jag.

dcmraad

PaintDoctor wrote: »

The Coupé concept, which was actually built and driven. The problem with Rover is that they'd all these incredible concepts on the books, but reliability, the British workforce and profitability/BMW all conspired against them to pull the rug out from under them.

Gotta remember when the 75 was launched, Jag had their revised car at the same show, and everyone looked at the 75, not the Jag.

I worked for an upmarket car rental co. in London in 2001 and we had some of the new 2.5 v6's in with conn se spec. Fab car.
I also used to see a guy in his new 75 every morning on my way to work, waiting to go into the underground car lift on Bunhill row EC1 in the city.

I wanted one since then. Stunning interior, reliable, economical, cheap to service, and lovely to look at.

mossfort

mossfort wrote: »

roverjames from what you said i think the 1.8 might be best avoided.
the reason i was thinking of importing from the uk is because these cars are more plentiful in the uk and there is a lot to choose from.
also the uk cars seem to be in better condition and an lot of them have full main dealer service history. i think i,ll have a look at the 2.0L diesel ones that mg zt really looks the part . are they a sporty version of the same car and can they be got with the diesel engine?

Yep, much the same car but significantly different :pac:
Most ZTs have 18" wheels, all have uprated suspension, some have bigger brakes. All engines from the 75 are available in the ZT

A diesel ZT is a very very drool worthy vehicle. You'd get an 03/04 one for £3000/£3500 in the UK without too much miles on it.

dcmraad

dcmraad wrote: »

2.5 v6's ................. cheap to service, and lovely to look at.

Except for timing belt changes costing the guts of £1000, VIS balance and power motors for the induction system that fail after a few years (£100 each), a good few need new inlet manifolds too (£600 I think but that includes the two motors mentioned and clutch changes double that of a more mainstream petrol car. Oh and the ZT versions on 18s are expensive to get tyres for

Other than that they are cheap and easy to service, plugs last ages so it's only oil and filter changes mostly

dcmraad

RoverJames wrote: »

Except for timing belt changes costing the guts of £1000, VIS balance and power motors for the induction system that fail after a few years (£100 each), a good few need new inlet manifolds too (£600 I think but that includes the two motors mentioned and clutch changes double that of a more mainstream petrol car. Oh and the ZT versions on 18s are expensive to get tyres for

Other than that they are cheap and easy to service, plugs last ages so it's only oil and filter changes mostly

No I meant my own 2 litre cdt, with a timing chain. I expect mine will do 250,000 miles as the auto cannot be overdriven.

Tragedy

bazz26 wrote: »

I'd go for the pre facelifted model made before 2004, they were better built and made of higher quality material.

Actually, the longer production continued the better built they became(which is usually true for any car).
Facelift/pre facelift is a matter of taste. Originally I much preferred pre-facelift, but I've gradually begun to appreciate facelift - so much so I bought one

johnos1984 wrote: »

Project drive started in 2001 so the slow decline happened from then on.

the best built/finished on is a Cowley built 75 identifiable by its black sills. The wooden dash board is in fact wood unlike everything which came after

Cowley is the worst built, by far but had the best interior. Longbridge saw significant improvements in quality/reliability.
Project drive is for the most part, completely minor. Main thing is Dash+FBH on diesels

RoverJames wrote: »

Yep, much the same car but significantly different :pac:
Most ZTs have 18" wheels, all have uprated suspension, some have bigger brakes. All engines from the 75 are available in the ZT

A diesel ZT is a very very drool worthy vehicle. You'd get an 03/04 one for £3000/£3500 in the UK without too much miles on it.

I got an 03 ZT CDTi with alcantara/cruise, 80k miles, for £2,850 14 months ago. And prices have fallen by quite a bit. Should see similar for around £2,500 - £2,600 if you put enough time into it

RoverJames wrote: »

Except for timing belt changes costing the guts of £1000, VIS balance and power motors for the induction system that fail after a few years (£100 each), a good few need new inlet manifolds too (£600 I think but that includes the two motors mentioned and clutch changes double that of a more mainstream petrol car. Oh and the ZT versions on 18s are expensive to get tyres for

Other than that they are cheap and easy to service, plugs last ages so it's only oil and filter changes mostly

Timing belt change can be done for under £400 if you know where to go
VIS motors can be repaired most of the time(did both mine), replacements are around £80 but can usually find 2nd hand repaired ones for a bit cheaper. Replaced inlet manifold on mine using a 2nd hand one that cost me £120, but a brand new one+both vis motors was available for I think £440.
Clutch shouldn't break £400, again, if you know where to go and where to get the parts

Tyres are a bitch though, especially when you only buy high end. Only got 15,000 miles out of a set of Potenzas on my CDTi, hoping to get a bit more out of KV6 with less weight up there.

Must try take an interior pic of mine, it's full black leather, dark oak dash, black walnut steering wheel and is only missing two options from the full spec list(passenger side electric height adjustment and full size alloy wheel).

For any prospective ZT buyer:
Check shocks carefully, they're EXTREMELY expensive to replace and the ZT doesn't have any aftermarket suppliers, it's rimmerbros or nothing for shocks.
R75/ZT: Both pre-facelift and facelift cars have weak fan systems. On pre-facelift, they have a 3 speed design and the brushes wear out meaning the system only operates as off, or on(high) which wears out the high speed and puts strain on the compressors. On facelift, it's a 2 speed design but the low speed resistor is a known weak point, again leading to just off or high. I have a replacement resistor for mine, but weather+lack of ever having soldered before have put me off.
Don't judge clutch based on mileage, judge it on bite/feel/slippage. Some owners get 50k from a clutch, some get even less, some get 140k. Average is around 80k, but mine was on the original clutch, and handled a remap+synergy 2 absolutely fine up to 98,000 miles with still no sign of giving up the ghost.

I'd recommend the diesel or the 1.8T to anyone, the 1.8T especially is a peach of an engine combined decent power with decent consumption, and tax ain't half bad.
I love my KV6, but ~26-28mpg, €935 a year tax and high insurance makes it harder to recommend.
O/T but I wonder how much this went/will go for: http://www.carzone.ie/search/Jaguar/S-Type/XJ-Super/201045200184569/advert?channel=CARS
It's a Jaguar XJ Super V8, 0-60 in 4.8s and a list price of £70,000.
That or an S-type R is about all that could tempt me anytime in the future

Padraig Mor

Yeah, if the HG hasn't been replaced by someone who knows exactly what they're doing, forget about it. I bought a 1.8 Connoisseur which had the HG recently replaced. Few months down the line it was on way out again despite my best babying attempts. What a car though - still miss it! Mileage not great - hardly pushing 30mpg TBH but a great car for wafting!

Roverjames: what happened to your stereo!

Padraig Mor

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Roverjames: what happened to your stereo!

What do you mean ? That one in the pic I removed as it wouldn't play home burnt CDs.

Tragedy

Tragedy wrote: »

Timing belt change can be done for under £400 if you know where to go
VIS motors can be repaired most of the time(did both mine), replacements are around £80 but can usually find 2nd hand repaired ones for a bit cheaper. Replaced inlet manifold on mine using a 2nd hand one that cost me £120, but a brand new one+both vis motors was available for I think £440.
Clutch shouldn't break £400, again, if you know where to go and where to get the parts

True, but for most folks when their clutch goes they need it fixed fairly lively and won't know where to go, especially over here. Also if you need a balance or power motor it's onto the Rimmers site, repairing the old ones is all well and good but it's a non runner if you need your car and are not handy with a soldering iron etc.

For somone who just throws the car in the garage they are potentially not cheap at all to maintain. Loads of garages won't even attempt a timing belt change on one. You love them and know loads about them, most folks don't

Owen

I have a second supplier of OEM bits other than Rimmer Bros in case anyone's looking. Well, I say I have, but a friend in the trade has. Some guy the UK who bought an absolute shed load of stuff from MG/Rover when the doors closed, few million pounds worth.

Rimmer Brothers sound like a crowd selling dildoes or something :eek:

Alfagtamini

im tempted by this one if he lowers his asking price by 6-7k i wonder if he knows its a 04/05 really.
seen it in the flesh in lidl carpark a few weeks back it looks cracking


http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1625531

manatoo

I've come close to buying one of these a couple of times. A) They're a bit more interesting than the usual A4/3 Series run of the mills that are everywhere and you can get nothing like the interior spec on anything else for anywhere near the money BUT having consulted with my own mechanic and an ex-main rover dealer mechanic they are not well engineered. They both said to forget the petrols completely and that the diesels begin needing costly work (wishbones, bushes, gearboxes, electrics) work after 80,000 miles and that once they're above 100,000 it's anyone's guess how much longer they're viable when the cost of repairs vs a different car becomes unfavourable. As a Carina owner with 140,000 miles of which 80,000 in 4 years, and zero repair bills in a 16 year old car, changing to a 75 despite the fact that the driving experience and interior opulence are worlds apart, it just wouldn't make sense financially. Shame though, they're a really lovely car. They definitely have a little imagination put into them in an industry where cars have become so boring it's painful...

manatoo

manatoo wrote: »

BUT having consulted with my own mechanic and an ex-main rover dealer mechanic they are not well engineered. They both said to forget the petrols completely and that the diesels begin needing costly work (wishbones, bushes, gearboxes, electrics) work after 80,000 miles and that once they're above 100,000 it's anyone's guess how much longer they're viable when the cost of repairs vs a different car becomes unfavourable. ..

Both complete and utter numpties by the sound of it. My 2.5 KV6 came with a fsh, she's had nothing major done at all.

manatoo wrote: »

As a Carina owner with 140,000 miles of which 80,000 in 4 years, and zero repair bills in a 16 year old car, ..

You drive around on discs with 140K on them and reckon your brakes are sh1t, if you properly maintained your Carina you would have repair bills. If I never wiped my arse I wouldn't need to buy toilet paper

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=68927897#post68927897

manatoo

RoverJames wrote: »

Both complete and utter numpties by the sound of it. My 2.5 KV6 came with a fsh, she's had nothing major done at all.

How many miles in how long have you done? Whats the total mileage? What jobs have you had done on it?