75 Hogs Attention

The Rovering Member

The Rovering Member

Well-Known Member
After this:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=20960&p=175570&hilit=fester#p175570

I was still in 'searching the market' mode so I transferred my searching to the 75 ad's just to see what was out there & ended up with this:





After a quick registration change:



She's a 1.8 Connoisseur with a spotless Sandstone leather interior, £800 off the bay. Bought from Barnstaple so we got a train down, completed the deal & collected her in the station car park & spent the night in a Lynmouth hotel overlooking the harbour. All very nice.
Having never even sat in one beforehand, I was surprised at the size of the car & immediately struck by the inate 'Roverness' of her, much like my first impressions of sitting in my P5B for the first time. The 1.8 has got a bit of a bad rep' but it's mostly undeserved & usually down to poor maintenance. The V6's & diesels also have their foibles but the 1.8 is generally the easiest & most economical to maintain & run which is why I plumped for one, my thinking being that I already have more than enough sub 25MPG cars sitting around. :LOL: Many people say it's underpowered compared to the V6 but that was the idea of having a selection of engines, choice. On the road she will reach & sit at illegal speeds quickly & happily enough & is reasonably quick off the mark (though I may indulge a 1.8 turbo one day). The 1.8 has quite a pleasant, rorty engine note too. I was losing a bit of coolant & had some rough-running at idle but that is a common fault & down to the inlet manifold gasket allowing coolant into cylinders 1 & 4 when the car's at rest. A cheap & easy fix which I did myself & no loss since.
I did a lot of reading on the 75 forum before I bought but in the end went with my gut & bought unseen. Turns out she's a really good car & I've been well happy for the last 6.5k miles. Fitted with the uprated head gasket two owners back & so far, no problems.
I kept it quiet so I could see Harvey's face when I picked him up last. :mrgreen: He grudgingly admitted that she's a very nice vehicle. But my attention has been somewhat diverted since I bought her so have only just got round to posting on here. They are a bit addictive & I've spent at least the purchase price again on bits & pieces for her but that's a bonus of the prices currently being on the floor for a 75.

It's time to get back to the rest of the fleet though.
 
The Rovering Member said:
I kept it quiet so I could see Harvey's face when I picked him up last. :mrgreen: He grudgingly admitted that she's a very nice vehicle.
Click to expand...

'Tis true, but only grudgingly, mind.....


The Rovering Member said:
I've spent at least the purchase price again on bits & pieces for her
Click to expand...

20150912_191216.jpg


Like a personal plate for a dyslexic....... :LOL:
 
I'm currently on the lookout for an early pre-Project Drive V6 auto. Lovely things and, as mentioned above, extremely cheap.
 
Really nice...
I was looking to buy one for some years now, but as long as i wanted to keep my P6 as a daily driver it wouldn't make much sense to get another big car just for the sake of it. Tax over here is prohibitive.
When i decided that i want to preserve my P6 instead of wearing it out, suddenly another old car wouldn't make sense really, as i just don't have the time now to dedicate to a fourth car in my small fleet, and support for these over here isn't great. So i had to pass again.
But who knows, in future...
I wish you many happy miles in it! :mrgreen:
 
Thanks, Demetris.
They are gorgeous cars. Supremely comfortable & a very calming place to be. Though l still love old cars, the 75's mod-cons are very persuasive when deciding on an everyday steed.
 
There's not much l can do to my cars at home but l have the 75's wooden wheel here & the re-colouring kit to change it from the original Smokestone to Sandstone which is the colour of my interior. Well partly now since l changed all the black interior fittings to Aubergine.

Leather prepped for colourant:

IMG_20200401_164823_0.jpg
 
I have almost bought a 75 several times, but too many cars and no garage space have all put the kibosh on the idea. hmmm just bought a Honda Step wagon last week, 4 cars now..... maybe I could look at a 75 as well......... deathly looks from wife.


Graeme
 
Including the wife's Fiesta we have seven. You have room. ;)

Various stages of applying the colour. It has to be sealed next:

IMG_20200401_183138_2.jpg

IMG_20200401_173607_2.jpgIMG_20200401_175401_6.jpg
 
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That didn't come out too bad:

IMG_20200402_150940_9.jpg

The colour difference. The rear won't really show & it's cheaper than buying a sandstone/walnut wheel which seem to be the most expensive, normally changing hands for around £100/120.

IMG_20200402_151114_4.jpg
 
I had an understanding partner & I now have a tolerant though sometimes exasperated wife. They're not necessarily the same lady.
I never had the deep pockets but bought cars & rented premises relatively cheaply & have family in the auto-repair business. I no longer have the square footage l once had though hence the very gradual downsizing.
 
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