What cars appeal to Rover owners

ghce

ghce

Well-Known Member
I Know quite a few Rover car owners and to some degree there seems to be a pattern to the types of cars that they have owned previously and a bias in the types of cars they would prefer to own in the future. Here in NZ there is an established opinion that Rover owners also own Honda cars I for one an am example having owned 5 since 1990 and it was nothing to do with the Honda Rover tie up.

Personnaly I have a hankering to buy a Chrysler 300 and would also like a P5B coupe though I saw an Audi A5 thet I could not take my eyes off yesterday

So my question to you is what cars appeal to you and what would you buy?
 
I have owned mostly classics in my time. Don't really like modern cars much but I have found that the seats in cheaper jap cars are hideously uncomfortable so I try to only drive the more upscale ones where possible. I have owned a fair few old Vauxhalls, Triumphs and American tanks (mostly Mopars) as well but the quality of the Rovers has kind of spoilt me for that kind of thing now. If money were no object, I would probably be lusting after an Aston Martin V8 or Bentley T1 coupe. Maybe a Jaguar MK10/420G or AM Lagonda but I am quite happily ensconced in P6s at the moment and really don't see the need to drive anything else. The TC is a fine daily driver and when the Estate is finished, it will be an awesome touring car.
Btw, never liked Hondas. they're way too bloody complicated. They are usually very nice cars but when something goes wrong, they're a nightmare. (I'm a mechanic, can you tell?)
 
I have been driving my P6B since 1985 and have every intention of keeping it forever. I have never owned another car, but having said that......

When I have some more room....and if money does not present a problem....I do like the Triumph Stag, but understand that the 3 litre V8 is a real pain, so I'd have a Rover V8 fitted if it has not been done already.

I would like a Humber Super Snipe series 3, and a Land Rover 110 or something similar fitted with a 4.6 would be nice too.

I can't ever see myself buying a modern car.

I am however a cyclist, having been riding and racing since I was 15, and having ridden over 200,000km in the past 10 years, I'll always buy a modern bicycle over something older.

Ron.
 
My car history went, Vauxhall, Vauxhall, Rover, Rover, Rover, Rover..... Once I'd had a Rover I didn't fancy anything else, I love the fact that they're sort of up-market but have plenty of little "niggles" that need ironing out on a regular basis. Bit like a Jag but cheaper to fix !

Current stable is the P6, 2 820's and a 216 Cabriolet (wife's car, I'm not a hairdresser :LOL: ). Funny thing about the 216, it's like a mini-800 inside, makes me smile.

Money no object - Ferrari F40, money more of an object - Corvette either a 50's model, recent Z06 or early 70's chrome bumper stingray in that order.

Other than that I want to build a rod, '32 or '34, something like this...

speedstar_coupe1.jpg


Or one of many projects I would like to build, starting with finishing the coupe !! :LOL:
 
After becoming a single father of two, I had to give up my P6 as it took too much of my time, nailing it back together every weekend for the following week. So I had a few company cars - Sierra saphire (not a bad car), VW Corrado (Corroder as my brother called it) which was just too difficult to drive sensibly, Peugeot 405 (ewwww), Audi A4 1.9 Tdi (liked that a lot).

Then I bought my own A4 2.8 Quattro avant (I liked that even more :D ), then kids were getting bigger so I got an Audi A6 avant 2.4 Quattro (rather disappointing :cry: ), and now I have the 2.7 twin turbo A6 avant which runs on LPG (Awesome).

I always missed the P6 though, had this sort of yearning for a car which I could fix and maintain myself. So I now have one and am dead chuffed with the fact that it goes, but still has lots of little things wrong with it that I can get out and tinker with when I have time.
 
I have owned many cars, to many to count, at one point I had seven of them at the same time I seriously think oil runs in my veins lol and it seems to be genetic but I find that I dont lust after new cars or those that have had the most marketing hype.
The cars that I own are ones that stir some emotion rather than I just need a car to get from A to B. I recently (about 10 years ago) bought a Daihatsu GTti and fell in love with it drove the hell out of it for about 5years and always wondered what I would replace it with should it die irrapairably.
At that time had no desire for any other car on the planet! it was that much fun to drive until some one offered me a Mitsi GTO Twin Turbo for a riddiculiously low price (1/3 normal retail) and then the same thing happened and somewhat reluctantly I sold the GTti.
There are very very few new cars produced in any decade that I would purchase and so for me only a few stand out that need to go on my shopping list.
The Hondas I have owned have all been functional vehicles for family or work and only one of then I really liked to a similar level to my P6B.

Graeme
 
OK Don't laugh .I drive a Citroen C5 Estate 2006 2litre diesel 6 speed as a company car and for reasonable money I'd like a Citroen DS23 Pallas , a CX Gti Turbo or an XMV6 or for a bit more money a SM
To think the DS was introduced mid 50's and had features most other cars haven't yet caught up with
 
The Rovering Member said:
Money no object, a pre-war Bentley. Wouldn't dream of owning anything remotely Honda related.
Click to expand...

Wot he said. For the main part I want a car that I enjoy driving - for my sins i drive San Diego to LA twice a week and if you send that much time behind the wheel

Alfas -
Bit's may tend to fall off them now and again but they are never boring and every Alfa I have ever met makes fabulous engine noises at certain revs. I drove the old 164 far harder than necessary just to hear the growl at high revs. I'll probably buy another when Alfa finally return to the US

Holdens/Pontiacs
The Monaro/GTO was just a completely bonkers machine when it wanted to be and an astonishingly comfortable civilised mile eater when you had a long way to go, Apart from my first P6B this is the car I most regret parting with

Jag
They aren't the cad's car that they were in the sixties. I'm a little dissapointed in the further cheapening of some of the fixtures and fittings compared to the old version, but the XJR rides well despite the 20" wheels and low profile tyres and gets astonishingly good mileage -averages 22-23MPG (US gallons not imperial). Servicing ain't cheap however

Land Rovers
Owned several and still own two - a well worn Disco II and an ex-army Series 3 24v LWB soft top (complete with extra dents).

What I really want
A P5b coupe, that Bentley, a DB5 and a D type Jag

The cars I hated most
A 2004 Ford Expedition nicknamed the Soul Destroyer . There was nothing inherently awful about it in the way that a Morris Marina was awful, but it managed to be awful anyway. It had acres of beige cloth and plastic that just ate away at your mind over the miles.
A Hyundai that I had as a rental for a few weeks - it had the jiggliest ride i have ever experienced and horrible bump steer.

Oh.. and the Chrysler 300? Looks great on the outside but that interior sucks - Chrysler often thoroughly spoil a good design by using the cheapest shiniest plastic they can find. I looked at the 300's cousin the Dodge Charger when we bought the GTO, but the retro muscle car look was faithully extended to the interior with acres of cheap plastic - if memory serves it also had a fake "veneer" strip across the dash with "chrome" accents. Buy a used Vauxhall Monaro instead - much more satisfying
 
Hi well i always have a volvo somewere near me just in case , they have always been a very under rated car i had my first volvo at 18 yrs old and now im 40 and dont feel complete if there isn t one on the drive, my current one is a v70 i got of a one owner with full volvo service history and went through mot with nothing needed. leaving more to spend on that rover sat in the garage looking very good.
regards
marcus :roll:
 
Hmm, cars that appeal? Well I don't like anything physically too large. My favourite seems to be around Golf size or slightly larger. The P6 conforms to that on the inside, on the outside it's at my size limit. Then I like torquey engines, so it's either going to be lots of cubic inches or a diesel. Must also be capable of being hurried very effectively, so handling has to be at least competent, but be very relaxing for very long journeys - I expect to be able to lay down 250 miles without a break. Final requirement is that it is unobtrusive or even unfashionable - so that I give folks a scare when I navigate past at high speed!!!

Of current production metal I reckon an Audi A4 3.0 TDI V6 comes as close as anything. I'd buy a Golf R32 (greatly enjoyed a chipped VR6 a few years back) but its got boy racer kit all over it. Old style baby Mercs were pretty good but of late they've come over all boy racer too. BMW's completely unacceptable because of the expectations raised by the sort of people who own them. That's a shame really, cos a mate of mine has a new 330i with paddle shift etc and I am hugely impressed by the performance of the box in auto and the ability of the engine to deliver such excellent grunt so silkily and with 40mpg! Perhaps a 2.2 engined Astra with as unobtrusive as possible body spec might come close, but underneath its a Vauxhall! Another that would definitely suit would be the diesel boxer Subaru. I have a very soft spot for Subaru's brought on by a little old estate we kept at work that just wouldn't die and had handling and performance quite unguessed at from the agricultural bodywork.

With a completely free cheque book I doubt I'd go for anything very exotic (except as a hire car for a weekends grin!). I'd be much more likely to go down much the same route as I have with the Thai car - make something up from parts bin bits to suit my own style. Perhaps most likely to start with a previous model C class Merc estate and go for a pretty much standard exterior but a significantly improved interior and a very breathed on 5 cylinder diesel.

Chris
 
Here is an odd choice.
I've had a Citroen Berlingo Multispace for 7 years now and all things considered it is probably the best all rounder I've had. Its not the fast or pretty but it has been cheep to run, reliable and ultra practical. Its not my main family car but I'd be lost without it.

One of my favourite films is American Graffiti, I would be happy with either of the films star cars for a weekend cruiser, 55 Chevy or a 32 Ford Coupe.

If someone else was paying for the fuel and tyres I would have a de-badged E63 Merc estate. I had one for a few days last year and it was an awsome car, 507bhp in a family estate!
 
First car was a 1930s Vauxhall 25, it had been stored through the war, I bought it for £25. 00 in1951, since then FORD V8 Pilot, 2X 1947s Austin A125 Sheerlines, Humber Hawk, 1934 Rover 10, Armstrong Sidley Saphire,Daimler Conquest, Zepher Zodiac, 2X 1961/1962 Mk 11 Jags, one was a 2.4 the other the best car I ever owned was a 3.8 on wires, and a 1959 SWB petrol Land Rover, for the last twelve years a 1979 Opel Manta, I've also had two V8 P6s, but now only one, the reson for so many cars, when I was in the navy I would buy a car when on leave, and leave it for my brother to sell after I went back to my ship, Oh! I did own a two seater MG, for a week whilst in Plymouth,it didn't have a soft top, I meant to get one later on, I left it in the dockyard car park one night, sailed on H.M.S. Gambia for the Middle East the following morning, came back eighteen months later, and the car had gone!!! Often wondered who the thieving Git was that nicked it!!!!!
Julian.
 
First, Mini with 1275cc twin SU, lightened flywheel and sod all brakes..... :shock:
Then, Alfa Alfetta 2lt that got written off and was a great car
Then P6 auto that became LT77 manual and is currently 4 sp Jag O/Drive sold to a mate
Then Honda Ballade 1300 that has 240k plus on it and is held together by the tinworms, but bought the Rover back from mate.
Now, Same Honda and Hyundai Atos for 'er Indoors and the Rover in storage awaiting evacuation of 'er Indoors' junk from MY garage so I can fix her up like she deserves, and I want to. More to follow on that topic.
 
JULIAN BEST said:
First car was a 1930s Vauxhall 25, it had been stored through the war, I bought it for £25. 00 in1951, since then FORD V8 Pilot, 2X 1947s Austin A125 Sheerlines, Humber Hawk, 1934 Rover 10, Armstrong Sidley Saphire,Daimler Conquest,
Click to expand...
Thats a very nice list, love those Sheerlines, especially the interiors. There's a buying guide in the latest Practical classics. Armstrong too, very nice. We were offered a Sapphire (possibly a Star, can't recall) & though it was tempting we decided it was just too big a job to take on. Would've loved it though.
 
The NZ Rover/Honda tie-in is interesting. Before I decided to buy my current Rover I was considering a Honda Accord.

My previous cars have been:

1978 Austin Allegro 1500 estate. Bought for £300, driven for 3 years and sold for £300. In terms of appeal, a car that does not depreciate is way up there. Would I own another Allegro? No chance!

My second car was a 1983 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.8 SRi which I sold with 195K on the clock. These old Cavaliers were solid, reliable and dead easy to work on.
Next was a 1994 Cavalier 2l SRi which was red with GSi alloys and my pride and joy until it got stolen in Northern Ireland 8 years ago. When I got back to the mainland UK DVLA sent me out a tax reminder despite me having reported the car stolen to the PSNI. I refused to complete a SORN and to this day I still have the original log book for the car. I've even typed the cars reg into an insurance website and the cars details still come up..........thought stolen cars got removed.
When this car was stolen I couldn't afford a new car so I leased a 1.8 Renault Laguna and to this day it has been my only brand new car. It was the first of the new shape Lagunas and looked very good. Unfortunately the steering and suspension was rubbish and I just managed to avoid an expensive front suspension replacement after only 25K miles before the lease ended.
My next car was a 2001 Ford Mondeo 2l Ghia X. This was a lovely car with full spec leather interior and all the gadgets you could want in a car. My ex got that one in the separation and I bought a 1999 2.5 V6 Vectra B CDX. Again fully spec'd and just before the new tax banding came in so V6 power with cheap (ish) car tax. I've put nearly 100K of motorway driving on this car in 2 and a half years and it just keeps going. I'm going to sell it shortly if anyone is interested...... :wink: and use the Rover as my everyday car.

As for my ideal car (money being no object), well that would be an Aston Martin Vantage, British Racing Green with cream leather interior. :)
 
My dad is an avid Volvo 240 enthusiast and has stripped down his pristine '86 white sedan for no practical reason, just to see whether he could do it! He even manufactured the special tools for the job! When I was getting my driver's license he even helped me buy my own 240 estate, because he was so protective of his own. The car's durability lived up to it's fearsome reputation. When I backed into a brand new Kia my insurance company had to shell out 2000£ in repairs for the Kia - I only had to go to the scrap yard and pop off a new rear light cluster!

No, it's not comfortable, doesn't pack a punch, but what's not to love about a car that can sit for years on the bottom of the Oslo fjord, get fished up and then start at the flick of a key?

Money no object - I would buy a late fifties Lancia Aurelia GT or a Mercedes 220 Ponton Coupé.
 
I like contrasts so the other car for me is a trusty Citroen Dyane (No 3). Aircooled twin pot simplicity and as the late Michael Sedgwick summed up in his book on classic cars 'A useful hack with more performance thanyou would suspect'. Now when i want to go really fast i have a 750 motorbike..
 

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Well after seeing that last image I guess I dont feel to bad showing this one of the last car I owned but have since sold.

WagonR0001.jpg


I only sold it cos it didnt have ABS brakes and Air Con these are great wee cars

Graeme
 
I've been tentatively considering the possibility of another car (to replace a 10 year run of company cars) and I can't seem to stop looking at Rover 75s.
 
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