Happy 30th birthday to...

[cms206]

.. the Austin Montego. Already lazy journalism has started...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/classiccars/10779540/30-years-of-the-Austin-Montego.html#comment-1354876649


So, keeping it shite - what are you experiences of the Montego over the last 30 years?

[fordperv]

My dad had a poo brown montego in the early 90s for a couple of months, it was a great car, then he bought his sierra and traded the montego in

[trigger]

Rusty wheel arches and sills and drooping head lining. Also a gorgeous gold 2.0 GTi Estate was one of the first cars I ever worked on when I left school.

[eddyramrod]

My first experience of the Montego was at 1.6L level, in a fleet of rental cars in 1986. I wanted something bigger than the Fiat Unos that were their base cars, so the Montego was the next step. I had three over the course of the summer: C695, 711 and 712 EBA. 695 was Targa Red, the other two were white. I loved them, they were light, roomy and powerful, which suited me down to the ground. Some years later I got my hands on a 1991 1.6 LX, J433 SOP, in metallic Racing Green. Again I loved it, for the same reasons, but after several months it suffered a massive MoT fail, so I stripped off what I could and scrapped it. I'd have another, absolutely! Preferably a VDP 2.0 auto estate in Racing Green, that would be most enjoyable .

 

Is it sad that I can remember rental cars so clearly after 28 years?????????????

[wuvvum]

My dad had two as company cars, both diesel estates.  H966GVU was a flame red DLX, which he had for about 2 1/2 years until we moved to France, where he got another one - not badged as a Montego mind, it was badged as a Rover GTD Break, but it was basically a Countryman (in BRG metallic) with an extra front air dam and aircon.  437ABN38 was the reg.  He kept it until he got made redundant 18 months later and bought a Volvo 240.

[AlabamaShrimp]

'fixed' and sold quite a lot years ago most had rotten sills and arches. Inside the back doors was common but no worse than a lot of other cars but miles better than the metro

[RobT]

This 2.0GSi auto now owned by 109landy.  It was great despite the usual rust issues and numerous trim rattles.  Went like stink and I preferred the softer ride to the equivalent Sierra and Cavalier, even if handling suffered as a result.  El cheapo budget tyres didn't help either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I ran two Estates as company cars - an H plate BRG 2.0Gti and a J plate diesel Countryman. Both were 7 seaters and both towed various caravans and 4 wheeled car trailers all over the place . The Countryman almost came to grief on Pendine Sands ,after I drove too close to the sea, a bloke in a mk2 Escort tried to pull it out,until it became obvious he was going to get stuck too so I told him to give up. He disappeared and returned with a guy in a Range Rover who didn't look too pleased about the waves splashing his pride and joy( sensible bloke,knowing how these things like to rot now) .

Anyway Rangie man and about 20 or 30 people pushing got it out, but he kept going and there was nobody in the Montego,cue me chasing it up the beach and diving through the passenger window just in time to yank the handbrake on. There were loads of people with giant VHS cameras filming this and ever since I've expected the footage to turn up on You've been framed or Worlds biggest Twats ,or something.

 

Other Montego highlights include a VdP efi estate that had been a demo car for Moto Build. It was lowered with poly bushes all round,a complete 3" exhaust and cross spokes,apart from a k&n filter I don't know what ,if anything, had been done to the engine but my missus hated it as it was so noisy, it shuffled off this mortal coil when my mental (ex South African riot Policeman) neighbour was welding his P6, set it on fire which spread to the fence my carport the Montego and a lovely little 4 door A30 I'd just bought, before the fire brigade arrived ,just in time to save the house.

[Angrydicky]

My dad had two estates from 2000-2004. 2.0 GTI auto estate in British Racing Green, which had the rear facing dicky seats in the boot and a large bill from a couple of years previously to have new wheelarches fitted...they'd simply been tacked over the rusty originals and buried in a load of filler. Think it was an ex-Rover company car, H567 MDA. At the same time my dad had his, a bloke down the road had an identical BRG estate except his was a diesel, G542 ESJ (how do I remember these things?) Not sure what happened to that one in the end, but the bloke is a bit of a tat hoarder and at the time, had his first Montego estate overgrown on his smallholding which he kept for spares. The main thing I remember about my dad's one is that it had an aftermarket Toad immobiliser which meant it had quite a knack to start it. Also he bought it from a dealership in Leigh on Sea, off a bloke called Craig Benson who is apparently a relative of Dominic Littlewood, half brother we think, and he looked exactly like him. Presumably that was Littlewood's old car dealership before he became famous. Dad scrapped it in 2003 after the head gasket went.

 

The second Montego he had was lovely, I wish he still had it. F120 MVW, Targa Red 1.6 base estate, 36,000 miles from new and one local elderly owner. Still had its original 'SMAC Group' sticker and plates, and no rust anywhere. Unfortunately the autochoke was playing up on it and it never ran properly, so dad put it in the local paper. Sadly this was 2004, and they had no classic following. Some chav family bought it for £350 and presumably, either ran it into the ground or wrote it off, because it only lasted another year according to the DVLA. Shame. 

[Junkman]

I can't recall having ever seen one in real life, so for me it's one of those elusive cars that only exist in catalogs, or trail the points count in a contemporary magazine comparison test.

Apart from being obviously shite, what could have been a reason to opt for one back in the day? I mean seriously.

[twosmoke300]

The perkins prima td , the only engine to rival the 2.5di transit.

 

Not for performance or economy just the bloody racket they make. Good lord they could wake the dead . Not an unpleasant noise to my ears cos i like a nice sharp diesel but just the volume.

[rml2345]

There was a green Countryman estate at the bottom of my road when I was growing up and it looked fabulous. Then it vanished one day and a Nissan Serena took its place. The world was just a little bit less bright after that.

Montegoa are also very comfortable.

[meggersdog]

I briefly owned an MG Turbo version in the mid 90's.Even on a slightly damp day didn't matter where you positioned the steering wheel the damn thing only ever wanted to go straight ahead.Seem to recall it was on metrics and I couldn't afford decent tyres so I sold it.

Certainly was rapid and it was that nice metallic blue colour.

[saucedoctor]

I had a 1.6LX and a 2.0 SLX, and my Dad had an MG EFi. I thought they were brilliant. Comfy, usefully big, easy to drive, maintain and see out of. And those light up stalks were a delight. Thumbs up.

[Guest Breadvan72]

My dad's D reg 1.6 HL or whatever it was.  Burgundy red with grey cloth, IIRC.   I yammed it at over a ton just after I passed my test in 1989, and learned how to do hand brake turns in the gravel car park of Thame Rugby Club.  Don't tell my dad.  

[Bren]

My dad had two - B33 COX was a moonraker blue 1.6 estate - bought because his 2.3 SD1 was burning oil.

D 597 RMA was a silk green VDP - a nice car until rot got the better of it. Replaced with a Hyundai stellar.

 

Do I win the " most shite in a single thread" award?

[anonymous user]

I have never owned one, but about 10 years ago I set up a deal on one where one friend, who had just cooked the engine in his TR7, was desperate for cheap transport and friends of another friend had just been given a car by relatives leaving their Montego surplus. The two were put in touch and £70 changed hands. (The value of the tax on it) It wasn't too bad, apart from rusty arches and no headlining. I drove it and thought it was ok and it was used for a couple of weeks while the TR7 was sorted out. It was then sold for £62.50 to three blokes who needed transport to get up to Scotland.

[dollywobbler]

My dad had F41 FLM (I think) as a company car when I was in my teens - so about 1992/3. Facelift model, 1.6L estate in red. Seem to recall it often didn't like starting on cold mornings.

 

By the time I passed my test, he was working for another company, and had a Lynx Bronze 1.6L estate, E740 KOY. This was actually nicer than the facelift model I thought. Better interior, better seats and a much better stereo with better bass response. Of course, the fact that the Montego estate had the rear speakers in the bottom of the tailgate was utterly stupid, and meant that holidays were spent listening to very muffled Genesis.

 

This was the first car I drove after passing my test - a nervy drive with my dad as passenger. He then let me drive it solo on occasion, when I'd cruise the mean streets of Birmingham in utter style.

 

A couple of years ago, I drove this beautiful 1.6HL. I was impressed actually.

http://classichub.wordpress.com/2012/12/08/its-been-a-long-time-monty/

[RichL]

Parents of friends had a few over the years, '91 and '92 1.6 LX estates in white and green and an '88 1.6L in light blue. I think this was ex rental and the only reg I can remember, E32 XDT. I always liked them, comfy and plenty of room, spec on the later LX's seemed way better.

 

There was also a 2.0 Vanden Plas estate with the rear facing seats that a family down the road had for a short time.

 

There's a BL training/promo vid for the MG Turbo on PistonHeads. Worth watching.

[robinmasters]

I don't use the phrase 'rusty death trap' lightly but the one I had (J-reg, 2.0SLX), split it's time between trying to kill me with its appalling handling, and preparing for the international Most Rusty Arches award.

 

I sold it to a man who came down from Birmingham with his entire family, in the dark, to collect it, and I don't think I lost a penny on it. 

[Pete-M]

A friend of mine had two B reg, beige, HLS 1.6 jobs around 1989. When they worked they weren't bad. Quite quick for a standard family saloon, quicker than a 1.6 Sierra or Cavalier. Didn't handle badly but suffered from torque steer when driven like reps drove in those days. Quite good on fuel for the size of the car. First one lasted him about six months and then the gearbox packed up. My pal had already replaced both front hubs, cv joints and drive shafts on it. The box blowing up meant when he had fixed it he sold it.

 

Six months later he bought another one as it was cheaper to insure than a Sierra or Cav. That one also ate cv joints and hubs.

 

One problem with both of them was rust. The production process was cocked up on them. Bits of the body were galvanised - but apparently before the shell was welded together as they used to rust where the shells were welded together. Warranty work was common on them where they rusted at these points. Both my pal and I worked in a main agent body shop and spent most of our time grinding rot from Montego body seams.

 

A few years later the same lad bought a G plate Rover Montego 2.0. Much nicer car, nicer interior, better colours, and it felt well screwed together. Still rotted in the same places and ate hubs though.

 

Turbo jobs went like stink but torque steered horrifically and seemed to rot worse than standard jobs. Wasn't unusual for the rear shock mounts to růst through when they were six or seven years old.

[Lord Sterling]

Happy Birthday to the Montego then. About year younger than me.

 

I drove Captain_Slow's 2.0 HL a year or so ago. I utterly enjoyed it, it felt like a pretty well sorted car. This, along with Rover 213/216 SD3 and the early R8 Rover 200/400 are really the only other cars I'd love to add to my collection.

 

I have, amazingly, spotted a Montego here in South France, I also spotted a very clean looking 1989 Metro!

[garethj]

This is what I remember of the Montego

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RHXg5s7wv8

[Pillock]

My great uncle had one. I have it in mind it was a D-reg, it was that nice metallic blue though with a biscuit coloured interior. I just remember it being very nice and a massive leap up from the 1982 Cortina we'd gone visiting in....

[Negative Creep]

My much hated German teacher, Mr Delay, had a light blue Countryman and my Dad had a green MG as a company car that he once took me to a heady 120mph in (the only time I ever remember him driving quickly)

[HillmanImp]

I always wanted a Montego Mayfair because of that ad of one outside one of those mirrored buildings that were popular at the time.

[r.welfare]

My uncle had a 2.0HL on an A-plate. He seemed to get a new company car every 18 months or less and always seemed to get whatever had just been launched; he had a W-reg Mk3 Escort then an X-reg Mk2 Cavalier GLS. Something must have come between the Cavalier and Montego but I can't remember what.

 

He liked the Montego and took another after a couple of years.

 

My dad's mate had a 1.3 saloon in beige in the early 90s. Autoshite Gold.

 

I remember a girl I worked with in my first job had an '89 1.6L. She told me she'd paid 900 quid for it when it was six years old, three years previously. Seemed like stellar depreciation to me. Nice seats and interior on those facelift models, shame about the rust.

[e287yba]

I took E692 WTT from 75k to 153k miles between 1997 and 2006, "Monty" was an Azure-Blue-Over-Grey 1.6L saloon who cost me £400 to buy as a stolen-recovered then a further £600 to get on the road (new flywheel ring gear & new ignition barrel plus random odds'n'sods I can't recall now)... MoT was generally a couple of hundred quid each year, but it cost nowt save fuel, tax, insurance and service items inbetween times .

 

Monty was followed by Fleagle, a 25k F-reg 1.6L in - you guessed it! - Azure Blue. F929 NNA lasted 3 years (to 2009), the back foot of the offside sill fell off and there was major rot around the fuel filler pocket . Its replacement is a Peugoet 309SR which fails to rot in any meaningful way in the important areas...

 

Having said this, one of the cars on my drive is an LHD MG Maestro 1600 (essentially the same bodyshell ) which has more plates than a Royal Doulton Tea Set having spent around a third of its life on long grass - but otherwise just chugs on and on from MoT to MoT and (more importantly?) from day to day...

 

I also owned a Montego 2.0 VandenPlas EFi Automatic saloon, D120 HHY - and while it felt damn good to know one was driving arguably the fastest car in a rolling queue of traffic on a country road, the torque steer made it all harder than ideal when one put one's foot down. But by golly did that thing go! This one had 5 months' MoT when I aquired it for £50, and the MoT fail came with a continuation sheet (my only such MoT fail). It averaged 25mpg in Winter and 27mpg in Summer, whereas the 1.6s averaged 27mpg in Winter and 29mpg in Summer...

 

The 1.6s would stretch to 41mpg on a long run though (I have seen 47mpg from the 309 once, and the MG will give 37mpg on a long run at 70mph).

 

I've also driven Maestro 1.3s fairly extensively - but the Montego 1.3s I have driven really punched above their weight and were not far off the 1.6 at all (and as such were quite driveable and habitable)!

 

Damn good cars, not that I am biased .

[Spiny Norman]

I'm pretty sure I've never driven a Montego.
I know my mate had one he used as a taxi for a year or so until it got twatted by a rogue Post Office van and got replaced by an Orion, which as a passenger conveyance was shit by comparison so I'd imagine it drove similarly.
I've driven Maestros of varying flavours, are they similar?

[Vin]

My cousin had a gold montego when he was at university. He wanted rid, so my uncle got me to give it a go over before sale. I cleaned the rust scabs off and hacked out the rot and filled the rear arches with filler and gave it a blow over with rattle cans. I also stuck the broken aeriel back in the mount with filler and painted it black. It was the summer of 1992. C49 TDP was the reg number...