Hello, good day, how are you?

[Roverageous]

Hello. My name is Tim and I have a problem - BL, Rover Group & MG-Rover chod. I share a lockup with a friend and as it stands at the moment, my collection includes: 1x Austin 1100, 1x Austin Allegro (shit brown, naturally), 1x Rover 800 Vitesse, 1x MG TF Anniversary, 1x Rover 45 Impression Saloon, 1x Rover 75 Club (in bits at the moment) and 1x Rover 75 Classic SE.

 

As an introduction to my last year of automotive chodwittery, I present to you my most recent aquisition:

 

It's almost a year since I blind bid on a 75 Classic SE just around the corner from me. The listing was poor with one line of description and one poor picture:

 

One winning bid and £571 later, I set off to collect the car, and found a reasonably tidy (but unloved) 75 v6. It had been used as a general run about car for the previous owner's wife for the last 5 years - but it was honest enough and at least had had the clutch (inc. slave!) changed recently. On getting the car home and washed I was midly optimistic about it:

 

---

 

The first thing to do was investigate why it wasn't getting up to temperature when running, so off to Andy (Trikey)'s place in Barton. One thermostat replacement and everything was well. The next hurdle was putting a fresh MOT on it at Christmas - fairly uneventful other than needing the rear brakes overhauling (I knew this before the MOT - and once again Andy at Barton sorted it all out for me) and the MOT garage also pulled up a lower wishbone which needed doing.

 

With a fresh 12 month ticket on it, I pressed it into proper service, getting my registration put on to the car. I also had a brand new chrome insert gearknob from Rimmers that I decided to fit along with near gearstick and handbrake gaiters.

 

At this point I had decided this car was a keeper, and put a lot of effort into the exterior of the car. Here she is resting in the spring sunshine:

 

---

 

Since then she has accompanied me on a week long break to York:

 

And another holiday further in North Yorkshire, where it appeared to be followed by some little Vauxhall automotive mosquito (my younger brother!):

 

And just recently, I took it on a 2600 mile roadtrip from Hull to Limousin Region in France. I spent two weeks there and had a great time.

 

I made sure it was spotless before leaving:

 

Drove from Hull down to Folkstone to the Eurotunnel. I was really impressed with the how efficiently the Eurotunnel was run - 45 minutes from driving onto the train, to driving off in Calais:

 

Then it was time to drive south, only stopping for fuel and toilet breaks - although the satnav did route me through the centre of Paris however it wasn't bad at all! Had to stop once for fuel between Calais and my destination 100km south of Limoge and about 8 hours after leaving Calais - I arrived at the place I would be staying. The Rover certainly suits its surroundings:

 

Around half way through our stay, after descending down a VERY windy road to cross the Dordogne river, I spotted a relative of the Rover, so stopped for a quick snap. This was the only other Rover I saw while in France:

 

And then disaster... A blow out at about 80kph so a couple of new front tyres were on the cards. Thankfully a local mechanic had a couple of correct size Michelins in stock and I was back on the road in no time:

 

The 75 was the perfect companion to my trip, being extremely comfortable throughout, and the ride really is very very good at motorway speeds. I kept an eye on the fluids regularly while away (as I always do) but neither the oil lever nor the coolant level moved an inch.

 

 I can not get over what a good buy this car has been for £571.00. I have had to have a few things done now but with Trikey on hand to sort things out it hasn't cost me a massive amount, the whole year's maintenance including buying the car, road tax & an aircon regas stands me in at £1200 - that is fantastic value.

 

Apologies for the rather long winded first post, and I realise that the car is probably borderline autoshite, but I'll be sure to rectify that shortly with tales aplenty of BL infested hard shoulder tomfoolery.

[Cavcraft]

Welcome along, let's see pictures of your other motors, please!

[chaseracer]

+1000, esp. the Billy Blunder and the poo-hued AllAggro 

 

Good to meet you!

[Wilko220]

You'll fit in here...

Welcome.

[eddyramrod]

Rover 75 has long passed borderline and seems to be verging on compulsory shite now!  Lots of us have, or did have, at least one.  You'll also find a lot of love for the 800s.  Welcome aboard, and please, more photos of the fleet!

[gordonbennet]

Crackin cars, gentlemans club interior waftastic, nice colour, marv you luss value that, well done.

[HillmanImp]

You have this place totally figured out don't you. Make a long list of cool old chod and then ignore all then and do a fab introduction about a Rover 75. Not many places on t'interweb where that would actually be a good idea but here we are.

 

Can I also just say that is a friggin gorgeous interior. 

[red5]

Nice motah - check the plenum drains.

[Skizzer]

Great stuff, welcome along.  75s are brilliant tourers, I loved mine before I killed it.

 

Mine had the same interior, only much grubbier and with a few fag burns.  The velour is lovely, much nicer than the leather IMHO.

 

 

 

Nice motah - check the plenum drains. 

 

This.  That's what ultimately killed mine.

[RoadworkUK]

Welcome aboard. Your appalling taste will be greatly appreciated by a great many of us.

 

Incidentally; Wouldn't a Rover 75 Vitesse have been a splendid thing, without the MG caddishness?

[Roverageous]

Thank you all for a very warm welcome! I am a follower of a few members here on twitter (and have been for some time!) so thought I might as well join up and subscribe to all the fun. You'll be pleased, I'm sure, that the 75's plenums are bone dry and regularly checked. Although I gather it's much harder to kill the petrol ECUs then the diesely ones.

 

I've been frantically searching my dropbox for images of the rest of the 'fleet' (term used very loosely as only two vehicles actually have tax, test & insurance) but it seems I have fewer images than I thought. Here are a couple in the meantime to keep you going while I sort some out of the proper tat.

 

Meet Harold. A Rover 45 Impression S3 bought blind from eBay with one owner and a dodgy headgasket. This was the day he was picked up:

 

And this is how he stands much more recently after: A new head gasket (including head overhaul with new stem seals and whatnot), replacement gearbox, new clutch, new tyres all round, a damn good clean, various cosmetic items and a new clutch pedal rubber:

 

In that top picture you've probably noticed Gordon. He's a Rover 75 1.8 (no, I don't learn...) Club, and looking resplendent in JRG. He now looks like this:

 

But I suppose it's better than when he looked like this inside:

 

Here he is in happier, sunnier times:

[Jim Bell]

Goot 1st post fella.

 

Welcome to not what it used to be,

[Lord Sterling]

Welcome along Tim, what great taste you have. Great first post. I am Lord Sterling, I too am a Roverholic now with 6 Rover 800s in my rather worrying collection.

 

Here is a small rundown of what I have:

 

KV6 Sterling auto:

 

827 Sterling auto:

 

D-reg 820E auto:

 

E-reg 825 Sterling auto:

 

827 Sterling auto: (needs an engine)

 

Now I love Rover 800s through and through, sadly, my mojo took a rather large knock when I purchased this:

 

 

Rough-as-dogs 827 Coupe. I sort of bought it blind as I was out working in the South of France (near to Beziers) when I happened to call a mate back in England one quiet afternoon whom informed me of the sale of this, I'd always wanted a Coupe and for £400 for this tax, tested and running on LPG I didn't seem such a bad deal, but upon returning and after seeing it I began to realise that I wasn't buying a nice clean Coupe as I'd hoped and that in all honesty for a little more money I could have bought much better cars and certainly something different.

 

I have taken the decision to take a rest from 800s once rolling revenue is restored and if another car that I am negotiating comes through, though I'll be keeping all of my 800s, including the Coupe which will receive much needed TLC.

[Spiny Norman]

Anyone who can coin the phrase "Chodwittery" in their first post is going to fit in here rather well.
 

Welcome aboard.

[RoadworkUK]

Welcome along Tim, what great taste you have. Great first post. I am Lord Sterling, I too am a Roverholic now with 6 Rover 800s in my rather worrying collection........I have taken the decision to take a rest from 800s

Mo, you know you're not allowed to rest until you own eight hundred 800's...

[Pillock]

2hr37m before Lord Sturling noticed the presence of a Rover-botherer. This place tra-la-la-laaaa

[Junkman]

827 Sterling auto: (needs an engine)

I thought those Honda engines are marvellous and never break, like everything Japanish?

Unlike their British counterparts, which are naturally utter tosh, because they are British?

 

Discuss.

[rml2345]

Japanese things break too. Whisper it, but so do German things...

Shocker.

Anyway! Welcome along, I'm sure you'll get on fabulously here with a collection like that.

[Noel Tidybeard]

long winded first posts- we like that sort of thing here it helps us to avoid horror films such as 'stenders emmerdale and conversation street

[inconsistant]

You Sir are a long winded cheap skate with a BL affection problem. Look forward to hearing lots more.

[Cavcraft]

WHERE IS ADO16?

[Jon]

Welcome! I'm originally from York but now living in NZ, so nice to see a couple of local pics. In fact, I was back there last August for a holiday and stayed at The Forrester Arms, as our friends held their wedding reception there. Think ours was the room with the top right window in your pic. I knew a guy in his late 20's who had a Rover 75 KV6 auto, replacing an 820. It was a really incongruous car choice I thought, as he liked to listen to gangster rap and wore those really long, oversized basketball vests and baggy jeans, yet waxed lyrical about his champagne 75. A car for the people, it seems.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I am defo going to get a 75 within the next week or so.

[Lord Sterling]

I knew a guy in his late 20s who had a Rover 75 KV6 auto...he liked to listen to gangster rap and wore those really long, oversized basketball vests and baggy jeans, yet waxed lyrical about his champagne 75

Sounded like me when I was in my early 20s, although I had a Champagne Silver Rover 827Si manual with full TWR bodykit.

 

If I don't manage to get the other car I'm after then a Rover 75 KV6 Connoisseur will be in my sites, failing that a former "Edwards of Stratford" 2.5 ZT auto.

[red5]

Auto? What you need is a ZT-T Manual...'cough'

 

[dollywobbler]

The force is strong in this'un. Welcome. Lovely first post. 

[Cavcraft]

I'm not seeing this Austin 1100. I R DISAPOINT.

[Roverageous]

Apologies for the lack of crusty BL shite pictures - I know you're all on tenterhooks - I'm aiming to head down to the unit (40 mile round trip) at the weekend, so I'll get some pictures then.

 

In the meantime the 75 that I was waxing lyrical about has been giving me grief. I set off to work at 4:45am yesterday and all was well until I began to pull away from a set of traffic lights, at which the whole car dies. At this point I get it over to the side of the road leave it, run back home and grab the 45 and arrive at work 10 minutes late. After work I went back to where I left the 75 and had a poke about. It would turn over but wasn't even attempting to 'catch'. At this point I'm seriously thinking a cambelt has snapped (although according to the tippex on the engine cover they're not due for a while yet). I give in and call my friendly matey with an (autoshiteworthy) Land Rover and tow it back home. I think I counted 8 head gasket jibes from him in approximately a 2 minute journey. Pffffft.

 

Back at home, I tried to start it one last time (TBH if one of the cambelts had snapped it'd have been going for scrap, so I wasn't bothered if I did more damage). Ignition lights illuminated. Tried to start it - electrics went dead. Turns out one of the battery leads had worked loose.

 

Happy days!

[TRW]

Welcome in from another BL perv

[Roverageous]

Well I had a call today from my mechanic. He informed me that he had come by a Rover 75 diseasel with 300k on it and mushrooms growing in the carpets. I had* to have it! So I've swapped the thread featured car for it and some cash. That means the green one has gone pretty much owing me sod all.

 

The plus side is that the new* one has got a full years MOT on it, new (mushroom free) carpets, new clutch and a tiny teeny weeny bit of a remap. Happy. I think.