R75 Tourer or the MG equivalent

[messerschmitt owner]

My XM days are coming to an end and it's time for a replacement in the next few months ...

 

 

 

What's the load space like in the R75 estate?

 

 

[dollywobbler]

Compared to an XM estate, rubbish. A very nice looking car, but the way the sides slope in as they get higher means the load space is a hideously impractical shape. Mine had beige loadspace carpeting too - what a stupid idea for an estate!

[Skizzer]

^ All of which obviously means you must buy one immediately.

[messerschmitt owner]

most of the time it's 18 inches to two feet along the whole bed so angles higher up aren't a problem! I'm not a fan of the wheelwell intrusion on the 75, too.

 

I like the look of the R75, and am less keen on the C5 as a replacement.

 

The BMW tourers are crap for load space and there are so few decent diesel volvo estates about in the bargain bucket range.

[purplebargeken]

Mate of mine has the MG -ZTT in diesel flavour. I do believe his has been chipped as well. Anyway, he said it is better than the Vectra estate that he had. Not sure if that helps exactly. His MG is lovely, roomy, comfy and goes like a scalded whippet. His carpet is not beige. 

[messerschmitt owner]

of course, the shiter's choice should be a Felicia, but they're not man enough for the amount of stuff I carry.

[dollywobbler]

Omega? 

[MarvinsMom]

i dont know how the R75 comparers with the competition, but we've managed to get plenty of stuff in the back.

 

true the wheel arches do intrude into the back, and the back seat dont quiet fold down flat, but we've had as washing machine in there without any trouble, plus at various times we've had plenty of metro body panels in there too. 

 

as a bonus the back of the car is carpeted out in a dark grey coloured carpet (smokestone i believe?) they seem to generally come in 2 colours, the beige colour sounds like sandstone

 

[Pillock]

What you need for an estate is "gardenrubbishstone" which is sort of green and brown with squashed slugs and leaves embedded.

[Guest Lord Sward]

Metro body panels you say? Got any going spare?

[hairnet]

battered mk1 octavia

[HH-R]

The Rover 75 Tourer isn't for taking shit to the tip, it's for daytrips to the countryside with a wicker picnic basket, picking up lashings and lashings of ginger beer from Waitrose, and taking softly cooling pies down to the village fete.

[Lacquer Peel]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-L-Reg-Nissan-Serena-2-0-LX-Diesel-5-Door-MPV-Disabled-Ramp-Mobility-Adapted-/121512199953

[MarvinsMom]

Metro body panels you say? Got any going spare?

 

depends what you would be after.

 

as both me and my better half have got austin metro's we've got various bits, pattern wings, a tailgate, bonnets ,sills, inner wings, doors, all sorts of bits.

 

SWMBO is having a metro restored, currently its about done with the welding, its had repairs all over the floor, inner wings, a pair of outer wings, repairs to the back of the boot floor, all the usual areas for a metro. the last bits are around the petrol filler and under where the tank sits. its still looking rough bur its starting to come together at last.

[messerschmitt owner]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-L-Reg-Nissan-Serena-2-0-LX-Diesel-5-Door-MPV-Disabled-Ramp-Mobility-Adapted-/121512199953

I'm already driving a Citroen dispatch, thank you.

[messerschmitt owner]

The remit is I'm often carrying 3/4 ton (like every weekend) and for the few times I need to carry everything I have the dispatch but the Xm or a similar estate is nice as an everyday and occasional thing to go to shows with the stock.

[purplebargeken]

ZTT would be a little more fun but waftiness means 75.

[skattrd]

Volvo or Merc would seem to be the obvious replacements for an XM.

Don't some of the Mercs have the Citroen type suspension on the rear so should be good for shifting your stuff around.

[Justin Case]

I don't know what your budget is, but friends have an 08 reg  Citroen Berlingo (the later mmodel and it is huge inside, and being based on the C4 is fairly* carlike (well from the passenger seat ) but should carry all that you want. £5k will get you into a decent one:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201409207564247/sort/default/model/berlingo/usedcars/quicksearch/true/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/postcode/ws12pl/make/citroen/page/3/radius/1500?logcode=p

It's a  Citroen diesel so WCPGW

 

Otherwise the Mazda 6 is huge inside and will carry a 5ft long garden bench, also the Octavia and Legacy estates are only a couple of inches shorter. Mazda diesels are troublesome, but  a cheap petrol one of any of those shouldn't be ruinous to run.

[messerschmitt owner]

I'm totally put off by the Mercedes reliability and rust issues. And it'd need to be an e220d to match the xms economy.

[messerschmitt owner]

Ok budget is as much as possible for as little as possible

[philibusmo]

I would vote Austin Montego countryman with a Perkins Prima diesel engine, but what you really want is an Austin Princess 2.0 petrol, for only £500.

[messerschmitt owner]

I would vote Austin Montego countryman with a Perkins Prima diesel engine, but what you really want is an Austin Princess 2.0 petrol, for only £500.

no no no!

 

Countryman is too small - and the Princess is nothing but an older Ambassador and my friend, John Shuttleworth, would rib me for getting one ...

[purplebargeken]

I sense overwhelming sales pressure: Princess 

[Lacquer Peel]

[messerschmitt owner]

OK

this is what I really need but these come with LEZ and Severn bridge toll challenges.

 

[Justin Case]

OK

this is what I really need but these come with LEZ, Severn bridge toll and going round corners challenges.

 

EFA

[Bren]

EFA

I would'nt like to replace the sills on that bastard.

[Guest Lord Sward]

depends what you would be after.

 

OE parts preferably....I've got a friend restoring the original Project Pride and its in the body shop right now.  

[dollywobbler]

Problem is, for carting lots of weight around, hydropneumatic is really bloody good. I know C5s are about as attractive as botulism, but they're really not bad to drive, have the right sort of suspension (with height control possible from the load area even with the engine off) and 50mpg isn't a problem. I'm pretty sure that'll be my next step to be honest. Especially if they're actually watertight.