Tell me about..... Rover P6s and variants thereof

[Jim Bell]

Hello gentlemen of taste.

 

I know there are owners and previous owners of P6s amongst you.

 

I've seen tales of woe occasionally float to the top of these boards, and cannot recal much positive posting in regards to the model (other than in regard to aesthetics).

 

If you own or have owned one, please share your experience, as I have an itch I may have to scratch.

 

What's to look for other than rust all over. Anywhere specific? Any other known flaws or common probs?

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

[oman5]

Rust under rear seats. Sills, floor, bulkhead, lower A posts, front and rear inner wings.

Slack in the steering, there are lots of joints to wear, and the steering box wears too.

Problems with the hard to reach inboard rear disc brakes.

On the four cylinder, timing chain rattle, head gasket failure, tappet rattle (it's bucket and shim and very hard to correct) cracked exhaust manifold, big ends rumbling. They wear out quickly.

Slack gearstick, if all the bushes have gone then the box needs to come out. It's an engine out job to change the clutch and gearboxes are weak.

 

I reckon if you must have one, buy the very best that you can afford, a bad one is a piece of junk that will cost a fortune to put right.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Oh, I'm sure I posted positively about my 2000. It had a few foibles, like 

 

Rust under rear seats. Sills, floor, bulkhead, lower A posts, front and rear inner wings.
Slack in the steering, there are lots of joints to wear, and the steering box wears too.
Problems with the hard to reach inboard rear disc brakes.
On the four cylinder, timing chain rattle, head gasket failure, tappet rattle (it's bucket and shim and very hard to correct) cracked exhaust manifold, big ends rumbling. They wear out quickly.
Slack gearstick, if all the bushes have gone then the box needs to come out. It's an engine out job to change the clutch and gearboxes are weak.

 

but I loved it to bits. Enough that I bought a second one while I still had it. 

 

DO IT MAN

[Volksy]

These are getting appealing, But would have to be in V8 flavour, seeing as they do one, I don't see why you would settle for anything less. 

 

I like the styling and the interesting engineering.

 

 

I think that Junkman is a big fan of these. 

[Jim Bell]

Thanks Oman, thats food for thought.

 

V8s are the ones I cant afford, sadly.  Theyre the only ones which seem to carry any real value.

 

Think it would have to be a TC on my budget.  Or a diesel conversion for mega ultra terrible points. There seem to be a few knowcking about.

[Sigmund Fraud]

P6s are fabulous but scary, as they can go wrong in particularly expensive ways. Just like a DS. Or an Ro80. Or, in fact, a Vel Satis.

 

I would, but only if it was a very good example. A fixer-upper is bound to be mentally and financially devastating.

[dollywobbler]

They are wonderfully engineered cars, and a 2200TC will go as well as a V8. Sadly, it will also drink like one. 

 

Here's my old V8 Series 1

 

Tobacco Leaf is the king of colours. 

 

The 2000SC is a bit weak - the 2200SC is better, with more torque. Series 1s look far nicer, but there's not a huge amount of difference in actual driving experience.

 

Ownership experiences. I paid £2000, discovered the sills were rotten and spent £1700 welding it up. I think it then sold for £1720 or something. 

 

My second one was a 2000SC Series 1. Cost very little to buy, but then cost a grand to get back on the road again. Nothing major, just lots of small jobs that quickly added up. 

[xtriple]

We had Madam Tousaurds (sp?) old P6 complete with all paperwork and a letter from herself to the supplying dealers (well, a photocopy!) and their reply expressing her happiness with the car.

 

It really was a lovely old thing and in mint condition - even the base structure was perfect and it had clearly been cossetted throughout its life. V8 auto, in tobacco (I think, it was definitely brown!) with black leather, it was a mk2 with the less interesting dash but the one I prefer. Never liked strip speedos with what look to be add on tachos, and overall, it was great.

 

Very thirsty (but I used to drive it quite hard) and used to get damp inside but it lived outside so that explains it. Had problems with the carbs - rubber 'O' rings perished and fell apart and it was running like the choke was on permanently, easy fix once I worked out what was going on.

 

I can't really add anything relating to that car re problems, as it never had any (other than the carbs) and it was used as a daily by myself and my wife - she loved it and we alternated between it and the new Matiz she had. I think if you buy a good one, they arte fine, but there is a lot to go wrong, front suspension, rear axle set up etc.

 

My next door neighbour (when I lived at home - sob!) bought a V8S which was a complete shed. He wanted it 'cos it was a manual, but God it was rotten! The problem is they look okay on the outside so it's easy to con yourself that it can't be tooooooo bad underneath, but everything bolts on so the base car can be absolutely hanging with good panels! He spent about a year welding it up (did a bloody good job as well) then started on the suspension and brakes.... he was still doing it years later!

 

Save up and buy the V8 if you can, the burble alone is worth the entry fee!

[panhard65]

I had most models of these years ago my personal favourite was a series 1 2000tc but they are not without their problems. Rust is well known and pretty easy to spot when you know where to look. Avoid anything that has had the cover sills welded on it is bound to be a mess under there. Steering parts were getting hard to find 20 years ago so beware of play in ball joints. The V8's suffer with all the usual problems if not looked after but mainly cam wear and oil leaks. A lot were replaced with range rover engines and will need an electric fuel pump and I had no end of trouble with the aftermarket one on mine. The 4 cylinder is a great old lump but the side panels can rot through again these were getting scarce 20 years ago. I also had a couple of sc's that had a strange rattle from the top end when revved. There is a steel sleeve insert under the carb to cylinder head that cracks and rattles about. Clutches can be done from underneath you just rotate the box 90 degrees and it comes out. Mine had the bendix fall off the end of the starter motor and it was a right job to get it back out. Would I have another ? Probably they do ride so well and are perfect for todays rough pot holed roads,

[Junkman]

Carefully check for any traces of Ectoplasm or other signs of hauntedness.

Still, of the 200+ cars I owned so far, the possessed RoD of mine is the car I own second longest of them all and the likelyhood it turns into the car I owned longest is high.

It will kill me eventually, and it will die with me.

 

- You have to clearly understand, that due to the nature of how they are built, they can very well hide unbelievable nastiness underneath impeccable clothing.

In fact, they should be inspected when the panels are removed, so an unfinished restoration project being in that state is not necessarily the worst proposition.

 

- I truly believe that the V8s are the cheapest of the bunch when it comes to total cost of ownership, since nowadays they are the best catered for. I know several people who run V8s on shoestring budgets and I doubt this is possible with four cylinders. I have no idea how much you intend to drive it, but if it's the usual 3,000-5,000 miles annually, the difference in fuel consumption is completely irrelevant.

If you want to drive your V8 auto a lot more than that, look into a ZF gearbox conversion, which makes a 30 OMGMPG long distance cruiser out of it.

 

- Mechanical bits are relatively easy to source and not overly expensive. For example, the aforementioned steering and suspension components are readily available nowadays. There is still a good supply of used panels and trim, but seeing the surge in popularity, this could dry up pretty soon.

 

- If you expect a sports saloon, you will be disappointed. The P6 isn't one, no matter how you look at it and what modifications you molest it with.

 

- Look for desirable options, like tinted glass, the touring package and in case of the V8s, power assisted steering. Most 'S'es will be equipped with the latter by default anyway.

 

- V8 tyres are an issue. The original 185HR14s are only available from specialist suppliers for the classic car market and will set you back about 200 quiddichs a corner.

Cheaper replacements are available in 185/80R14T flavour.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

 The 4 cylinder is a great old lump but the side panels can rot through again these were getting scarce 20 years ago.

 

The side plates have since been remanufactured and are readily available, although they're not exactly a laugh riot to swap in situ. It's important to keep the anti-freeze levels correct in the 4 pot to stop the block filling with sludge, as so:

 

[Jim Bell]

That looks like it had done poos inside itself.

[DS20]

Never knew cars could contract norovirus 

[overrun]

Check the boot for expensive shotguns.

[Jim Bell]

Check the boot for expensive shotguns.

Before or after you check the drivers door shut for cranium shaped dents?

[overrun]

Before or after you check the drivers door shut for cranium shaped dents?

Any time is fine.

Also fail to realise that the mk2 RS2000 will be worth daft money, in years to come.

 

Seen the Deals on Wheels P6 ep?

[Junkman]

Nice car, giving it a unique engine must have cost Rover dear so soon after producing the 2.25 engine that went on to have a much longer life. Easier to de-sludge than some.

 

Building a car with an engine designed specifically for it is relatively common practice in the industry.

The engine was produced throughout the P6's lifetime, which was 13 years, so it is safe to assume it amortised itself quite nicely.

Much more remarkable is that the manual gearboxes also were in-house designs.

 

Keep in mind, that it wasn't the P6 that killed Rover!

[Bren]

Buy the best you can afford - a solid 4 pot is better than a rotten V8.

 

Rust is the killer, many have had good panels fitted to a rotten shell for an easy sale.

 

Rear brakes are a PITA.

 

These should carry a health warning as a bad one will have you booking a trip to dignitas in Switzerland rather than you having to tell your other half that the kids inheritance has been spent.

[Jim Bell]

Considering my budget, my lack of garage, requirement for regular use, and mechanical ineptness, I think I have been suitably put off for now.

 

Thanks everyone.

[dollywobbler]

While they're no sports car, I have to say that they can be hustled with hilarious results. They wallow a bit, but this is nothing to a 2CVer. The long travel suspension eats up pretty much anything. A colleague was astounded at how quickly I could peg it through Fenland roads, even when we actually reached some bends. Must be the closest we ever got to a British Citroen. Well, apart from the Citroens assembled in Britain...

[Junkman]

Considering my budget, my lack of garage, requirement for regular use, and mechanical ineptness, I think I have been suitably put off for now.

 

Thanks everyone.

 

Don't make a mistake. If you want a Seventies saloon as a daily, you'd be hard pressed to find any better and easier to live with ones.

If reasonably healthy, they are sturdy beasts that can handle incredible abuse, and they are remarkably safe.

Add to this, that the really bad eggs have pretty much all been broken for spares by now.

They are fast enough for not being in the way of modern traffic and they are formidably comfortable, much more than the minimalist interior suggests at first glance.

[AnthonyG]

Is the Triumph 2000 an alternative for you?

 

They were more or less in the same market as the four cylinder P6, and many buyers in the 1960s/1970s would only consider one out of these two models. When the SD1 come out, many of these same customers went to Audi or Volvo.

 

Just as rusty but possibly easier to spot due to conventional construction, mechanically simpler, similar parts availability although less have survived.

[Jim Bell]

Is the Triumph 2000 an alternative for you?

 

They were more or less in the same market as the four cylinder P6, and many buyers in the 1960s/1970s would only consider one out of these two models. When the SD1 come out, many of these same customers went to Audi or Volvo.

 

Just as rusty but possibly easier to spot due to conventional construction, mechanically simpler, similar parts availability although less have survived.

 

Cheers fella.

The P6 idea was already a compromise.

Fatha Shitpez would like a P5 Coupe (and recently bought one, which was hilariously fucked) so I was floating the idea of a shared car (P6) with him. Which it seems he's not keen on.  Suggesting a fwd Trump would probably get me a clip round the ear.

 

For those interested.  It was this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291356937357?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

 

 

 

 

KWALITY!

 

And it did NOT start. Did NOT drive. Was utterly rotern, had all breaks seized, and could not be removed from the back of the delivery wagon.

So was sent back on said wagon.

[Junkman]

Suggesting a fwd Trump would probably get me a clip round the ear.

The 2k and 2.5k Trummys aren't girl-wheel-drive.

[dollywobbler]

Exactly. The Triumph 2000 even has an appropriate number of cylinders, unlike its Rover rival.

[Jim Bell]

Ah right. I thought the (all) 2000s were the trump crossover into tugging.

 

Every days a school day.

[Bren]

Cheers fella.

The P6 idea was already a compromise.

Fatha Shitpez would like a P5 Coupe (and recently bought one, which was hilariously fucked) so I was floating the idea of a shared car (P6) with him. Which it seems he's not keen on.  Suggesting a fwd Trump would probably get me a clip round the ear.

 

For those interested.  It was this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291356937357?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

 

 

 

 

KWALITY!

 

And it did NOT start. Did NOT drive. Was utterly rotern, had all breaks seized, and could not be removed from the back of the delivery wagon.

So was sent back on said wagon.

FFS! Was it dragged out of the Tyne?

[Jim Bell]

No. It was a "barn find"*.

Not sure if the barn was partially submerged or not.

[406V6]

Back in the day my father had one identical to the car in the pic. I remember it as being nice to drive, not particularly fast through the gears but it would cruise nicely despite being undergeared for motorway speeds. The cloth seats were comfy and it also has (2200 TC) the finest instrument panel of any family car, especially when viewed at night.