Tales of the TataRover (off to pastures new)

[Mrcento]

HML reckon 1031 left... how fucking bad were they when there's reckoned to be twice as many Maestros left?!

 

Insane.

 

Anyway, looks good in purple but I reckon that cream dogskin leather would have been easier on the eyes but fair play.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

Just had a look and spotted a bizarre trend

 

The numbers of them have more than halved in the last 2 years. Which for a car that "new" is pretty incredible, especially when you consider how hardy/basic the mechanicals should be and how many examples should be fairly low mileage. The rate of extinction over 10 years isn't far off 90%! and there were still models out there at that time being sold as new!

 

Would be interesting to know if there was a particularly high failure rate for something in MOT that was condemning so many of them.

[Guest Conan]

MOT failure or purely indifference by the public? Or both?

[Dave_Q]

Even if they're not failing MOTs, there comes a point in the shite/£ curve where even in decent order the car isn't worth much more than weigh in money.

 

Just think, if you inherited a dead relatives cityrover and you needed to get rid, and you weren't from here, would you weigh it in for £150 or so (dat 1.4 not an indenor probably weighs a few kg) or spend 6 weeks of your life failing to sell it to the public for £250?

 

Sadly I suspect for most of these its the former, regardless of what condition the thing is in.

[skoda_fan]

The car that everyone forgot, except good old AS! Years ago I worked for a short while for a woman who ran a small Tata dealership, selling Loadbetas and Safaris (remember them?). She got quite excited when it was rumoured that Tata was going to sell its "Indica" here as it would give her a cheap, more "mainstream" model to sell, and was gutted when MGR got them instead and sold them at a premium.

 

Are any Tata models still sold here? I still can't get my head round the fact that they're big enough to own JLR. If their turn of the century models were anything to go by their build quality was woeful.

 

On a different subject are Great Wall trucks still sold here? A colleague's husband ran one for a while for his business and by all accounts that was equally dubious...

[lesapandre]

MoT on Monday 26th at my local MGRover specialist. I can't wait... I bet he can!

There are still MGR specialists...gosh. Nothing here in London near me. I have been past the 'new' MG showroom on Picadilly a few times - could pop in and ask if they could do a MoT?

[sierraman]

I had heard the story about them getting pissed and signing the contract. Sounds like the sort of antics that would have happened.

 

Still it needs preserving, I’m guessing a lot just got chucked away at 8-10 years old given someone elderly had paid probably £4000 for it, ran it until they got fed up and died then relatives just ran it into the ground until first major problem.

 

Surprised theres many MG specialists, can’t be a lot of money in that given they are all sub £1500 now.

[lesapandre]

I had heard the story about them getting pissed and signing the contract. Sounds like the sort of antics that would have happened.

 

Still it needs preserving, I’m guessing a lot just got chucked away at 8-10 years old given someone elderly had paid probably £4000 for it, ran it until they got fed up and died then relatives just ran it into the ground until first major problem.

 

Surprised theres many MG specialists, can’t be a lot of money in that given they are all sub £1500 now.

Or just chucked good runners away. If it doesn't have SatNav and airbags a lot of people have no interest especially if its an 'odd' brand.It 

[GeordieInExile]

It's a shame this one isn't poverty spec for the full effect. Did they all get power steering?

[fairkens]

The car that everyone forgot, except good old AS! Years ago I worked for a short while for a woman who ran a small Tata dealership, selling Loadbetas and Safaris (remember them?). She got quite excited when it was rumoured that Tata was going to sell its "Indica" here as it would give her a cheap, more "mainstream" model to sell, and was gutted when MGR got them instead and sold them at a premium.

 

Are any Tata models still sold here? I still can't get my head round the fact that they're big enough to own JLR. If their turn of the century models were anything to go by their build quality was woeful.

 

On a different subject are Great Wall trucks still sold here? A colleague's husband ran one for a while for his business and by all accounts that was equally dubious...

There is a Great Wall dealer near me. Mainly sells pick ups to farmers afaik

[catsinthewelder]

Are any Tata models still sold here? I still can't get my head round the fact that they're big enough to own JLR.

They don't just build cars though. They also own British Steel and Tetley Tea.

[sierraman]

I remember the Loadbeta if I’m remembering the same outfit?

[Mrcento]

There's a couple of Tata Safari's ambling around the Angus countryside.

[Eyersey1234]

Why did MGR get so greedy with the pricing? I don't think they were bad cars just overpriced for what they were.

[clayts450]

Attempting to balance the already fucked books

 

Handy summary at https://www.europeanceo.com/business-and-management/the-phoenix-four-and-mg-rover-groups-long-road-to-ruin/

[mk2_craig]

Bringing the Indica to the U.K. was a great idea! Just cocked up of course. I wonder what happened to that unregistered one that someone was trying to flog for £notalot a while back, complete with free spares CityRover.

 

I've joined that Facebook group in the hope of finding a new home for those front mud flaps I have for one of these things.

[Isaac Hunt]

I never said the R8 was cheap. It was worth the extra at the time.However, Rover then got it into its head that everything it made was a cut above and therefore pricier; market residuals never agreed, and, to be honest, the engineering wasn't worth the extra, either.I remember thinking the R8 was in another league when my dad tried to get a 416 as a company car and couldn't because there were waiting lists. The R8 was the only Rover I remember there being queues for at the local Lookers.

I have a similare perspective, having grown up on BMC/BL stuff. My Dad ran Wolseley's for 25 years as business cars. The Wolseley brand back then was upmarket, but only like a 1600E Cortina was upmarket compared to a 1.3 Super.

 

Rover at the time was possibly an even more upmarket brand. Once we got through the era of Austin Rover to Rover and through the Metro Maestro Montego period, it was a master stroke to partner with Honda. The use of the Triumph Brand on the acclaim didn't quite make it, but The R8's, 600's, 800 (especially with the 2.7 Honda engine) were fine cars and the brand legacy still resonated with many buyers as a premium brand. But you can only use the inertia for so long especially whilst competitors are adding value to their brands, VAG Skoda for example. VAG even capitalised on the shite reputation of Skoda with the stapline 'to some people it is still a problem' or summit like that.

 

By the time it came or the Rover City badged TATA the Rover brand values had been pretty much devalued.

 

I seem to recall that at launch there was a wave of media frenzy that pretty much had the thing as a badge engineered TATA and unlike a badge engineered Honda, it didn't quite have the same undercurrent of values. The market wasn't ready for TATA's

 

I was a Rover disciple and even I though they were total shite and didn't give them a second glance

[lesapandre]

Pre and Post- War  Skoda produced some amazing cars and engineers - so VW had quite a heritage to fall back on and in E. Europe probably a better reputation historically than in the West.

 

Cityrover- amazingly having read the thread one turned up at my local MoT place when I was there - metallic green. I had a quick chat with the tester - nobody was laughing at it - was seen as a useful little car. I quite like them. Rover were on their knees when these appeared which is a pity as with a bit more work maybe they could have done better. The Austin 7 saved Austin from going bust in the 20's - it would have been nice to think taking it back to basics Rover could have joined Tata and survived. BL/BMC was really all about small cars. 

[Felly Magic]

Looking at them when they were brand new, quality simply was not there, and when new they were near Skoda Fabia money, and had a fairly high VED band. MGR took the piss with the prices, and I suspect cost them a fair few bob in warranty claims, when MGR collapsed, spares seemed to basically dry up, and the already weak residuals simply imploded, and a lot of people were stuck with them, the trade would offer very little as a trade in. They may have sold more if they had started em at say £4495 to £5995, still a pretty decent margin going by how little MGR paid for them

[pandamonium]

I would definitely have one. I'm a fan of Ladas, early Hyundais, Daewoos... See a pattern?

 

So definitely on my radar

[D Spares & Tyres]

Looks like a proper Rover to me.

 

Made out of out of date parts designed by other manufacturers or from older Rovers and like most British products the labour is outsourced to India (yes I know they weren't designed over here)

 

If you are into Rovers, what's not to like? They appear to be way better built than Metros and although I really like the R8, it's not really a Rover is it? That's why I.like the diesels particularly. A Honda with an XUD. lovely!

[Snipes]

Looks like a proper Rover to me.

 

Made out of out of date parts designed by other manufacturers or from older Rovers and like most British products the labour is outsourced to India (yes I know they weren't designed over here)

 

If you are into Rovers, what's not to like? They appear to be way better built than Metros and although I really like the R8, it's not really a Rover is it? That's why I.like the diesels particularly. A Honda with an XUD. lovely!

Now we have Mazdas and Mitsubishi's badged as Fiats, Renaults and Nisans as Mercedes. Rover were ahead of their time.

[lesapandre]

I saw a big pickup couple of days ago - with a Fiat badge on the front. It just looked wrong - must have been a Mitsu underneath?

[Richard]

Now we have Mazdas and Mitsubishi's badged as Fiats, Renaults and Nisans as Mercedes. Rover were ahead of their time.

 

There were already several badge-engineered cars out there by the time the Cityrover appeared, like the Ford/VAG and PSA/Fiat people carriers, Ford/Nissan SUVs etc. 

[Snipes]

I was thinking the Peugeot engined honda with the rover badge.

[Isaac Hunt]

Not seen one of these on the roll for years. I'm just pulling out of a local supermarket car park and feck me, there is one right next to me. Pale Metalllic Green, Gifferess driving it, looked very tidy.

[Austin-Rover]

Looks like a proper Rover to me.

 

Made out of out of date parts designed by other manufacturers or from older Rovers and like most British products the labour is outsourced to India (yes I know they weren't designed over here)

 

If you are into Rovers, what's not to like? They appear to be way better built than Metros and although I really like the R8, it's not really a Rover is it? That's why I.like the diesels particularly. A Honda with an XUD. lovely!

 

 

All of the above! Which brings us all back round to the wierdos who find the ShittyRover so utterly offensive. Just what is a 'proper' Rover anyway?

 

I had the bottom half of the dash and the A post trim apart this afternoon to hard wire a lead to power my dash cam. The A post trim is reassuringly stamped "TATA Engineering and Locomotive Co", with a handwritten date in Feb '05.

 

MoT tomorrow afternoon...

[Austin-Rover]

The BL / Rover heritage is strong with the Indica. Watch this clip from 1998; Maestro/Montego column stalks!

 

https://youtu.be/slpBQNoDDug

[Skut]

An interesting english language mag article on the Indicas development. I've heard of engines been stretched in capacity but not shrunk. Bit of a contrast to the K series. Also the pale blue one with what looks like mk 2 Fester steelies is hawt.

[clayts450]

Result - well done mate

[chaseracer]

Handy summary at https://www.europeanceo.com/business-and-management/the-phoenix-four-and-mg-rover-groups-long-road-to-ruin/

 

Interesting read.

 

Stephen Byers was my law lecturer at Newcastle Poly in 1986.  He was a bellend then, too.