Rover P4.. at last, activity!

[Pete-M]

After steadfastly ignoring the P4 for about 6 weeks I decided this afternoon to have a little fiddle about with it. Wasn't sure where to start so I pulled the dipstick and checked the oil seemed ok. It actually looks quite fresh and still 'oily' so topped up the radiator and decided to see how much work it was likely to need.Dug out the starting handle and gave the motor a go to see if it would turn over. It did, happily. Not bad for something that probably hasn't ran since 1990 or so.Whipped the float bowl off the carb, previous owner told me that the fuel pump is kaput so I figured if I filled the float bowl there'd at least be a carb full in there.Connected it up to a slave battery and turned the key to ignition on. Ign and oil pressure lights came on. A good sign. Turn to start and it spun over on the starter. Quick fiddle with the points and it started up. Hyuuuuge amounts of smoke from the tailpipe, but that cleared in a few seconds and it runs. A tad tappety, but sounds sweet enough. Only ran it for a couple of carbs full of juice but it's looking good.One of those priceless old car moments when the bugger fired up. Now I've just got to persuade it through an MOT and plate rape it, then chuck it on ebay.

[Angrydicky]

Now I've just got to persuade it through an MOT and plate rape it, then chuck it on ebay.

[Pete-M]

It's a £1500 reg plate on a £600 car.If you're going to tell me that I'm doing a bad thing then go ahead, but I'm afraid I really don't care. Nobody is going to give me £1500 for the car with the plate so I'm not going to feel bad about taking it off. The car isn't worth anywhere near £1500, and I've been offered that for the plate. Chap who wants the plate doesn't want the car, so I don't see a problem with shoving the car on ebay with an age related plate afterwards. Originality and all that is very nice, but it doesn't put food on the table.Besides, you look at pretty much all of the P4s out there and most are on age related plates. It's what has kept the things alive for the last 20 years or so.

[Angrydicky]

Well it's your car and you can do as you wish with it, it just seems a real shame that it's been on there for nearly 50 years and all that.My car's plate has the letters TMP in it, probably worth about £2k, but to me, it is the car's identity and is priceless.I don't want an argument, that's just my opinion.

[Pete-M]

Some cars should keep their plates, but for this Rover to be worth my hassle of getting the thing through an MOT it's got to lose its plate.So it's saved but it loses the plate. At least it's saved. I could break the car for a lot more than it'll fetch complete, but I only want the plate off it so it'll be complete and working and worthwhile for someone to restore or even maybe use.Same has obviously happened to my P5 before I got it, but I couldn't have afforded it with the original plate on. I'd be as pissed off as anyone if I saw an X5 or similar with 9600 HP or 848 CRY, or even NAN 404D on but what can ya do?Is your car worth more than the £2k plate?

[Angrydicky]

Nope. It's a scruffy Austin A35 with no MOT. £300-£400 tops. The MOT expired about a month ago, with an MOT it might be worth about £1k at the most, but it would need new sills and two new wheel cylinders at a minimum to do that. It is still taxed though. I'm currently restoring it.

[Pete-M]

Good man.You never know, I might have a change of heart as the weather gets worse!

[pogweasel]

NAN 404D

This car belongs to the pakistani ambassador...

[Albert Ross]

Pete, you're doing exactly the right thing TBH, if the car was of no interest to the plate rapers, then it would be scrapped and lost forever. At least this way it gets a reprieve and a few years of life and some tarmac under it's tyres , like a Swan-song! BTW, how much do you want for the car? I fancy summat odd, without the Wife noticing............(do you think she'd know it was mine?)

[Pete-M]

It needs a fair old bit of work at the moment, it seems solid but needs the brakes sorting, the fuel pump replacing, the radiator sorting, a set of tyres (it's on prehistoric crossply remoulds which are well past their best) and a leak from the carb sorting out. The paint is original and frankly knackered, the bumpers and all the little bits of trim are there but most is pitted. The interior is in pretty good condition really, leather seats will probably revive with a lot of feeding. Carpets are dirty but may come back a bit. Wood needs fettling but it's all there. As it is, without me having to do anything to it, complete with the plate, I'd take £750ish* for it. If I can wangle it through the MOT and pinch the plate, I'll want about the same because I reckon to get it through an MOT is going to cost a few hundred quid by the time I've redone brakes, fitted tyres, and generally fettled it. I should think all the suspension etc is ok as the chap I bought it from is an Aerospace mechanic and he's had a lot of P4s. He rebuilt the front end at some time between 1990 and now, but it's not been driven on so it should be pretty good.*If you want to get it through an MOT and then give me the plate, £250.It's had two owners (last since '82) has done 81,000 miles and has workshop manuals, and a load of spares like a complete overdrive gearbox and possibly a spare engine with it.

[michiel]

Hmm, P4... I so want a car with those doors one day.*checks cheap flights 4fun*

[trigger]

We dragged a Humber Super Snipe out of a barn last year that had been in there for nearly 30, Some chap rented it, Chucked this car in there and did a runner and that were it sat every since.

 

The plate that was on it was XGV1 we done a DVLA check on it and it's now on a 1995 BMW 316 Compact, Turns out the bloke bought it, stuck a dodgy MOT on it, Plate raped it and then dumped it in the barn.

 

[brammy777]

I admire you for actually wanting to save the car, thats enthusiasm through and through.And regarding plate raping, you're securing the cars future, and allowing yourself to get reimbursed for how much its cost to keep it alive for now.So thats fair game in my books.Plate raping would have been bad if youd followed the shady route.......

[Richard]

NAN 404D

This car belongs to the pakistani ambassador...

I believe the car did belong to the Pakistani Ambassador and he didn't know they had it.

[andrew e]

I'd get a suit off a Tramp Pete (or even a whole Tramp) and do shite weddings. Just sit outside registry offices blipping the throttle

[Pete-M]

I've got the P5 for that.

[andrew e]

Covered every angle

[Pete-M]

Some pics of the P4.

 

I was wrong about the mileage, it's done 65k.

 

 

[Timewaster]

Have you ever actually tried to sell a plate?It's not as easy as you would think...I had a metro that cost me £50 with a plate "valued" at £600. What a win, thought I.Not so, advertised it with a well known plate seller for 6 months without so much as a sniff if interest. In fact that was about 4 years ago and as far as I know its still for sale.Sold the car ages ago.

[Pete-M]

Yes, and having a buyer for it makes a big difference. I've got the buyer for it....

[michiel]

What a fab car. Is the buyer an American actress?

[Guest]

Have you ever actually tried to sell a plate?It's not as easy as you would think...I had a metro that cost me £50 with a plate "valued" at £600. What a win, thought I.

I've been told the plate on my Amazon is worth a few quid. 'Hurr, worth more than the car, innit!' quoth countless dickheads.Tried to get it 'valued' on several plate websites and got nowhere.Why the hell would 'KYO 5D' be valuable anyway? It'll stay with the car TBH, I can't be arsed selling it.I think personalised plates are a load of bollocks anyway. Papa Wat went through a brief period of wanting one ages ago. 'But you could have a plate that said "JON" on it' said he.'Why the bollocks would I pay £350 for that?' said I. I was 13 at the time.Fair play to you making a few quid Pete, sort of what I did with Creamfields but your scheme is better. Mainly because it involves a clap door auntie seeing the road again, and you haven't got some inbred Welsh menk called Natasha who says she wants to buy it