Death of a Longship

[Motown]

 

A very sad day for me....  Here is my 827  Fastback

I was just pulling out of the local garage after acquiring some bolts for my Massey 135 project and an elderly gentleman crashed into the side of it.  I have neither the money or the parts availability to restore it so the car will have to go and no doubt insurance will write it off anyway. I don't think the elderly gentleman should be on the road after he admittedly declared to me i am sorry i have Parkinson's and was slow to react that been said i am very thankful everyone involved is safe.

I am completely heartbroken i struggled to restore these 5-10 years ago never mind now when the most basic of parts are in very short supply for the 800s. I also live on a remote island in the Outer Hebrides which doesn't help matters, The rear driveshaft is cracked as is the alloy wheel everything is out of alignment the impact damaged the exhaust bent the sill buckled the rear arch the door and trims are scrap. Annoyingly the car had low mileage fully history from day of purchase and was near immaculate being previously owned by a doctor who bought it from new. I know some will say its just a Rover but the car was my pride and joy my good time boy and a complete fanny magnet....  I was a looker back in the day but over the last 10 years I've devolved into an ugly fucker so that car did me a lot of favours.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMJyA3nE4js

 

Those of you that know me well on this forum will know I've owned and restored many classic Rovers over the years many of which were 827s ive always been a huge fan and very loyal to the marque but it might be time to move on and try something else.

[outlaw118]

It's customary to say shizz like "at least everyone's ok" etc, but fuck that.

What a massive pain in the arse.

Time to start scouring car and classic etc for similar beasts, so when Grandad Magoo's insurance offer you 27p, you can rightfully tell them to shove it up their arse.

[Split_Pin]

Glad you were OK. The old fella should and probably will have his licence revoked or next time it could be road user on 2 wheels or a pedestrian which would be horrendous.

Hope it all works out for the best for you chap, sorry to read about your car 😞

[comfortablynumb]

Glad you're ok. Is it worth getting another and using yours for bits? At least you have some continuity then

This assumes you have the time and space to have them kicking around, which I appreciate many don't 

[camryv6]

Could you buy @St.JudeRover ?

[Motown]

24 minutes ago, camryv6 said:

Could you buy @St.JudeRover ?

Ooooh what a comedian you are! 🤣

[Motown]

50 minutes ago, outlaw118 said:

It's customary to say shizz like "at least everyone's ok" etc, but fuck that.

What a massive pain in the arse.

Time to start scouring car and classic etc for similar beasts, so when Grandad Magoo's insurance offer you 27p, you can rightfully tell them to shove it up their arse.

I think a Vauxhall Royale would ease the heartache but i cant find one

[camryv6]

1 minute ago, Motown said:

Ooooh what a comedian you are! 🤣

I was being serious, @St.Judewants rid and i am sure you can sort it out, honestly i wasn't being funny

[Motown]

32 minutes ago, comfortablynumb said:

Glad you're ok. Is it worth getting another and using yours for bits? At least you have some continuity then

This assumes you have the time and space to have them kicking around, which I appreciate many don't 

Thanks.  Yeah I used to have the time space and the parts unfortunately that's not the case anymore. 

[Motown]

1 minute ago, camryv6 said:

I was being serious, @St.Judewants rid and i am sure you can sort it out, honestly i wasn't being funny

He bought that car from me... Before i left the country for greener pastures

[camryv6]

So you don't want it back ?

[Motown]

39 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Glad you were OK. The old fella should and probably will have his licence revoked or next time it could be road user on 2 wheels or a pedestrian which would be horrendous.

Hope it all works out for the best for you chap, sorry to read about your car 😞

A very anxious time waiting on the insurance. Hopefully il find myself something new and interesting to play with

[High Jetter]

That's crap news, especially considering the condition of the car and your long term involvement with them. Hope you get some resolution.

[SunnySouth]

Shit

The only consolation, I suppose, is that it will hopefully go to help keep others on the road, but that‘s not a great deal of comfort.

Hopefully you can at least try and let it go to someone who’ll make good use of it, rather than just see it bailed.

Shit news

[Bren]

3 hours ago, Motown said:

I think a Vauxhall Royale would ease the heartache but i cant find one

A royale in the Outer Hebrides would last about as long as six cadbury creme eggs in our house. I have owned one - you don't know the meaning of the word " rot " until you have had one.

[Motown]

47 minutes ago, Bren said:

A royale in the Outer Hebrides would last about as long as six cadbury creme eggs in our house. I have owned one - you don't know the meaning of the word " rot " until you have had one.

I thought this about my SD1 with all the moisture and salty air it wouldn't last five minutes over here but with undersealing and regular maintenance it was perfectly fine. I cant speak for the Royale although i have always fancied one.

[Dobloseven]

If cars are scrapped in isolated areas, isn't there a point where they cost more to collect than they're worth in terms of time and fuel,so they just get left to "Rust in Peace" as they say.

[horriblemercedes]

16 hours ago, outlaw118 said:

 when Grandad Magoo's insurance offer you 27p, you can rightfully tell them to shove it up their arse.

Apologies if I misunderstood the original post, but it doesn't sound like the 3rd party's insurance company will offer anything.

 

It reads to me that Motown pulled out in front of a passing car, which hit him. I I would think that the insurance companies will be of the mind that Motown put himself in a position where a crash was likely. 

If Motown's car was still at such an angle that the other car was still presented with the side of it at the time of impact, it seems that this is a simple case of emerging into the path of another car.

 

I may have misunderstood what happened, but this is how it reads to me.

[Motown]

2 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

Apologies if I misunderstood the original post, but it doesn't sound like the 3rd party's insurance company will offer anything.

 

It reads to me that Motown pulled out in front of a passing car, which hit him. I I would think that the insurance companies will be of the mind that Motown put himself in a position where a crash was likely. 

If Motown's car was still at such an angle that the other car was still presented with the side of it at the time of impact, it seems that this is a simple case of emerging into the path of another car.

 

I may have misunderstood what happened, but this is how it reads to me.

He drove into me as i passed....

The car was stationary at a junction I passed and was almost parallel when it drove out across two lanes into the side of me at speed. (one of only a few spots with two lanes on the whole island)  Its as if his foot had slipped on the pedal or a lapse in concentration/control misjudging an pulling out too early and quickly.  The elderly gentleman admitted it was his fault and that his Parkinson's meant he had struggled to control the vehicle hence i said he shouldn't be on the road. The gentleman was easily in his 80s and i was more concerned for everyone's welfare then criticising his driving at the time but to be the clear the crash wasn't my fault. 

[Motown]

5 hours ago, Dobloseven said:

If cars are scrapped in isolated areas, isn't there a point where they cost more to collect than they're worth in terms of time and fuel,so they just get left to "Rust in Peace" as they say.

Years ago we used to drain them of oil and fluids (reuseing the oil to preserve wood and fencing) put them on a tipper and dump them in the sea but that stopped in the late 80s early 90s....

Nowadays companies visit the island periodically and collect scrap but we dont get anything for vehicles like you do on the mainland due to transport and ferry costs. In short they take them away for free...

[horriblemercedes]

1 minute ago, Motown said:

He drove into me as i passed....

The car was stationary at a junction I passed and was almost parallel when it drove out across two lanes into the side of me at speed. (one of only a few spots with two lanes on the whole island)  Its as if his foot had slipped on the pedal or a lapse in concentration/control misjudging an pulling out too early and quickly.  The elderly gentleman admitted it was his fault and that his Parkinson's meant he had struggled to control the vehicle hence i said he shouldn't be on the road. The gentleman was easily in his 80s and i was more concerned for everyone's welfare then criticising his driving at the time but to be the clear the crash wasn't my fault. 

Then I misunderstood. I understood that you had pulled out in front of him.

 

I see now what you meant and I agree. For what it's worth, in 2018 the same thing happened to me. Passing a side road, a car just continued past the line and t-boned me. That was a car that proved very difficult to replace too

[warninglight]

Sorry to see this!

I have no imminent plans to be on the isles (MIL is on North Uist so do go up fairly regularly) but keep me in mind if you spot any worthy replacements which you need delivered!

[Motown]

3 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

Then I misunderstood. I understood that you had pulled out in front of him.

 

I see now what you meant and I agree. For what it's worth, in 2018 the same thing happened to me. Passing a side road, a car just continued past the line and t-boned me. That was a car that proved very difficult to replace too

No need to apologise I am sure il get over it in time i was just really fond of that car. 

T boned isn't a term i am familiar with but a quick google and yes that's precisely what happened  

 

[Motown]

2 hours ago, warninglight said:

Sorry to see this!

I have no imminent plans to be on the isles (MIL is on North Uist so do go up fairly regularly) but keep me in mind if you spot any worthy replacements which you need delivered!

Very kind of you i will let you know i might have a browse tonight and see whats out there! 

[chaseracer]

On 14/08/2025 at 19:02, Motown said:

I think a Vauxhall Royale would ease the heartache but i cant find one

Make @Six-cylinder an offer on his... 😉

[rainagain]

You'll likely need to fight hard with your insurance company for a fair payout. I had to when my Peugeot 307 and Alfa Romeo 156 were both written off - they always try to lowball you first.

What they do is scrape the bottom of the barrel for some rusty, high-mileage wreck and claim that's what your car is worth. Don't let them get away with it. Start collecting evidence now before you need it - screenshot similar cars for sale that match your make, model, year and condition from AutoTrader, eBay Motors, dealer sites, wherever you can find them. Save everything because you'll need it to prove your car's actual market value.

The insurance company has to justify their valuation, and you have every right to challenge it. Don't just accept their first offer - it's almost always too low. Present your evidence of comparable vehicles and demand they match the real market value.

Here's the key tip: mention that you'll take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service if they don't play fair. Insurance companies hate ombudsman involvement because it costs them time, money, and often results in higher payouts for customers. Just threatening this can make them suddenly more reasonable.

Be persistent and don't back down. With proper evidence and the ombudsman threat, you can get a much better settlement that actually reflects what your car is really worth.

[Scruffy Bodger]

Wot he says^ They probably won't be able to find a car to value it against, refuse their first offer and argue for more.

[bezzabsa]

Rear driveshaft.... On an 800???

[Dobloseven]

Sad story,but at least it ended it's days as a living car,doing what it was meant to.Not as sad to me anyway,as sitting in a front garden or lock up,just needing,worth a lot of money, waiting to be done up.Which never happens and gets scrapped anyway.

[Motown]

Quick update on this.

The elderly gentleman admitted it was completely his fault and took full liability. The insurance company have agreed to cover the loss of the car and have offered me a decent sum i am just waiting for them to pay out. 

I am in talks with a chap to buy an SD1 previously owned by me failing that i quite fancy the gold Monza on Ebay. I will no doubt post a thread when i make a new purchase. 

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and support