Shite Road Test Scans - Austin Ambassador HLS - Rover 2000 SD1 & Saab 900 GLS 1982

[Bren]

I loved mine - my first "good" car in that it had no leaks, filler or other faults.

[trigger]

As requested by Bfg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bfg]

firkin brilliant.. Thanks.. 

 

Must get together sometime..  buy you a beer for your troubles..

[trigger]

Your welcome! I never realised that your so local, I often go to the Swan for food. If your free, this Friday evening i have one of my classic and retro car meets at the Shipwreck pub at Shotley Marina from 6pm, we get about 150-200 cars turn up now.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Flippin brilliant, I have a MEGAWANT for an SD1 2000.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

It's sad how car journalism has gone down the toilet since 1982. Now, you'd get some shaven headed Chris Harris type heartthrob using the word 'focussed' far too often and saying how shit the BL stuff was (which it wasn't really).

 

CAR really was very good then - thoughtful, fair and diplomatic.

 

 

The Ambastardor was a laughing stock but the few folk I knew who had them back in the day - steady chaps - thought they were very good, and they were far more reliable and rot resistant than the Montego that followed.

[sierraman]

You read the stuff back then it was objective, meaningful and relevant, it didn't concern with lift off oversteer at 80. All you get in a road test now is how much it does to the gallon. That's all people are concerned with. Someone was banging on to me the other day why I should consider an Astra Ecoflex diesel, 'yes' I said, it would save me a fiver a week but in doing so it's made me unhappy with its lousy acceleration and dreadful ear sapping noise. Great I thought, I've saved a fiver but made myself unhappy. Fuck that.

[Bfg]

If anyone in East Anglia has, or knows of an SD1 2ltr ...might I beg a test drive ?

[Negative Creep]

Tough choice, but since it's not the V8 Rover I'd go for the Austin for the comfort factor

[trigger]

I don't know anyone with a 2.0 on the road but i know of a project one in Ipswich that may be for sale.

[Shep Shepherd]

I think that all three cars are great, but if I was in the market for a big 2-litre car in 1982, I'd have gone for the Rover due to its styling, although I would have got the dealer to fit the stainless steel wheel covers and bumper trim strips that the 2300/2600S were equipped with

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I don't know anyone with a 2.0 on the road but i know of a project one in Ipswich that may be for sale.

What!!!!

[trigger]

Ha! I got chatting with the chap around the corner a few months back whos got a 2600, he said that he's got a 2000 in his garage that's been there a long time as the engine went pop and he's never got round to replacing it. He said he was thinking of selling it at some point as he couldn't ever see himself getting round to ever doing it.

 

There was more to the story but i can't remember it now. I guess i could knock on his door and enquire about it if someone was genuinely interested.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Sounds well interesting. Don't go outta your way but if you bump into him try to get some more intel!

 

If I had one of those with a kippered engine I reckon I'd try to fit an injected O series from a Monty.

[phil_lihp]

Great article, to be honest, having driven a Princess I was astonished, despite the hugely shonky state of the car, how good it was to drive.  Nice smooth ride, sharp handling for such a big car, comfortable seats, plenty of space and the 2.0 O pulled well.  There's no denying though that next to the Saab and Rover, the Ambassador looks rather odd and awkwardly styled.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

The only thing that really lets those wedges down is the flippin gearbox. 4-speed only and a friggin abysmal change. Its almost excusable on the Princess due to it being a 1970's car, but by the early 80's it was really a piss take. The narrow engine bay makes it really hard to do owt about it though.

[Vantman]

 

I had a 900GLS about 6 years ago,the usual Saab quirks but It done the job and i enjoyed it. The chap I sold it to still has it I think.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Sounds well interesting. Don't go outta your way but if you bump into him try to get some more intel!

 

If I had one of those with a kippered engine I reckon I'd try to fit an injected O series from a Monty.

 

 

Twin Cistern Vitesse but with a 1700 O Series and an auto converion ftw.  

[Bfg]

Was planning to go and have a look at the series-2,  2.6-manual,  SD1,  VP.,  that's advertised up in Norwich this Saturday afternoon, but... I've spoken to a mechanic - whose opinion I value, and he says  NO !.  to paraphrase  "They were too much trouble from rust,  too much trouble with their motors,  too much trouble with their electrics,  and too many water leaks.  Aside from the styling (if you happen to like it), the V8 was the only decent thing about them".  

 

I asked about the later cars, whether they were not better ?  and he reckoned  "really not much better than the earlier ones".  I've otherwise read that BL extending the service interval from six to twelve-thousand miles didn't help at all ! 

 

I then asked about the 2-litre O-series from the Ital when used in the SD1 ?.,  and again he didn't have anything at all kind to say about it..   Very disappointing - cos I've long admired the SD1 

 

As i thought about it,  I realised that most British cars from the 70's were particularly bad for rusting out before they wore out  ...second only to Italian brands.  And because BL was a mix-pot of corporate mergers (without a strong man at the helm) ..were being fkd by the trade unions ..and the government ..and generally on the verge of bankruptcy - their cars (or rather their customers !) suffered as much as any.

 

Just thinking out loud ...Don't know whether to go and have a look anyway.  Problem is ...if this particular car is as nice as the guy says it is - then I might be tempted.  And six months down the line be regretting it..  Perhaps, if I had a centrally heated garage and only planned to use the car for show - then it might be another matter ..But I hoped to use it as a daily driver, with it inevitably sitting out in the weather inbetween times.  Nah.. I've asked for advice from someone who's been in the trade for donkey's years.. I'd be dumb to ask and then to ignore him.

 

Hey Trigger, Thanks for the heads up, I didn't know about your gathering..  I'd like to get down to it tomorrow evening.  If you let me know how to find you - I'll buy you a beer. 

 

Cheers,

[Timewaster]

I've found that asking mechanics for an opinion always results in "heaps of shit mate. Wouldn't touch one" but ask them what they would buy and they go all quiet.

[trigger]

I'll be the one in the hivis vest with "Trigger" on the back tomorrow helping with the parking and generally talking bollocks with people.

 

Sorry i haven't got back to your PM yet, I seem to be always busy at the moment and i struggle with long replies when using my phone which is all i seem to use to access this forum at the moment.

 

Anyway i digress, everything your mechanic has told you is exactly what my dad and other people have told me about them, I'd love one, especially a V8 but i don't think i can afford one if it all goes Pete Tong in me and i definitely won't be able to put up with all the abuse that I'll get from them if and when it does go wrong.

 

What are you after? Are you specifically looking for a SD1 or is there anything else you fancy? Maybe start a thread telling what your looking for in a classic and what tickles your fancy and we might be able to find you something you hadn't thought off before?.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Your mechanic sounds like a bit of a miserable old git if I may say so. You're talking about a BL car thats between 30 and 40 years old so 'rust and electrical problems' is hardly a red-hot nugget of hard-won insider knowledge. You could say that about any car of a similar age.

 

They do have a few water leaks but that doesnt seem like a reason to not buy one, after all water leaks cost nowt to fix, unless the screen needs to be resealed but even thats like £100 or so max for a few hours labour and some glue.

 

The build quality might have been shite back in the day but that doesnt matter now, any that are left have had 30-odd years to flush out any build niggles. You're much more likely to encounter crap 'build quality' from former halfwit bodger owners.

 

If you fancy one, you should jolly well get one. Compared to most cars of that age theyre even well-supported for bits by Rimming brothers and others.

 

Obvs if you buy a 2000 I shall be well jel but I say ignore your mechanic and go with your instinct.

[Bren]

Go for a manual 2000. An auto ? You will need a sundial to measure the 0-60.

[Bfg]

Thanks   I do value and take-on-board your points of view..

 

"Your mechanic sounds like a bit of a miserable old git"  ..possibly, but he's been around long enough to have personally worked on these, and older, when they were everyday cars.  He is straight talking though.!  And he's been pretty straight with me when I've needed work on my previous and present cars.  So if I had one.. he'd probably be the guy who did the jobs I couldn't or wouldn't want to do.  

 

Conversely, some mechanics might say "they're great cars"  ..knowing full well that if you bought one - it would be a good earner for them !  Then weeks turning to months later ..sucking through their teeth - go on to tell you  "you've bought a bit of a dog here I'm afraid, ...mustavebeen a Friday late-shift car ..had a hard life ..been submerged at some time in salt water"
 

 

By coincidence I happened to pick  'The Glory Boys' (1984) to watch on dvd tonight. There's quite a few scenes where jam-sandwich SD1's are seen, along of course with a host of other early eighty cars, (Simca's, Fords, Metro, a rubber bumper MGB, etc.), plus of course the old London double decker etc.

 

..It struck me that if the SD1 was so popular with the police ..then surely they can't have been that unreliable ? Certainly I well remember SD1 motorway patrol cars, and their being displayed as PR flag waving at shows.  In essence being the police's pride flagship cars, seemingly ever more conspicuous than the Ford Granada.

 

Admittedly, I've also read that all the 'luxury' electrical options were omitted (central locking, electric windows, etc) from the police spec. ..and of course no sun roof ! (much the same as the 2 ltr SD1 then ?).  And then there was a bit of performance tweaking - which in turn led to BL offering the Vitesse spec.  But I wonder what percentage of the police were 2.6's rather than the V8 ? 

 

Btw. according to the figures ; the 2.6 accounted for something near half the total production number of  SD1's.

 

And then I read just today that some police forces bought up end of model stocks because they favoured the SD1, which again seems to suggest that they weren't so bad (when they were overly frequent serviced ?)   Perhaps then ; the 2.6's oil simply needs to be changed every 3,000 miles  &/or modern oils and fine filtration would prevent the sludging up of camshaft oil ways ?  

 

If I recall, in the 1970's and 80's the oil of choice was 20w50, where perhaps a lighter oil would have been better suited ?  I wonder what if anything the police mechanics did to make them reliable.. perhaps a higher flow oil pump and/or an oil cooler.?

 

And is it not probable that if one bought a good genuine low-mileage car (that hadn't previously been patched or bodged, or run on too little budget to have it serviced) - then care and attention of an informed classic-car owner, with a paint brush and frequent doses of wax oil, would keep the dreaded tin worm at bay  ..equally as well as on any 60's, 70's or 80's monocoque ?    Or was the quality of steel just of too low grade ?

 

Although there is a trip computer in the top spec SD1.., surely the car's electrics can be no worse than a Jaguar XJ6 (for example) or any other over spec'd executive model ?  

 

 

Trigger : "What are you after ? Are you specifically looking for a SD1 or is there anything else you fancy? Maybe start a thread telling what your looking for in a classic and what tickles your fancy and we might be able to find you something you hadn't thought off before?."

 

It's a good question.. As with my perspective on women - it's easier to know what I don't want to end up living with !    I'll give your question further thought. 

 

For now all I can say is that - I'm not fixated, but I do like the SD1.  Perhaps as much now as when I saw them on the road.  For me ; they've always had a presence, and that hasn't waned as a 40 year old classic (although it does seem smaller nowadays).  But it's also not so 'rare a classic' as to be a motoring curiosity only to be used high days and holidays, &/or unable to sustain motorway speeds.   Admittedly, I used to hate its dashboard styling ..but I'm now fascinated by it.  It's 'a period piece' of product design and social history ..as much as the timber encased octagonal speedo of the 1950's MG Magnette was to that period of car.   

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Let's not beat around the bush - the SD1 was a pile of shit 30 years ago. Great looking and nice to have as a toy, but in 1986 , there were no end of wanked SD1's on dodgy car sales places. I did part of my apprenticeship at Nias of Newbury, an ARG! dealership and they were always in there being fixed, most under warranty.

 

When you can still buy a decent W123 Merc for sensible money, I really wouldn't be paying much for an SD1 as styling and nostalgia apart, they just weren't very good and there were a lot of cars that were much better - the original Carlton and Senator for one. The Cowley cars were no better made either, they all rust like a bastard. I wouldn't entertain a plastic bumper one either - pre facelift on stainless wheel trims or nothing.

[Timewaster]

There was a self employed builder around here who used to call in the spares place when I worked there who stood out from the crowd being a proper t'Yorkshireman in the east anglian fens.

He drove around in a shonky S reg 2600.

He did all the work on out himself and kept a spare headset in the boot and said he could do a head gasket in about 3 hours he'd done so many.

That was about 10 years ago.

 

I couldn't believe my eyes when I was on a site earlier this year and what should trundle into the yard?

 

I should try and contact him to sign up o here buti very much doubt he does tinternet.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

S reg 2600.

 

 

One of the first!

[Timewaster]

It is no shiney resto, it looks like it should be at the back of a used car lot in 1983.

 

My inner rainman can remember the reg so I checked the mot history.

 

It is still on the road and showing no failures as far back as the record goes.

 

The mileage is all over the place, going up then down then up then down again.

 

Knackered clocks? Either that or he is going round the clock every year. I would not bet against it!

[warren t claim]

Flippin brilliant, I have a MEGAWANT for an SD1 2000.

My last SD1 was a very late 2000 manual. It was the run out model that was fully loaded to 3500SE spec and in Zircon Blue. It looked great but sounded harsh and drove like it was on stilts. 

[Skizzer]

the SD1 was a pile of shit

The fact that most people still bang on about how shit these are and I should have bought a Mercedes is one of the many things I like about my SD1. I don't care what it was like under warranty - it's nearly 40 years old now so that's just irrelevant.

 

I put a longer, better argued and more eloquent post on here yesterday but it got deleted and I can't be arsed to write it again.