The ending of an era
So my days of being a Rover owner are coming to an end – things change and we move on.
My first Rover was a 1973 Rover 2000TC in Almond purchased in 1982 with a mileage of 42,000 miles. An obsession started.
The TC was then joined by a 3500 – a couple had driven up from Bristol and the autobox decided it did not like Bristol so it expired. Someone knew I liked Rovers and £75 changed hands and I had a Lunar Grey 3500 fitted with Denovo tyres. £75 got me a secondhand box and the car was mobile again.
Next to join the fleet was a Development 3500. This car, DXC40G was the car that was prepared for Board approval for the NADA Rover 3500S Auto. A RHD 3500 export model was purchased to assist with the renovations.
I was then offered another development car – DXC822D – a 2000 bodyshell into which the V8 had been shoe-horned that still had the 2000 inner wings so it was tight under there. It also had the development electric windows.
A change in life saw all these go.
The next Rover was an 800 which propelled my from Surrey to Leeds on a weekly basis for meetings- and it would return 40mpg on these journeys. That went when I built a kit car – a Royale Sabre. An AA patrolman bought it with about 120,000 miles on it. He had a test drive and then commented ‘I was trying to find a fault and cannot so here is what you are asking for.
Then the kit car went and another 800 was bought. This was bought from the Rover dealer in Torbay and has come from Rovers fleet. It had 15,000 miles on it. The test drive went well but on the way back to Surrey I started to have difficulty engaging gears. Back home and a couple of phone calls and was told to take it in to the local dealer….who had a reputation and not a good one. They said they had rebuilt the box but it still had the problem. Suddenly, I was in the middle of a battle between the repairing dealer, the supplying dealer, Rover Company and Rover warranty ‘WHOA, this is nothing to do with me just get my car sorted out between you’. A new gearbox was fitted. Lovely car after that.
Sold and a Land Rover Discovery was bought as a better tool to tow a caravan and great fun was had…..until the autobox decided that it would automatically not work.
So the first 75 was bought in a hurry – amazing how when you need a car quickly there are very few about and it came to a choice of just two. Think I chose the right one. Bought it at 92,000 miles and sold it at 220,000 miles with virtually no problems. The clutch had been replaced at 70,000 miles and was still going well when I sold the car, no doubt hundreds of miles driven on French autoroutes helped.
Then to the current (at the moment – up for sale in the cars for sale section prior to elsewhere) 75. Bought in 2012 for our early retirement with a mileage of 46,000. That currently stands at 132,000 miles. Not being sold because anything is wrong with it, in fact has been very relieable, but in April I become an OAP and it is felt that we should have a modern car, just hoping it is as reliable as my Rovers. Must admit the 75 certainly holds its end up against the modern cars I am test driving.
Will be a bit of a wrench to see it go but life moves on.
So my days of being a Rover owner are coming to an end – things change and we move on.
My first Rover was a 1973 Rover 2000TC in Almond purchased in 1982 with a mileage of 42,000 miles. An obsession started.
The TC was then joined by a 3500 – a couple had driven up from Bristol and the autobox decided it did not like Bristol so it expired. Someone knew I liked Rovers and £75 changed hands and I had a Lunar Grey 3500 fitted with Denovo tyres. £75 got me a secondhand box and the car was mobile again.
Next to join the fleet was a Development 3500. This car, DXC40G was the car that was prepared for Board approval for the NADA Rover 3500S Auto. A RHD 3500 export model was purchased to assist with the renovations.
I was then offered another development car – DXC822D – a 2000 bodyshell into which the V8 had been shoe-horned that still had the 2000 inner wings so it was tight under there. It also had the development electric windows.
A change in life saw all these go.
The next Rover was an 800 which propelled my from Surrey to Leeds on a weekly basis for meetings- and it would return 40mpg on these journeys. That went when I built a kit car – a Royale Sabre. An AA patrolman bought it with about 120,000 miles on it. He had a test drive and then commented ‘I was trying to find a fault and cannot so here is what you are asking for.
Then the kit car went and another 800 was bought. This was bought from the Rover dealer in Torbay and has come from Rovers fleet. It had 15,000 miles on it. The test drive went well but on the way back to Surrey I started to have difficulty engaging gears. Back home and a couple of phone calls and was told to take it in to the local dealer….who had a reputation and not a good one. They said they had rebuilt the box but it still had the problem. Suddenly, I was in the middle of a battle between the repairing dealer, the supplying dealer, Rover Company and Rover warranty ‘WHOA, this is nothing to do with me just get my car sorted out between you’. A new gearbox was fitted. Lovely car after that.
Sold and a Land Rover Discovery was bought as a better tool to tow a caravan and great fun was had…..until the autobox decided that it would automatically not work.
So the first 75 was bought in a hurry – amazing how when you need a car quickly there are very few about and it came to a choice of just two. Think I chose the right one. Bought it at 92,000 miles and sold it at 220,000 miles with virtually no problems. The clutch had been replaced at 70,000 miles and was still going well when I sold the car, no doubt hundreds of miles driven on French autoroutes helped.
Then to the current (at the moment – up for sale in the cars for sale section prior to elsewhere) 75. Bought in 2012 for our early retirement with a mileage of 46,000. That currently stands at 132,000 miles. Not being sold because anything is wrong with it, in fact has been very relieable, but in April I become an OAP and it is felt that we should have a modern car, just hoping it is as reliable as my Rovers. Must admit the 75 certainly holds its end up against the modern cars I am test driving.
Will be a bit of a wrench to see it go but life moves on.
Paul
That apart Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play
That apart Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play
