How did your ZT/75 love start and do you feel the same now?

[David Lawrence]

Mine started after i went to look at a 2 litre vauxhall cavalier to trade my old viva in for, but i got there too late and it was sold. The dealer asked why i was interested in that model and I explained i wanted to move up to a 2 litre engine, at which point he pointed to a Rover SD1 2000 that had just come in. Power steering, electric windows, and armchair seating and i was sold. Been in Rovers ever since, had a 92 rover 218D for a while, then on to 420SDi, followed by the 75. The 75 brought back a sense of luxury from the sd1, and now have 2 of them.

[FLYER]

Whilst at work one day i drove past a garage forecourt and right at the back i caught the sunshine on a red car that stood out.

Pulled up and went in and lo and behold there was a 4 year old Copperleaf Red CDT..

Test drove it there and then and came back the next day and bought it.

3 months later ROVER went bust and thought where the hell will i get this car fixed if it goes wrong .

Six months later the fuel pump packed in and i joined ORG for help and met the man i later called Sir Tam of Shotts who loved these cars and had space and the know how to fix them.

He became my very good friend but sadly passed away before his time god rest his soul..

I traded my copperleaf after 4 years for a Moonstone 75 CDT and sold that to Cossie Dunc and bought my Silver 75 Cdt Tourer from Sir Tam who departed this life some months later.

Wouldnt have any other car .
They feel right.
Look right.

And i have met some great people through the club and will always remember that day i spotted my first one in that forecourt..

[Tackleberry]

Well originally I wanted a ZR but a coach company I worked at another driver was selling his ZT 190 so I bought it off him but unfortunately it got written off a month later...
Bought a ZS 120 to replace it but 6 months later over a few drinks later we found the current ZT on eBay for £400 and bought it!!!

[ZedTeeT]

Well mine kind of fell into my lap really. It was my father's from 2 years old and when he out of the blue went a treated himself to a new focus, the poor old ZT-T was going to be consigned to the scrap heap as it had developed an ABS fault and he'd called time on the old girl. But I just couldn't let it happen as I had been the one that had found it for him and had always thought it such a handsome car. Anyway, I had no need for another car but couldn't let it die. I had no idea it had been so neglected in recent years and she needs lots of work, a lot of small stuff but some bigger stuff like a total front suspension rebuild and of course the ABS fault. But it's a bit of a project for me, so no rush.

[macafee2]

I had seeen Rovers but never really looked at them. My wife wanted to change our caravan and we needed a heavier car. A friend at work suggested a 75. wife and I looked at Mondeos but neither of us could really take to them.

Wife found ours on auto Trader. 2005 CDT saloon. mmm a saloon, not a fan of these and nor am I a fan of diesels. It was a good car with 28k on the clock. The big draw back, no cruise control and no sun roof.

Then i came across this forum and have been given so much help and advice.
This saloon diesal is a fantastic car, quiet and smooth.

Many upgrades
Rear Parking sensors
Rear Electric blind
Electric memory seats
Embossed Head rests
160 remap
Front fog lights
Webasto heater
change to walnut dash and steering wheel
full size spare
tow bar
cruise control

I need to wire in the torch and GSM for the webasto


I know who I'm not a fan of the mk1, the front grill. I do like the mk1 with a zt grill, these grills reall do make the car look better.

I got a donor car the same colur last year off of ebay and have had a few parts from it. when I get time i will remove other parts, renivate them and put them on my car.

I'm toying with getting a tourer. The future avileability of parts is a concern but apart from a new shape jaguar I cant think of anything I would want instead.

Unless you own a 75 I dont think you can appreciate them. People have a downer on them because they are a Rover but when I get in mine and drive it I feel good.

macafee2

[DMGRS]

I got my first Rover when I was 17/18... after a nightmare Ford Fiesta (my first car).

It was a 416i, 1997 with a few oil leaks and other minor issues. I knew nothing about British cars, so bought a Haynes manual and set about learning.

This was replaced with an MG ZS diesel, then when my ex-partner had our child I bought my first 75. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I think my love for the model is shown in my ZT and ZT-Ts, both currently sat proudly on the drive. Showing the neighbours how it's done!

[STUBIE]

Watching Midsomer Murders in the early years of the new century brought me to the fold.
Barnaby always had pristine 75's black or dark blue with meteor alloys and the director always framed them beautifully. I said one day I'll buy one of them.
I bought my 1st one in April 2005, a moonstone Green special lines Conn SE week later MG Rover went bust.

Loved them every since.

Stubs

[FLYING BANANA]

Some may know the sad part of this story. But here goes.

My wife had a very serious fall and was in the Royal London Hospital. We only had the one car as I had taken early retirement to look after the wife. I used to go back and forwards to the hospital on public transport but on this particular day there was a tube strike. (9/06/09). So I took our car, FORD Fiesta, and parked outside the hospital. I left at 10pm, I was allowed to stay late, and drove home. Parked up and went in doors. Got myself something to eat and sorted out clean clothes to take into the hospital on the next day.

Looked out at about 11.30pm and no car. Did I bring it home? Did I park it elsewhere? You start to doubt yourself, am I going nuts? So armed with the key fob I went in search of our car. Kept pushing the alarm button, waiting for the lights to flash. Nothing. Walked around the block, but nothing. Went in doors and phoned the police. I was told that they would not be looking for the car as it would have been stolen to order. I still had both key fobs. So that made sense.

Now, how do I tell the wife that our car has been stolen? Left it a couple of days before broaching the subject. "Hello sweetheart, I've bit of bad news for you. Someone has stolen our little Fiesta". I waited for the tears. "Ok. We'll get another Rover". Well was not expecting that. We had a Rover 220SD before the Fiesta.

I tracked down a Rover 220SDi at Apple MG In Gravesend. So with cash in pocket, a friend gave me a lift, I went to have a look. A number of Rover's and MG's lined up outside, all waiting for someone to buy them. Looked at the 220SDi, but something Red caught my eye. A MG ZT in Solar Red. Wow! And in my price range. Boot big enough to take a wheelchair without having to fold the seats down. A 1.8, I knew nothing about the 'K' series but it came with some history and 12 months on the MOT. The deal was done and a few days later I collected "The Beast", thought it was appropriate name. Money pit might have been a better name.

My wife had now been transferred to a local hospital. So I took Val out in her wheelchair to meet the "The Beast". She asked me if she could play in the boot. This stems back from when she was a little girl and if it was raining her dad used to put in the back of their estate car so she could play 'outside'.

First breakdown was the fuel pump, followed by HGF, followed by the alternator, followed by a 2nd HGF. All in 8 months. The first 3 all under warranty. I was so desperate to get rid I part exchanged it for a diesel Kia C'eed. Val had now been transferred into a nursing home and was unaware of what was going on. I kept the Kia for 6 months, but I had the 'want' for another ZT.

Looked on all the car sites on the web. On eBay there was a Black ZTT diesel. Was very interested but the owner was a bit vague about it's service history. Kept coming back to this Yellow ZT, no not Yellow. I phoned the garage where it was advertised in Potton in Bedfordshire. As I turned the corner the sun caught this stunning beauty in Yellow sitting outside the garage. We went for a test drive and I was smitten. The deal was done. 3 days later I collected her with a new MOT and 4 new tyres, Continental M3's.

As they say, the rest is history. "The Flying Banana" has been with me ever since. 6 years now. Spent a fortune on her and love her to bits. Has been my saviour, daft it may seem but believe me without this car then I would not be writing this. I took Val out in her a few times, Val was now unable to walk, so getting her in and out was a laugh.

Val sadly passed away 23/12/2010. So Banana has been my saviour. Bless her.

When I bought the V8 I have now, I named her after my wife's CB handle, "Pooky Bear".

[Dubya]

I'm not a Rover die-hard, though in the past I have owned a 1984 213SE, a 1988 Mini, 2 x 1993 Metro's and a 1998 414SI. Also I had driving lessons and passed my test in a Rover Metro!

Anyway, early last year my daily driver was my 20 year old Jeep Cherokee, which I loved to drive despite it's many issues. However, more and more things were going wrong so I thought "enough is enough, I need a newer, more reliable set of wheels".

The criteria was straightforward, a large estate car, that's it. I looked at a few Mondeos and Vectras but didn't really like them. I also checked out the 5dr Vitara and Freelander.

Then one day the Jeep overheated and dumped it's coolant over the road, and things got somewhat more urgent! Typically nothing suitable could be found locally and I thought I would have to settle for anything just so I could get to work.

That was when I saw her on a dealer's website. A 2005 MG ZT-T 190 in Ignition Blue, not too far away and at a reasonable price. I went straight over to view her, she was a part-exchange they had taken in, covered in mud inside & out and with a short MOT. But it was love at first sight, and after taking her for a test drive I was smitten,

3 days later, following a full valet, service and a new MOT she was on my drive! Every time I walk past her I give her a loving look! Every journey I have a big smile on my face. Sure she isn't perfect, but nor am I, and I am slowly getting through the list of jobs that need doing. She's the best car I have ever owned, and I am looking forward to a long relationship with her!

[max1]

If any of you have attended a Midlands nano meet, you may have heard this story, for anyone else , here is how I became a 75 owner.

My brother purchased a 75 tourer in march 2002, it was the first brand new car he had bought, but being a plumber, it was bought with work purposes in mind. He would carefully protect the rear load area from the tools he would have to carry around, and this continued for the next few years. In November 2008, I received a phone call in the early hours of the morning to say that my brother had died, he had been taken ill an hour previous, but had contracted meningitis.

The tourer then was registered in his wife's name, but as she didn't drive, it sat on the drive for a period of 6 months. My father then decided that he wanted to go touring around Britain, so he bought the tourer from her, one reason to put some cash in her pocket, and two so he could get them all in.

In 2012, he decided he wanted a smaller car, and as I had just been made redundant, and lost my company vehicle, he told me that he was going to give me the tourer, on the understanding that I wouldn't sell it for sentimental reasons. Two weeks before it passed over to me, the clutch went, which landed him with a 900 pound bill, but he still passed it over.

Once I became the owner, I started to get quite attached to it, I started to research into rover and 75,s. I then found out about the owners club and the nano meets.
I now have a rover 75 that has had four registered keeper's, but all with the same surname, but there will not be any other surnames added to the v5. Well not in until I am gone.

Just wish it wasn't zircon silver, however much you polish it, it never looks as good as the other colours of members in the club.