32k 1.8T Connie in Blue

Bogbrush82 · 13th July 2018, 12:18

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...onsored&page=1

FSH, new cambelt. Looks nice.

trikey · 13th July 2018, 13:55

Nod just any blue though is it 😛

solarsailor · 13th July 2018, 14:17

This one was up for sale several weeks ago and then disappeared after a few days. At that price I thought it must have sold quickly given its (lovely) colour, mileage, spec and apparent condition but it seems not.

The ad says the cambelt was changed at 26k which - after checking the MOT history - was 5 years ago, so it won't be too long before it will need replacing again. Unless you're happy to believe the belt is good for 90k regardless of age.

stevestrat · 13th July 2018, 15:02

Anybody else noticed all these low milers coming out of the woodwork are 1.8 or 1.8T

paul d · 13th July 2018, 16:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevestrat

Anybody else noticed all these low milers coming out of the woodwork are 1.8 or 1.8T

Yes, quite a few on low miles around right now, not all 1.8's though.

This ones manual so not for me.

Regards

Paul

LeRich · 13th July 2018, 18:21

Looks lovely, and it's in Odyssey

JeffD · 14th July 2018, 05:54

Does anyone know anything about this car or the owner?????

Only worry for me is that it's a CAT N insurance write-off but with the value of our cars these days that may have just been a scratch on the bumper LOL ;-')

Bogbrush82 · 14th July 2018, 10:11

Passed its last MOT with a couple of advisories. other than that it's last fail was 2 years ago on anti-roll bar ball joints and dodgy wipers.

JeffD · 15th July 2018, 06:42

Hi guys

I actually went to view this car last night but decided it wasn't for me but thought I'd post up a few details in case anyone else is interested.

The good...

It's definitely a low mileage car - no stone chipping in the usual places and the interior has little signs of wear and inside controls etc feel "tight" rather than loose with use.

Interior is high spec and in good condition...has working electric blind, electric seats, all the windows go up and down and the door locks lock/unlock on key and fob.

Brake discs are not lipped so further reinforcing the low mileage etc.

Overall condition appears good.

And the bad...

1) Obviously a trader and talked 10 to the dozen waxing lyrical about the performance an how amazingly fast it was LOL He also kept insisting that the book value was £2300 and if I look on eBay they go for lots of money. The car was at his daughter's not his home address.

2) Now he told this on the phone beforehand but the car stutters under heavy acceleration which he has "diagnosed" as the turbo "sticking through lack of use and as long as you drive it carefully you don't really need the boost anyway" (the Gorden Bannatyne I'm out moment for me). He reckons he replaced the valve on the air box but didn't cure it (didn't look new to me).

I was hoping when I got there that it may have just been a loose vacuum hose or an obvious loose piece of the induction system but nothing was obvious. After having just spent the last weekend replacing the turbo on mine to cure the exact same symptom (plus a bit of smoke and losing oil and water) when I suggested that it needed a new turbo he was having none of it but at the same time wasn't at all interested in having it fixed before sale???

3) Rear bumper has had quite a bump on the passenger side corner with the chrome trim badly damaged and a bad scrape about 4 inches square so rear bumper deffo needs repainting and maybe replacing which is a shame.

4) He mentioned the rear exhaust box needs replacing but when I looked underneath the whole exhaust is very, very badly corroded and I would expect to have to replace it in the very near future.

5) The engine was already warm when I got there (grrr) and when I removed the coolant filler cap it was full of mayo but he claimed it wasn't and was just some stopleak that he had just put in as it had been leaking!!!!

I also checked the inside of the oil filler cap which had obviously been wiped clean and that had spots of water on it.

To be fair I did actually do a head gasket test (I've got a kit) which "passed" but still not convinced due to the fact that it's been filled with stop leak and has no coolant but water in it and was warmed it up beforehand (mine use to stutter until warmed up when the head gasket was going). Not good either way.

6) The radiator was leaking but has been repaired with a very big blob/smear of chemical putty or similar.

7) The car has been involved in a front-end collision (which again he told me about - it's a CAT N) but in my opinion, has been repaired badly and it's very obvious which really was the deal breaker for me.

The bonnet sits quite skew to the wings in a very obvious way and also the slam panel is crooked, the front fog light surrounds trims are missing/broken, the bumper is still damaged and doesn't fit right up to the wings. All in all, I think it needs a front strip down and maybe a new slam panel, bumper repainting and the bonnet refitting.

He dismissed the bonnet as an easy job to refit (so why not do it?) but my concern was it might be one of those problems where the hinge area on the bodywork is stretch so you will never be able to get it right???

I never actually drove it as it wasn't taxed plus the stutter etc and by that time I had decided it wasn't for me and didn't want to waste both our times.

I also noticed in the handbook there was a note that it had been on sorn for 2 years.

Conclusion...

A low mileage car which has been in an accident and cobbled together by a trader to sell on with minimal spend.

Youll need a new exhaust, radiator, turbo and most probably a headgasket along with a very friendly bodyshop who can sort out front and rear bumpers and with a bit of luck straighten that bonnet (my gut feeling is it won't).

keithst24 · 15th July 2018, 08:37

Thankyou Jeff for the write up .... I was tempted by this and as it is nearly 200 miles away I would of been quite disappointed to find the amount of negatives you have listed.
The search continues

13th July 2018, 12:18	#1
Bogbrush82 I really should get out more....... BMW X3 2.0D Join Date: May 2017 Location: Tipton Posts: 2,383 Thanks: 51 Thanked 765 Times in 421 Posts	32k 1.8T Connie in Blue https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...onsored&page=1 FSH, new cambelt. Looks nice. __________________ Current car: BMW x3 2.0d (The one with the M47 engine!) Rolled off the line on December 14th, 2004.

13th July 2018, 13:55	#2
trikey Premium Trader Rover 75 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Devon Posts: 33,766 Thanks: 8,837 Thanked 14,831 Times in 8,030 Posts	Nod just any blue though is it 😛 __________________ Lest we forget..

13th July 2018, 14:17	#3
solarsailor Posted a thing or two 75 Saloon 1.8T Club SE Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Colchester Posts: 1,225 Thanks: 87 Thanked 653 Times in 344 Posts	This one was up for sale several weeks ago and then disappeared after a few days. At that price I thought it must have sold quickly given its (lovely) colour, mileage, spec and apparent condition but it seems not. The ad says the cambelt was changed at 26k which - after checking the MOT history - was 5 years ago, so it won't be too long before it will need replacing again. Unless you're happy to believe the belt is good for 90k regardless of age. __________________ This vehicle was born on Wednesday June 4th 2003 @ 08:24:38 This vehicle was the 73,905th 75 to run off the production line, out of 112,381 This vehicle was the 1,862nd 75 1.8 T Club SE to be made out of 3,980 This vehicle was the 6,856th 75 in Wedgewood Blue to be made out of 7,515 Wedgewood Blue 75s

13th July 2018, 15:02	#4
stevestrat This is my second home ZT260 #243 (resting) Join Date: May 2010 Location: Prestonpans Posts: 22,473 Thanks: 650 Thanked 4,624 Times in 3,358 Posts	Anybody else noticed all these low milers coming out of the woodwork are 1.8 or 1.8T __________________ Steve T4 Location Map

13th July 2018, 18:21	#6
LeRich Posted a thing or two Rover 75 Cont SE 1.8T Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Cheshire Posts: 1,082 Thanks: 215 Thanked 232 Times in 178 Posts	Looks lovely, and it's in Odyssey __________________ Rover 75 1.8T Contemporary SE Auto Starlight Silver MBB

14th July 2018, 05:54	#7
JeffD Loves to post Rover 75 1.8T SE Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Southport Posts: 402 Thanks: 1 Thanked 72 Times in 37 Posts	Does anyone know anything about this car or the owner????? Only worry for me is that it's a CAT N insurance write-off but with the value of our cars these days that may have just been a scratch on the bumper LOL ;-')

14th July 2018, 10:11	#8
Bogbrush82 I really should get out more....... BMW X3 2.0D Join Date: May 2017 Location: Tipton Posts: 2,383 Thanks: 51 Thanked 765 Times in 421 Posts	Passed its last MOT with a couple of advisories. other than that it's last fail was 2 years ago on anti-roll bar ball joints and dodgy wipers. __________________ Current car: BMW x3 2.0d (The one with the M47 engine!) Rolled off the line on December 14th, 2004.

15th July 2018, 06:42	#9
JeffD Loves to post Rover 75 1.8T SE Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Southport Posts: 402 Thanks: 1 Thanked 72 Times in 37 Posts	Hi guys I actually went to view this car last night but decided it wasn't for me but thought I'd post up a few details in case anyone else is interested. The good... It's definitely a low mileage car - no stone chipping in the usual places and the interior has little signs of wear and inside controls etc feel "tight" rather than loose with use. Interior is high spec and in good condition...has working electric blind, electric seats, all the windows go up and down and the door locks lock/unlock on key and fob. Brake discs are not lipped so further reinforcing the low mileage etc. Overall condition appears good. And the bad... 1) Obviously a trader and talked 10 to the dozen waxing lyrical about the performance an how amazingly fast it was LOL He also kept insisting that the book value was £2300 and if I look on eBay they go for lots of money. The car was at his daughter's not his home address. 2) Now he told this on the phone beforehand but the car stutters under heavy acceleration which he has "diagnosed" as the turbo "sticking through lack of use and as long as you drive it carefully you don't really need the boost anyway" (the Gorden Bannatyne I'm out moment for me). He reckons he replaced the valve on the air box but didn't cure it (didn't look new to me). I was hoping when I got there that it may have just been a loose vacuum hose or an obvious loose piece of the induction system but nothing was obvious. After having just spent the last weekend replacing the turbo on mine to cure the exact same symptom (plus a bit of smoke and losing oil and water) when I suggested that it needed a new turbo he was having none of it but at the same time wasn't at all interested in having it fixed before sale??? 3) Rear bumper has had quite a bump on the passenger side corner with the chrome trim badly damaged and a bad scrape about 4 inches square so rear bumper deffo needs repainting and maybe replacing which is a shame. 4) He mentioned the rear exhaust box needs replacing but when I looked underneath the whole exhaust is very, very badly corroded and I would expect to have to replace it in the very near future. 5) The engine was already warm when I got there (grrr) and when I removed the coolant filler cap it was full of mayo but he claimed it wasn't and was just some stopleak that he had just put in as it had been leaking!!!! I also checked the inside of the oil filler cap which had obviously been wiped clean and that had spots of water on it. To be fair I did actually do a head gasket test (I've got a kit) which "passed" but still not convinced due to the fact that it's been filled with stop leak and has no coolant but water in it and was warmed it up beforehand (mine use to stutter until warmed up when the head gasket was going). Not good either way. 6) The radiator was leaking but has been repaired with a very big blob/smear of chemical putty or similar. 7) The car has been involved in a front-end collision (which again he told me about - it's a CAT N) but in my opinion, has been repaired badly and it's very obvious which really was the deal breaker for me. The bonnet sits quite skew to the wings in a very obvious way and also the slam panel is crooked, the front fog light surrounds trims are missing/broken, the bumper is still damaged and doesn't fit right up to the wings. All in all, I think it needs a front strip down and maybe a new slam panel, bumper repainting and the bonnet refitting. He dismissed the bonnet as an easy job to refit (so why not do it?) but my concern was it might be one of those problems where the hinge area on the bodywork is stretch so you will never be able to get it right??? I never actually drove it as it wasn't taxed plus the stutter etc and by that time I had decided it wasn't for me and didn't want to waste both our times. I also noticed in the handbook there was a note that it had been on sorn for 2 years. Conclusion... A low mileage car which has been in an accident and cobbled together by a trader to sell on with minimal spend. Youll need a new exhaust, radiator, turbo and most probably a headgasket along with a very friendly bodyshop who can sort out front and rear bumpers and with a bit of luck straighten that bonnet (my gut feeling is it won't). Last edited by JeffD; 15th July 2018 at 07:01..

15th July 2018, 08:37	#10
keithst24 This is my second home X Power Grey MGZT 180+ Auto... Bumble & 1.8T Odessey Rover 75 Contemporary SE manual Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Reigate Posts: 5,375 Thanks: 2,254 Thanked 1,801 Times in 1,403 Posts	Thankyou Jeff for the write up .... I was tempted by this and as it is nearly 200 miles away I would of been quite disappointed to find the amount of negatives you have listed. The search continues __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] Bumble Membership Number 35478 Born Monday, 16th June 2003 @ 14:30:35 This vehicle was the 9,196th ZT to run off the production line, out of 18,894 This vehicle was the 576th ZT 180 + to be made out of 828 This vehicle was the 871st ZT in XPower Grey (code: LEF) to be made out of 3,143 XPower Grey ZTs