hello from a potential 75 owner, advice please

[baconbuttyman]

thanx for all the help
i have test driven the 1.8 and to be honest it was not a great driver but i think that was the car not the marque, the ride was rattley and i thought the car had a couple of probs, although it stands well and looks fantastic, its not the 75 for me.
THEN I DROVE THE DIESLE. wow, it was smooth, responsive, sturdy, quiet, it handles very well and held the road well, i am well impressed, the engin was constantly smooth, nice driver, its done 63000 miles with the last service on 49000 miles in 2006 the service before that was 34000 miles so its due a service, while the service history is slightly lacking the engin sounds good and if i get it serviced then its been serviced every 15000 miles. i am siding on the diesle at the moment, the economy of a derv engine i pulling me that way, do these engine suffer any probs,

[derekosb]

Hi there

I bought a Diesel on 59k with no history at all. It was from a main dealer group which gave me a 2yr/24k warranty so that eased the worry.

No problems with the engine but the clutch slave & master cylinders failed (the car had had a towbar fitted!) and then the replacement failed again 10k later.

The engine is basically bulletproof enough (timing chain - good for 250k) it is the ancillary bits that cause the problems on the diesels (Clutch, Fuel Pumps, MAF sensor, EGR Valve, PCV Filter etc.)

Do a search for those terms and you will see all the issues. If the car is serviced and warrantied and feels straight then I would not necesarily rule it out on history.

Derek

[Bartonrover]

My T Reg diesel has done 115k miles (have had since new) and still delivers 50mpg plus effortlessly. Clutch may be getting a bit shaky. Others have obtained 200k miles - becoming popular with our local cabbies now. Within the cab it's extremely quiet (note: tyre noise can be more intrusive than the engine). My first ever Rover - and definitely the best car I have ever owned.

I have twice had a 1.8 petrol as a courtesy car - definitely seemed under powered in comparison. V6 is a delight to drive - but you have to be aware of the higher tax and servicing costs. My advice would be diesel and don't be afraid to get an early model if it has a good service and ownership history, especially if it means getting a higher spec such as leather and full climate control.

[JP53]

I have owned 3 diesels (2 75's and a face lift ZT). 0-60 on my 1.8 feels about the same (10.9 compared to 11 of CDT and 10.3 of CDTi). Top end is, according to MGR's figures, 1 mph faster, so virtually the same.

It is the between gears acceleration were the diesel has the advantage. According to MGR's figures the 30-50 is about a second quicker and the 50-70 is between 2 and 3 seconds quicker. The 1.8 turbo negates these advantages.

The diesel is quieter at about 50-60 mph at other speeds in top gear there is no noticeable difference. The diesel is a lot noisier on start up and tick over.

The BIG advantage the diesel as over the 1.8 in day to day owner ship is the 12mpg extra you can get from it. Having said that if you decide to use that extra over taking ability instead of trundling along then the advantage will drop slightly.

I do not prefer any one engine (1.8, diesel, 2.5) over the other. I bought a 1.8 this time because it was the best condition/spec 75 I could find for £2500 with a full service history, 1 owner, 6 months tax and 3 months warranty.
I did find a similar mileage/spec diesel, but the condition of both the interior/exterior was not good and the dealer wanted £3999! The extra £1500 will buy a lot of fuel
I hope to keep the car a long time, eventually having it as a second/hobby car on classic type insurance so getting one in very, very good condition was top priority.

[baconbuttyman]

what do you guys think to this, its in a garage just around the corner
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www...00919334071494

[Rabett_Rover]

Originally Posted by baconbuttyman

what do you guys think to this, its in a garage just around the corner
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www...00919334071494

Looks good the only thing is has the car had its 6 year cambelt change

[baconbuttyman]

Originally Posted by Rabett_Rover

Looks good the only thing is has the car had its 6 year cambelt change

i am hoping thats why the service cost so much that the cb was done, the show room was actually closed but i did have a look around it,i liked the half leather interior, what would be the spec difference between this and the connoiseur, altho the only other car is the diesle previously mentioned.
thanx

[stocktake]

Again, you have to be comfortable in your own mind with the headgasket. Check the service history.

[JP53]

The ride would be harder than the 75 but will give better road holding.

Connoisseur would have full leather, heated seats, electrically operated seats, Walnut dash, rear cup holder. SE spec would add reversing sensors, auto dim mirror, rain sensitive wipers, half wood steering wheel and electric rear blind.

[derekosb]

Originally Posted by JP53

The ride would be harder than the 75 but will give better road holding.

Connoisseur would have full leather, heated seats, electrically operated seats, Walnut dash, rear cup holder. SE spec would add reversing sensors, auto dim mirror, rain sensitive wipers, half wood steering wheel and electric rear blind.

I just wanted to make a small correction to John's list above. As far as I know the Wooden steering wheel was always an optional extra, even on the Connie SE. My 2004 late Mk1 is a Connie SE and does not have the wooden wheel (more's the pity as I would love one!).

Mine is also missing the rear blind but I am not sure if that is a project drive issue or whether it is because I have the optional sports interior??

I would recommend the diesel 75, but I am biased!

Derek

Derek