Running 45s/75s as daily drivers and storage.

[Nightfire]

Morning all , I'm interested in knowing how many of yiu still run your 75 or 45 as daily driver? I'm considering getting a 45 or 75 but I'm slightly concerned that it'll have to be stored outside.

Have you found the cars increasly difficult to keep on tge road as they approach 25 years old ? I have another car , so daily use isn't essential.

[macafee2]

I have a saloon and a Tourer, both are 75's Both sit outside. The Tourer is a daily drive, the Saloon is a "Sunday" best.

Both cars need some repair work, the saloon needs the electric seat looking at as well as the rear window trim and the Tourer the air con..... both when I get time. I have given up trying to solve the rear window leaks in the Tourer.

Parts, yes some parts are and will continue to become harder to get.
So far, no problems. I have no intention of getting rid of either.
If another Tourer in excellent condition came along for beer money
I may well buy it.
Scrap yards are still a good source of parts.

For the rice of a Rover 75, get the right one and you are getting a good car.
Are you handy with a spanner?

macafee2

[Rogue]

Mine is my daily and lives outside on the driveway. Now 200k plus and still going strong. Has it's list of to do's but don't most things.

[VVC-Geeza]

I have both 75 and 45.75 has always been a weekend toy and the 45 may daily since 2012.45 has proved ultra reliable and a pleasure to drive however I'm looking to semi retire it to a weekend only car like my 75 and coupe in the very near future. It has earned a well deserved rest and it pains me to keep pushing it hard as a 20 yr old daily.Having said all that,if you can find a low mileage 45 which has had an easy life up until now they do make a great daily driver,especially one's with a good spec.

[MSS]

Originally Posted by Nightfire

Morning all , I'm interested in knowing how many of yiu still run your 75 or 45 as daily driver? I'm considering getting a 45 or 75 but I'm slightly concerned that it'll have to be stored outside.

Have you found the cars increasly difficult to keep on tge road as they approach 25 years old ? I have another car , so daily use isn't essential.

I would say that using a car as a daily drive is the best preventative maintenance that an owner can do. Lack of use is a car's worst enemy unless it is stored under cover, preferably in a heated enclosure.

I wish I still had a daily drive need but do not as I no longer work. Fortunately, the driving that I do in the diesel cars tends to be long distance so it treats them well. My 75 CDT is at 157k miles and could easily do another 100k as a daily.

I am gradually reducing my fleet to get down to just three cars between the Mrs and myself so that someone else can hopefully use the 75 as a daily as its such a shame that it is not in regular use. The Twintop has already been sold since my daughter moved away and it wasn't getting much use.


My 45 which I sold a few years back was also a daily and a brilliant one at that.

[Lagetha]

My 2000 Rover 75 1.8 Classic SE is my only car so it is also my daily driver (although some days I don't drive anywhere since retirement).

I bought it 2 years ago last April (2022), when it had covered 72k miles. Its MOT history to then showed it had averaged 500 to 700 miles per year for about 10 years. The previous owner had it registered as a disabled vehicle for VED purposes, so I presume infrequent trips to the shop and back over that period was all the use it saw.

It has been utterly reliable and has never let me down (except once when the key transponder slipped away from the business end of the key and the immobiliser wouldn't allow it to start ). Coolant level remains constant, and it doesn't burn/use oil at all.

I have replaced the back springs/shock absorbers - apparently the bottom coils of the springs had broken, so it sat a little low at the back. New drop links, and lower arm rear bearings, and a new front damper sorted all the bumps and rattles up front. It has an upgraded "alloy" throttle body on BigRuss's advice - apparently the plastic one can deform and limit air intake. I had to replace the back brake lines due to corrosion. I also obtained and fitted a set of Mk2 heated, electric leather seats - try as I may I couldn't get the sandstone velour clean looking. Earlier this year I had to replace the Klarius OEM exhaust backbox, due to rust/holes - I was lucky to find a used, but very good condition replacement by Klarius for £50.

Together we've done 11K miles and I'm planning on doing many more.

I have the parts in to replace the 24 year old brake disks, and of course new pads, a set of 16" forked spoke alloys I have had refurbished and new tyres fitted to, and a new (to me) Andoid head-unit still to go in.

All in all I am very pleased with my daily 75...

[DMGRS]

We still have a fleet of these in daily use - they're kept outside; thankfully MG Rover's paintwork was top-notch for the most part, and they're still in perfectly presentable condition.

The only issues you might face in a 45 / ZS is this: https://www.dmgrs.co.uk/pages/rover-...shooting-guide

It seems the seam sealer used is prone to cracking, but thankfully doesn't appear to affect the 75 / ZT.

These cars are still absolutely grand as a daily driver - parts are plentiful, many are now improved and they're not really any more expensive to keep on the road than other vehicles of a similar vintage.

And above all, it's a Rover!

[coolguy]

I have run 75s and 45s for a number of years - don't cover great mileages now, but they have always been reliable. I am currently debating whether to use the current 45 as my everyday driver, or sell as it should be used. With only 30,000 genuine miles it should see me out!

[coolguy]

Forgot to add that they all live outside, but are regularly polished, so no ill effects.

[Lagetha]

Originally Posted by coolguy

Forgot to add that they all live outside, but are regularly polished, so no ill effects.

A chap I knew in the late 1960s who owned and used a 1930s Morris 8 daily that he'd owned since it was new, swore by keeping his car in the open. He had a garage (tongue and groove panels with bitumen felt roof), but only stored his tools in it... He said damp kills cars, so it was better left in the open to dry off. He did leather it off if he'd used it in the rain. 🙂

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