RE: SOTW: Rover 825i Sterling
Discussion
melvster said:
I seem to remember my dad saying these cost in the region of 25k new and slightly more for the coupe. 25K for a Rover?? come on. Next door neighbour had a 820i hatchback, said it was the biggest piece of s
t he had owned, mind you he did have an S1 Elise tucked away in the garage.
For just shy of £700 it does look good value, has all the toys etc...
The coupe was north of £30k in 1995 by the time you'd put a few bits on. Discount coud be had though, like about 30% if you asked nicely.t he had owned, mind you he did have an S1 Elise tucked away in the garage. For just shy of £700 it does look good value, has all the toys etc...
I actually like the coupe. Like the Jag XJC it's a totally needless thing, which is somehow cool
I've just offloaded my one of these - 1998 Sterling KV6. Was a lovely old barge, and amazingly never put a foot wrong while I owned it. Not sure it'll sell for what they're asking; you can't seem to give these things away at the moment for some reason (as has been stated already, this engine isn't loved by many, especially the ones in the '96/'97 cars!), but you'd like to think that if it's lasted this long it probably isn't one of the ones that's about to blow a gasket....
SWoll said:
300bhp/ton said:
lol a 5 Series, which new would likely have been double the cost. Great comparison then.
You might want to check into that 300, wouldn't want you making sweeping, unresearched statements just for effect now would we.... 
827SLi > BMW E39 525i BTW. let me know what you come up with
SWoll said:
J4CKO said:
Of course immortalised by Alan Partridge, another inspired piece of automotive casting by Mr Coogan, oh how the lexus owners laughed, until the next series....
So, what would Alan drive now ?
Jag X-typeSo, what would Alan drive now ?
Don't forget Gareth Cheeseman and his Ford Probe as well
Simonium said:
300 seems to have gone a little quiet?
Strange that. Still researching those new car prices 3, or perhaps decided to spread your special brand of wisdom elsewhere?melvster said:
I seem to remember my dad saying these cost in the region of 25k new and slightly more for the coupe. 25K for a Rover?? come on. Next door neighbour had a 820i hatchback, said it was the biggest piece of st he had owned, mind you he did have an S1 Elise tucked away in the garage.
For just shy of £700 it does look good value, has all the toys etc...
How is an 820i any worse than a 2.0 Sierra, Scorpio, Caviler, Carlton, Omega, Mondeo?t he had owned, mind you he did have an S1 Elise tucked away in the garage. For just shy of £700 it does look good value, has all the toys etc...
fido said:
"Honda's insistence .. that the front suspension should be a double-wishbone affair in order to allow a lower bonnet line stymied the 800's ability to produce a pillow-soft ride."
Yes, that inferior double-wishbone design .. it was Honda's fault!
I'm no engineer, but isn't a double-wishbone front suspension layout unusual in exec cars, owing to generally reduced suspension travel?Yes, that inferior double-wishbone design .. it was Honda's fault!
Please educate me if I'm misguided/misinformed/generally a bit thick...
300bhp/ton said:
SWoll said:
300bhp/ton said:
lol a 5 Series, which new would likely have been double the cost. Great comparison then.
You might want to check into that 300, wouldn't want you making sweeping, unresearched statements just for effect now would we.... 827SLi > BMW E39 525i BTW. let me know what you come up with
I love 800s, I've owned a Vitesse Coupe and we've had a couple in the family, but by 1996 they were hopelessly uncompetitive. The KV6 engine really is the only good thing about this car - it revs more eagerly than the later versions and sounds superb. The gearbox is not very good and the gear ratios blunt the performance, the electrics will give you problems and the KV6 appears to have a 100% failure rate on head gaskets. They are also laughably wallowy and barge like but also ride very poorly and crash over every road imperfection. The only late 800 worth having is the Vitesse Sport - it handles AND rides like a different car.
I might have it for £500 with 12 months MOT, but £1000 is too much to loose when the head gasket blows in a fortnight.
I might have it for £500 with 12 months MOT, but £1000 is too much to loose when the head gasket blows in a fortnight.
dme123 said:
I love 800s, I've owned a Vitesse Coupe and we've had a couple in the family, but by 1996 they were hopelessly uncompetitive. The KV6 engine really is the only good thing about this car - it revs more eagerly than the later versions and sounds superb. The gearbox is not very good and the gear ratios blunt the performance, the electrics will give you problems and the KV6 appears to have a 100% failure rate on head gaskets. They are also laughably wallowy and barge like but also ride very poorly and crash over every road imperfection. The only late 800 worth having is the Vitesse Sport - it handles AND rides like a different car.
I might have it for £500 with 12 months MOT, but £1000 is too much to loose when the head gasket blows in a fortnight.
Someone who is a fan of the car but is more than happy to point out it's numerous issues. How refreshing.I might have it for £500 with 12 months MOT, but £1000 is too much to loose when the head gasket blows in a fortnight.
I applaud you sir
SWoll said:
300bhp/ton said:
SWoll said:
300bhp/ton said:
lol a 5 Series, which new would likely have been double the cost. Great comparison then.
You might want to check into that 300, wouldn't want you making sweeping, unresearched statements just for effect now would we.... 827SLi > BMW E39 525i BTW. let me know what you come up with
I reconsidered and thought maybe that was being rude, so edited before submitting. I see now that I shouldn't have bothered.
SWoll said:
SWoll said:
J4CKO said:
Of course immortalised by Alan Partridge, another inspired piece of automotive casting by Mr Coogan, oh how the lexus owners laughed, until the next series....
So, what would Alan drive now ?
Jag X-typeSo, what would Alan drive now ?
Don't forget Gareth Cheeseman and his Ford Probe as well
I can remember going to Rover dealers in the late 80s early 90s with my dad any uncle. My uncle bought a 827i Sterling hatchback in 1989 and soon after my dad bought a BMW 535i Sport. It always used to amuse me that my uncle was more concerned about having leather seats an faux wood and for those reasons believed the Rover was the more luxurious car.
A few years after the 827i was replaced with a facelift version as the first one had proved reliable and then around 1994/5 my dad traded the BMW for a 800 Vitesse Sport.
To be honest, jokes aside the Rovers were completely faultless. The only time in 3 years and over 100k my dad's Vitesse was off the road was when he crashed it. That actually turned out to be a blessing as he smashed the front end up and Rover couldn't supply a new engine quick enough so instead it went to Regal Motorsport for a rebuild which made it even faster.
The Vitesse especially with 2.0l Turbo 200hp, Torsen Slip diff, Recaro interior was dam good value at £20k compared to a 520 BMW.
A few years after the 827i was replaced with a facelift version as the first one had proved reliable and then around 1994/5 my dad traded the BMW for a 800 Vitesse Sport.
To be honest, jokes aside the Rovers were completely faultless. The only time in 3 years and over 100k my dad's Vitesse was off the road was when he crashed it. That actually turned out to be a blessing as he smashed the front end up and Rover couldn't supply a new engine quick enough so instead it went to Regal Motorsport for a rebuild which made it even faster.
The Vitesse especially with 2.0l Turbo 200hp, Torsen Slip diff, Recaro interior was dam good value at £20k compared to a 520 BMW.
Morningside said:
From what I remember the 825 engine had more destructive capabilities.
Dont forget this classic. "Tony Pond attempts to lap the IOM at 100mph average "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6noOET7Eik
They used this car at Thruxton for passenger laps about 16 years ago when i did a single seater day.Dont forget this classic. "Tony Pond attempts to lap the IOM at 100mph average "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6noOET7Eik
It was fantastic but the rear was bouncing around the corners.
It never raced and i've always wondered what happened to it.
Rover 800. Strong choice. For a few reasons:
1) Alan Partridge. If you buy this, you MUST purchase string-backed leather driving gloves.
2) The usual 'my mate's dad had one' argument. Actually, he had two, one green, one nightfire red. Both 827's. Pretty nippy as I remember, and they still had some cache in 1996...
3)Oddly regal.
Also, loving that the walnut around the binnacle doesn't match the wood around the gear selector. Now THAT's Longbridge build quality.
Finally, if only it were a coupe...
1) Alan Partridge. If you buy this, you MUST purchase string-backed leather driving gloves.
2) The usual 'my mate's dad had one' argument. Actually, he had two, one green, one nightfire red. Both 827's. Pretty nippy as I remember, and they still had some cache in 1996...
3)Oddly regal.
Also, loving that the walnut around the binnacle doesn't match the wood around the gear selector. Now THAT's Longbridge build quality.
Finally, if only it were a coupe...
300bhp/ton said:
SWoll said:
300bhp/ton said:
SWoll said:
300bhp/ton said:
lol a 5 Series, which new would likely have been double the cost. Great comparison then.
You might want to check into that 300, wouldn't want you making sweeping, unresearched statements just for effect now would we.... 827SLi > BMW E39 525i BTW. let me know what you come up with
I reconsidered and thought maybe that was being rude, so edited before submitting. I see now that I shouldn't have bothered.
)Rover 827SLi £25,745
BMW 525i SE £25,540
Certainly not twice the price of the Rover.
300bhp/ton said:
SWoll said:
300bhp/ton said:
SWoll said:
300bhp/ton said:
lol a 5 Series, which new would likely have been double the cost. Great comparison then.
You might want to check into that 300, wouldn't want you making sweeping, unresearched statements just for effect now would we.... 827SLi > BMW E39 525i BTW. let me know what you come up with
I reconsidered and thought maybe that was being rude, so edited before submitting. I see now that I shouldn't have bothered.
What a guy...
You should be able to find them on Parkers BTW, if you're having trouble.
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