SOTW: Rover 825i Sterling
Shed isn't only fond of German barges, you know... we also do unloved Brit oddness...
This is the statement you would be making if, in the late 80s or early 90s, you pointed your hard-earned in the direction of a Rover 800. If you bought a mid-to-late 90s model, you might want to add "Oh, and I want the outside to look like a 60s throwback".
But these are cruel things to say about Rover's final attempt at a proper executive car (for the purposes of this argument we'll call the 75 too small). Okay, so the 800 had very little of the technical or design innovation that marked out the SD1 or P6 (or even P5), and its reputations for quality or reliability were hardly sparkling. And if you're being really harsh, Honda's insistence (for this was a joint project that also created the original Honda Legend) 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.
But there's a certain English elegance to the 800 that you just can't get these days (or perhaps I'm just having another one of my 'turns').
And of course the humble 800 is a bit of an endangered species these days - there were more than 300,000 produced originally, yet the PH classifieds only carries a single example at the moment, and even Auto Trader musters fewer than 20 cars.
Of those, we've picked a 94k mile, 1996 N-plate 825i. We're not 100 per cent sure whether this means it has a Honda V6 or an early K-series unit, but it looks tidy, has a long MOT and, apart from the tow hitch that suggests a part-time job as a caravan lugger, could easily have you playing '90s government minister'. And for a fiver less than £700 it is a heck of a lot of car for the money. Just don't get into the back seat hoping to get somewhere, because it doesn't come with a chauffeur...
Ps - we also spotted this 1997 Coupe up for £999, a rare manual version, but since the ad didn't provide an image of the front of the car we felt it couldn't be the main SOTW
Advert is reproduced below
1996 ROVER 800 825 STERLING 4DR AUTO TAXED AND TESTED
£695
94000 miles
4 Doors, Automatic, Saloon, Petrol, 94,000 miles, Metallic Silver, MOT-08-2012. TAXED AND TESTED, EXCEPTIONAL RUNNER. GREAT VALUE LUXURY MOTORING. Service History, Radio/Cassette, CD Multichanger, Heated front seat, Multi function steering wheel, Electrically adjustable seats, Electric sunroof, ABS, Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Anti theft system, Central locking, Colour coding - Body, Colour coding - Interior, Cruise control, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Foglights, Head restraints, Heated screen, Leather seats, Metallic paintwork, Passenger airbag, Power assisted steering, Radio, Rear armrest, Remote locking, Spoiler, Sunroof, Tinted glass. Insurance Group:14, OPEN 7 Days, All vehicles HPI Checked. Stock Changing Daily. After Hours By Appointment. £695 p/x to clear
Hardly see these anywhere, for good rust & electrical reasons.
I was taken to school in a white 800, we set off from some traffic lights up a rather steep hill to be greeted by a friendly Bobby who stopped us to say "I take it this is the 827 Sir?"
"Yes" said the driver
"Thought so" said the copper, "there's no way a 2 litre would have got up that hill to double the speed limit from a standing start. Take it easy in the future will you?"
And off we went
After all the electrics (including every single interior and exterior light) turned themselves off whilst doing 70mph+ on an unlit section of the A1 at night he soon chopped it in for a Granada (scorpio?).
Shame, as I always liked the way these looked...
Services provided by DVLA:
Vehicle enquiry
The enquiry is complete.The vehicle details for N453 GUA are:
Date of Liability
01 09 2011
Date of First Registration
22 02 1996
Year of Manufacture
1996
Cylinder Capacity (cc)
2497cc
CO2 Emissions
Not Available
Fuel Type
PETROL
Export Marker
N
Vehicle Status
Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour
SILVER
Vehicle Type Approval
Not Available
This vehicle can be licensed at a DVLA Local Office without the V5C Registration Certificate
Vehicle Excise Duty rate for vehicle
6 Months Rate
£118.25
12 Months Rate
£215.00
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