RE: Rover 827 Vitesse: PH Ad Break
Discussion
Rob 131 Sport said:
Looking at buying one. I’m assuming he didn’t buy one and therefore had very a lucky escape.
I remember the equivalent age 525i was 3 times the price of the 827 Vitesse. At 5 times the price it would have been worth it
I disagree , as I posted earlier in the thread. I had both, the Vitesse was more luxurious, had more space, was better for crossing Europe and for me was no less reliable. I remember the equivalent age 525i was 3 times the price of the 827 Vitesse. At 5 times the price it would have been worth it
Maybe you were lucky. Was your a ‘90’ plus facelift car as I heard they were better.
From the people I knew that had them (about 5) they all suffered chronic reliability. One of the recovery personnel that attended to the heap of junk onetime was an ex Police Mechanic. He was less then complimentary about them.
Yes they were well equipped as standard that was probably done to sell what was a hopeless car.
In addition to the gearboxes, rust (including in the seams), I’ve heard the hydraulic tapets would also fail.
The E34 5 Series was in a completely different league to the Rover. At the time, I simply couldn’t afford one.
Two years after the Rover went, I got a One Owner highly specified 5 year old E36 325i Coupe that was a great car.
From the people I knew that had them (about 5) they all suffered chronic reliability. One of the recovery personnel that attended to the heap of junk onetime was an ex Police Mechanic. He was less then complimentary about them.
Yes they were well equipped as standard that was probably done to sell what was a hopeless car.
In addition to the gearboxes, rust (including in the seams), I’ve heard the hydraulic tapets would also fail.
The E34 5 Series was in a completely different league to the Rover. At the time, I simply couldn’t afford one.
Two years after the Rover went, I got a One Owner highly specified 5 year old E36 325i Coupe that was a great car.
Edited by Rob 131 Sport on Saturday 22 May 08:53
Miserablegit said:
I also remember the Austin Rover magazine that would arrive randomly - it contained plenty of life-style advertising but I lusted after the Revox hifi kit the most.
Vauxhall did a lifestyle magazine. Awful but I can't remember anything about it but that's probably because most went straight in the bin...CDP said:
Vauxhall did a lifestyle magazine. Awful but I can't remember anything about it but that's probably because most went straight in the bin...
Vauxhall "lifestyle" was presumably a group test of Bensons and Hedges, Sovereign, and Rothmans, reviews of elasticated clothes, advice on the best ways to smack your children, and an advertorial on techniques for bolting down plastic bottles of white cider? 
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 25th May 23:00
Ahhh memories!
I was never a fan of these nor Rover in general but years ago (probably around 1998?) a neighbour used to run them. He had a 827 saloon that he was selling basically for scrap. I ended up buying it for £50 and insuring it as an 17 year old via the man from the Co-op that used to visit the house with a book full over cover notes and would make you legal for a fiver. It probably wasn't legal but back than if you had a bit of paper, it pretty much was.
Anyways, I bought it and along with a mate who lived opposite went off to drive this barge around must to his dad's utter horror. I recollect reaching some pretty high speeds. Five up. Down a farm track. During lunch time at high school. It was akin to a scene from The Inbetweeners albeit with much more power, velour and crusty arches. I then took it to Knockhill and did a Hot Hatch day, back when Hot Hatch days used to be utter carnage (see Youtube for details!) and featured many utter bangers and probably stolen the night before performance stuff getting absolutely hammered to death. Which is exactly what I did. I think it died in a horrible misfiring, coolant emptying cloud of steam.
I then bough another 800 from the same bloke, this time a much tidier 820 turbo hatch in grey... being fair, a pretty nice car at the time and one I actually thought about being nice to as it looked quite smart and seemed an ideal way to get to the bakers at break time ahead of Barry in his 900cc Fiat Uno and Alan in his posh new Corsa that the Royal Bank of Mum and Dad had financed. Unfortunately that wasn't to be as I had parked it at a mate's farm for a few weeks whilst I tried to work out how to insure it for more than a week and a wall promptly blew over (or was pushed over) on to it and that was the end of that one too. I think matey just let the wind blow the remaining pile of rust away.
Crap cars, great times though!
I was never a fan of these nor Rover in general but years ago (probably around 1998?) a neighbour used to run them. He had a 827 saloon that he was selling basically for scrap. I ended up buying it for £50 and insuring it as an 17 year old via the man from the Co-op that used to visit the house with a book full over cover notes and would make you legal for a fiver. It probably wasn't legal but back than if you had a bit of paper, it pretty much was.
Anyways, I bought it and along with a mate who lived opposite went off to drive this barge around must to his dad's utter horror. I recollect reaching some pretty high speeds. Five up. Down a farm track. During lunch time at high school. It was akin to a scene from The Inbetweeners albeit with much more power, velour and crusty arches. I then took it to Knockhill and did a Hot Hatch day, back when Hot Hatch days used to be utter carnage (see Youtube for details!) and featured many utter bangers and probably stolen the night before performance stuff getting absolutely hammered to death. Which is exactly what I did. I think it died in a horrible misfiring, coolant emptying cloud of steam.
I then bough another 800 from the same bloke, this time a much tidier 820 turbo hatch in grey... being fair, a pretty nice car at the time and one I actually thought about being nice to as it looked quite smart and seemed an ideal way to get to the bakers at break time ahead of Barry in his 900cc Fiat Uno and Alan in his posh new Corsa that the Royal Bank of Mum and Dad had financed. Unfortunately that wasn't to be as I had parked it at a mate's farm for a few weeks whilst I tried to work out how to insure it for more than a week and a wall promptly blew over (or was pushed over) on to it and that was the end of that one too. I think matey just let the wind blow the remaining pile of rust away.
Crap cars, great times though!
Rob 131 Sport said:
Maybe you were lucky. Was your a ‘90’ plus facelift car as I heard they were better.
From the people I knew that had them (about 5) they all suffered chronic reliability. One of the recovery personnel that attended to the heap of junk onetime was an ex Police Mechanic. He was less then complimentary about them.
Yes they were well equipped as standard that was probably done to sell what was a hopeless car.
In addition to the gearboxes, rust (including in the seams), I’ve heard the hydraulic tapets would also fail.
The E34 5 Series was in a completely different league to the Rover. At the time, I simply couldn’t afford one.
Two years after the Rover went, I got a One Owner highly specified 5 year old E36 325i Coupe that was a great car.
Pic of mine further up. The green one. It went to 144k miles before I sold it. Only 2 issues, wheel bearing and steering rack seal. From the people I knew that had them (about 5) they all suffered chronic reliability. One of the recovery personnel that attended to the heap of junk onetime was an ex Police Mechanic. He was less then complimentary about them.
Yes they were well equipped as standard that was probably done to sell what was a hopeless car.
In addition to the gearboxes, rust (including in the seams), I’ve heard the hydraulic tapets would also fail.
The E34 5 Series was in a completely different league to the Rover. At the time, I simply couldn’t afford one.
Two years after the Rover went, I got a One Owner highly specified 5 year old E36 325i Coupe that was a great car.
Edited by Rob 131 Sport on Saturday 22 May 08:53
stickleback123 said:
CDP said:
Vauxhall did a lifestyle magazine. Awful but I can't remember anything about it but that's probably because most went straight in the bin...
Vauxhall "lifestyle" was presumably a group test of Bensons and Hedges, Sovereign, and Rothmans, reviews of elasticated clothes, advice on the best ways to smack your children, and an advertorial on techniques for bolting down plastic bottles of white cider? Edited by stickleback123 on Tuesday 25th May 23:00
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