Discussion
Obviously depends on the one you buy
It's basically a 60s classic car so you'll need to appreciate classic car ownership
As it's a RV8 you must also be used to or fully appreciate its thirst for petrol and the cost of that
Not an outright fast or quick car but easy to enjoy because of the engine's torque, good touring car (if you leave the spare wheel at home and take can and foot pump instead)
It's basically a 60s classic car so you'll need to appreciate classic car ownership
As it's a RV8 you must also be used to or fully appreciate its thirst for petrol and the cost of that
Not an outright fast or quick car but easy to enjoy because of the engine's torque, good touring car (if you leave the spare wheel at home and take can and foot pump instead)
I don't really know as I've never owned one but I did have a MGB V8 roadster (rubber bumper model, shock, horror)
Usually Rover V8 engine things but I'd only be guessing
Bodywork/rust of course, those with air-con but not spot/fog(?) lights are reimports which were better specced but lower price when new
The RV8 didn't sell well country when new despite being limited numbers, I think 500(?) in this country, as it was against the TVR Chim at about the same price but not as good as the Chim and about 2,000 abroad mostly to Japan(?) (all on memory, or lack, of here)
I remember seeing a RV8 at about 3-5 years old (can't remember exactly) and it did look as if it hadn't worn very well, but it could have had a careless owner, brushed hood, rubbers and windsreen surround all untidy or worn
Most RV8s are low mileage which isn't necessarily a good thing but you'd have the following problems with any low mileage / little used classic, problems just get stored up and full and proper regular and preventative servicing and maintainence missed
Worn things might be rubber suspension bushes (spring and dampers often blamed by mistake), battery, dissy cap rotor arm, leads, plugs, tyres, all not replaced because of low mileage but still aged
If it's stood for a long time also brakes, clutch, all hoses, raditor, heater and missed service items like coolant brake/clutch fluid, air-con etc.
Hopefully WO will be along to be more specific (and defend RB cars, no need with me I was quite happy with them with a V8)
Can I suggest you repost with a more specific title and also perhaps try in http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a... as the MG forum is always quite quiet
Usually Rover V8 engine things but I'd only be guessing
Bodywork/rust of course, those with air-con but not spot/fog(?) lights are reimports which were better specced but lower price when new
The RV8 didn't sell well country when new despite being limited numbers, I think 500(?) in this country, as it was against the TVR Chim at about the same price but not as good as the Chim and about 2,000 abroad mostly to Japan(?) (all on memory, or lack, of here)
I remember seeing a RV8 at about 3-5 years old (can't remember exactly) and it did look as if it hadn't worn very well, but it could have had a careless owner, brushed hood, rubbers and windsreen surround all untidy or worn
Most RV8s are low mileage which isn't necessarily a good thing but you'd have the following problems with any low mileage / little used classic, problems just get stored up and full and proper regular and preventative servicing and maintainence missed
Worn things might be rubber suspension bushes (spring and dampers often blamed by mistake), battery, dissy cap rotor arm, leads, plugs, tyres, all not replaced because of low mileage but still aged
If it's stood for a long time also brakes, clutch, all hoses, raditor, heater and missed service items like coolant brake/clutch fluid, air-con etc.
Hopefully WO will be along to be more specific (and defend RB cars, no need with me I was quite happy with them with a V8)
Can I suggest you repost with a more specific title and also perhaps try in http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a... as the MG forum is always quite quiet
Edited by SB - Nigel on Monday 2nd August 22:28
Err, I've just looked at your Profile - reliable Japanese cars, and not always so reliable German cars, do you know and appreciate about driving, owning, servicing and maintaining a classic car, an English classic car at that
I always say most people can afford to buy them but less can afford to own them and I'm not just talking about the money
Some are low mileage cars because they are "cherished" others because the owners don't want to admit their mistake in buying them
I always say most people can afford to buy them but less can afford to own them and I'm not just talking about the money
Some are low mileage cars because they are "cherished" others because the owners don't want to admit their mistake in buying them
SB - Nigel said:
Err, I've just looked at your Profile - reliable Japanese cars, and not always so reliable German cars, do you know and appreciate about driving, owning, servicing and maintaining a classic car, an English classic car at that
I always say most people can afford to buy them but less can afford to own them and I'm not just talking about the money
Some are low mileage cars because they are "cherished" others because the owners don't want to admit their mistake in buying them
when i left school i went to work at a british leyland dealer so had 20 odd years of servicing and repairing old british cars, or in them days lots were new, but i wasnt the one paying the bills. i never had the chance to work on an RV8, so if they are no more unreliable (unreliable might be to strong a word for them) then i can live with that.I always say most people can afford to buy them but less can afford to own them and I'm not just talking about the money
Some are low mileage cars because they are "cherished" others because the owners don't want to admit their mistake in buying them
SB - Nigel said:
well you sound very qualified except now as you say it's your money
you'd have to ask owners that actually regularly drive their RV8s what to look for but I doubt you'd have anything much more than on a MGB
(TVR Chim - bigger boot, faster, quicker ect.)
Good luck
hmm even in the MG section you seem to say a TVR would be a better buy. oh well time for a rethink.you'd have to ask owners that actually regularly drive their RV8s what to look for but I doubt you'd have anything much more than on a MGB
(TVR Chim - bigger boot, faster, quicker ect.)
Good luck
B0LLIKS said:
hmm even in the MG section you seem to say a TVR would be a better buy. oh well time for a rethink.
now I didn't exactly say that (are you a journalist)When both cars were new many thought that was the case
it depends what you want out of the car and which is most to your tastes
loads of Chims about, whole range of colours, trims, engines, conditions!
some really good ones, many more poorish to expensive to get right - much more a case of driving a selection of good ones well above above what you want to pay (and then biting the bullet and buying one of these rather than a less expensive one that cost a lot more in the medium and long term)
Well at least you're honest with yourself about not knowing what you want
Bit sad that you feel the need for a more 'manly' car when a Mk3 MR2 is such a good sport car
Just an idea
A mate of mine's had hundreds, yes hundreds, of cars including three Mk2 MR2s and he said they were some of the best cars he had especially as a touring car as they have loads of luggage space and of very reliable
You could look for the better specced inports and be very fussy about getting one in excellent condition and have change for a touring holiday over a good RV8
Bit sad that you feel the need for a more 'manly' car when a Mk3 MR2 is such a good sport car
Just an idea
A mate of mine's had hundreds, yes hundreds, of cars including three Mk2 MR2s and he said they were some of the best cars he had especially as a touring car as they have loads of luggage space and of very reliable
You could look for the better specced inports and be very fussy about getting one in excellent condition and have change for a touring holiday over a good RV8
Hi, just sold a MK2 MR2, very good car, reason i sold it was getting caught in a sudden rain down pour and no where to pull over to put the targa tops back on. i have to say i enjoy driving the MR2 i have now and manage no probs with storage space, its just the feeling that everone is thinking 'hairdresser'.
The 'manly' types who are thinking hairderesser are probably the same ones who pay a lot of money to high cost hairdressers and use a lot of 'products' and wear perfume that's called aftershave to satify their small minds - so always carry scissors and comb charge them a fortune and butcher their hair and tell them it's the latest fashion
You're a bit of an idiot if you listen to these idiots anyway - if you can't think for yourself just let me know I can feed you lots of opinions
You're a bit of an idiot if you listen to these idiots anyway - if you can't think for yourself just let me know I can feed you lots of opinions
Just seen this and as I drove one last year as a daily driver for a year including all through the winter I thought I'd post my impressions.
I did a 90 mile round trip daily and used to drive a Golf GT. The first thing I noticed was how much i looked forward to the trip. I used to take a dual carriageway but after a few weeks in the RV8 I found a great cross country route.
I also found a greater connection with the outside world. I know this sounds odd but cacooned away in a modern car you kind of don't notice the weather but in the RV8 you could really sense the changing seasons. I used to love top down drives on a crisp, winter morning.
Performance wise it's a bit slow, in a straight line it was about the same performance as the diesel Golf but couldn't keep up on a B road. Suspension control was limited and it suffered from intitial understeer that turned into snap oversteer which could result in a difficult to catch fish tail. The strange this was, this was a definite plus for me. The car felt so much more alive and entertaining than modern cars and the engine's torquey nature and chunky gearchange suited it's real role as a cruiser.
Economy wise it wasn't too bad. I could easily average 30mpg on motorway trips but mainly because it was too loud to go much above 70mph. My B/A road run to work averaged 24mpg which again wasn't too bad. The fuel tank was pretty small though with 200 mile fill ups the norm.
In terms of maintenance I covered 15k miles and had the following.
A set of 4 new tyres - this made a huge difference to the ride and noise of the car and would be the single biggest "upgrade" if I bought another. Most RV8's see little service and as such the tyres are old and go hard which causes alot of resonance through the chassis and gives little grip.
A new master cylinder - a common fault as the seals go. There's no way of telling unless you check your brake fluid everyday. I noticed when I was exiting the car park on the way home from work and the pedal went to the floor! Due to the poor access of the MC bolts I took this to a specialist so it was expensive.
Front wheel bearings - these went on both sides and were expensive to replace at £50 each plus a pain to fit as you need a press and an extension bar to get the hub nut off. I broke my long handled wrench trying this and ended up using a piece of pipe for extra leverage.
Discs and pads. I needed fronts for both but not expensive.
Rear Drums - the rears seized and I gather this is quite common due to low use.
Shocks - My car's shocks were shot so I put a set of specials from Clive Wheatley and added polypro bushes which in hindsight was a mistake as they are too harsh for this car, OEM rubber would be better.
New battery - this highlighted surface corrosion in the battery tray area which is totally open to the elements!
Cracked windscreen - autowindscreen did a decent job and I got them to add sealant as the old one leaked a bit which again is fairly common.
Hood - I didn't do anything but if keeping the car probably would've added a new hood as it had got a bit tatty, particularly the plastic rear which scratches and creases easily.
The leather seats held up well but the leather fixtures less so, they're painted leather and the paint comes off easily which is why so many have tatty gearknobs. Also the elm cracks on the dash but more so on the door caps due to leaks from that part of the hood. The hood generally was waterproof but I found that when parked in driving rain it would get in around the door frame and leave wet carpet so best to keep it garaged if poss.
Oh and I didn't get on with the V8 register lot, they just seemed a bunch of pompous ar*eholes, never tried the other owners clubs.
So all in all not too bad, the brakes/tyres I'd expect from any car, the windsreen's one of those things as is the battery.
The really great thing was that I sold it for the same price I paid for it so i got a year's use and zero depreciation. The Golf lost £7K the previous year.
If you do get one then Clive Wheatley is your man, I always found him helpful and would happily drive the 400 mile round trip to get it serviced/worked on.
Would I have another, definitely. I loved the mix of modern reliability, decent power and classic handling. Also, people are very nice to you and always stop to have a friendly chat.
HTH
I did a 90 mile round trip daily and used to drive a Golf GT. The first thing I noticed was how much i looked forward to the trip. I used to take a dual carriageway but after a few weeks in the RV8 I found a great cross country route.
I also found a greater connection with the outside world. I know this sounds odd but cacooned away in a modern car you kind of don't notice the weather but in the RV8 you could really sense the changing seasons. I used to love top down drives on a crisp, winter morning.
Performance wise it's a bit slow, in a straight line it was about the same performance as the diesel Golf but couldn't keep up on a B road. Suspension control was limited and it suffered from intitial understeer that turned into snap oversteer which could result in a difficult to catch fish tail. The strange this was, this was a definite plus for me. The car felt so much more alive and entertaining than modern cars and the engine's torquey nature and chunky gearchange suited it's real role as a cruiser.
Economy wise it wasn't too bad. I could easily average 30mpg on motorway trips but mainly because it was too loud to go much above 70mph. My B/A road run to work averaged 24mpg which again wasn't too bad. The fuel tank was pretty small though with 200 mile fill ups the norm.
In terms of maintenance I covered 15k miles and had the following.
A set of 4 new tyres - this made a huge difference to the ride and noise of the car and would be the single biggest "upgrade" if I bought another. Most RV8's see little service and as such the tyres are old and go hard which causes alot of resonance through the chassis and gives little grip.
A new master cylinder - a common fault as the seals go. There's no way of telling unless you check your brake fluid everyday. I noticed when I was exiting the car park on the way home from work and the pedal went to the floor! Due to the poor access of the MC bolts I took this to a specialist so it was expensive.
Front wheel bearings - these went on both sides and were expensive to replace at £50 each plus a pain to fit as you need a press and an extension bar to get the hub nut off. I broke my long handled wrench trying this and ended up using a piece of pipe for extra leverage.
Discs and pads. I needed fronts for both but not expensive.
Rear Drums - the rears seized and I gather this is quite common due to low use.
Shocks - My car's shocks were shot so I put a set of specials from Clive Wheatley and added polypro bushes which in hindsight was a mistake as they are too harsh for this car, OEM rubber would be better.
New battery - this highlighted surface corrosion in the battery tray area which is totally open to the elements!
Cracked windscreen - autowindscreen did a decent job and I got them to add sealant as the old one leaked a bit which again is fairly common.
Hood - I didn't do anything but if keeping the car probably would've added a new hood as it had got a bit tatty, particularly the plastic rear which scratches and creases easily.
The leather seats held up well but the leather fixtures less so, they're painted leather and the paint comes off easily which is why so many have tatty gearknobs. Also the elm cracks on the dash but more so on the door caps due to leaks from that part of the hood. The hood generally was waterproof but I found that when parked in driving rain it would get in around the door frame and leave wet carpet so best to keep it garaged if poss.
Oh and I didn't get on with the V8 register lot, they just seemed a bunch of pompous ar*eholes, never tried the other owners clubs.
So all in all not too bad, the brakes/tyres I'd expect from any car, the windsreen's one of those things as is the battery.
The really great thing was that I sold it for the same price I paid for it so i got a year's use and zero depreciation. The Golf lost £7K the previous year.
If you do get one then Clive Wheatley is your man, I always found him helpful and would happily drive the 400 mile round trip to get it serviced/worked on.
Would I have another, definitely. I loved the mix of modern reliability, decent power and classic handling. Also, people are very nice to you and always stop to have a friendly chat.
HTH
custardtart said:
Just seen this and as I drove one last year as a daily driver for a year including all through the winter I thought I'd post my impressions.
I did a 90 mile round trip daily and used to drive a Golf GT. The first thing I noticed was how much i looked forward to the trip. I used to take a dual carriageway but after a few weeks in the RV8 I found a great cross country route.
I also found a greater connection with the outside world. I know this sounds odd but cacooned away in a modern car you kind of don't notice the weather but in the RV8 you could really sense the changing seasons. I used to love top down drives on a crisp, winter morning.
Performance wise it's a bit slow, in a straight line it was about the same performance as the diesel Golf but couldn't keep up on a B road. Suspension control was limited and it suffered from intitial understeer that turned into snap oversteer which could result in a difficult to catch fish tail. The strange this was, this was a definite plus for me. The car felt so much more alive and entertaining than modern cars and the engine's torquey nature and chunky gearchange suited it's real role as a cruiser.
Economy wise it wasn't too bad. I could easily average 30mpg on motorway trips but mainly because it was too loud to go much above 70mph. My B/A road run to work averaged 24mpg which again wasn't too bad. The fuel tank was pretty small though with 200 mile fill ups the norm.
In terms of maintenance I covered 15k miles and had the following.
A set of 4 new tyres - this made a huge difference to the ride and noise of the car and would be the single biggest "upgrade" if I bought another. Most RV8's see little service and as such the tyres are old and go hard which causes alot of resonance through the chassis and gives little grip.
A new master cylinder - a common fault as the seals go. There's no way of telling unless you check your brake fluid everyday. I noticed when I was exiting the car park on the way home from work and the pedal went to the floor! Due to the poor access of the MC bolts I took this to a specialist so it was expensive.
Front wheel bearings - these went on both sides and were expensive to replace at £50 each plus a pain to fit as you need a press and an extension bar to get the hub nut off. I broke my long handled wrench trying this and ended up using a piece of pipe for extra leverage.
Discs and pads. I needed fronts for both but not expensive.
Rear Drums - the rears seized and I gather this is quite common due to low use.
Shocks - My car's shocks were shot so I put a set of specials from Clive Wheatley and added polypro bushes which in hindsight was a mistake as they are too harsh for this car, OEM rubber would be better.
New battery - this highlighted surface corrosion in the battery tray area which is totally open to the elements!
Cracked windscreen - autowindscreen did a decent job and I got them to add sealant as the old one leaked a bit which again is fairly common.
Hood - I didn't do anything but if keeping the car probably would've added a new hood as it had got a bit tatty, particularly the plastic rear which scratches and creases easily.
The leather seats held up well but the leather fixtures less so, they're painted leather and the paint comes off easily which is why so many have tatty gearknobs. Also the elm cracks on the dash but more so on the door caps due to leaks from that part of the hood. The hood generally was waterproof but I found that when parked in driving rain it would get in around the door frame and leave wet carpet so best to keep it garaged if poss.
Oh and I didn't get on with the V8 register lot, they just seemed a bunch of pompous ar*eholes, never tried the other owners clubs.
So all in all not too bad, the brakes/tyres I'd expect from any car, the windsreen's one of those things as is the battery.
The really great thing was that I sold it for the same price I paid for it so i got a year's use and zero depreciation. The Golf lost £7K the previous year.
If you do get one then Clive Wheatley is your man, I always found him helpful and would happily drive the 400 mile round trip to get it serviced/worked on.
Would I have another, definitely. I loved the mix of modern reliability, decent power and classic handling. Also, people are very nice to you and always stop to have a friendly chat.
HTH
Hmmmmmmmm,I did a 90 mile round trip daily and used to drive a Golf GT. The first thing I noticed was how much i looked forward to the trip. I used to take a dual carriageway but after a few weeks in the RV8 I found a great cross country route.
I also found a greater connection with the outside world. I know this sounds odd but cacooned away in a modern car you kind of don't notice the weather but in the RV8 you could really sense the changing seasons. I used to love top down drives on a crisp, winter morning.
Performance wise it's a bit slow, in a straight line it was about the same performance as the diesel Golf but couldn't keep up on a B road. Suspension control was limited and it suffered from intitial understeer that turned into snap oversteer which could result in a difficult to catch fish tail. The strange this was, this was a definite plus for me. The car felt so much more alive and entertaining than modern cars and the engine's torquey nature and chunky gearchange suited it's real role as a cruiser.
Economy wise it wasn't too bad. I could easily average 30mpg on motorway trips but mainly because it was too loud to go much above 70mph. My B/A road run to work averaged 24mpg which again wasn't too bad. The fuel tank was pretty small though with 200 mile fill ups the norm.
In terms of maintenance I covered 15k miles and had the following.
A set of 4 new tyres - this made a huge difference to the ride and noise of the car and would be the single biggest "upgrade" if I bought another. Most RV8's see little service and as such the tyres are old and go hard which causes alot of resonance through the chassis and gives little grip.
A new master cylinder - a common fault as the seals go. There's no way of telling unless you check your brake fluid everyday. I noticed when I was exiting the car park on the way home from work and the pedal went to the floor! Due to the poor access of the MC bolts I took this to a specialist so it was expensive.
Front wheel bearings - these went on both sides and were expensive to replace at £50 each plus a pain to fit as you need a press and an extension bar to get the hub nut off. I broke my long handled wrench trying this and ended up using a piece of pipe for extra leverage.
Discs and pads. I needed fronts for both but not expensive.
Rear Drums - the rears seized and I gather this is quite common due to low use.
Shocks - My car's shocks were shot so I put a set of specials from Clive Wheatley and added polypro bushes which in hindsight was a mistake as they are too harsh for this car, OEM rubber would be better.
New battery - this highlighted surface corrosion in the battery tray area which is totally open to the elements!
Cracked windscreen - autowindscreen did a decent job and I got them to add sealant as the old one leaked a bit which again is fairly common.
Hood - I didn't do anything but if keeping the car probably would've added a new hood as it had got a bit tatty, particularly the plastic rear which scratches and creases easily.
The leather seats held up well but the leather fixtures less so, they're painted leather and the paint comes off easily which is why so many have tatty gearknobs. Also the elm cracks on the dash but more so on the door caps due to leaks from that part of the hood. The hood generally was waterproof but I found that when parked in driving rain it would get in around the door frame and leave wet carpet so best to keep it garaged if poss.
Oh and I didn't get on with the V8 register lot, they just seemed a bunch of pompous ar*eholes, never tried the other owners clubs.
So all in all not too bad, the brakes/tyres I'd expect from any car, the windsreen's one of those things as is the battery.
The really great thing was that I sold it for the same price I paid for it so i got a year's use and zero depreciation. The Golf lost £7K the previous year.
If you do get one then Clive Wheatley is your man, I always found him helpful and would happily drive the 400 mile round trip to get it serviced/worked on.
Would I have another, definitely. I loved the mix of modern reliability, decent power and classic handling. Also, people are very nice to you and always stop to have a friendly chat.
HTH
I am after a different driving experience ( for a second car) for high days and holidays, I've always had air cooled or front engined pre 1995 Porsches before, however they don't seem to excite enough. ...... they do everything just a little too well.
I keep looking at the TR4, I love the shape, but I'm worried the performance is just to poor. The TR5 would be great but is well out of my budget, so for a wind in your hair with good performance but with a traditional British feel other than a TVR I can't think of anything else other than an RV8.
However after reading the above comments on performance vs a Gold GT I'm a little gobsmacked; I didn't expect it to have super high performance however I did expect it to be bloody quick. Near 4litre V8? I would have thought it would hit 100MPH in less than 16 seconds easily.
How you decribe the driving experience is superb, just how I want it to be, I want a car that will make each journey an adventure, quick when needed and docile when I've got the wife with me and we are driving through the Cotswolds.
My own last worry is my age. Is 42 to young for an RV8, or should I either start to understand that infact I am middle aged, or that indeed the car is for the ageless. ;-)
Wozy68 said:
However after reading the above comments on performance vs a Gold GT I'm a little gobsmacked; I didn't expect it to have super high performance however I did expect it to be bloody quick. Near 4litre V8? I would have thought it would hit 100MPH in less than 16 seconds easily.
How you decribe the driving experience is superb, just how I want it to be, I want a car that will make each journey an adventure, quick when needed and docile when I've got the wife with me and we are driving through the Cotswolds.
My own last worry is my age. Is 42 to young for an RV8, or should I either start to understand that infact I am middle aged, or that indeed the car is for the ageless. ;-)
Well the Golf was the 170bhp version with huge torque and modern suspension and the MG has probably around 180bhp (very few had the full 190bhp) and although it's a couple of hundred KG lighter it's using very old suspension technology and a nice flexible body How you decribe the driving experience is superb, just how I want it to be, I want a car that will make each journey an adventure, quick when needed and docile when I've got the wife with me and we are driving through the Cotswolds.
My own last worry is my age. Is 42 to young for an RV8, or should I either start to understand that infact I am middle aged, or that indeed the car is for the ageless. ;-)
Also the Golf has very short gearing and a 6spd g/box which helps acceleration so both cars will do a 0-60 dash in around 7 secs, the advertised 5.9 was just marketing. If you want bl**dy quick then go for a TVR chimp.
When the RV8 first came out I did a back to back test drive with the Chimp and no doubt it was the better car in every aspect other than fun, it was just too damn good whereas the RV8 limits ar sooo much lower that you FEEL like you're reallly shifting and have to concerntrate hard to go quickly.
Age wise, I'm a few years younger than you and it's true most owners were older than me but other than the fact you get old blokes wandering up for chat at petrol stations who cares.
If you haven't done so I'd advise a test drive but if you haven't driven a torquey rear engined classic car before - no traction control, limited grip and decent torque = brown pants
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