Jim Morrison once sang: ‘This is the end. Beautiful friend.’ Ok, so the Rover 75 wasn’t exactly beautiful but it was good looking, bar the chintzy chrome, and in many ways it was the end for the British carmaker.
Even though it was born so cynically old fashioned it may as well have had a Werthers' Original holder near the ashtray the poor 75 actually put up a good fight. It won so many awards there’d be barely enough room to scratch them into the factory-fitted oversized rear number plate, including What Car? ‘Car of the Year’ and was shortlisted for the ‘European Car of the Year Awards’.
But as we all know this wasn’t enough to save poor old Rover from terminal decline. The 75 then was a last hoorah for the company, a glimmering hope that everything would be ok if only they could find some cash to build cars not badges for ancient Indian superminis.
In a moment of madness the 75 was even fitted with a Ford V8 and transformed into rear-drive, and then of course there were the handsome MG ZT variants, but they are nothing more than a memory of what a decent Rover could be like.
And now they are cheap – very cheap. Go to Autotrader and you can take your pick of 75s, all seemingly in good nick. Which is exactly what I did, and despite being tempted by the saloon version they all came in nasty colours, which is why I went for this estate (sorry, Tourer) version instead.
Obviously it’s got a V6, the 2.0-litre in this case, and despite the high mileage it has plenty of toys and a 12 month MOT. All this for £995, and if you don’t like it there’s plenty more to choose from…
Ad reads: '2001 Y Reg ROVER 75 2.0 V6 Club SE. 5 Doors, Automatic, Estate, Petrol, 157,998 miles, Blue. ABS, Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Central locking, Computer, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Foglights, Head restraints.
' Folding rear seats, Lumbar support, Immobiliser, Passenger airbag, Power assisted steering, Rear armrest, Remote locking, Roof rails, Radio/Cassette, Side airbags, Rear headrests, COMES WITH 12 MONTHS MOT, TAKEN IN PX, Anti theft system, Child locks, Chrome wheels, Cloth upholstery.
'Climate Control, Colour coding - Body, Heated screen, Locking wheel nuts, Metallic paintwork, Multi function steering wheel, Radio, Sunblind. Insurance Group:11, ITS TAXED TILL 31st MARCH 2009, AND IT COMES WITH 12 MONTHS MOT. £995.'
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