Rover the end of an era

Watched a prog on TV about Rover cars, no wonder they went to the wall.

I've had 3 Rover cars, the 3500S P6, a pile of junk, if it was'nt for the fact i've got my own welding gear that motor would've been in the junk yard before it eventually did, rotten to the core it was.
Then I got the 3500Sdi, another pile of junk, the engine spewed oil all over the place.
Then the 3500 Vitesse, a fuel injection nightmare, petrol all over the place.
Rover did'nt even design the engine for these cars, they bought the licence off Buick in the USA.

I had a Nissan 200zx 5 years ago, it was in for a minor service, so I waited till it was ready.
While I was waiting, I wondered through the showrooms to have a really good look at the cars on display.
I lifted the bonnets, and the tailgates of the Rover cars, looking at the build quality, the spot welds joining the body panels were all over the place, not in a straight line like they should be.
Then I went into the Nissan showroom and did the same.
The welds were perfect, so was the build quality. In this competitive age, companies can't afford to let there products go downhill like this.
Can you remember the Allegro, pile of junk, the 1100, pile of junk, and the Mini was'nt much better, I've worked on Mini's for friends, you could almost punch a hole in the floor panels with your fist.

RIP, Rover.

it may be rip for my Rover if I can't get the water pump fixed !!

I couldn't agree more and for those that don't lnow the Allegro also had a square steering wheel.

ah-the mighty SD1....i always wanted one of them,but my wallet was never big enough to pay for the fuel and oil they use! I think its body shape was revelotionary and is still a real good looker despite having a futuristic dashboard cunningly stolen from the starship enterprise!

My grandad had an auto P6 with the obligatory V8 and i loved going in it.The leather interior always made the car smell so inviting and it just seemed to glide along.

I know the 3500 engine wasnt even Rovers concept,but ahhhh-what an engine it was! I've driven many types of cars over the years and only the 'w ankel rotary engine' fitted in Mazda RX7's could ever come close with its unique sound and power delivery.

Rover never had a good track record with car building and reliability,but just a few of their cars managed to put a smile on your face for all the right reasons.

I'm on my 4th Metro and I love them! Very well built last forever!
Becky

Lasts forever,but you're on your fourth:smt017 :smt005

I once took a MG Metro turbo out on a test drive,but that was far as it went...

1st one was stolen, second got smashed up by two cars in 10 mins, third I ran into the ground, now on my 4th which is 13 years old and fabulous!
Becky

Yeah Steve, my son had a Vandenplas, supposed to be top of the range, it was, right on top of the scrap heap, eventually.

Rover were actually environmentally friendly, they built their cars to last only 3 years , so they could be recycled.

One of my friends used to have a 213 auto Nero which was known as 'the jerker'.Everytime the auto box changed gear-it jerked so badly you almost got whiplash! The sunroof had to be sealed with bathroom silicone,the head lining used to shed all over you and there was an unnatural wobble from the steering at high speed which wasnt lack of wheel balancing.

ps.His dad had a Metro as a workhorse which started off white,but gradually changed to a spooky yellow colour over the course of 3 years.