"Why have you spent so much money on a ROVER"

SteTommo · Post by **SteTommo** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 11:53 pm

Was filling up at the local garage tonight and a bloke came over and said "excuse me mate, I'm not being funny, but why would you spend so much money on a ROVER!??"

I suppose that's kind of a good thing, al least he's saying my car looks good?? lol

Anyway he was amazed to learn that it was a 200bhp turbo, with LSD, Leather recaro interiror, 0-60 in sub 7secs etc etc. And that in total it cost under Â£2,000.

It's funny really what ppl must think when they see a modified Rover. To be completely honest, I'm not realy a fan or Rover and it certainly has "image" issues. Infact it really pisses me off that ppl seem to think that I'm obsessed with rovers, apart from the 600, there;s not really any otheres that take my fancy and lets face it, the 600 isn't exactly sporty. But I'm really happy with my car and when shes running properly I'de easly say it's the best car I've owned, and I've owned a few. Plus what the hell else could you get for Â£2,000 that's even half the car my 600 is.

Yes if I had more money I would buy a Calibra 4x4 turbo or a 300ZX, but I don't think I'll ever sell my ti, it's just not worth it. Probably get a grand for her and even if I do get something faster, it still won't be as practical as the 600.

Also got the typical responce.... "must be a pain in the donkey boy not being able to get hold of spare parts" - tool!

Also the reason I was filling up is I had used a gallon of fule on the bypass having a play with a Merc S230. Pulled up at a set of lights and managed to maintain a car lenght lead althe way up to top end. Was pretty chuffed as the guy in the merc was amazed, aparently it's a 3.2 V6, however looked the 0-60 up and it's 7.9 so it wa a pretty close match.

Post by **agw_01** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:02 am

SteTommo wrote:Also got the typical responce.... "must be a pain in the donkey boy not being able to get hold of spare parts" - tool!

lol, I love that! I've had it quite a few times.

Why have I owned 4 Rovers and spent god knows how much on insuring, running and modifying them?

Because for the money, I don't think there's anything else that can touch them. My first car was a 214 SEi. I paid Â£800 for it and it had half leather seats, electric windows, electric sunroof, power steering and alloys... beat the hell out of cars that my friends were driving and cost about half as much to buy.

I always got comments about the 220. And they weren't the "Grandad's car" type comments. I had people of all ages coming up to me telling me how I had a nice car. In fact, stood outside my house on Saturday talking to my neighbour, an older guy from down the road was walking past and asked me what I'd done with the old car as he really liked it.. This guy is going on 60 and had good things to say about a modified car.

I'm proud of the badge that's on my car and can't wait until all the little niggles are sorted so I can really start to show it off. Afterall, a car is worth what the owner thinks it's worth and I'd happily spend a few thousand pounds on the 420 as there'll be VERY little that'll perform anything like it for the money.

calibrax · Post by **calibrax** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:04 am

The Calibra 4x4 Turbo would cost a fortune in insurance compared to a 600. I was looking at a Calibra 2.5 V6 (170bhp) before I 'discovered' the 620ti... the insurance company wanted more than twice as much for the Calibra, and they insisted on a Cat 1 alarm as well!

Plus, the turbo has major issues with it's transfer box... if there's as little as 2mm difference between the tyres on the front compared to the back, the transfer box gets very stressed, and just dies. Most of the ones for sale have had the 4x4 system's fuse removed!

richard moss · Post by **richard moss** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:06 am

SteTommo wrote:Also got the typical responce.... "must be a pain in the donkey boy not being able to get hold of spare parts" - tool!

My local Rover parts agent says that about the only thing they struggle to get hold of is ECUs for 75 diesels - that'll be the BMW engine and its German engine management system, then!

SteTommo · Post by **SteTommo** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:09 am

I suppose anyone who knows about cars wouldn't really come up to you and say stupid things as they would e know what a 620ti is and realise that what my car must be, and what a good car they are.

The main stupid comments I get are from chavs, kids and varoius other idots.

I was at a cruise once showin my sound system off, and some little kid said whay whould you put that in a rover. So I revved then engine up and set the dump valve off, and the little kid sh*t him self and then went running round to the front of the car and shouted all his mates over. simple things, simple minds i suppose. If it goes vrooom tishhhh, it must be fast.

On the other hand I've had a few of the older neighbours, relatives and even passers by, ask about the car. Not realising it was modified as such and asking if it was a special edition and saying what a lovly car it is.

SteTommo · Post by **SteTommo** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:12 am

calibrax wrote:The Calibra 4x4 Turbo would cost a fortune in insurance compared to a 600. I was looking at a Calibra 2.5 V6 (170bhp) before I 'discovered' the 620ti... the insurance company wanted more than twice as much for the Calibra, and they insisted on a Cat 1 alarm as well!

Plus, the turbo has major issues with it's transfer box... if there's as little as 2mm difference between the tyres on the front compared to the back, the transfer box gets very stressed, and just dies. Most of the ones for sale have had the 4x4 system's fuse removed!

Insurance isn't really a problem as I am a motor trader, so I can drive anything with a combustion engine in it

I know all aobut the cally 4x4s, I've had a redtop in the past and I have a few mates with them. They have theire issues, as does my 600. I would still rather have a cally though

but liek I said, I don't think I could part with the 600.

Post by **agw_01** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:14 am

SteTommo wrote:I suppose anyone who knows about cars wouldn't really come up to you and say stupid things as they would e know what a 620ti is and realise that what my car must be, and what a good car they are.

You'll probably find that people who know about cars, don't know about the fast Rovers. After speaking to a few of my neighbours about the 420, none of them knew Rover released any petrol turbos.

If it goes vrooom tishhhh, it must be fast.

My mate came round tonight to pick something up and when he drove down the street to turn around I waited at my front door to see him drive past, hoping that he'd dump.

He did.

I was grinning for about 5 minutes!

SteTommo · Post by **SteTommo** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:17 am

just remebered another little story that made me laugh. There's some shops at the eng of my GFs street and one day as I was leaving some tit in a 4x4 cut me up, so I revved the engine at him as my horn wasnt working (childish I know, but it made me feel better and sh*t him up

)

Anyway my GFs mum was in the shop and over heared some kids talking...

A "did you hear that then, wath was it?"
B "it's tha black car outside form down the street"
A "really, that's just a rover though"
C "my mate says that he just has a really big speaker in his car and he played engine noieses through it"
A & B "ahhh, that's what it must be"

So next time I'm gonna drive past wiht music on and rev the engine, that'lll really confuse 'em

Post by **agw_01** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:21 am

lol, gotta love the "My mate says" rubbish.

I remember coming out of the gym once, walking back towards my car when an Evo went past.

A few seconds later, a black Corsa went past and let off a "pssssstchhhh". You could tell it was fake, it sounded sooo naff! Good for a laugh though.

Oh, I heard your car at Bolton cruise a few months ago. Everytime you revved it I popped my head over the wall. Sounded very smart.

SteTommo · Post by **SteTommo** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:24 am

not bad for a Â£90 exhust

all I did was knock the cat out and fit an aftermarket back box. I love the sound of it.

MY mate has the saem car and payed Â£300 for a cat back at exhusts uk. I still think mine sounds better, his is more muffled and droney and is actually louder from inside the car.

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:30 am

the Ti is only gonna have set me back about 400quid when its sorted.

a few CV boots, a free driveshaft (cheers dan), some gbox seals (cheerz gonzo) and a new clutch master cylinder, and a few sundries, and ive got a tidy 97 Ti for well under 500quid all in heh.

ive been without turbo power since beginning of december

still, next week, should be all good

but this is only a stop gap for the 820 of course, which tends to receive favourable comments, somehow, the paintwork is so good for a car of its age people take notice.

Mr_James · Post by **Mr_James** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:38 am

I love my car, although I'm not really sure what to do want to drop the 2L turbo in it once my insurance drops but it doesn't have aircon and ABS so maybe get rid of it and get a turbo coupe but kinda want to keep mine lol

I've had a mate try and make fun of it because it's a rover, I then point out that his corsa has a 1L engine that barely gets up goodwood hill with 4 people in the car... lol

SteTommo · Post by **SteTommo** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:55 am

lol, there's a few ppl who can take the p*ss out of rovers, but Corsa drivers are not among them!

Nice engine bay BTW

Mr_James · Post by **Mr_James** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:16 am

Thanks, it's taken a while to get looking like that and it's running nicely, it was taken down the road the other day to check the new speedo works and it was definitely pulling much better than it used to!

New wiring kit and silicone hose should arrive tomorrow but still not sure if I'll leave the battery where it is or move it to the boot

stryder · Post by **stryder** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:49 pm

looks like weve all got the ti/rover bug its just not what pll expect. Nothing makes me happier that havin some boy racer drivin up my arse "like get out the way granddad" so i take it steady till we get to a crawler lane and force him to overtake me when hes next to me give his missus a wink and nail him

priceless

you dont get that with any other car pll dont pay attention to you unless u want them to. And when they do 9 outta 10 ther blow away

Squaddiemodo · Post by **Squaddiemodo** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:52 pm

LOL its an even better reaction, when you destroy em in an 800, especially when you blow the DV as you go past LOL

shen · Post by **shen** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:07 pm

working on my coupe his weekend and had to borrow my dad's laguna quite a few times...

i don't care what people say or say they think of rovers... in the laguna everyone tries to pass you or race you or jump in front...in the coupe they just dont do it, so either A they know it would wipe the floor with em or B theyre too confused at it being a gorgeous car that says rover on it..

I dunno it's weird but it's super rare for anyone to put foot down on me in the coupe and this weekend driving the laguna was just an eye opener.

I think people love to hate n make fun of whatever they can and verbally a rover is an easy target...in driving theyre certainly not

SteTommo · Post by **SteTommo** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:37 pm

I've noticed that, I haev a few differnt cars, whenever I'm out in a small car I get muppets driving up my donkey boy all the time, however theres never anyone behind my when I'm in the 600. However that's probably because I tend to drive faster inthe 600 as if feels like your goin alot sower, if you get what I mean,

calibrax · Post by **calibrax** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:44 pm

It's true, very rare that anyone sits on your tail in the 600. And if they do, then they aren't there for very long, usually receding into the distance in your rear view mirror!

rovertomcat · Post by **rovertomcat** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 2:27 pm

SteTommo wrote:Also got the typical responce.... "must be a pain in the donkey boy not being able to get hold of spare parts" - tool!

why do everyone taking a leak say it it pisses me off

oh well someone in a bubble asked us this i said yeh thats why i'm breaking one care to buy any parts

oh yeh "stetommo" u should be happy with yourself getting kind comments like that from people

xr4x4 · Post by **xr4x4** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 3:33 pm

try sticking to the speed limit and then see where you are...

Si · Post by Si » Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:18 pm

The amount of abuse i got at uni when I said i had a rover. When they saw it they didnt say as much. Then I would take people out, within a few weeks everyone was singing it's praises and would surprise loads of people. Then Jonny did his Coupe VTEC and turboed it in the uni workshop.

I changed loads of opinions about Rovers after taking people out

C2K · Post by **C2K** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:10 pm

agw_01 wrote:
If it goes vrooom tishhhh, it must be fast.

My mate came round tonight to pick something up and when he drove down the street to turn around I waited at my front door to see him drive past, hoping that he'd dump.

He did.

I was grinning for about 5 minutes!

Wonder who that chav was.

Hope his engine was warm this time, and the wheel nuts were on properly.

rover400turbo · Post by **rover400turbo** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:14 pm

Why ---

Because i am a blind fool !!!

I got 1 car that has endless power - rover - but runs scared at corners

Then another car that i wish had more power and eats corners - MX5 Modified.

I wish i had a balance

paul888 · Post by **paul888** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:47 pm

Im a little vague as to why i've kept mine as long as i have, you could put it down to bang for buck, or the ''stealth'' aspect of it, or as has been said how much you'd have to spend to find something enjoyable to work on as to drive.

When i have had enough money to buy something different i chose to keep the Ti, and when i dont im glad i've still got it.

Ross9 · Post by **Ross9** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:48 pm

lol, I got it cause I couldnt afford a Pulsar at the time, best decision made due to uncontrollable circumstances I've ever made.

I said I'd put an exhaust, cone filter, and GBE on it and be happy at that, that was 4 years ago, I kind of overshot that plan.

As Si says I changed a lot of peoples expectations with it, it used to look really good, was a 53,000 mile car when I bought it, tahiti blue import coupe, full leather, aircon, and the first run I took it on it was keeping up in a quick convoy of Skyline GTS, P1, big spec NASP FTO (funky heads, cams etc) thus opening a lot of peoples eyes. Then I spent a lot on making it faster, again a lot of it due to curcumstance, it turbo went, fitted a pulsar one, then the rings went, so just went for a rebuild and it snowballed from there.

Now it's fully stripped, harnesses, 2 seats and nothing else, running 20psi(22 spike), road legal cut slicks all round, and I can still take it out for a drive at the weekend if I like...and it still causes a stir if I do a track day with people I haven't done one with before, last time I was at Knockhill for an SIDC/Elise day (was making up numbers) one comment on the elise boards that night was "most surreal moment of the day was an L plate Rover outdragging the 355 (ferrari) up the straight" , moments like that are more than worth the money spent.

There are better cars out there, my impreza STi Type R was 255 @ wheels, handled like a dream and was a joy to drive, it was a much better car than the coupe, yet Jacq says I never smiled as much when out a blat in it as I do in the Rover, so thats why I spent so much money on it. Plus I still say the coupe would be slightly faster round a track, and is much quicker in a straight line.

Ross

PJF220 · Post by **PJF220** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:53 pm

I spent so much on my Rovers because thats what I could afford, the other cars I wanted were too expensive. My lifestyle changed, possibly through age as well and I moved on to other things and enjoy a car that has the power and style I want without the need to modify anything.

But I tell you what, if I could afford to go racing, I'd be racing a Rover for sure. They do have their charm somehow.

Ross9 · Post by **Ross9** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:58 pm

Indeed, If I came into some Â£Â£Â£ I would definately want to have a go at proper racing, and obviously I'd use the Rover, couple of grand getting it up to regulations, some fancier suspension than the koni's etc and DTA to have it mapped right finally and off we go lol, always wondered if I'm just competant on a public track day, or if I could actually do ok at racing, and you never know till you try.

Ross

Leo · Post by **Leo** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:16 pm

PJF220 wrote:I spent so much on my Rovers because thats what I could afford, the other cars I wanted were too expensive. My lifestyle changed, possibly through age as well and I moved on to other things and enjoy a car that has the power and style I want without the need to modify anything.

But I tell you what, if I could afford to go racing, I'd be racing a Rover for sure. They do have their charm somehow.

What do you drive now, Pete?

PJF220 · Post by **PJF220** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:47 pm

Leo wrote:
PJF220 wrote:I spent so much on my Rovers because thats what I could afford, the other cars I wanted were too expensive. My lifestyle changed, possibly through age as well and I moved on to other things and enjoy a car that has the power and style I want without the need to modify anything.

But I tell you what, if I could afford to go racing, I'd be racing a Rover for sure. They do have their charm somehow.
What do you drive now, Pete?

3 series convertible

C2K · Post by **C2K** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:49 pm

Ross9 wrote: last time I was at Knockhill for an SIDC/Elise day (was making up numbers) one comment on the elise boards that night was "most surreal moment of the day was an L plate Rover outdragging the 355 (ferrari) up the straight" , moments like that are more than worth the money spent.

Linkage!

Glynn · Post by **Glynn** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:58 pm

Love mine to bits, Ive had nothing but trouble with mine since coversion, and something is breaking on a regular basis, Every week im under the bonet repairing something, Now "How many cars can you do all the work yourself on" Not many nowa days, Ive converted mine to a t16 turbo, had the head/turbo on off on off on off etc time after time, rebuilt my own box, done my own h/g. Now im due to do a full rebuild on the engine and change my suspension, Not many cars you can do that on now days!

Im always thinking of getting rid of her and going back to a standard car, but id never be able to wipe the smile off so many faces if i did, Also id have nothing to waste the wifes hard earned cash on

So the reason i love mine is because ive lost many nuckles to her and even the most nastyest repair is a dodle to average joe with the help of you guys, Good bunch of lads and what owning a rover is all about....."If it aint leaving oil on your drive then there aint none in it"

Mr_James · Post by **Mr_James** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:10 pm

Couldn't agree more with what you said Glynn... no matter how much doing some jobs on the car annoy me it's always nice when the jobs done and works properly! even when I made my right arm go numb undoing a caliper bolt lol

Maybe I should go check the oil level on the car.... it's never left any on the drive!

uusmatt · Post by **uusmatt** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:02 am

SteTommo wrote:not bad for a Â£90 exhust all I did was knock the cat out and fit an aftermarket back box. I love the sound of it.

MY mate has the saem car and payed Â£300 for a cat back at exhusts uk. I still think mine sounds better, his is more muffled and droney and is actually louder from inside the car.

My Exhause is so deep its sexual, lol. Sounds fantastic on full chat, no raspy sound at all, just pure deep exhause note, exactly what i wanted. Still puts a big grin on my face when i give it some

Ross9 · Post by **Ross9** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:42 am

C2K wrote:
Ross9 wrote: last time I was at Knockhill for an SIDC/Elise day (was making up numbers) one comment on the elise boards that night was "most surreal moment of the day was an L plate Rover outdragging the 355 (ferrari) up the straight" , moments like that are more than worth the money spent.
Linkage!

http://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/vie ... dc5838c1dc

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Sco ... sage/93502

Rovertech 2.0

"Why have you spent so much money on a ROVER"

"Why have you spent so much money on a ROVER"

Re: "Why have you spent so much money on a ROVER"

Re: "Why have you spent so much money on a ROVER"

Re: "Why have you spent so much money on a ROVER"