With all the recent posts about Rover, I'm surprised to see nothing today about Clarkson's comments on Rover in the Sunday Times yesterday! Is 3500S on holiday?
My favorite was 'Rover 75 - a car named for the average age of the people who buy it'.
Considering the usual sorts of comments JC makes I expected something along the lines of - is the decline of Rover symbolic of Britain as a whole? Are we facing huge challenges but it might come good if only we could pull of some more inward investment deals? Are we due a great revival through timely ventures with rapidly expanding economies like India and China, or are we sinking fast soon to be a dead parot?
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I think I must be in the minority as a young 75 owner then at only 23!!!
Having said that had far more comments about how good looking the car is and how posh it is than any Ford, Peugeot etc...
like I said, must be in the minority....
I agree with most things Clarkson says and maybe 12 months ago I would have believed this comment, however I am gonna disagree this time, sorry Jeramy
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>>I agree with most things Clarkson says and maybe 12 months ago I would have believed this comment, however I am gonna disagree this time, sorry Jeramy
Dont appologise. reckon he is past his sell by date. Dont forget he gets paid to run motors down/praise them. Not certain he represents general public view on anything he says. Look at 200 series still loads around. not many rusted either. And point made before 75 is best car rovers have made for a while.I expect a few coughs on this comment...true though
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Was mech1
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Not certain he represents general public view on anything he says
I never thought that was his job. His role is primarily entertainment: to provoke, challenge, amuse and irritate in equal measures. He is unusual in that he interprets his job in some of the way that a flippant literary critic might: to sound off about what the subject says to him about the world in general, rather than to obsess about the number of sprockets on the wotsit.
Not much use if you want the technical stuff, but I enjoy it. And much as I disagree with him, I wouldn't chuck him out of my bed in a hurry :)
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>>His role is primarily entertainment.
his role makes a point that either pursuades a person to buy or not to buy. technical minded need only listen to what is said. or ignore. Fair comment you either loath Jc or love im.You are welcome to keep in your bed. ;-).Sorry I think he is waste of space?
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Was mech1
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"Not much use if you want the technical stuff, but I enjoy it. And much as I disagree with him, I wouldn't chuck him out of my bed in a hurry :)"
you would need a fork lift truck to get him out - Going to seed springs to mind.
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Films and TV choose their star's cars very carefully and I noticed that John Nettles drives one in Midsummer Murders becuase it matches the image of an England that never quite existed. I would think an age of 50-60's would be about average. Certainly the two drivers of 75s that I have seen cause accidents in them were around that age.
They are however a geniunely handsome car, especially in the darker colours. I did think about getting one, but depreciation and worries over quality put me off.
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>>depreciation and worries over quality put me off.
Depreciation wise they are still fetching quite good money, especially as they are usually reasonably discounted from new anyway..
As far as quality is concerned, I have just bought mine from my Dads fleet with 197,000 on the clock (liable to increase by about 25K a yr) - not one rattle or squeek inside and everything works. Looking back at the comprehensive folder or reciepts, the only thing thats been replaced aside from tyres/brakes/oil/filters etc. is the clutch, the air con repressurised and a wire going to the ABS sensor on the wheel.
Seems the overall quality is spot on with this car and gives the impression that it will do that mileage again - and I hope it does for my wallets sake!!!
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For those that didn't see the Sunday Times, a few more quotes:
'It(Rover)is still a player. But only by the skinny skin skin of it's teeth. Sales are in freefall, with the numbers of Rovers sold this year down by 19% and the numbers of MGs down by 6%. The problem is that the line up of cars on sale is now even older than the people who buy them'.
'So would I buy one? Well no, actually. Partly this is because there are many faults' 'Also, I'd steer clear because I'd always have a nagging doubt about the future of Rover itself. I'd worry that my expensive new toy would be stripped of its warranty and service backup five minutes after I got it home'.
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My wife had a 75 for 3 years. Our friends called it the "Queen mum's car" and they were right.
Looking back it was just a horrible car, jellyfish ugly, hopelessly underpowered, cornered like wet soap, bits fell off in an affectionate tribute to BL quality standards and was rusting as we handed it back with joy in our hearts.
I hate to see thousands of jobs at risk but the product is just not good enough to compete in a world here fewer and fewer people will choose Rover simply because it is British - and ultimately, why should they?
Rover pitches its models at those who appreciate "relaxed motoring" which evokes a world of string backed driving gloves and a hard backed road atlas on the back shelf, as if congestion, spiralling petrol prices, road rage, tolls and everything else that characterises modern British driving doesn't exist. Commercial suicide, nothing less.
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Looking back it was just a horrible car, jellyfish ugly, hopelessly underpowered, cornered like wet soap, bits fell off in an affectionate tribute to BL quality standards and was rusting as we handed it back with joy in our hearts.
What utter rubbish, IMO and many many others the 75..
Is not 'a horrible car'
Is not 'jellyfish ugly'
Does not 'corner like wet soap'
Does not 'have bits fall off' like BL quality standards
Does not 'rust'
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Quite. And if it was rusting, then more fool you for not taking advantage of the genoerous anti-corrosion warranty.
In my 2 years of ownership, it has displayed more integrity than my previous Merc.
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Imagos, you'll just to have to accept that the 75 had such failings (as I describe) that we grew to loathe that car in a way that makes it uniquely awful in 25 years of owning cars.
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Imagos, you'll just to have to accept that the 75 had such failings (as I describe) that we grew to loathe that car in a way that makes it uniquely awful in 25 years of owning cars.
no don't accept 75 has them faults or is a bad car.. matter closed (with me)
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I'm sure there are people around who still appreciate 'relaxed motoring' - not just retired people. But the stately progress of a 'granny Rover'(the P4s and P5s) was reliable progress. The 2000s / 3500s were still mostly reliable, but the SD1s weren't. The 75 is better but we still get moxed reports, as on this thread. The granny-Rover brigade turned to Volvos and didn't come back.
The collapse of the British motor industry (apart from the specialists who still fly the flag) is a terrible shame, and it wasn't just bolshie trade unionists who were to blame. There was an appalling lack of flair by British Leyland management which gave us the Maxi, Marina, Allegro and Dolomite, all competing in the same sector in the 1970's: none of them broke new ground (apart perhaps from the Maxi with 5 doors and 5 gears), and none of them was reliable enough.
I had two Maxis in the 1970's - I was lucky with mine and they didn't go wrong. But the design faults remained and I haven't bought British since. I feel disloyal in a way but if you are going to depend on a car, as well as try to enjoy driving it, patriotism sadly isn't enough.
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Whether you love, hate or are bemused by JC, his book Born to be Riled is a great read - you can pick it up, choose any one of dozens of short pieces and either laugh or cry as appropriate.
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Wasn't it JC who called the original 75 a "Werthers Original on wheels"? I did like that.
But all his reviews give me the impression that if he thinks of an amusing line - that's what goes in, regardless. They are surely to entertain.
When you read them, you still manage to pick out enough other factors among his gags to determine whether you're likely to be interested. Irrespective of what he actually thinks of it.
It would be sad if people allowed any reviewer's opinion to govern their taste.
If I remember rightly JC's conversion to the Porsche 911 is only recent. Trying one of the older 911's if you get the chance is unlikely to be forgotten, love it or not. His ranting didn't stop that from becoming an icon.
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Clarkson's a bit of a has-been, just like the Rover 75. In fact, if this man was a car, he'd BE a Rover 75.
How about a big brother for loud-mouthed has-beens? JC could do battle with Keith Floyd, Janet Street-Porter, Ben Elton, Germaine Greer, etc. etc.!!
Cheers, Sofa Spud
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When I bought the C5 two years ago, I did the rounds of the showrooms. When I enquired about the 75, I was met with the most appalling apathy and incompetence that I have ever seen! I wandered the showroom for about 15 minutes before a salesman bothered to come away from a conversation with colleagues and asked if he could help.
I asked if the diesel 75 was a 'common rail' diesel. He said he didn't really know but could maybe find out for me.....(Aaargh!)
I asked for a test drive. Oh yes, but he'd need a few details first. I explained I was on my lunch break and had an appointment within half an hour. Undaunted, he rumbled on with a questionnaire then insisted he would have to drive my Xantia first before offering a trade in price. I went along with this. He got in the Xantia and attempted to drive straight off without allowing the suspension to rise. Said he'd never come across that before (!!!!) He then literally drove the car across the car park and announced that the car was 'obviously sound'. It was, but that was an amazing feat of diagnostics for one totally unacquainted with Citroen suspension!
I then spent at least 30 minutes while he went off to try and find a demo 75 diesel. Lists of cars were consulted. Keys were searched for. Eventually, he said he could only manage me an estate. I said I would try it anyway.
It then turned out the car was blocked in by a customer's car. He went off to find the customer. Ten minutes later, he got it moved.
By this time I was already 5 minutes late for an appointment.
He got in the car, turned the key and said. 'terribly sorry, sir, it appears that this one has no diesel in the tank....why not come back on Monday?
I walked out never to return.
I should just say that I was smartly dressed in a suit. I showed a real interest in buying a car, so there were no indications that I was a timewaster.
It was almost as if the dealer had lost the will to sell anything and this was a large main Rover dealership!
Graeme
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I had similar probs with Toyota MD. Though to be honest I was helping. Or trying to. Father in law. he got fed up and decided to walk away. rover MD`s arent the worst by any means. In fact Toyota I found worse. ie totally ignored us. Others had same complaint. At least Rover MD did try
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Was mech1
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The worst rover dealer i came across is in liverpool.
after 15 minutes around the 25, he had marched my friend into the seat dealership next door offering him a discounted ibiza.
and when i was sent to pick up a new zt - i had at the cityrover, he didnt realise i was just passing time while his staff where putting paper work together.
When i enquired about the door handle being loose he simply replied 'well you get what you pay for'
haha.
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worst i have experienced - hyundai (not bcc).
proud, arrogant and very unwilling to even suggest dicount.
and foolishly over-rate their cars to the hills.
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Like JC said, MGR is an airliner about to do a spectacular crash landing.
The R75 is old hat, with the facelift looks silly, and not worth the price of a fish supper.
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75? Great car. Nuff said :)
Agree with the comments about some of the dealers though, but then even they aren't as bad as others I've had the misfortune to encounter when looking at VW or BMW's.
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Are you the same puppetland who's been thrown off numerous MG websites for your rabid anti-MG views?
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