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All the critics slag-off this car. But looking at the second hand prices I am wondering if it could in fact be a good buy. Presumably mega-reliable and very comfortable. Does anyone have experience of life with the Legend?
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You're probably right, but I'm not sure it is a great driving experience. Not that everyone wants that of course, but it was once memorably described as an "old people's home on wheels"...
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Once had the use of one for a week (with fuel). If luxury is what you are after then it is likely to be just the ticket. Personally I reckon this is the best overall car I have ever driven (LS400 included). Very quiet, very quick, ALL the bells and whistles, easy to drive. The handling is set up for comfort rather than sharp sportiness, hence the comments about "driver appeal". Other negative for the Uk buyer is that they are a little heavy on fuel. These cars went down a storm in the US. Go try one!!
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I have travelled in one a couple of times. It was the previous generation 3.2V6 on an M Reg. I thought it was absolutely lovely and would fancy one myself if not for the fear of something going wrong and it being incredibly expensive. At 100mph on the M4 it was silent.
Go for it
from Jason
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Haven't driven one - but the build quality and features look impressive on the ones I've seen. Try one. If you do a lot of motorway or "in-traffic" driving, then comfort rather than a sporty set-up is probably more suitable. Some of the commentators who are preoccupied with pin-sharp handling always compare this type of car unfavourably against their stock BMW recommendation. This fashion provides entertaining copy but conveniently ignores a number of things. First,that the majority of us don't want to power slide around normal traffic situations. Second, that much time is spent in straight lines or queues! And finally, that although rear wheel drive set ups are much more enjoyable to use (where you can),they catch a lot of people out in wet or icy conditions, particularly when matched to an auto.
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I went to look on someone else?s behalf at an old 2.7 Legend Coupe a few months back but he baulked at the potential running costs and I bought it myself to replace my wife?s older Prelude. All the real minuses are likely to be tied to cost of maintenance which hasn?t arisen yet. There are many pluses.
First, on a 93K 1988 car, almost everything works as the maker intended. You touch buttons, don?t push them; they don?t click or anything vulgar like that. The autoclimate works but has difficulty taking temperature below pleasant on a hot day, presumably because the refrigerant in the system has not been replaced or upgraded. It is probably not worth doing so now, given the car?s low value.
The large, heavy coupe doors haven?t dropped although, to be fair, most of the miles were on the M25 by the car?s third owner, rather than lots of short journeys. It is extremely solid underneath and, apart from a supermarket car park nudge, the only blemishes are rust on the inside of the sunroof at the front and very oddly on the bulkhead front edge and top just above where the wiper motor is bolted. Water presumably runs down from the windscreen and must have been trapped here at some time. It is unsightly but non structural but should be checked for. There is also some rust out of sight at the top of the windscreen according to a fitter who replaced a cracked screen.
The 2.7 motor, which was fitted in Rovers, gets a bit tappety with age but I?m told is not necessarily a sign of a detrimental fault. I don?t know about the later ones. My guess is that the supply of parts for the 2.7 will be more extensive than the others. I haven?t done anything to it as it had just been serviced when bought but a check of the receipts show the following prices: oilpan gasket (1999) £30; oil level switch (1999) £73; alternator (2000) £198; air filter £23; igniter unit (2001) £99; front lower ball joint (2001) £60; 3 belts (2001) £40; brake pads (2001) £47. I saw one advertised recently requiring a £300 wheel bearing change (garage price presumably).
How does it drive? I came back into Stansted last night after a tiring 3-day trip to Germany, got on to the M11 and set the cruise control to an indicated 70+ and wafted the 110 miles home mostly on motorway. The coupe is not a sports car but it looks OK, if slightly anonymous, has a firm ride like the Prelude, corners well without wallowing, and has a very reasonable turn of speed. The autobox can be slow on downshifts and a bit jerky until warmed up. There is a sports setting but I don?t bother with it unless in a real hurry. It won?t outdrag anything where the other driver is trying hard but it does enough to outshine the average motor. Petrol consumption drops to 22mpg when it is used with enthusiasm or on short, local journeys, but can clip 30mpg easily on a steady motorway run at legal speeds. Oil consumption is negligible over nearly 2000 miles.
The coupe has plenty of room for average sized people in the back and is comfortable back and front. The grey leather is nice in our silver car and the fake wood is less garish than in a similar age Mercedes. There are quite a few cubby holes and I think the glovebox is cooled but haven?t checked. The only extra not specced on ours is heated seats as far as I can see. The boot is a decent size although I haven?t checked if it performs the Prelude trick of dropping the rear seat squab forward.
In short, I love it for any journey expected to be long or tiring and am prepared to put up with the extra fuel cost. I?ve tried Optimax to little effect but it seems from the history to have been set up for normal unleaded rather than the four star mentioned in the handbook. It seems best now on Texaco normal unleaded. I am so impressed, having paid near banger price, that I am now looking out for an even better condition car that has been pampered. I think they are a bargain compared with the more in yer face alternatives and a cut above the stolid offerings from other manufacturers. There appears to be a wealth of tuning and add-on bits available on the US market (Accura Legend).
Lastly, one of the guys on my trip this week coincidentally has both French and Japanese car dealerships. When building a new showroom/servicing set up for the Japanese franchises, he includes fewer servicing bays than for either of his two French marques!
David Millar
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Thanks to everyone for the excellent replies - especially David Millar. The replies confimred my thought that secong hand this car must be a great bargain. I am determined not to buy German next time!
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I was refering to the later 3.2 legend, which is a completely different car to the earlier Rover-built 2.7 version. The Rover 827 saloon is essentially the same car. I had one for nearly four years and loved it.
The tappets on the 2.7 get rattly if they haven't had enough oil changes and were used for short journeys. Make sure you change the oil every 6mths or 6000 miles max. With slightly more frequent changes than this mine ran better when I sold it (123K) than when I'd bought it (65K).
The 2.7 engine also has some very narrow water ways in the head and these can clog up if it doesn't recieve the regular coolant changes scheduled (or if radweld is used). This in turn leads to overheating and warped heads. Check the water level before and after your test drive as well as the condition of the coolant. If the level goes down after a 30 mile drive, walk away.
Provided it's looked after the 2.7 is bomb proof and will outlast the rest of the car easily.
A aircon recharge shouldn't cost more than £60 at an independant specialist (as long as there is nothing else wrong with it of course).
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Your message is a year old now but I have lived with the same Legend since 1993 when I bought it with one owner who had not used it hardly at all. Now has 140,000 miles and so far its the best car i have ever owned including half a dozen Jaguars/Daimlers and a Rover V8 .wonderful performance from 170bhp v6 2.7 engine and so far only ignition igniter, front HT leads and a couple of steering ball joints have been the only expense. Currently uses virutally no oil despite frequent high speed motorway driving and pottering around locally ( same tyres as a BMW 7 series). My car was manufactured in japan and was a 1990 model.
Just now considering buying another, the latest is more positive than heretofore because subsequent editions were definitely not as good to drive but they have improved that now. I shall be sorry to sell it frankly.
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