Rover, 3.5 SE

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Thu 17 Oct 2002 18:37
Rover, 3.5 SE - bigbro62
Hi out there, my pal Richard has a Rover 3.5 SE 20 years old with 44,000 miles on the clock, has not run for 15 years, is in a heated garage, it is in good condition, anyone know what it may be worth, or where he can find out. thanks in anticipation.
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Thu 17 Oct 2002 21:01
Rover, 3.5 SE - nick
Probably very little. It could cost a good few hundred if not more to get back on the road and even good examples struggle to reach four figures. It would probably be worth more as parts though that would be a shame if the body is good.
Guide prices from Practical Classics magazine, which I find tend to be a tad opimistic as they are based on asking prices in adverts, are:
Condition 1 (excellent but not concours) £1750
Condition 2 (average everyday runner with full mot) £650
Condition 3 (may run but needs rebuild) £200

Old motors with no ticket are almost impossible to shift these days. If you find an enthusiast you might be lucky. Pity it isn't a manual, the gearbox and bellhousing would be worth a few hundred.
Good luck, and please don't scrap it, I've always had a soft spot for SD1's despite the build quality.
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Thu 17 Oct 2002 22:20
Rover, 3.5 SE - Paul531
A heated garage - must coast more to heat than the car is worth?

Is damp / humidity not the main prob with car storage?

A dehumidified garage / cacoon is needed?
Paul {Forest of Bowland}
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Sat 19 Oct 2002 03:48
Rover, 3.5 SE - Paul Mykatz-Tinks
Great fun car, but one very annoying trait.

My drive is steep, uphill to the road which is also steep. Always exit drive and travel down road. To get out in fresh snow, it was necessary to back (rapidly) out of garage, up drive, then full right lock onto road.

The annoying bit was, as I applied right lock, the nose ALWAYS went in the opposite direction and plopped me onto the road, facing up, not down. Nothing would get it to break away in the right direction.

Had to back down the road and flip it into a side road, where it usually became stuck. Then it was shovel out time and swear quietly. One day, a neighbour came to help, approaching from behind as I lobbed a full shovel of snow over my shouder. Full-face jobbie.........ho, hum.
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Sat 19 Oct 2002 07:59
Rover, 3.5 SE - madf
If it has aircon, seals will have gone. Big bills to recharge with latest fluid, change seals etc probably looking at £500+.

Carp cars for reliability.. Discs will be rusty, new brake hydraulics/discs /wheel cylinders/calipers will be needed for safety. Budget £500 for parts. Labour?

I never had one, but knew several who had as company cars. Nice when they worked. Note the "when they worked". Reliability was awful.


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Sat 19 Oct 2002 15:54
Rover, 3.5 SE - bigbro62
Thank you lads for the replies, I will pass on think he will be disappointed.
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Sun 20 Oct 2002 00:06
Rover, 3.5 SE - Paul Mykatz-Tinks
Oh, and one very funny trait.

A rubber bush on the rear suspension used to fail. The car then had a mind of its own, asking for opposite lock on dry roundabouts.

Drew some funny looks.
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