Rover 75 Connoisseur SE 2.5v6 MKI with Sandstone Interior-Essex. ****SOLD****

[Rick-sta]

Hi all,

Just to note this isn't my 75, just posting this up on behalf of a chap who lives local to me. A couple days ago the owner Brian knocked on our door to ask if we'd be interested in his 75 or would be able to help him find a good home for her. He thought it would be a good place to ask since we always have 2 or more 75/zt's parked outside our house. We had a good chat and he said he would like to see the 75 go to another enthusiast or someone who would look after her, and really doesn't want it to just get stripped for parts or end up being scrapped. He was pretty disheartened when he tried a quote with "we buy any car" and was offered peanuts for it. As he's not a member of any owners clubs or groups, he had no channel or way of offering his car to anyone who would be genuinely interested in keeping it on the road so I said I'd help him out .

He's only having to sell it as he had to purchase something more practical with more seats for the grandchildren so now has bought a 7 seater, which means the 75 now sadly has to go.

Brian purchased the 75 on 18th April 2012 and has covered approximately 28,200 miles over his 5 years and 6 months of ownership, averaging 5,127 miles per year.

Below I've written up my description of the car and have tried to be as thorough and detailed as possible and have uploaded many pics.

Here are some details about the car:

Rover 75 2.5v6 Connoisseur SE Saloon
Manual gearbox
First Registered 26.03.02 (02 reg)
Colour: Arden Green Pearlescent (Paint Code: HEW)
Mileage: 93,716
MOT until April 2018
New clutch, slave and master fitted in 2013
New Vis Motors + Manifold fitted in 2012
New Belts & Waterpump done in 2012 - only done 28,183 miles on new belts.
New Thermostat fitted in 2014
New Cooling Fan fitted in 2014
Solid well adjusted handbrake with little travel and holds on first few clicks
16inch Union Alloy Wheels with 215/55/r16 tyres
Sandstone Leather Interior
Walnut Dash interior trim
Walnut Wood Steering Wheel
Electric Heated Seats
Cruise Control
Rear Powerblind
Highline IPK with Trip Computer
Rain Sensor Wipers
Rear Parking Sensors
Factory Xenon Headlights
Auto Selflevelling Headlights
Headlamp Washers
Front Fog Lights
Bullet Mirrors with Chrome Caps
Smooth Window Switches
Factory Alpine Symphony radio with 6 CD autochanger in glovebox
Has the earlier style nicer bonnet release through the front grill

I popped round to see Brian's 75 yesterday and the first thing I noticed as soon as I saw the car was the colour. The colour is Arden Green Pearescent, and although there were many made in this colour, just looking further into the build data and it looks like this is 1 of only 23 Arden Green Pearlescents made in Connoisseur SE spec. I personally had not seen one in Arden Green before and now I've seen one it's fantastic colour and really suits the 75. Depending on the light, the finish shows different shades of green and almost looks blue depending on the light as well. It is rather unusual and eyecatching.

The interior is pretty spotless, very clean. The interior is sandstone beige with walnut dash trim and the steering wheel is also walnut. Everything appears to be working including the rear powerblind which opens and closes smoothly and doesn't jam or get stuck.

I took the 75 out for a spin and I was left very impressed. She fired up straight away (hadn't been started for 2 weeks when I started her up and she was started from cold). The engine is nice and quiet and the exhaust makes a lovely sound when she's fired up (the back box was replaced by the previous owner). Revs are nice and settled at idle. The engine is very quiet when driving and very smooth, can't fault the engine at all. Took her for a hard run to see if there's any issues with power delivery or the vis motors and couldn't find any problems. She pulls really well, knocks your head back when she gets the revs up, with good power across the rev range and no noises or rattles at all from the engine or vis motors. Also the clutch is very light (clutch, master and slave were replaced in 2013), bite point is nice and low and the gear changes are so smooth and light. So from my test drive I found the engine to be solid and faultless. Got up to running temperature fine and didn't overheat. Fan kicks in fine and also tested the low speed fan operation and it works. I've checked the oil filler cap, dip stick and coolant expansion tank for any signs of oil and coolant mixing and all is clean.

The only small issue I found was that at very low speeds (< 10mph) the abs decides to kick in and you can feel the crunching feeling through the pedal. Doesn't affect the braking at all. Most likely going to be a faulty abs sensor on one of the wheels, I had a similar issue on my ZT which was sorted once it was identified which ABS sensor was causing the issue. No ABS warning appears on the dash.

From looking at the car and driving it, it's pretty evident that Brian has well looked after the car during his ownership. Brian showed me all of the receipts that he has for the work he had done on the 75 during his ownership. Below I've listed some info on the bills/receipts for the work done:

30.04.2012: Supply and fit new inlet manifold (Vis Motors) (Mileage: 65,032) - £880.00
03.05.2012: Supply and program second key: £279.55
23.05.2012: Supply and fit new cambets and water pump + Carried out oil and filter change (Mileage: 65,533 ) - £706.00
18.01.2013: Supply and fit replacement clutch master cylinder (Mileage: 70,129) - £262.00
06.02.2013: Supply and fit replacement clutch and slave cylinder (Mileage: 70,329) - £583.94
22.09.2014: Supply and fit new thermostat/Housing/Water Outlet And Coolant Temp Sensor and Re Antifreezed (Mileage: 79,942) - £239.20
22.09.2014: Supply and Fit Cooling Fan (Mileage: 79,942) - £466.73

In total Brian has invested £3.417.42 into keeping the 75 well maintained over the 5 and half years he's owned the car, £1,865.55 of which is spent immediately after purchasing the car in 2012.

I've had a good look around the exterior of the car and it is very clean. The paintwork has a lovely glossy mirror finish and isn't faded where it has been well looked after and kept clean and polished. All four wheels are in excellent condition and couldn't see any kerb markings or damage at all. However. there are some age related items, marks and damage on the bodywork which I've noted below:

- There are some minor age related marks as you would expect on a 15 year old car including light scratches and door dings. From memory there's only a couple very light door dings on the sides and there is a small minor dent on the bonnet, all only noticeable if you're looking for them.
- There is damage to the rear nearside wheel arch by the rear door (see photos).
- the rear bumper has some marks, and for some reason in the past prior to Brian owning the car someone has cut away some of the bumper where the exhaust is (Can be seen in pics). Not sure why but that can be sorted by making the cut out a bit bigger and then fitting an exhaust heat shield from a ZT. Then the tailpipes can be extended to show in the cut out like on a ZT.
- The boot lid has some chips which have been touched up. Looks like someone might have placed something on the boot lid in the past which chipped the paint
- the offside rear quarter has a thin vertical line of faded paint between the rear door and fuel cap (see pics). Brian mentioned the back door had some spray work done previously which I've looked at and looks fine but looks like the line we can see is possibly a bit of over spray. I recon with a decent cutting compound polish it will come out.
- Driver's seat has a small tare in the common spot at the back left of the seat base, and a slight bit of wear on the bolster, which is expected at this age. It is very minor and another one of those things you'll only spot if you're looking for it.

Easy fixes:
- rear interior light has fallen out, again another common problems where the clips just break on their own, my ZT and my dad's 75 both have the same problem too at the moment. The light just needs to be stuck back in place.
- Boot floor will need replacing at some point as it is quite bowed due to getting wet in the past. Cause was leaking light seals which has now been fixed (the gaps around the lights have been sealed with silicone and no longer leak). Second hand boot floors are cheap to get hold of.
- Headlight lenses are in needed of refurbishment, the standard common issue of the lenses frosting over. Easy fix, the 3m headlight refurbishment kit on ebay will sort this, the kit is only £20 off ebay.
- Offside front fog light is damaged, a stone had smashed through the glass. The break is covered over to repair it which can be seen in the pics. Another quick easy fix, replacement fog light units are available on ebay.
- The Highline IPK Screen has lines in it. I can deline this for £25.

The last three items above (headlights, fog light and IPK deline) I can sort for you if you decide to purchase the car. I can refurbish the headlights for £50, fit a replacement fog light for £15 and deline the IPK for £25 which all can be done before you collect the car, as the car is only a few minutes down the road from me. Or alternatively, if you fancy going for any of the headlight/fog light upgrades I offer such as the halo ring DRL headlights and fog lights, I can have them fitted ready for when you collect the car.

Below I have included the official build data and mot history for the car:

Vehicle Information Build Data

vin RJZLLE2D249968
vin_sequence 249968
off_assembly_date Monday, 11th March 2002 @ 08:20:18
model 75
variant 2.5 V6 Connoisseur SE
num_doors 4
paint_code HEW
brochure_model_desc R75 C3 Saloon 2.5 KV6 (177)
sales_model_derivative RJWLL
sales_model_derivative_desc Rover 75 2.5V6 Connoisseur SE 4dr
home_export HOME
country GREAT BRITAIN
exterior_paint Arden Green Pearlescent
interior_trim Sandstone Beige / Ash Grey
engine 2500 NA 177Bhp
trimlevel Connoisseur SE
bodytype 4DR
manual_auto M
hand_of_drive RHD
model_year 2002
sold_date Unknown

General Information

This vehicle was the 44,815th 75 to run off the production line, out of 112,381
This vehicle was the 1,811th 75 2.5 V6 Connoisseur SE to be made out of 3,671
This vehicle was the 3,928th 75 in Arden Green Pearlescent (code: HEW) to be made out of 4,723 Arden Green Pearlescent 75s


MOT history

Date tested
21 March 2017
PASS
Mileage
91,439 miles
MOT test number
8325 3473 1639
Test location
SHOTGATE GARAGE
10 HURRICANE CLOSE
SHOTGATE
WICKFORD
SS11 8YR
Expiry date
16 April 2018
Advisory notice item(s)
Offside Front Track rod end ball joint has slight play (2.2.B.1f)
Nearside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)


Date tested
17 March 2016
PASS
Mileage
86,300 miles
MOT test number
7171 0632 3093
Test location
DELRAY AUTOS
UNIT A & A1
CRITON ENGINEERING WORKS
GRAYS
RM16 3DH
Expiry date
16 April 2017
Advisory notice item(s)
Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)
Nearside Front Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)
Offside Rear Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Date tested
14 April 2015
PASS
Mileage
81,816 miles
MOT test number
8691 1480 5189
Test location
DELRAY AUTOS
UNIT A & A1
CRITON ENGINEERING WORKS
GRAYS
RM16 3DH
Expiry date
16 April 2016
Advisory notice item(s)
Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)
Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)
Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)

Date tested
17 March 2014
PASS
Mileage
77,395 miles
MOT test number
1882 8687 4046
Test location
DELRAY AUTOS
UNIT A & A1
CRITON ENGINEERING WORKS
GRAYS
RM16 3DH
Expiry date
16 April 2015
Advisory notice item(s)
Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover damaged, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)
Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover damaged, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)
Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)

Date tested
18 March 2013
PASS
Mileage
71,202 miles
MOT test number
7455 2727 3060
Test location
DELRAY AUTOS
UNIT A & A1
CRITON ENGINEERING WORKS
GRAYS
RM16 3DH
Expiry date
16 April 2014
Advisory notice item(s)
Parking brake lever has little reserve travel (3.1.6b)

Date tested
17 April 2012
PASS
Mileage
64,866 miles
MOT test number
9587 0840 2100
Test location
CENTRAL GARAGE UK LIMITED
CENTRAL GARAGE
31 LAMPITS HILL
CORRINGHAM
SS17 9AA
Expiry date
16 April 2013

Date tested
24 November 2011
PASS
Mileage
63,780 miles
MOT test number
7479 9852 1312
Test location
HALFORDS AUTOCENTRE
UNIT 2 BASILDON TRADE CENTRE
MILES GRAY ROAD
BASILDON
SS14 3BZ
Expiry date
23 November 2012

Date tested
28 September 2011
PASS
Mileage
63,425 miles
MOT test number
5086 0197 1292
Test location
CENTRAL GARAGE UK LIMITED
CENTRAL GARAGE
31 LAMPITS HILL
CORRINGHAM
SS17 9AA
Expiry date
27 September 2012

Date tested
15 February 2011
PASS
Mileage
57,486 miles
MOT test number
3081 4614 1075
Test location
CLEE AUTOCENTRE LIMITED
13-19 KNOLL STREET
CLEETHORPES
DN35 8LL
Expiry date
27 February 2012
Advisory notice item(s)
rear exhaust section dereriorating


Date tested
23 February 2010
PASS
Mileage
47,130 miles
MOT test number
7638 2445 0067
Test location
CLEE AUTOCENTRE LIMITED
13-19 KNOLL STREET
CLEETHORPES
DN35 8LL
Expiry date
27 February 2011
Advisory notice item(s)
rear exhaust section deteriorating


Date tested
23 February 2010
FAIL
Mileage
47,130 miles
MOT test number
4649 0475 0027
Test location
CLEE AUTOCENTRE LIMITED
13-19 KNOLL STREET
CLEETHORPES
DN35 8LL
Reason(s) for failure
Nearside Headlamp aim too low (1.8)
Offside Headlamp aim too low (1.8)
Brake pipe excessively corroded (3.6.B.2c)
Advisory notice item(s)
rear exhaust section deteriorating
1x front to rear brake pipe corroding

Date tested
19 February 2009
PASS
Mileage
39,604 miles
MOT test number
5830 6005 9046
Test location
AUTOPANELS
4-6 LEGSBY AVENUE
GRIMSBY
DN32 0NP
Expiry date
27 February 2010

Date tested
21 February 2008
PASS
Mileage
35,541 miles
MOT test number
7727 0245 8033
Test location
GENNEY MOTORS LTD
PASTURE STREET
GRIMSBY
DN32 8BL
Expiry date
27 February 2009

Date tested
13 February 2007
PASS
Mileage
30,316 miles
MOT test number
3223 5414 7076
Test location
GENNEY MOTORS LTD
PASTURE STREET
GRIMSBY
DN32 8BL
Expiry date
27 February 2008

Date tested
13 February 2007
FAIL
Mileage
30,316 miles
MOT test number
4635 8414 7066
Test location
GENNEY MOTORS LTD
PASTURE STREET
GRIMSBY
DN32 8BL
Reason(s) for failure
Offside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded (3.6.B.2c)
What are failures?

Date tested
28 February 2006
PASS
Mileage
25,794 miles
MOT test number
3202 9985 6004
Test location
GENNEY MOTORS LTD
PASTURE STREET
GRIMSBY
DN32 8BL
Expiry date
27 February 2007

Photos:

Price: £850

The car is based in Lampits Hill in Thurrock, Essex. If you are interested and wish to get in touch to inquire about it, drop me a PM and I will forward you Brian's contact details .

It's just a shame I don't have the space to keep this otherwise I would have had it off him, but I already have a project in the garage to finish and no where else to store a sorn car, and at my age I just can't justify paying £1k to insure a second car. Which is a shame as it drives absolutely beautifully. With a bit of time to sort the few bodywork issues, this would be a fantastic stunning example for someone.

Thanks for looking

[Rick-sta]

weekend bump, owner is open to offers

[Rick-sta]

Now reduced to £500

[Rick-sta]

weekend bump.

[Rick-sta]

Sold ............