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Back to this month's car of the month
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Car Of The Month :
February 2019
'Gerald's Story' by Les4048
Back in January 2011 I moved to a rented house and at that time I was running a BMW 335d SE which was a very fast car having been remapped.
After the manufacturers warranty ran out I bought the BMW insured warranty but that coupled with depreciation meant it was financial suicide to keep it,
so the hunt started for a cheap replacement.
I eventually found a Rover 75 Tourer, a car I knew nothing about and had no real desire to own other than it was a cheap estate car.
I had to travel by train to the West of Scotland from my home in the North East of Scotland to pick up the car.
Travelling up the A9 I was not really impressed but I had bought it so had to just make the best of it. After getting it home the clean up started,
it was in really poor condition with green moss growing everywhere, the interior was absolutely filthy too, but after a good clean I began to warm to the car.
Taking it for a run I pressed the throttle hard for the first time and was amazed at the response and sound after passing 3,000 RPM, well that was me smitten.
After running it for a couple of years I had a desire to own a Dorchester Red with Personal Line Aubergine interior, I missed one and a friend and I ended up going for another one but I bowed out to allow him to pursue it.
That day my girlfriend Carole found a lovely Green one with full service history which had been for sale without any response until half an hour before I phoned to enquire.
The plan was to use parts from my 75 Tourer i.e. the Meteor wheels and some other parts to enhance the prospective new purchase.
Thankfully fate stepped in with a message from a member of the Owners Club asking for my VIN,
it turned out my car was a very early Tourer and possibly the one used in the launch brochure, being the only one with sunroof, Meteor wheels and fog-lights.
It is a lovely thought if Gerald, as we named it is the actual car in the brochure and it has been mentioned on the early tourer thread but never confirmed however I am happy thinking he is the one
The intention was just to run the car until it gave out, as up to that point it was just another old Rover but now he was beginning to feel a little bit special.
Anything the car has needed mechanical wise it gets as I think safety is paramount. I never looked at the service book or the pile of paperwork that came with the car but checking the service records it turns out he has a full service history
so I was glad I kept up the servicing.
I have always enjoyed cleaning cars and the Rover was no exception so over the years it has been brought up to a more acceptable level.
The boot has been cleaned out too and it has surprisingly come up like new, the spare wheel was given a good scrub as well
I remove all the wheels on a regular basis and power wash underneath and spray with wax and give the inside of the wheels a good clean too
I have really fallen in love with this car and really cannot imagine parting with it.
It does have some age related marks and there is some sign of corrosion appearing on the usual spot on the rear of the sills
but it is very little and a decision will have to be made this year to get them fixed properly and do the other bits of minor damage.
Under the bonnet is immaculate too so I really owe it to the car to keep it in top condition.
Article written by member Les4048
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