At a bit of a crossroads
 

To cut to the chase, I have just ordered a 61 plate Mazda 6 petrol hatch (22k from new) from the Mazda dealer where I used to work. This is to give us a modern family car (second child due in June). Our Rover 75 2.0 V6 Club SE in Atlantic Blue, reg number W864 DDO, is to be part exchanged as part of the deal at a stand in value of £250. We are due to swap the car on Wednesday afternoon.

I would love to keep the car which is in very good condition, except beginning to show corrosion on the OSF wing, NSR wing and trailing edge of both sills. However, we already have an MGB, a Focus ST 2.5 in orange (both now garage queens) and a 13 plate focus hatch. Therefore keeping the car is a 'luxury' in terms of space/tax/insurance etc.

However, as it has been in the family from new and has been an excellent car, I am not sure that I can face getting rid of it, knowing it will just be traded on and become sombodies old banger!

Therefore I have the option of keeping it, declaring SORN and keeping the car at my wife's parent's farm, storing it until I can find someone to sort the corrosion to a good standard (Tom near Derby sounds a good option) and then hopefully being able to insure it as a modern classic and put it back on the road (it is mechanically excellent). If I did this, could someone please advise on:
The best way to store it (in a barn but dust and rodents could be an issue).
If it is genuinely possible to get a Rover 75 on a modern classic policy?
Once re-conditioned, there are places I could store the car near where I live.

Alternatively, if anyone is local to me (Louth, Lincolnshire) and genuinely interested in an additional 75 for their 'collection' then please let me know. I would much rather the car go this way than be sold in the trade! I appreciate this does not give people much time!

IMHO you are better off keeping it, I think traded in, it will be off to the scrapper by the dealer and not sent to auction

Might be lucky and the dealer puts it on ebay like they did with my blue 1.8. I got the bargain of a lifetime with mine....

Insurance is a funny thing my 2lt cdi 51 tourer 10,000 miles a yr with 2000 business miles,9+yrs no claims included is £250 I'm 49 but I think that's very reasonable and it's with tesco not any classic insurance.

Personally I'd keep it if you can't afford to sort it in the future break it for parts you'd get more than £250 and know you'd helped to keep a few rovers going.

Keep it or sell it privately as it’s surely worth more then £250!

Pop it up here, it's short notice but you never know.

If you have the new car classed as your daily, you will definitely get it on a classic policy. I have a Toyota Avensis as a daily drive, and my V6 is £140 a year with Peter Best with limited mileage of 3000. My 1.8 is also on a classic policy, but for some reason is £180 - I have been told this is possibly because I valued it less than £1000, so beware of this trap. If you go for classic, value £1000 or over just in case!

It will end up at the local car auctions and be bought buy someone after a cheap banger, used and abused run until MOT time (or until something fails) and then....well you know the rest.

I would keep it personally

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes I have other cars insured as daily drivers, so pursuing the modern classic policy might be worth ago. Currently it is insured by my parent's with me as a named driver and mirrored no claims with their petrol XF - current combined insurance price circa £1000 a year and they are more or less split equally in cost despite the difference in value. I have 'daily' policies on the Focus ST and soon to be on the Mazda. The wife's Focus is a daily policy and my MGB is clearly a classic policy (Lancaster insurance). I am 38 so my age should not be an issue.

Regarding modern classic policies, does the car have to be garaged (drive way) and does it need to be kept at my address?

Not trading it in would clearly buy me time, though parents understandably would want to cancel insurance etc. so would need to declare SORN.

When SORN is declared, does the vehicle need to have any form of insurance if it is kept off the public road? It is along time since I have looked into this and wonder if the rules are the same?

Regarding the car itself, other than the aforementioned corrosion and lacquer peel on the driver's a pillar, it is a good car, having had 4 new springs, 2nd cambelt change (2014), front brake calipers, starter motor and new battery in the last few years. It is now on 105,000 miles.

Any advice on storage, such as disconnecting/removing the battery etc?