MG-Rovers Image/Reputation - Page 2

The Rovering Member · 13th June 2020, 05:12

From MG Rover, I've only had my 75 but have been an ardent admirer of the old Rover company since l was a schoolboy in the seventies. Back then Rover was one of the top auto brands in the land & were admired, including when l bought my first P6 aged twenty. I went onto the P5 later too. When people asked what l drove & l replied a Rover, eyebrows were raised in admiration, including the girls.

The Sd1 set the future pattern though, l never did like it personally (though l later recognised it as a market leader), or any of the cars bearing the badge that came after it. Up to the 75. Eventually l got an itch & scratched it. Up to then l had been using my various classics, P4, 5 &6 plus my A60 estate but l must say, the 75 is extremely pleasant as a daily driver, not that the others aren't but the 75 is just so capable. I still have a modest collection of classics, well, the list l just mentioned actually & the 75 fits in very well with them.
The later reputation of Rover was set long ago though by some bad work practices & a national press which loved to belittle the national auto-industry & praise the continental brands to the skies. It wasn't entirely undeserved at times but it became a lazy go-to attitude. All Rover's didn't suffer from HGF but the press & public lapped it up when they did. Weak management put Rover in the hands of BL in the first place & after the rebranding with the Rover name, it took the flak for all the failures in the organisation. A sad fate for a once great & innovative company but there we are.

I will say that the Sd1 & the 800's do look slighty more attractive to me these days but only the 75 can hold a candle to the old guard.

Les4048 · 13th June 2020, 05:44

Never rated them, in fact I thought they were rubbish until a change in my life made me consider getting rid of my BMW 335d SE because of the depreciation. I just happened on my Rover 75 and it was a lot of car for little money so I bought it and was amazed at the quality and fell in love with it and now owned it for eight years. Six months after I bought the Rover I was fortunately in a position to purchase the V8 and as they say the rest is history. I totally agree with Brian’s comment

Originally Posted by marinabrian View Post
What I don't mind about the cars at this stage in their career, is they are new enough to be competitive with up to date traffic, they are old enough to be slightly less run of the mill and more unusual.

Roverlike · 13th June 2020, 06:04

I fell in love with the Rover 600 in 1993 at the first sight. At that time it was out of my pay range as new. Fast forward 7 years latter I bought Rover 400 which was for sale. What a beauty in Kingfisher Blue. Year after I bought desired Rover 600 which I still own and my wife owns Rover 200. Still going strong, and the best cars I ever had, and beleive me I drove a lot of various cars.

Their design stood extremly well over all these years, and agree with Brian when he says:

Originally Posted by marinabrian View Post
What I don't mind about the cars at this stage in their career, is they are new enough to be competitive with up to date traffic, they are old enough to be slightly less run of the mill and more unusual.

Arie-MG · 13th June 2020, 06:36

Ive bought and restored a MG Midget at the age of 20 and still have it(im 45 now..)
Done many miles in it and stil do but with a young family now it a bit less then before.
When our second child was in production in 2018 we looked for another car for my wife as her Aygo couldnt handle two kidseats and buggys.
Looked for a different looking car and being an anglofile I started looking at a Jaguar Xtype tourer untill my mate offer to buy his MG ZTT which we did.
Still get comments and looks from people who wonder what it is.

MG and Rovers havent been that common and therefore arent that well known anymore in Holland.

Companycars have been Isuzu-Mitshubitsi-Opel vans and currently an Opel Omega.
We use the MG ZTT alot and just had the automatic flushed.
Great reliable parts supplier here in Holland (Damen&Kroes) so I find the reputation that English cars being unreliable not fair, if well maintained they are great cars!
We even have a 1978 Jaguar xj6 which was produced in Brittains "darkest" quality years, also a great and relliable car!
Not very fuel-efficient but neither is the MG ZTT

Heddy · 13th June 2020, 06:42

I'm doubtful about the quality of MGR cars, except for the 75/ZT. We all know the history, 'pulled out all the stops' etc. and I feel that's true. Also, to buy a 75 and maintain it without the help of the forum would cost an absolute fortune. No, I don't care much for other cars in the range, too many rust buckets.

victorgte · 13th June 2020, 07:46

Bought my first Austin 1100 in 1982. Very rusty but then I was a student on a budget.
Bought many of the brand since then but can't help thinking they were always behind the competition especially from the 70's onwards.
Great ideas badly built.
I've now concluded my association with the brand after 10 years of serious buying and running. My ZR was a belter. What a great car. Pity age and rust got to it. The 75's were the last great attempt at saving the brand but events overshadowed all of that.
My MG TF is my final dip into the brand and I'm happy to say a very good choice indeed. Great car albeit on a budget. Its a case of what could have been.

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

BRG75 · 13th June 2020, 07:59

My first Rover was a P6 2000. Bought in 1972 as a 1 or 2 owner, (I can’t recall) 6 year old, with 30 odd thousand.
Car to run as a business car on a monthly overhead plus daily mileage allowance. It replaced a 3 year old Mk1 Cortina GT. (run on the same basis). I was a Field Service Engineer, but didn’t need an estate car. Within months, several other engineers changed their cars for a P6.

I took this Rover up to 120 odd K, and sold it within the family, it was still that good.

It was replaced by a P6 2000TC, which was slightly more economical, on the M-ways, which was the bulk of our (company) journeys.

Both cars needed a head gasket at around 90K, but were otherwise trouble free.

SD1, 213 and 216 cabriolet run as private cars. SD1 a bit troublesome, 200’s not so. However, liked them all, at the time.

1997 and I’m about to get a Company Leased Rover 420. The company’s car list didn’t include Rovers, but they were added to the list, after my job interview.

2000, same company, 420 now with 140 odd K and car only weeks away from it’s end of lease.
Lease company refusing to sanction new discs and a total suspension re-build. Other wise trouble free.

I’m now at the Maidstone Rover Dealers, trying to find a New, Old stock 6 or 800, to replace the 420 with. Rover 75’s were out of the budget; not on price, but because of the potential Residual Value (a serious Rover 800 problem)

Salesman pushing me to order a 75, and said that there is something going on in the background, about Residual Value problem. His arm twister, “come back next Saturday, bring your wife, and take this demo car out for the morning”.

The solution to the Residual Value problem; a very onerous set of paragraphs, whereby Phoenix Holdings would guarantee a buy back figure, subject to the cars’ condition at the end of 3 years.

The Finance Director faxed the conditions through to me, with concerns, but with the MD’s support, a 1.8 Classic SE 75 was ordered.

I was known in the company for having my Sun Roof open all year round, so that was a given; Automatic was not questioned.

The car was painted BRG, with Sandstone Interior. The lease company actually rang me to request that I add this to the order “as that combination always sells better, when it goes to auction”. Luck of the draw also provided me with folding rear seats. We didn’t know at the time that, with or without buttons, they all did.

For quite sometime, the Rover 75 was a bit of a (very well received) novelty.
When the car was delivered to the company car park, the MD compared it favourably with his Mercedes. Customers would leave their offices to have a look, and more than once a small crowd would be peering into it, wherever it was parked.

For 3 years it covered the length and breadth of the country, towed a caravan to the IoW and the Cotswolds, and only let me down once, Head Gasket at just under 100k. (main dealer fixed, same day)

Other problems –
Water in the passenger foot well, once, fixed same day.
Air bag light came on in Scotland, telephone call, ”don’t worry, bring it in next time you’re passing by, we know what it is”.

To answer the Original Call for Thoughts; of all the cars that I’ve had, the ones that I would like to buy back, and / or regret selling, in descending order are:-

Rover P6 2000TC
Jaguar 420 auto.
Jaguar S type 3.8 manual (ex police)
Rover 216 Cab.
MG B GT

But I’m grateful to still have

2 x Rover 75’s
MG B
Mercedes W124 230CE

Mike

gnu · 13th June 2020, 09:45

Owned only MG/ Rovers since the 90’s. I drive a lot of other marques through work, but that hasn’t swung me away. Owners of other cars, especially German, just don’t get it; I’ve given up explaining why I have an MG-R!

The Rovering Member · 13th June 2020, 13:03

No doubt they can't understand why you wouldn't want to drive the same car as everyone else.....& their dogs.

Mean & Green · 13th June 2020, 15:14

Some interesting comments, it seems that for a lot of you the 75/ZT was more deserving of the old Rover image of being classy with elevated quality over the competition.

I agree that the other cars from the range seem to lack the same level of build and rust is more of an issue with the likes of the 25. They all still offer a certain something though. I think they are all above average in how they feel to drive.

Can’t help feeling sad that it is all gone forever.

13th June 2020, 05:12	#11
The Rovering Member I really should get out more....... Rover 75 saloon Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: London Posts: 2,953 Thanks: 263 Thanked 538 Times in 431 Posts	From MG Rover, I've only had my 75 but have been an ardent admirer of the old Rover company since l was a schoolboy in the seventies. Back then Rover was one of the top auto brands in the land & were admired, including when l bought my first P6 aged twenty. I went onto the P5 later too. When people asked what l drove & l replied a Rover, eyebrows were raised in admiration, including the girls. The Sd1 set the future pattern though, l never did like it personally (though l later recognised it as a market leader), or any of the cars bearing the badge that came after it. Up to the 75. Eventually l got an itch & scratched it. Up to then l had been using my various classics, P4, 5 &6 plus my A60 estate but l must say, the 75 is extremely pleasant as a daily driver, not that the others aren't but the 75 is just so capable. I still have a modest collection of classics, well, the list l just mentioned actually & the 75 fits in very well with them. The later reputation of Rover was set long ago though by some bad work practices & a national press which loved to belittle the national auto-industry & praise the continental brands to the skies. It wasn't entirely undeserved at times but it became a lazy go-to attitude. All Rover's didn't suffer from HGF but the press & public lapped it up when they did. Weak management put Rover in the hands of BL in the first place & after the rebranding with the Rover name, it took the flak for all the failures in the organisation. A sad fate for a once great & innovative company but there we are. I will say that the Sd1 & the 800's do look slighty more attractive to me these days but only the 75 can hold a candle to the old guard. __________________ Reducing the size of my Rover fleet by adding a 75 to it. Last edited by The Rovering Member; 13th June 2020 at 13:07..

13th June 2020, 07:46	#16
victorgte I really should get out more....... MGTF, MGZT, Range Rover Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Cheltenham Posts: 2,803 Thanks: 395 Thanked 633 Times in 446 Posts	Bought my first Austin 1100 in 1982. Very rusty but then I was a student on a budget. Bought many of the brand since then but can't help thinking they were always behind the competition especially from the 70's onwards. Great ideas badly built. I've now concluded my association with the brand after 10 years of serious buying and running. My ZR was a belter. What a great car. Pity age and rust got to it. The 75's were the last great attempt at saving the brand but events overshadowed all of that. My MG TF is my final dip into the brand and I'm happy to say a very good choice indeed. Great car albeit on a budget. Its a case of what could have been. Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk __________________ MG TF 135, MG ZT, Range Rover P38

13th June 2020, 07:59	#17
BRG75 Gets stuck in Rover 75 Saloon & Tourer, 9th & 10th Rovers Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Sevenoaks Posts: 975 Thanks: 670 Thanked 290 Times in 195 Posts	My first Rover was a P6 2000. Bought in 1972 as a 1 or 2 owner, (I can’t recall) 6 year old, with 30 odd thousand. Car to run as a business car on a monthly overhead plus daily mileage allowance. It replaced a 3 year old Mk1 Cortina GT. (run on the same basis). I was a Field Service Engineer, but didn’t need an estate car. Within months, several other engineers changed their cars for a P6. I took this Rover up to 120 odd K, and sold it within the family, it was still that good. It was replaced by a P6 2000TC, which was slightly more economical, on the M-ways, which was the bulk of our (company) journeys. Both cars needed a head gasket at around 90K, but were otherwise trouble free. SD1, 213 and 216 cabriolet run as private cars. SD1 a bit troublesome, 200’s not so. However, liked them all, at the time. 1997 and I’m about to get a Company Leased Rover 420. The company’s car list didn’t include Rovers, but they were added to the list, after my job interview. 2000, same company, 420 now with 140 odd K and car only weeks away from it’s end of lease. Lease company refusing to sanction new discs and a total suspension re-build. Other wise trouble free. I’m now at the Maidstone Rover Dealers, trying to find a New, Old stock 6 or 800, to replace the 420 with. Rover 75’s were out of the budget; not on price, but because of the potential Residual Value (a serious Rover 800 problem) Salesman pushing me to order a 75, and said that there is something going on in the background, about Residual Value problem. His arm twister, “come back next Saturday, bring your wife, and take this demo car out for the morning”. The solution to the Residual Value problem; a very onerous set of paragraphs, whereby Phoenix Holdings would guarantee a buy back figure, subject to the cars’ condition at the end of 3 years. The Finance Director faxed the conditions through to me, with concerns, but with the MD’s support, a 1.8 Classic SE 75 was ordered. I was known in the company for having my Sun Roof open all year round, so that was a given; Automatic was not questioned. The car was painted BRG, with Sandstone Interior. The lease company actually rang me to request that I add this to the order “as that combination always sells better, when it goes to auction”. Luck of the draw also provided me with folding rear seats. We didn’t know at the time that, with or without buttons, they all did. For quite sometime, the Rover 75 was a bit of a (very well received) novelty. When the car was delivered to the company car park, the MD compared it favourably with his Mercedes. Customers would leave their offices to have a look, and more than once a small crowd would be peering into it, wherever it was parked. For 3 years it covered the length and breadth of the country, towed a caravan to the IoW and the Cotswolds, and only let me down once, Head Gasket at just under 100k. (main dealer fixed, same day) Other problems – Water in the passenger foot well, once, fixed same day. Air bag light came on in Scotland, telephone call, ”don’t worry, bring it in next time you’re passing by, we know what it is”. To answer the Original Call for Thoughts; of all the cars that I’ve had, the ones that I would like to buy back, and / or regret selling, in descending order are:- Rover P6 2000TC Jaguar 420 auto. Jaguar S type 3.8 manual (ex police) Rover 216 Cab. MG B GT But I’m grateful to still have 2 x Rover 75’s MG B Mercedes W124 230CE Mike __________________ Presently 2004 75 CDTi auto Connoisseur Tourer - White Gold 2001 75 2.5 auto Connoisseur Saloon - White Gold Previously 2002 75 1.8 auto Club SE, 2000 75 1.8 auto Classic SE (Company Car) 1997 420 (Company Car) 1996 216 cabriolet, 198? 213 VDP 1986 SD1 V8 VDP, 1968 2000TC, 1966 2000.

13th June 2020, 09:45	#18
gnu Gets stuck in MG ZT Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Bristol Posts: 695 Thanks: 332 Thanked 164 Times in 133 Posts	Owned only MG/ Rovers since the 90’s. I drive a lot of other marques through work, but that hasn’t swung me away. Owners of other cars, especially German, just don’t get it; I’ve given up explaining why I have an MG-R! __________________ gnu

13th June 2020, 13:03	#19
The Rovering Member I really should get out more....... Rover 75 saloon Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: London Posts: 2,953 Thanks: 263 Thanked 538 Times in 431 Posts	No doubt they can't understand why you wouldn't want to drive the same car as everyone else.....& their dogs. __________________ Reducing the size of my Rover fleet by adding a 75 to it.

13th June 2020, 05:44	#12
Les4048 This is my second home Rover 75 Tourer/ MG ZT-T 400 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Lhanbryde Posts: 3,278 Thanks: 2,627 Thanked 1,523 Times in 869 Posts	Never rated them, in fact I thought they were rubbish until a change in my life made me consider getting rid of my BMW 335d SE because of the depreciation. I just happened on my Rover 75 and it was a lot of car for little money so I bought it and was amazed at the quality and fell in love with it and now owned it for eight years. Six months after I bought the Rover I was fortunately in a position to purchase the V8 and as they say the rest is history. I totally agree with Brian’s comment Originally Posted by marinabrian View Post What I don't mind about the cars at this stage in their career, is they are new enough to be competitive with up to date traffic, they are old enough to be slightly less run of the mill and more unusual.

13th June 2020, 06:04	#13
Roverlike Avid contributor Rover, few of them Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Split, Croatia Posts: 235 Thanks: 254 Thanked 117 Times in 82 Posts	I fell in love with the Rover 600 in 1993 at the first sight. At that time it was out of my pay range as new. Fast forward 7 years latter I bought Rover 400 which was for sale. What a beauty in Kingfisher Blue. Year after I bought desired Rover 600 which I still own and my wife owns Rover 200. Still going strong, and the best cars I ever had, and beleive me I drove a lot of various cars. Their design stood extremly well over all these years, and agree with Brian when he says: Originally Posted by marinabrian View Post What I don't mind about the cars at this stage in their career, is they are new enough to be competitive with up to date traffic, they are old enough to be slightly less run of the mill and more unusual.

13th June 2020, 06:36	#14
Arie-MG Regular poster MG ZT-T Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Warmond Posts: 46 Thanks: 6 Thanked 20 Times in 11 Posts	Ive bought and restored a MG Midget at the age of 20 and still have it(im 45 now..) Done many miles in it and stil do but with a young family now it a bit less then before. When our second child was in production in 2018 we looked for another car for my wife as her Aygo couldnt handle two kidseats and buggys. Looked for a different looking car and being an anglofile I started looking at a Jaguar Xtype tourer untill my mate offer to buy his MG ZTT which we did. Still get comments and looks from people who wonder what it is. MG and Rovers havent been that common and therefore arent that well known anymore in Holland. Companycars have been Isuzu-Mitshubitsi-Opel vans and currently an Opel Omega. We use the MG ZTT alot and just had the automatic flushed. Great reliable parts supplier here in Holland (Damen&Kroes) so I find the reputation that English cars being unreliable not fair, if well maintained they are great cars! We even have a 1978 Jaguar xj6 which was produced in Brittains "darkest" quality years, also a great and relliable car! Not very fuel-efficient but neither is the MG ZTT

13th June 2020, 06:42	#15
Heddy This is my second home None Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: None Posts: 5,556 Thanks: 465 Thanked 1,161 Times in 924 Posts	I'm doubtful about the quality of MGR cars, except for the 75/ZT. We all know the history, 'pulled out all the stops' etc. and I feel that's true. Also, to buy a 75 and maintain it without the help of the forum would cost an absolute fortune. No, I don't care much for other cars in the range, too many rust buckets.

13th June 2020, 15:14	#20
Mean & Green Regular poster MG ZR Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 93 Thanks: 53 Thanked 30 Times in 19 Posts	Some interesting comments, it seems that for a lot of you the 75/ZT was more deserving of the old Rover image of being classy with elevated quality over the competition. I agree that the other cars from the range seem to lack the same level of build and rust is more of an issue with the likes of the 25. They all still offer a certain something though. I think they are all above average in how they feel to drive. Can’t help feeling sad that it is all gone forever.