What car to replace the 75

[FLYING BANANA]

Originally Posted by xsport

hope its a yellow one ...

Are there any other colours available then?

[minty2]

Originally Posted by steve-45

As I said ..... electric !

Or a full or ideally plug-in hybrid (provided you actually keep it charged up)! Toyota's full hybrids have excellent reliability in consumer polls. The only problem with them as far as I can see is battery replacement after about 10 years running or say 100,000+ miles. Batteries will be very expensive to replace and so the value of these cars will plummet as they age. The same goes for all electric, but as their range isn't good enough yet, until fast charging infrastructure improves, I'd steer clear of them.

[Rickoshea]

Originally Posted by minty2

Or a full or ideally plug-in hybrid (provided you actually keep it charged up)! Toyota's full hybrids have excellent reliability in consumer polls. The only problem with them as far as I can see is battery replacement after about 10 years running or say 100,000+ miles. Batteries will be very expensive to replace and so the value of these cars will plummet as they age. The same goes for all electric, but as their range isn't good enough yet, until fast charging infrastructure improves, I'd steer clear of them.

Sorry some errors here! Most (all?) Toyotas (including Lexus) are "self charging" in that they use a petrol engine to generate electricity because they cannot be bothered to add an inverter to the car to allow it to be plugged in!

On battery life, early EVs did suffer quick battery degradation (think Nissan Leaf). However the batteries and, more importantly, software management of batteries has improved and there are lots of examples of Teslas with 300k miles on the clock with the original battery still the holding over 90% the capacity when new.

We are delighted with our EV. It is quick, quiet and very comfortable with brilliant handling. It should also be very reliable with no gearbox, clutch, valves, injectors to go wrong (200 moving parts in an EV, 2,000 in your average ICE car). Best of all it does 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds so no need to worry about the sexually self sufficient in their BMWs and Audis! A great replacement for the 75!

[ziggy72]

I've driven a couple of jaguar i-pace at work Rick, one for around 30 mile and they are a nice car and quick as you say but for a starting price of around £65k, no thanks. the interior though nicely made is quite bland for a jaguar and the drive seems boring without a soundtrack.
The problem with electric cars at the moment is they are charging over the top prices for the early stages of R&D. we have 6 Renault Zoe electric courtesy cars at work and they are nippy little cars for driving around locally in but again at a £28k starting price.
Sorry but if I'm spending that amount of money on a car I ain't buying new and definitely not on a vehicle that couldn't get me half way down the country and back without having to stop for a couple of hours to recharge.

[hogweed]

I'm seriously considering electric when the Rover becomes uneconomical to maintain (of course, this may take some time...) and had looked at used Leafs (Leaves?) for maybe around £8500. Seems you can get a pretty low-mileage one for that sort of money, with an owned battery (otherwise you'll be paying more for the monthly lease than you would in diesel for the 75, before you even think about electricity cost).


So slightly worried about your comments above concerning battery life on "early Leafs"... was this a big problem?


Looks like you can get a refurb battery fitted for 2k now though

[bl52krz]

I still have a couple of films on Betamax that are still in the wrapping. Never been undone. Are they worth anything now?

[Gate Keeper]

Originally Posted by bl52krz

I still have a couple of films on Betamax that are still in the wrapping. Never been undone. Are they worth anything now?

If you drop Reebs a pm, he is a video enthusiast all formats and can advise you.

[Rickoshea]

Originally Posted by hogweed

I'm seriously considering electric when the Rover becomes uneconomical to maintain (of course, this may take some time...) and had looked at used Leafs (Leaves?) for maybe around £8500. Seems you can get a pretty low-mileage one for that sort of money, with an owned battery (otherwise you'll be paying more for the monthly lease than you would in diesel for the 75, before you even think about electricity cost).


So slightly worried about your comments above concerning battery life on "early Leafs"... was this a big problem?


Looks like you can get a refurb battery fitted for 2k now though

Sorry for the late reply but been away for a long weekend and had first stay in an hotel for 15 months!

Early EVs, and certainly Leafs had poor battery management with only air cooling and very little control on charging and discharging. The complaints might relate to US cars where air temperatures can range from -20C to +40C. I can't speak for all EVs but our car will not allow you to drop the battery charge to less than 2.5KWhs and also will not allow you to charge it to 100%. When the car states it is 100% charge it is actually only 97% as the batteries do not like being fully charged or fully discharged. They also don't like being very hot or cold hence now have water cooling / heating!

I accept the car in bleeding expensive but have reached the stage in life where I have realise if we don't start wasting our money, then the kids and taxman will. Also as a home owner in London, I am bound to hit the 40% Death Duty (or what ever they now call it!). Thus anything I spend now is getting me a 40% discount from the Government by reducing my liability for death taxes! I have extended this principle to holidays by only flying long haul in First and only staying in 5star hotels.

The car is easily capable of doing 250 miles on a charge and using the new version of Economy 7 electricity tariff for EVs at home, that 250 miles cost just over £7! When I bought it, I reasoned that I would not want to drive more than 250 miles in a day anymore. Whilst the easiest way to charge it is at home, it is not difficult to find commercial charging stations and indeed the satnav does tell you where your nearest stations are. These are clearly more expensive and the 250 miles might cost £15!

The talk is that EVs will be price competitive with ICE cars in 2 or 3 years time.

[Clickernick]

Well, I’ve enjoyed my Rover ownership for over 11 years now. Working my way through 3 cars and currently the one below.

I am now so very well informed of all the ups and downs of all models, more so than any original main dealer, so for me its a no brainier.

I will run the CDTi tourer for at least another 8 years in daily use by which time i will have sucked up another low milage salon and tourer for preparation.

I will carry out all the same procedures as I have done on all my cars, replacing virtually everything Chassis and Brake wise. All mods and rust proofing etc will be done, along with all my creature comforts.

I will be a happy Rover owner until my last breath !!

Remember,,,,,’you can check out any time you like,,,,but you can never leave!!!’

[operamagorum]

Over the years I have had just about every make of car from an early Skoda (ventilation was through the floor) through Cortinas, Sierra Cosworth, BMWs, Mercs and up to an early Bentley.
And then I bought a low mileage FSH Rover 75 CDT Connoisseur auto, remapped 160

This is best car that I have ever owned and the one that I have kept the longest.
I have never been a car enthusiast or club member until now, but the 75 sort of sucks you in.

I must admit that I tend to do preventive maintenance, so my annual running cost might be slightly higher than some. Having said that, I actually did a cost comparison recently on keeping the 75 or buying something else. I'm pleased to report that, in my view, changing the 75 for something of equal quality would cost me a minimum of £8k, with no definite forecast of expenditure on the replacement.

Since joining this club I have been lucky enough to have been introduced to Jules and CB750Chris who have looked after my car with loving attention and keen prices. Thanks guys.
Having been persuaded that diesels do not like lots of short trips, I recently bought a BMW 330i touring for taking the dogs out and as a 'boys toy'. It's a great car and I do like the occasional boy racer moments, but it ain't a 75.
Apologies - I didn't intend to write a book. My feeling is that it's worth sticking with a 75 (or ZT)
Geoff