Should I get a Rover 75 CDT?
Discussion
I've got about £1500 for a comfortable, cheap-to-run motorway car. I'm going to be doing a lot of motorway miles for about six months, after which I will probably sell it and get something a bit more driver-focused, but it needs to be dependable for that time.
Can anyone recommend anything to watch out for when buying?
What sort of motorway mpg could I expect at a 70-80mph?
At the risk of asking a cheeky question, could anyone recommend any alternatives to look into if I can't find a decent 75 Tourer?
Can anyone recommend anything to watch out for when buying?
What sort of motorway mpg could I expect at a 70-80mph?
At the risk of asking a cheeky question, could anyone recommend any alternatives to look into if I can't find a decent 75 Tourer?
There's a thread about buying 75 (and ZT) diesels on the MG/Rover forum somewhere which would answer a lot of questions. Also one regarding fuel consumption of these cars. Basically, the figures are all over the place. My ZT-T CDTi had 84k on the clock when I bought it and the computer was showing 48mpg. Since then it's deteriorated to the extent that I'm lucky to get 35 (car has done approx 143k). However, the thermostat is staying open which probably explains part of the problem. I'd guess that you could look at high 30s to low 40s if everything was in order. It's an old engine compared with todays engines. They are great mile munchers though. A couple of years ago we did Morzine in it. Felt like a trip to the shops. Seats are comfy but supporting and good ambiance. Spares don't seem to be a problem either. More 75s out there than ZTs, especially the estates, so will be cheaper to buy.
A friendlier forum you couldn't wish to find, ask away on the link below.They even do a free inspection service by members for members if you are miles from a car that interests you.
www.the75andztclub.co.uk.
I bought a top spec. V6 3 years ago for £2300 with 28K miles. Now on 66K miles and been virtually faultless.Comfy,quiet, lots of toys, perfect for what you need.
www.the75andztclub.co.uk.
I bought a top spec. V6 3 years ago for £2300 with 28K miles. Now on 66K miles and been virtually faultless.Comfy,quiet, lots of toys, perfect for what you need.
sjc said:
A friendlier forum you couldn't wish to find, ask away on the link below.They even do a free inspection service by members for members if you are miles from a car that interests you.
www.the75andztclub.co.uk.
I bought a top spec. V6 3 years ago for £2300 with 28K miles. Now on 66K miles and been virtually faultless.Comfy,quiet, lots of toys, perfect for what you need.
Sounds good. Shall pop in when I get a minute.www.the75andztclub.co.uk.
I bought a top spec. V6 3 years ago for £2300 with 28K miles. Now on 66K miles and been virtually faultless.Comfy,quiet, lots of toys, perfect for what you need.
An average mileage diesel seems to be stretching my budget a little, but I can imagine it's more civilised than covering a 180 mile commute in an Octavia or Focus.
sjc said:
Do you def need a Tourer, as that will limit your choice a lot?
I was pondering that myself. Do the seats fold on the saloon? I'm going to be moving into an unfurnished house later this year, so I had images of wardrobes from Ikea, but in truth as long as I can get my mountain bike in a saloon would probably work most of the time. Presumably a little lighter than the tourer too.
Chris71 said:
sjc said:
Do you def need a Tourer, as that will limit your choice a lot?
I was pondering that myself. Do the seats fold on the saloon? I'm going to be moving into an unfurnished house later this year, so I had images of wardrobes from Ikea, but in truth as long as I can get my mountain bike in a saloon would probably work most of the time. Presumably a little lighter than the tourer too.
Fuel consumption figures come from the thread mentioned and as said not very accurate. Incidentally, the engine in all 75 and ZT diesels is the same one. The earlier versions were rated at about 112 bhp whilst the later ones had 138. Conversion was just a case of buying a tuning cd from the dealer and having them plug the ecu into a diagnostic machine. I'd imagine that most were converted, 112 bhp isn't very much to lug a relativly heavy car around. The V5 should have the true figure in it.
We bought the estate as our previous car, a Rover 420 Tourer, had been used to carry mtbs. I could easily get a couple of xc bikes, with wheels detached, standing upright in the load space with the rear seats up, leaving plenty of room for kit, etc. So we went for the ZT-T and I must admit to being a bit disapointed bike carrying wise. The floor is flat and the roofline slopes, although not as much as some. And what with mtbs being larger these days (wider bars, longer forks etc) there's no way that I can stand them upright, they have to go in on top of each other, and that's with the rear seats down. Luckily it's quite a long car so if you only need the two seats, then no problems, plus of course you're not advertising your expensive bikes to one and all. The estate has a ski hatch as well plus a luggage/dog guard that can be relocated to the front of the loadspace when necessary and if you strip the bikes down is a fair old load swallower.
HTH.
We bought the estate as our previous car, a Rover 420 Tourer, had been used to carry mtbs. I could easily get a couple of xc bikes, with wheels detached, standing upright in the load space with the rear seats up, leaving plenty of room for kit, etc. So we went for the ZT-T and I must admit to being a bit disapointed bike carrying wise. The floor is flat and the roofline slopes, although not as much as some. And what with mtbs being larger these days (wider bars, longer forks etc) there's no way that I can stand them upright, they have to go in on top of each other, and that's with the rear seats down. Luckily it's quite a long car so if you only need the two seats, then no problems, plus of course you're not advertising your expensive bikes to one and all. The estate has a ski hatch as well plus a luggage/dog guard that can be relocated to the front of the loadspace when necessary and if you strip the bikes down is a fair old load swallower.
HTH.
Bought one!
All of £1,450 complete with FSH and 12 months MOT. It's an auto, which isn't ideal, but I only had a matter of hours before I needed to give my courtesy car back to the insurers and it was head and shoulders above the other cars I'd seen.
Handling is a long way off something like a Mondeo, but it's in a different league for comfort and refinement. Some brilliant design touches too.
All of £1,450 complete with FSH and 12 months MOT. It's an auto, which isn't ideal, but I only had a matter of hours before I needed to give my courtesy car back to the insurers and it was head and shoulders above the other cars I'd seen.
Handling is a long way off something like a Mondeo, but it's in a different league for comfort and refinement. Some brilliant design touches too.
Chris71 said:
Bought one!
All of £1,450 complete with FSH and 12 months MOT. It's an auto, which isn't ideal, but I only had a matter of hours before I needed to give my courtesy car back to the insurers and it was head and shoulders above the other cars I'd seen.
Handling is a long way off something like a Mondeo, but it's in a different league for comfort and refinement. Some brilliant design touches too.
Looks excellent.All of £1,450 complete with FSH and 12 months MOT. It's an auto, which isn't ideal, but I only had a matter of hours before I needed to give my courtesy car back to the insurers and it was head and shoulders above the other cars I'd seen.
Handling is a long way off something like a Mondeo, but it's in a different league for comfort and refinement. Some brilliant design touches too.
Get yourself a rover-ron tuning box. 160hp verses the 100ish the car comes with. It's a de-tuned BMW engine inside
It rides fantastically. One of the smoothest cars you can buy for the money
Auto box is preferred with this car. The clutch on the manual version can cost £1200 to replace!
Edited by Meths on Thursday 31st January 19:53
RPEll 11Y said:
Where do you source this??
When you google rover ron you will find the website. Or on www.the75andztclub.co.uk you can find anything on it.
This website is like pistonheads but then specific for Rover 75/MG ZT.
Would like next an CDT auto myself, only running two manual 75 CDTs at the moment, one with rover ron stuff
: very nice and even more economical then standard. EGR is also a first to have a look at to 'decoke' it and then disactivate....Enjoy your 75.
Rob
Meths said:
Get yourself a rover-ron tuning box. 160hp verses the 100ish the car comes with. It's a de-tuned BMW engine inside
Considered it, but they're not cheap IIRC. Plus I quite like the fact that the leisurely progress of the Rover makes the TVR feel like a banshee with a rocket up its bum.
Slush box works brilliantly with the car, but looking at the 75 & ZT forum it seems I'm not the only one who's struggling a bit with the fuel economy on the CDT auto. Pumped the tyres up the other day to negligible benefit - will see how a service and an EGR clean affects matters.
Has anyone here tried an EGR bypass?
Chris71 said:
Handling is a long way off something like a Mondeo, but it's in a different league for comfort and refinement. Some brilliant design touches too.
The handling is quite good on these, but it's masked by the soft springing. Get it heeled over early for the corners and it can be surprisingly good fun. Gassing Station | Rover | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff