eBay Find of the Week : The £295 Rover 75 CDT

Craig Cheetham

A Rover 75 CDT with less than 100k on the clock for £295…?

Seems tidy enough - it'd probably respond well to a Saturday spit and polish...
Seems tidy enough – it’d probably respond well to a Saturday spit and polish…

If I needed a cheap winter car right now, I wouldn’t be putting this up here as it’d already be sitting outside the house…

Sure, the interior looks a bit grubby, it’s not the best spec and the brake pad wear light is illuminated (an easy fix if you’ve got a couple of hours spare), the service history’s conspicuous by its absence and it’s a manual, which means the potential for dual mass flywheel trouble. But, you know what? If it went pop you could just throw it away.

Inside looks a bit grubby, but seems to be largely damage free...
Inside looks a bit grubby, but seems to be largely damage free…

Of course, with surviving numbers of Rover 75s in rapid decline (just look how few 800s are left to give you an indication of where 75s may be five years from now) it’d be a shame to chuck it on the scrapheap. That said, it’s probably not the best example, and it’d break for more than £295, so it seems a sound investment.

It’s showing 93k on the clock, which isn’t silly for a diesel, and it’s MoT’d until February, which I suspect is when it’ll meet it’s judgement day…

Nice original rear number plate, too...
Nice original rear number plate, too…

Unless one of us steps in, I suspect this one’s already on Death Row, awaiting a new owner who’ll run it, quite literally, into the ground – especially now you can tax it by direct debit for twenty quid a month. On that premise, I’ve almost talked myself into it.

What’s the verdict? An AROnline project car? I’m sure it’s not brilliant, but boy is it cheap… Any takers, before I feel a sense of duty and compound my already overstretched storage situation?

The seller obviously wants rid, as it’s a part-exer taking up space on a forecourt that has more of a focus on selling finance than it does cars, so it’s properly unloved at the minute…

View it here.

Craig Cheetham

15 Comments

  1. What a sad end for one of the best cars ever produced by the British motor industry. Yes, I did have one; a Club 2.5 SE Auto. It took me and the family to France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, (Rome, twice). I still think “why did I sell it ?”

  2. “It’s showing 93k on the clock, which isn’t silly for a diesel, and it’s MoT’d until February, which I suspect is when it’ll meet it’s judgement day…”

    And therein lies the problem. You are basically buying a death trap. Of course you will replace the brake pads, probably with the cheapest ones that you can find. You will probably not replace the discs, given what you paid for the car.

    As you predict once February comes around the list of failures is likely to be as long as your arm, and reading through them all, you realise how stupid you were to be driving around in this death trap for about 4 months with all those hidden MOT failure items just waiting to be exposed by the test.

    If you value your life at £295, then you have your ideal transport. If not, buy something decent and leave this to the breakers yard where it belongs.

    • I see your point, but in couldn’t disagree more… Sure, at £295 it’s likely to be in need of some TLC, but a ‘modern’ car in such condition is nothing like the death traps of old, where corrosion and metal fatigue would see the car’s structure seriously weakened. Sure, the brake discs and pads could well be shot and the tyres and suspension components likewise, so if it sells to a certain type of individual who will run it into the ground then death trap it could be. But if I bought it, I’d do most of the work myself – discs and pads aren’t expensive, and you could check over the rest and make a judgement from there. A diesel with 93k on the clock is unlikely to be in its final throes, so I’d not mind bringing it up to scratch with what I’d call routine maintenance. I have a number of well maintained cars that are older than this one, and wouldn’t class any of them as death traps either because I always prioritise safety items first and foremost.

      • Exactly Craig. It may not be an MOT pass as it stands but ‘death trap’ is too strong a term. The car is not beyond repair but simply needs bringing up to standard. It just needs your TLC. The 25 you recently featured springs to mind. If I recall it was a higher model of similar colour to this 75.

  3. Seriously cheap for a car that people still confuse for a Jaguar.
    Pre-project drive so one of the best quality examples.

    Would be tempted myself if it was close by, have a bit of blue polish on the garage, an NI numberplate would hide the age, it would look a lot more than £275 worth, diesel MPG.

    The interior looks so inviting, and the tape deck allows for the use of a 3.5mm jack to any device (iPod, phone, computer etc.)

  4. Yes… not bad looking at all and so cheap. You couldn’t get vexed for that sort of dosh… A fraction of what it cost new in year 2000. The Vision blue Focus parked behind looks just like my last one I recently traded in.

  5. I would. I paid 1250 for one a few months back, and it’s an absolute dream. When it gives up I’ll be after another and at thse prices I suppose you can keep doing that, for a few more years at least.

  6. Could work out as a cheap hack for a couple of months, especially for someone who needs a comfortable but economical large car for commuting. I’m thinking of the hundreds of Sellafield contractors who often do a 300 mile round trip every weekend. It might break or fail its MOT, but it’s a win win situation for a few months as it won’t be that less expensive than the train and if there are three passengers paying fuel money, then the owner can cash on.

  7. This is a mad situation. I run a 2004 ZT CDTI in France 160mls and runs like a dream (fingers crossed)! The eco warriors should take note, srapping perfectly usable cars is a sin, and environmentally stupid.

    But it’s not unique to MG Rover, a friend over here has just scrapped a perfectly usable 2000 SAAB 900 turbo for a €100, it was as solid as a rock!

  8. Some cars nobody really wants to buy, so in that situation you haven’t really got any other choice but to scrap them. Probably becoming a similar case with some SAABs now too, although I think people will still want the Classic 900.

  9. A big contrast to the 75 I viewed today!

    The car I saw was a facelift 1.8T Connoisseur. Total mileage only 16K – only one owner who was often abroad – the car was apparently kept in a heated garage in his absence. Very tidy inside & out. Cambelt just changed (by the same Peter Jones who looks after my ZR).

    I was advised of this 75’s existence earlier in the week and just had to view it. I thought it may change my current plan to buy an MG3 to run alongside my ZR (when certain funds finally land in my account!).

    After a bit of thought, I THINK I’m going to stick with the MG3 plan. So, anybody interested contact “Wirral Classic Cars” Oxton, Wirral. The asking price is currently £4K

  10. As the car Dave mentions is a facelft 75 1.8T, it must be a 2004/early 2005 model. Very low mileage and cam belt must have been changed as a precautionary measure ‘cos of its age. Maybe someone will pay the asking price, but i think it could be had for less.

  11. So, I finally crumbled, only to find out it had sold… Anyone we know, or is it (as I fear) an owner away from the crusher? I hope not.

    On a personal level, though, I’m days away from rescuing an early R8, and I’ve a very special car coming back from the paint shop this week. So I’ll keep flying the flag! Keep an eye on Our Cars for updates.

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