Craig Cheetham
Okay, so £2,000 sounds like a lot for a Rover 600 – but then there can’t be many left in this kind of condition. Indeed, if I had the spare space, cash and time, I’d consider this one myself. But I’ve recently bought something else kinda special (coming soon, I promise…) so the justification for another wouldn’t be viable, despite the fact that a 600 is the only 00-Series Rover I’ve yet to own.
Described by the vendor as from a deceased estate, with a few small marks and scuffs (the usual for a low-mileage car that’s had an elderly owner), it has covered just 14,148 miles from new, has a full MoT and is surely worthy of long-term preservation. The interior, in particular, looks mint.
View the details via this link… Any takers?
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That does look like a very nice example. I am guessing this is possibly one of the runout ‘IL’ trim level variants featuring leather seats facings and alloy wheels as standard.
Its is David
But sorry kids, deceased estate or 14.000 miles whatever, its not worth that amount of money even if it was gold plated.
Ha ha – yes, if you picked it up for a few hundred quid you’d be well chuffed, but that’s definitely ‘all the money’. Be interesting to see if it comes down – and how often!
Reminds me of a white 618iL I viewed sometime before I bought my 75
This is a rarity, an expensive 600 that isn’t a shed, as invariably they are either dirt cheap with 200k on the clock and no arches or they are really expensive and still a shed. I can remember looking at one last year the vendor claimed it was in lovely condition and wanted strong money for it, say £995 but the arches once you got a good look at them were shot to pieces.
Wish mine looked that good, its also a V reg in white but the rear arches are rotten.
Looks nice in white. I remember seeing a run out model like this in year 2000 after the 75 launched (was light green metallic with leather plus those alloys and had auto box.) I remember some dealer press adverts at that time advertising these final R600’s at keen prices. Quite a lot of car for the money…
V was the last registration number for the 600, as the model was being run down in favour of the 75, and I do remember County Motors in Carlisle offering some very good deals on them to clear stock.
Thats one for Ebays infamous “The Doctor” or Doctor Waffle as he is known around various forums for his over the top descriptions.
The good Doctor loves buying very low mileage one owner cars by telling the seller he is a serious car collector then a week later after a full spruce up and loads of nice pictures its back up for sale where mugs pay thousands over the odds for it
Here is his current example
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STUNNING-1982-FORD-CORTINA-Mk5-1-6-JUST-10-000-MILES-2-owners-FROM-NEW-/201195387219?pt=Automobiles_UK&clk_rvr_id=720402383341&hash=item2ed82df953
Or, you can buy Ed Chyna’s old smoker
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Cortina-Crusader-2-0l-mk5-Celebrity-Past-Owner/201187312494?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D24933%26meid%3Dd2573242c1cd46688a840f2a620b910d%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D10513%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D201195387219&rt=nc
Sounds like a gumtree buyer I’ve encountered.
Get the sob story etc. “I really need this to get to my 2nd job to pay the rent etc etc.”
Then an hour later it’s listed, seemingly with a timing belt change and has gained a full service history in that time….
Arthur Daley lives! Reminds me of the bloke I used to know who owned a small workshop on an industrial estate. He used to buy up old cars, more or less anything so long as the bodywork could be fixed up quickly and the engine was sound.
He would bung in the Isopon, give them a quick flash over with the spray gun (original colours only!) steam clean the engine bay, whack some black paint over the underside and around the wheel arches and make the odometer run backwards for a bit. Et voila – a low mileage one or two owner soon-to-be-classic in top nick guv’nor.
The main trick was to sell them from a cheap rented house or flat which he would keep for a month, just long enough to sell on a dozen over priced bangers, and then disappear before the rust came through (usually about a month to six weeks). As I recall, he had a set of stamps for various main dealers and could create service histories to order. A stamped up service book and a fresh MOT usually did the trick.
He did a roaring trade in high mileage ex-repmobiles, usually on their 2nd owners so as to have a private owner as the last registered keeper. He eventually got found out after selling a high mileage Cavalier to a trading standards officer.
£ 2000 is still a bit much for a car that hasn’t reached classic status yet. I’d imagine a Rover 200 of the same era struggling to sell for a grand. Nice enough car, but it should be selling for half this amount.
Great looking car, I had a 600 GSDi and loved it. £2000 may seem expensive, but it is a car that is capable of everyday use and therefore is a much cheaper way of getting a daily driver than an equivalent spec, size etc of modern car.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1995-ROVER-STERLING-GOLD-827i-V6-Auto-15709-Genuine-LOW-miles-Time-Warp-Classic-/191379801251?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2c8f2004a3
A lot of dosh but a fine car with the Honda v6
The DR…some poor pensioner probably got a few quid and a curly wurly for his old Ital only to find it sold to a mug for silly dosh being drawn in by the OTT description as if its some great investment.
The Doctor, A Legend in his own lunchtime!
Sometimes its not even a spruce up, just a Bull **** description and good photos.
A lesson to all eBayers, good luck to him!
On the subject of Rover 600s, there was one in Birmingham after MGR had closed down on an 06 Plate. It must have been in the “lost” department when Price waterhouse moved in at Longbridge!
Makes you wonder how the said Doctor obtains his stock. Looking at his eBay history he has a consistent record of peddling ultra low mileage cars. Long established classic car dealers struggle to match his success.
The 600 isn’t quite a classic yet, but the high performance and 2.3 litre models deserve to be in a few years time as they make very practical classics.
In reality whether a car is a classic or not is subjective. The clever bit is to identify an “old banger” in mint condition/low mileage with potential classic status …. Just like this Rover 600. I agree £2000 is strong money but how many remain in this condition? Fettle it, use it very sparingly, bound to be worth £5k in 5 years time. All the others will be long gone by then
@nodrog1966 – that ebay Cortina 1.6 looks absolutely mint! Reminds me of a 1982 cream Cortina 1.6 base estate my employers had… down to the dashboard, switchgear, seat fabric and contract carpets. Hard to believe it’s 32 years ago.
Hilton D re the “mint”looking Cortina
Thats the whole point he buys them from classic car forums/sites and then cleans and polishes them to death then does the HD photos,he does love his silicon spray LOL!!!!!!then the car looks “mint” and punters go gaga for them paying thousands over the odds.
Somebody from the Cortina forum went to look at the car when the original seller was selling it and he walked away from it,now the good Doctor is describing it as something it is not.
Telling sellers he is a “collector” along with his iffy descriptions he is not a man to be trusted!!! BUT he is laughing all the way to the bank.
Have a look what £2k will buy you for a modern car and you may well get a nasty shock. There are some seriously naff motors out there. I just had a look at a 52 plate MX5 up for 2k with 112,000 on the clock. Ran fine but the rust!!!! Or for the same money a 120k mile 03 plate Corolla 1.6 or for the sporty minded, a Hyundai Coupe V6 3dr Auto, 60k miles on a 52 plate.
£2,000 is cheap money for a decent motor. Shame it’s in white.
I have nothing to do with ‘The Doctor’ and I knew nothing of him before reading the comments here, but all I can say is that his methods might be questionable when he obtains the cars, but you can’t blame him for what he does.
You might not agree but it’s his choice isn’t it? If someone’s wants to buy a finished example instead of hunting one down and doing the work themselves then that’s up to them; after all not everyone is mechanically skilled 🙂
Anyway, back to the Rover, if this was a 623 with all the toys then I could see it fetching nearly the asking price, as it’s a 618 I can’t really see it being an investment sadly.
Now down to 1600.
Paint all but the bonnet black and it’ll fit right in with the rest of the city’s 600 taxi fleet here in Cardiff!
this is my car just drove 100 mile to get it and bought it two weeks ago for £1250, it is as clean as it looks. going in for the body work next month just make it look like new
Hi David,
Great to hear it found a good home. When it’s painted, please send some pictures to craig@aronline.co.uk and we’ll give it a stint as Car of the Month…
Cheers
Craig
thanks i’ll be happy to send you some picture when it been done should be finished some time next month