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[omega3000]

I would run away from any Rover75 unless it had the V8 in 

My mate had the 1.8 Rover75 and it was nothing but trouble , he let me drive it when he was ill and boy was it horrible to drive , wallowy in all the corners and made me feel sea sick  Totally gutless for overtaking and head gasket blew 3 times . The cabin feels a bit cramped and instruments look cheap and nasty . But apart from that 

[henryd]

Suggest you read up on cambelt changes for the R75 V6 - it seems they are complex and expensive 

Don't think the Rover was a V6 - it was advertised as a 1.8l, so I assumed it was a 4-pot.  Didn't like it anyway.  And I think I read somewhere that the Jag V6 didn't have a cam belt - is that possible?

Rover 75 1.8 is belted and is the K series from a Freelander,V6 Jag is chain driven

[jereboam]

I would run away from any Rover75 unless it had the V8 in 

My mate had the 1.8 Rover75 and it was nothing but trouble , he let me drive it when he was ill and boy was it horrible to drive , wallowy in all the corners and made me feel sea sick  Totally gutless for overtaking and head gasket blew 3 times . The cabin feels a bit cramped and instruments look cheap and nasty . But apart from that 

I only drove the thing half a mile, and that was enough!  Didn't have time to discover all the nasties you describe, but it doesn't surprise me.

But FORGET THE ROVER - tell me why I should or shouldn't buy the Jaguar! 

[MR MISTER]

So.......you want a big car with lots of toys, 12 months mot, in good nick and has to drive like a dream.....for sub 2K.
Good luck.

[henryd]

So.......you want a big car with lots of toys, 12 months mot, in good nick and has to drive like a dream.....for sub 2K.
Good luck.

TBh Stemo,big cars/engines are cheap as chips s/hand as these days everyone wants a cheap to tax/run fwd shitbox

[MR MISTER]

So.......you want a big car with lots of toys, 12 months mot, in good nick and has to drive like a dream.....for sub 2K.
Good luck.

TBh Stemo,big cars/engines are cheap as chips s/hand as these days everyone wants a cheap to tax/run fwd shitbox

Not that cheap, and certainly not in that good a condition. The least I would expect to pay for a well presented car with long mot is five grand.

[Marks DTM Calib]

I would run away from any Rover75 unless it had the V8 in 

My mate had the 1.8 Rover75 and it was nothing but trouble , he let me drive it when he was ill and boy was it horrible to drive , wallowy in all the corners and made me feel sea sick  Totally gutless for overtaking and head gasket blew 3 times . The cabin feels a bit cramped and instruments look cheap and nasty . But apart from that 

Actualy the only one I would go for is the diesel, the V8 is pretty poor (but then its hardly got a load of power for a V8)

[MR MISTER]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-E220-CDI-ESTATE-AUTO-2005-SAT-NAV-LEATHER-NOW-SOLD-NOW-SOLD-/130937983039?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1e7c83103f
This kind of thing.

[omega3000]

I would run away from any Rover75 unless it had the V8 in 

My mate had the 1.8 Rover75 and it was nothing but trouble , he let me drive it when he was ill and boy was it horrible to drive , wallowy in all the corners and made me feel sea sick  Totally gutless for overtaking and head gasket blew 3 times . The cabin feels a bit cramped and instruments look cheap and nasty . But apart from that 

Actualy the only one I would go for is the diesel, the V8 is pretty poor (but then its hardly got a load of power for a V8)

Aye , forgot about those .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-Rover-75-Tourer-2-0-CDT-Club-SE-BMW-DIESEL-ENGINE-NEW-MOT-105K-ESTATE-/321057647973?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4ac086ed65

[MR MISTER]

Also, if you decide that you might buy a car, any car, the last thing you want to do is ask for opinions on a car forum. Someone will always have a friend of a friend who had the wheels fall off one after 10 miles.
I have had all sorts of different makes and models in my time and, as of yet, none of them have been money pits or unreliable (except one and I guess you know which one that was) 
When I bought my wife her renault megane coupe folk couldn't wait to tell me how shitty French cars are. She's had it nearly three years now and, so far, all the toys still work (and it has a good few), and it hasn't self-destructed. All in all, it's been a good car and I would buy another.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Went off to look at a Jaguar X-type and a Rover 75.  Very impressed with the Jag, Rover very well equipped but not very nice to drive.

So it's a 51-plate 2.5 auto, 75,000 miles, looks to be in good nick, engine a bit noisy starting up, but quietened significantly when warmed up.  Got all the necessary toys - cruise control, climate control, height adjustable seat, electric mirrors.  Strangely, no CD player or sun roof, but I can live without them.  He wants £1900, with 12-month MoT and 3-month warranty.  I've put a small holding deposit on it, which he'll refund if my wife says no when I take her to see it on Sunday. 

Strangely enough, I had a metallic blue Jaguar S-type when I first met my wife 40-odd years ago.  Don't know whether that's good or bad... 

The Rover engine was unbelievably quiet - pity it had a turning circle like a bus, dinky little mirrors set too high for me, no height adjustment on the seat, very fierce clutch and stiff gear change.  Perhaps it was only like that 'cos I drove the Jag first. 

Noooooo......don't do it Mr JB. The X-Type Mondeo is a truly awful car.

The Opti family owned one. Never again.

[jereboam]

Noooooo......don't do it Mr JB. The X-Type Mondeo is a truly awful car.

The Opti family owned one. Never again.

Please elucidate.

It's all dependent on Mrs. J liking the look of it anyway - she's got all the family money.  Pity she doesn't drive - I could devote my life to complete idleness and alcohol.

[jereboam]

So.......you want a big car with lots of toys, 12 months mot, in good nick and has to drive like a dream.....for sub 2K.
Good luck.

TBh Stemo,big cars/engines are cheap as chips s/hand as these days everyone wants a cheap to tax/run fwd shitbox

Not that cheap, and certainly not in that good a condition. The least I would expect to pay for a well presented car with long mot is five grand.

Actually, I was quite surprised - I'd thought I'd find it quite easy to pick up a large car with a big engine fairly cheaply - you always used to be able to.  But I guess everybody has cottoned on now, and there aren't so many about.  My son sent me details of three XJ8s he found, which were fairly cheap (under £3k), but they don't really meet the requirement.  The X-type isn't a big car, but it's got a reasonable sized engine, it's very comfortable, and from the short drive round a I gave it, it's nice to drive. 

My driving these days consists of:

• Weekdays: take wife to work (round trip 6 miles), fetch her home again (same)
• Tuesdays: drive to a voluntary job in Bury St. Edmunds - 55 miles round trip
• Thursdays & Saturdays: drive 1 mile to bus stop to go to other voluntary job in Ipswich (can't afford to park in town) then 1 mile back again.
• Annual holiday: up to 1500 miles in two weeks.
• Occasional visit to few remaining relatives in London area - about 150 miles possibly two or three times a year, depending on who is currently in hospital and where.

I mean, for most of that, a V8 isn't even going to get up to running temperature.  TBH, I wasn't really intending to get another V6 for exactly that reason.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Noooooo......don't do it Mr JB. The X-Type Mondeo is a truly awful car.

The Opti family owned one. Never again.

Please elucidate.

It's all dependent on Mrs. J liking the look of it anyway - she's got all the family money.  Pity she doesn't drive - I could devote my life to complete idleness and alcohol.



Mrs Opti briefly owned a 3.0 SE Auto. It went well enough (when it ran at all) but suffered every electrical gremlin known to man.

The auto box was jerky........and it did about 13 MPG. Quit frankly we were gald to see the back of it..... (Ebay makes selling crap so much easier. )

JB, In my opinion £1900 is way too expensive for what is basically a Mondeo in a posh frock. At £500 it may be worth a punt.

[jereboam]

Mrs Opti briefly owned a 3.0 SE Auto. It went well enough (when it ran at all) but suffered every electrical gremlin known to man.

The auto box was jerky........and it did about 13 MPG. Quit frankly we were gald to see the back of it..... (Ebay makes selling crap so much easier. )

JB, In my opinion £1900 is way too expensive for what is basically a Mondeo in a posh frock. At £500 it may be worth a punt.

You're not wrong - it's definitely overpriced, but not by a huge amount.  There are quite a few on Autotrader, and the price seems to be related quite closely to the mileage.  The one I looked at has relatively low mileage, but he's still asking too much.  He already dropped the price by £100 without my asking, so I'll get my wife to react negatively to it on Sunday, and see if he'll go any lower. But I'm crap at negotiating, so I'll probably end up paying the full price.

I know it's based on the Mondeo body shell, and the V6 engine is derived from a Mondeo engine, but it doesn't really look like a Mondeo, drive like a Mondeo or feel like a Mondeo inside.  The gearbox seemed OK, distinctly smoother than the Omega, but I didn't drive it very far.  Very easy to manoeuvre - better rear view than the Omega.