[Jewel 25]

I've owned my 45 for over 8 years taking it from 65000 to 125000 miles . It was my daily driver until I acquired a larger more modern car more suitable for a family of 4 . A break failure last year as meant it has been off the road and it hasn't moved for 6 months . It is sat on the drive awaiting someone to complete list of jobs that need doing. Caliper , discs , pads , CV joint , sill welding , rear silencer , 2 tyres , cambelt and failed caliper I suspect. 125,000 miles . Cosmetically the body work is excellent for a 18 year old car. I've been quoted around £900 for the work. Ideally also needs clutch slave and master but I have those in the garage. Time is an issue for me now , work , kids etc... Head gasket was done at 55,000 miles. I am also concerned that the car has been stood without brake fluid for several months. I suppose I first of all need to find out what has caused the failure.

Is it worth keeping her going ? Could it be made a reliable daily driver again . I currently covered arounda10k a year . Our Mazda is currently on 140,000 but still feels very tight . I'm based in the East Midlands if anyone can recommend a good garage. I've been in touch with mg rober mobile already , but would like a quote to compare.






I've had Rovers since I got my license in 2003, it seems sad to bring it to an end.

[StubbornPatriot]

Pity we didn't know about this earlier - it sounds like it would have been another good candidate for the Resto Show. Most of the jobs that need doing are fairly easily doable by a DIY mechanic. Depending upon what the brake set up is (ABS?) and what the failure point was, only that and the welding might be outside the resources and skills of the DIY mechanic. What engine is in the car? Is there any rush? I'm in Northampton and could give you a hand a bit later in the year but probably not until June onwards.

Otherwise it is simply economics, the car isn't worth £900. You could almost certainly replace it with a better, lower mileage one for less.

[Jewel 25]

Thanks for the reply and the offer of help. It a 1.8 k-series with ABS. I know what you are saying , it might be worth waiting for one to pop up on ebay. I could remove the more unique items in preperation for that . Its only done a few hundred miles in the last year and hasnt moved since May time. No rush really , it's currently sitting on my parents drive . Maybe in the summer I could get it transported to my house where there is just about enough space to put another car on the drive. The car has already been welded twice , so no doubt more rust is lurking underneath .

Parts wise we are only talking a few hundred pounds , I suppose it's just the time and the worry of it not passing the MOT etc... after carrying out lots of work . The cam carrier is also leaking , that or its external HGF. It has done this for a very long time though so I suspect the former. It never uses oil or coolant.

[Dmac1969]

MG Rover Mobile Mechanics are in Derby , I would use them.

[Jewel 25]

Thanks for the replies. Got the car started on Friday and managed to move it up and down the drive. Ticked over remarkablely well considering it hasn't moved for a year . The sill rust has spread to the rear arch now . I estimate it would cost around £1000-1500 to get it road worthy again . I'm still unsure what to do , it was my pride and joy for 8 years .

[RoverRevival]

Book it into the rover revival chapel, I bet I can get that bill down considerably. We are based on the outskirts of Manchester though.

[Jewel 25]

Sounds interesting...do you have anymore details? I'd love to save it. It's a stunning car.

[RoverRevival]

pm sent

[Vinny1979]

If the car does get stripped I would pay good money for the seats for my mk2 zs 180

If of course this all goes wrong and you decide to scrap it.