Rover 600s

:)

When I was at Noddy Track Day Training :) one of the things they hammered into you was that throwing more power at a given chassis ability simply worsened the handling, or something of that nature.

That's the best argument yet against a 600Ti ;-)

fudge the stereo, custom exhaust and a decent air filter would sort that out! :)

did my lil '2, sounds well good now and when under load the sound is so loud that when over taking people tend to look to see what's making all the fecking noise hehe...

No, best argument _for_ something low powered with good handling.

But it works on so many levels ;-)

The Rover 600 was not Sierra sized tho, it's substantially longer than what was regarded as it's class size peers at the time (i.e. Sierra, Cavalier, Mk1 and Mk2 Mondeo, etc). Sort of halfway between the Mondeo sector and the barge sector (Granadas, Carltons, etc).

For something that's bland, mine sure seems to stand out when it's in a car park of normal mundane family-mobiles :)

There aren't many cars you can have that will get you respect in a MaccyD car park yet also not look out of place in the business pool.

LOL :)

Yep. Mines done 128k now. Looks to be original, or replaced very early, judging by how well it fits in comapred to the surrounding metalwork.

I'm expecting it to start to show signs of wear, but thankfully nothing yet. Still boosts big when I stand on the fast foot.

They only really wear when cold. So if your SAAB has done lots of long journeys (ie, not many starts for it's mileage), then it might have plenty of life left yet :)

Carsurvey.org user comments as follows (artistic license required).

Alfa 156 What went wrong? Engine seized, electrics played up, gearbox broke too spends, 4 months a year at the garage. Comments? Love it.

Toyota Avensis What went wrong? Nothing, ever. Comments? Pile of crap.

-- James

It's the same engine in the same way that the Rover 'T' series (petrol turbo) and 'L' series engines (diesel) are "the same engine".

-- James

And the bottom end is nigh on indestructable (assuming stupid boost and nitrous isn't tried)

- James

Rover 600 could hardly be desribed as modern, being based on a previous generation Honda Accord.

The Rover 600 does rust, the rear wings go where about where the top corner of the rear bumper meets the wheel arch.

-- James

I was thinking of getting a 600 diesel, but having looked at a few (or more than a few) I concluded that almost all 600s will rust through their rear arches. In the end I decided against the 600 on rust grounds and the fact that the car I bought instead was probably a generation ahead of it in terms of development.

It's a shame, since the 'L' series is a good diesel engine (i.e. being one of the first to go direct injection).

-- James

100k isn't a lot of miles for a turbo to do, and is probably a conservative estimate. Supposedly the PSA turbo diesels will do about 250k miles with the original turbo.

-- James

Power band, turbo lag, 'nuff said.

Personally, fuel bills aside, i'd prefer a 3 litre engine over a 2 litre turbo assuming power output is the same.

-- James

The biggest difference I find with a newer car is that when you try to take it apart it co-operates. Hammer, big hammer, and even bigger hammer just aren't needed so much on a newer car.

If you bought a Rover 45 would you be expecting newer technology than if you bought a 3 year old Focus?

-- James

bullet-proof,

It does matter, in fact it matters a lot.

They may be the same parts, but if you don't put them together carefully (i.e. if you don't give a flying) you don't get the same build quality. Miss out the odd plastic clip (or just snap them off cos you're bored), you get trim squeaks rattles. Undertighten / overtighten a bolt and something won't last as well.

Have you never heard of Friday afternoon cars?

-- James