Rover 75 2.5 V6 Classic (2000) – 405,772 km

Many people recognize that. In the past, on the street where you lived, someone had a car that will stay with you forever. Jordy Kamp has that too. “We were quite taken with the neighbour’s car at home, a Rover 75. It even went so far that after years of driving a Ford, my father switched. Now I have to add that he was quite disappointed with the defects he experienced with those Fords,” he adds. Just like father Jan, Jordy himself was first on the Ford track. “My first car was a Fiesta 1.1 and many more Fords would follow. I have to say that I was totally fine with my father going for the Rover 75, because it is very stylish and has a beautiful interior. Something is coming.”

Jordy also owned a Ford Scorpio Cosworth

Another side note here: one of the Fords Jordy owned was a Scorpio Cosworth. It was very exclusive. “Maybe I shouldn’t have thrown that away,” he says with regret. On the other hand: this way you will get a lot of cars in your name, by changing very often. “I was like a trader at times,” he laughs. “I just like it. Then I see something and then I want it.”

Jordy is quite a car hopper, he frankly admits. This is how this stylish sedan with V6 came into his possession in 2018. “I have a thing for many cylinders. My previous car was an ‘in-between’ Audi A8 with a V8 block,” he says.

Rover 75 bought for little money

Jordy started a new relationship with the Rover. Initially satisfactorily, but in the course of that first year some cracks appeared in the relationship. “It may be stylish, but I thought the interior quickly became ugly. The finish of it, but especially the shelf life, was quite disappointing to me,” says Jordy. Now he bought something with a lot of kilometers on the clock for little money, so you can expect this kind of thing. However, there was more on his plate. The Rover 75 was a former lease car and well maintained, you would say. Even so, you always have your maintenance and that is certainly the case with the 2.5 V6, with a new timing belt every now and then. Our judge Joep Schuurman calls the latter an abomination. “I don’t like being in the shoes of the mechanic who has to do that on this car,” he says. Then you already know: this is a nasty job, which also costs a lot of time and therefore money (€1,300). One of the belts is in fact on the side of the block that rests against the body. Exactly that job was given to Jordy. Then it was the turn of the water pump and the head gaskets (€1,900) were replaced, after which the Rover suffered from starting problems. “The cold start was fine, but when I wanted to start again afterwards, it wouldn’t work,” explains Jordy. It turned out to have something to do with the fuel supply, a not so fresh sensor. Luckily it only cost €66. Because Jordy went to pick up that part with the Audi A8 that was still in the family and drove way too fast along the way, it still ended up being a €400 sensor.

Another Rover 75 is a V6 Sterling

Jordy always keeps looking at cars, no matter what he has in front of the door. This is how he discovered a Rover 75 V6 Sterling, the top version of this Briton. “It is baby blue and I couldn’t resist it. The car is from 2002 and has 335,000 km on the clock, but it is a beautiful car,” he says. You guessed it: he also bought it. Was that wise? No. It’s a good thing that Jordy has his own handyman company, with a shed, because that’s where the Sterling has been standing and collecting dust for almost a year now. What happened, Jordan? “I enjoyed it for three weeks and then I noticed that I only got 200 kilometers on a full tank of 60 liters. It turned out that the vortex flaps were no longer working. Together with a buddy I used new ones. Everything connected properly, but the car indicated an EP failure and the automatic transmission was not released. So I can’t do anything with it anymore.”

You sometimes wonder: what else do you want to experience before you conclude the Rover 75 adventure? Our Joep probably gives the final push with his uncompromising inspection. The number of defects does not fit on one page and when it comes to the conclusion there is not a word of Spanish. That concerns this 75 Classic. Our AutoWeek panel is now looking at the failure that grounded the other Rover, the 75 Sterling.

Now it so happens that this 75 Classic was sold to Jordy’s father-in-law just before the inspection. He had said in advance: “Whatever comes out of that inspection, you solve it!” In any case, Joep sees no future for this Rover. Jordy can’t help but go along with that. He does not have time to complete the list of defects for the MOT himself. And investing money in this car by having all defects repaired by a professional is not an attractive option. So he still has to ‘solve’ that with his father-in-law. This British saloon is here, not to stay …

What’s wrong with it?

• The car has an airbag malfunction
• The headliner is coming off
• Various interior parts are worn out and everything is tarnished by smoking in the car
• The windshield washers don’t work
• There are various ominous sounds coming from the front and rear train
• The right turn signal does not work properly; you have to hold it, otherwise it won’t keep flashing
• The shock absorbers are worn
• The exhaust hums a lot; it looks like a faulty muffler
• The steering column is not properly secured
• Steering is very heavy
• The adjustment of the exterior mirrors does not work
• It smells like coolant under the hood
• Oil is leaking in the area of ​​the transmission cooler
• The underbody paneling is a jumble of broken parts that are poorly attached with incorrect materials
• An exhaust rubber is almost torn through
• The exhaust is at the height of the center of the car against the body
• There are significant rust edges on all brake discs
• There are rust holes in the car in various places or rust damage has been poorly repaired
• The left front tire is fourteen years old

This is the opinion of Carrec Technocenter

“I’ve had nicer cars on the bridge. This is a run-down loft.”

Epilogue

The aftercare department of Klokje Rond has contacted the relatives of the Rover 75 2.5 V6. The family resolved it among themselves. And if Groningen people say that, then it is true. Then don’t ask any further. Jordy bought another car, an LPG Ford Econoline. He has been a father for six months, so he was looking for something very practical. “With this car you can take a lot with you for a weekend away, both things and people. And with a baby you have a lot to carry.”