My high tech business friend a white collar big dollar person with his highway only 97 D1 always laughed at my 95 D1 5 speed with all the failing items i've gone thru like the SRS, ABS, door locks, AC quit, water in the interior on and on. His 240K mile Rove "Never A Bit Of Trouble Chap" with his Limey accent. When he finally sold it and the one dealer that maintained it all its life had all the maintenance records that must be a a foot high. Two complete automatic tranny replacements with torque convertor vibrations, second complete motor with both taken apart so many times the threads in the block almost worn out, cracked exhaust manifolds, cat failures, TPS and road speed sensor failures wiring with many Driveway coated with every fluid a Rover can leak out, electrical failures and problems, sun roof tracks replaced twice both F/R this makes 3 sets of sun roof rails, water leaks, roof liners sagging full of water, alternators and starters several failures, front driveshaft, transfer case output failure rear rubber (?) joint many times with vibration problems all the time, diff pinion seals and hub gear oil leaks plus many tow jobs to the dealer. This dealers head service tech is a friend of mine, I have a copy of this vehicles history of repairs. If it were mine this service manager said "I would of buried that thing". This proud Limey owner lied thru his teeth big time as well his dad a tennant of mine. This must be his special training coming out from working for many big corporations as a hired house cleaning and operations leaning operations analysis. Big money man with matching ego.
When even the service manager and tech friend of mine shows me customers repair bills all across his work station telling me these are money making vehicles for dealers hence why he works for Rover he told me "i'm in the chips with their high rate of failures and problems". I'm starting to see a pattern here being I know first hand myself as a 15 year owner of a Rover. As long as I have a backup vehicle to drive plus
www.Autohausaz.com plus many Rovers showing up now in Pick N Pulls I have many spares of about everything that has failed can or will fail again in the future. The bummer is no 5 speeds and transfer boxes in Pick N Pulls all automatics only and all OB2 just one 95 found that I ***** having first crack at it, waited days until it was brought out for the public to pick.
Sorry to say my 84 Mitsubishi Montero Sport 5 speed was almost totally trouble free at 186K miles, needed a O2 sensor plus a fuel enrichment valve that leaked causing the O2 to fail. Montero did out climb any trail especially the super steep hills at the ranch that my friends 96 D1 could not follow plus he ended up rolling it. He saw sky dirt sky dirt 3 times. Much said about his many many miles of off roading experience. The ranch has a 1942 Army Jeep that does better with Army issue tires on it, yes underpowered but not a turtle on it's roof either, it's PTO righted the Rover, Montero pulled it back to the ranch house so it can be towed off the ranch. I must add this is with over 70 years of experience with two licensed aircraft A&P mechanics at the ranch, i'm one of them. There is something that attracts us towards these Rovers flaws included, for me the V8 with the 5 speed. Just be careful what you buy or expect to pay to maintain your Rover. My Montero is still alive at 273K second owner in snow country with a dirt road to the property plus still trouble free. Nuff of a Novel here.
