Description
2003 Rover 1. 8 Turbo Connoisseur. Copperleaf Red. Manual 5 speed. With an MOT until Jan 2026. There are not many of these left, at the last count there were only about 40 1. 8 turbo on the road in the UK. Being a petrol turbo it is ULEZ compliant.
The engine has had a lot of work done on it due to seized cam followers. Thus it has had a complete "top end" overhaul (by a local engine engineering company) with new cam followers, camshaft and pulley, plus of course latest head gasket , water pump etc, etc. She now runs perfectly and is a delight to drive. As a bonus, on a long trip I regularly return 38 mpg.
Some "low life" decided to leave his/ her tag in the offside rear door which necessitated a bit of a repair to the offside. Apart from that the bodywork is perfect with no rust at all (as can be seen in the photos) The underside is equally solid and clean. However she will need a new rear silencer box before too long and that has to be for a 2. 5 engine , the standard 1. 8 box will strangle the engine. I have not replaced it before as they were not available and I did not want a noisy aftermarket box but the correct specification is now available.
Inside the leather is clean and undamaged and it is a very nice place to be transported in (as they say in all the reviews!).
The advisories at the MOT state a slight oil leak, which has been fixed. A slight water leak, which is from the windscreen bottle feed joint and I must fix it. A scored rear disc, that my mechanic tells me to ignore, as it is fine and the car stops properly. Cracks in between the tyre treads, which have about 4mm tread left, so I have not changed them. I bought this car as a keeper and have spent time and money on it to improve it. I particularly wanted a manual petrol and the turbo is an added bonus. She is much livelier than my friends 2. 5 and now the engine is sorted should give the new owner many miles of superb driving. With the proper attention she is a rare appreciating modern classic. So why am I selling her? Firstly my wife refuses to drive her and secondly I have too many collectors cars (MG B, 2 Austin 7's) that need looking after (plus two everyday cars) and my wife correctly points out that at my age getting down and up, to work is getting harder and harder. Plus storage space is short. So something sadly has to go.
