‘A pair of wings only cost £15!’
Car enthusiast Owen on reviving his Rover 75
Here are two of my newest purchases: the 2000 Ford Focus 1.8 cost me just £75 and the 2005 Rover 75 was totally free! The Triumph Dolomite in the background belongs to my son Joe, but that cost way too much to feature in the pages of Bangernomics.
The Rover was given to me a few months ago by a lovely couple who had just moved into the village, where my wife and I run the local pub. Unfortunately, shortly after their move, there was an incident with a bollard and the car was ultimately written off by the insurance company. It was given to me in the hope that I could use it as a donor car to provide parts for my 2003 model. I was delighted, as the newer car was in Connoisseur specification with heated leather seats, electric everything and all the bells and whistles.
I looked into the work involved and eventually decided to have the ‘new’ 75 repaired and put back on the road instead. All it needed was a front wishbone and track rod end. I then fitted a pair of new front tyres and treated it to an oil and filter change.
So far, it’s cost me £450 and I’ve now got a car with half the mileage of my other Rover and with much more luxury. All it needs now is a new front wing – and we managed to get a pair of those for just £15 by looking on ebay. Hopefully this particular Rover 75 will be around for a whole lot longer.