Life with my 960 Estate

[nemesisthewarlock]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

The petrol XU9 (aka 1.9 as fitted to 205 GTI) was an incredibly fumey unit and would throw oil into the breather system with alarming regularity. It was an unwritted service item to empty a can of carb cleaner into the breather and throttle body at a 6000 service and often it needed the same treatment in between services if the driver was "enthusiastic".

I can remember taking a 309 GTI out for an enthusiastic test drive ... when I enquired about fuel economy the salesman replied...

"The way you drive not a lot!"

Had I bought it I expect that carb cleaner would have been a must buy for me!

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by nemesisthewarlock

I can remember taking a 309 GTI out for an enthusiastic test drive ... when I enquired about fuel economy the salesman replied...

"The way you drive not a lot!"

Had I bought it I expect that carb cleaner would have been a must buy for me!

Buy a trade-pack of 12 each year, use one every 4-weeks and the other 4 weeks of the year it would be off the road anyway for repairs. Either waiting spares or just taking time to be fixed or both!

The Xantia/XM wasn't really that different to a 309 to be honest, probably more akin to a 405/406.

[GingerMagic]

I've owned old PSA chod for years, cheap as chips and contrary to believe they are super reliable ( the 406 diesels anyway )
I did have a 406 V6 Coupe too, only fleetingly as I missed the convenience of 4 doors and not caring where I parked, plus the Coupe doors were massive and needed loads of room to open them....
I still have a cheap and cheerful 406 estate that I use for dump trips and chucking sofas on the roof, so I abuse this instead of the Volvo.

It's hard to compare my 406 and the 940 - very similar in ride quality and practicality - the 406 handles better and is quicker, but the Volvo is a very close second.

Once the Volvo has the MBC and the bushes and shocks replaced it'll be hard to decide which one is best.

The Xantia is also an okay car, very comfy - but much to go wrong...

I'll get my coat

[nemesisthewarlock]

Back from lunch and a superlative straight six run with some very nice bits to get my heart racing and to blow the cobwebs away...

I must say that after fords 2 Fiestas a MK1 1.1l and a Mk2 XR2 plus a Sierra 1.8lx, 2 Renaults both 1.5 CRDs - great engines unexceptional cars and a bevy of p1sspoor Rovers .. apart from one glorious 820 fastback and even the odd Honda plus the PSA runners that....

None of them were as comfortable or as capable as my 26 year old 960 estate .. guess the wandering eye has been tamed by a great blast round the fens

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by nemesisthewarlock

Back from lunch and a superlative straight six run with some very nice bits to get my heart racing and to blow the cobwebs away...

I must say that after fords 2 Fiestas a MK1 1.1l and a Mk2 XR2 plus a Sierra 1.8lx, 2 Renaults both 1.5 CRDs - great engines unexceptional cars and a bevy of p1sspoor Rovers .. apart from one glorious 820 fastback and even the odd Honda plus the PSA runners that....

None of them were as comfortable or as capable as my 26 year old 960 estate .. guess the wandering eye has been tamed by a great blast round the fens

You obviously bought the wrong Rovers! Some can be a nightmare (especially those with Peugeot engines/boxes) and the later ones with the horrendous K (short for Kettle) Series engines but any with the T-series (like your 820) or the Honda C-Series (early 825 and 827) are generally very good cars and i find the 800 much more comfortable, faster and more economical than the Volvo 7xx cars. That said they never made an estate version.

As for the Renaults you had, again electrical gremlins aplenty (although better than PSA stuff) and Renault engines are prone to HGF.

Nothing intrinsically wrong with the Fords but they're all built to a price, had a Sierra 1.8LX as a company car a couple of times, not a bad motor but not outstanding in any way. The Cortina was a better car IMHO - the Sierra was devoid of character by comparison.

Had a few Hondas myself Mk2 Ballade (aka Rover SD3 but with the 1.5i 100bhp non-VTEC engine, still went like stink!), an Accord 2.2iES auto Coupe alongside a Rover 620SLi (built on the same production lines as the Accord saloon/hatch - the Coupe was a USA built car) but prefer the Honda-based Rover models to the Hondas they came from. The 5th Gen Accord Aerodeck would have made a good Rover 600 estate, always fancied finding one and fitting the 600 front end on it, just for gits and shiggles and maybe even dropping the C27 in like they did stateside to both that and the Coupe.

[nemesisthewarlock]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

You obviously bought the wrong Rovers! Some can be a nightmare (especially those with Peugeot engines/boxes) and the later ones with the horrendous K (short for Kettle) Series engines but any with the T-series (like your 820) or the Honda C-Series (early 825 and 827) are generally very good cars and i find the 800 much more comfortable, faster and more economical than the Volvo 7xx cars. That said they never made an estate version.

The Rovers were in order ... 218 sd turbo with the badly fitted PSA 1.8 Diesel, a 220 auto, 3x 400s of various types and the lovely but short loved 820 all as company cars .. we used to joke about what bits had fallen off our Rovers .. close a door and bits of your exterior trim would drop off!

The 218 was a particular dog ... somewhere amongst the rovers I had a first gen 1.6 Nissan Primera for a week as a hire car which I found great fun to drive.. Best of all the company cars was a Civic 1.6 VTEC lovely car....

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by nemesisthewarlock

The Rovers were in order ... 218 sd turbo with the badly fitted PSA 1.8 Diesel, a 220 auto, 3x 400s of various types and the lovely but short loved 820 all as company cars .. we used to joke about what bits had fallen off our Rovers .. close a door and bits of your exterior trim would drop off!

The 218 was a particular dog ... somewhere amongst the rovers I had a first gen 1.6 Nissan Primera for a week as a hire car which I found great fun to drive.. Best of all the company cars was a Civic 1.6 VTEC lovely car....

I've had a few more Rovers than that and never had trim fall off - inside or outside!

I also had a 218 SDt that self destructed, clutch exploded taking the engine and box with it!

Also had a 416Si auto (ex-wifes car but i ended up with it), a 420 GSi, an early Mk1 820 SLi saloon, late Mk1 827 Sterling, 620SLi, 94 827 SLi, 94 827 Sterling, 95 827 Coupe plus 7 SD1s (5 V8s) and a P6 2000. I think that's all of them.

I did have a bit of trim knocked off the 827 Coupe, they had plastic cladding along the bottom of the doors and behind to the wheel arch and in front on the wing to the wheel arch. A piece of debris on the A14 flew up off the road and knocked the cladding off the drivers front wing but i don't class that as falling off as it had external causes.

You must have been seriously unlucky with yours!

[nemesisthewarlock]

So winter service, fluids and filters done

Apparently the fuel filter was a "biatch" to remove? But with Motor, Gear Box and Rear Diff all serviced the beast is running very smooth.. however..

As has been noted before you do something nice for your pride and joy and it rewards you with the next job!

As I pulled away from the Garage having driven the car several miles to it I was rewarded by a clunking noise moving with the car on full lock?

Back to the garage I went where they told me they think the tracking/wheel alignment is out of wack and that is not something they do.

So my next trip is going to be to the wheel alignment guys

Has anyone else come across this it only happens on full lock left or right?

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by nemesisthewarlock

So winter service, fluids and filters done

Apparently the fuel filter was a "biatch" to remove? But with Motor, Gear Box and Rear Diff all serviced the beast is running very smooth.. however..

As has been noted before you do something nice for your pride and joy and it rewards you with the next job!

As I pulled away from the Garage having driven the car several miles to it I was rewarded by a clunking noise moving with the car on full lock?

Back to the garage I went where they told me they think the tracking/wheel alignment is out of wack and that is not something they do.

So my next trip is going to be to the wheel alignment guys

Has anyone else come across this it only happens on full lock left or right?

Certainly sounds like wheel alignment, you will probably also find when reversing on full lock the front wheels skip a bit. Very common on the 7/9xx platform.

[nemesisthewarlock]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Certainly sounds like wheel alignment, you will probably also find when reversing on full lock the front wheels skip a bit. Very common on the 7/9xx platform.

Good to know thanks

Other than that minor problem madam beast has the mechanics seal of approval they think like I do, that she's a beauty