Newbie wants an everyday driver

L

lotusmark2

New Member
Hi all
I am looking at gettnig a P6 as my main everyday car (just got the wife a new Fiat 500 so I get to play ;))
I have a couple of questions:
firstly as I have an 11 week old boy and a dog the P6 is going to need to carry some stuff!! can you get roof bars for a P6 to fit a roof box?

I am commuting 200 miles a week to work so would people recommend the 4 pot or the whole hog?

I am looking to spend £1500 is this realistic for a tidy pre 72 car with MOT?

Thanks in advance
Mark
 
Welcome aboard, Do I smell a hint of Twincam Cortina?
A P6 will make a great daily driver, not the roomiest inside or in the boot but still practical enough, V8 or 4 Cyl depends on the depth of your pockets though TC & Auto 4 pots are rarely much better than the V8 for fuel economy though if you're steady you'll get 3O mpg ish from an SC

Regards Colin
 
Rover did an accessory roof rack but they are very rare & are usually pricey when they crop up but I'm sure something will adapt
Regards Colin
 
You can still buy universal roof racks for classics from Halfords no problem. There were only three engines offered with the P6. From 1963 -> 1973 it came in either 2000 single carb or twin carb, all autos were single carb. Also came with a 3.5 V8 at some point, late 60's. In 1973 the 2000 engine was replaced with a 2200 engine. This is that same engine just bored out to 2.2 and larger valves.

If looked after the 4 pot will do the miles no problem. Now mine is not a good advert for them in that after a couple of months it blow the big ends on the M3. And so I had to rebuild my engine. Saying that, this can happen to any classic you buy. Mine will, and does, sit on the M3 at 80 no problem although I don't do that too much. Normally it's the car that is asking to go quicker. Every couple off weeks I have to go to the office (work from home) 140 mile round trip and she's done it in the recent freezing weather and in the burning summer no problems, but she should seeing the engines been rebuilt.

The spares for these are very easy to get, not as cheap as some but not Jag expensive. For example a top steering joint was £30. Tyres for the MOT, £35 + vat. (v8 ones bit harder to get I here)

I would say for the age of the car the boot is good, not as big as you would expect for the size of the car. Two very big cases with a bit of space. The case is the biggest I have, it is very big.

I would say the MPG is more around the 26 -> 28 mark. I always thought the v8 was less, low 20's. But never having one I can't say.

The v8 engine is better served for obvious reasons and I would say in the long run a longer lasting engine but I like the 4 pot because I'm English and I like the underdog. ;)

If you find one you like maybe someone here who lives close could look at it for you??? I would, just an excuse to look at a P6 and talk about mine. :)




 
Thanks guys
Richard, thanks for going to the trouble with the pictures
I am still a little concerned about luggage space hmmm, food for thought
I am assuming that the driver has lots of leg room in these cars yes?
eally like the look of this one but its just out of my price range :cry: and a bloomin long way from Lancashire

Cheers
Mark
 
lotusmark2 said:
Thanks guys
Richard, thanks for going to the trouble with the pictures
I am still a little concerned about luggage space hmmm, food for thought
I am assuming that the driver has lots of leg room in these cars yes?
eally like the look of this one but its just out of my price range :cry: and a bloomin long way from Lancashire

Cheers
Mark
Click to expand...

Should do, I'm 6ft and my chair is only just 1/2 way back. Took me a while to find my old girl. Same problem, all the good ones were too far away, and I had a bit of water to cross. Will be worth your while taking a couple weeks scanning eBay and the ads in classic mags to get an idea of the price range etc. I think you should get a nice one for £1500.
 
Cheers mate, seem to be £1500 - £2500 for good-great cars from what I can see.
a few really nice ones at £2500 but just not gonna go that high
 
Looks a bit over priced too me. A few odd things...

1) Pictures taken in the street, not in front of house / in drive. (never like that)
2) What's going on with the fuel pipe, seems to be wrapped in something.
3) Looks like it's in gear in one of the interior shots, handbrake poor??? (p6 normally has a fantastic handbrake)

Mine cost me £1000, and at the time it had MOT / TAX. The engine seemed to be in good nick, I doubt the seller knew it was not long for this world, there was no indication. So I would say for £1500 you'll get a nice honest 2000, will not be a show winner but good enough for people so say "wow that's in good nick for it's age". I think any classic you buy it will always need some cosmetic work unless it's been restored in the last year and then it will demand top dollar.

Here are a few that would be worth a look, if just to get your eye in.
1975 2200 sc Ok not tax exempt but.....
Nice 1971 v8 Looks an honest car, needs some fettling to the interior.
 
The Tobacco Leaf 2000's fuel pipe could well have been wrapped to possibly avoid fuel vapourisation, because it looks as though you can see the top of the exhaust downpipe which could mean that the heatshield is missing.

The V8 you mention belongs to someone who used to post quite regularly on here, and as you say seems to be something that's OK now but has scope for further improvement over time. I have seen the car and although there were bits and pieces that needed looking at I don't remember any real nasties. ISTR it was having the rear pads sorted and a rear brake hose fitted at the time that I saw it.
 
richarduk said:
3) Looks like it's in gear in one of the interior shots, handbrake poor??? (p6 normally has a fantastic handbrake)
Click to expand...

Richard,

i think that you are a little too suspicious here. When i park in flat (or almost flat) roads (90% of the cases) i always stick it in gear, i don't bother with the handbrake, even if it really is fantastic as you say.
And the reason is that i don't like the thought of the handbrake mechanism (cable included) to remain under tension for prolonged periods without a good reason. The cable will stretch among others. Also when the car has been driven in wet and/or salty roads and then parked wet with the handbrake on, i guess it will seize for sure. When i got my TC, it was parked for 3 years in a dry closed parking in Athens with the handbrake on. Guess what, the rear brakes were seized.

Anyway, it may be just me.
 
Couple of points for your situation.

First the boot pictures show the spare wheel in place. You will see many cars with the spare wheel mounted on the boot lid (or a boss which should wear a Rover badge in the centre of the bootlid to take the mounting) which makes a big difference to bootspace. If the car you eventually choose doesn't have this facility you can retrofit it - ask Ian at Rover-Classics for an indicative quote. (It involves robbing a scrap car for the bracing set up inside the lid)

Second, when choosing a car, take someone with you to view it who knows what they are looking at! The P6 can display perfect visible bodywork whilst the base unit is rotten as a pear! Search this site for some handy guides as to what to look for or ask here for more info.

My personal preference for your requirement would be a 2200TC. BUT the 4 cylinder engine, whilst reliable once sorted is expensive in parts and short on people who know how to look after it compared to the V8. So if you chose to go that route you either need to budget more than you might think for an engine rebuild or be very sure the one you buy has already had one. The other problem with my choice is that the later cars (of which the 2200's are one) are much more susceptable to rust than the early ones. Theories abound as to why - steel quality, shells sitting in fields for long periods etc. Perhaps my choice therefore needs to be amended to 2000TC series 2 '71 to '72 tax exempt fitted with 2200TC engine and box with V8 diff and rear suspension X member. Fat chance of finding that!!

Best of luck

Chris
 
Thanks chris
must admit, really love the P6 but the boot space still does worry me a little
just been to sainsburys today and managed to fill an mpv!!!!
 
lotusmark2 said:
Thanks chris
must admit, really love the P6 but the boot space still does worry me a little
just been to sainsburys today and managed to fill an mpv!!!!
Click to expand...
Err, two trips to Sainsburys in the future? ;)
 
richarduk said:
lotusmark2 said:
Thanks chris
must admit, really love the P6 but the boot space still does worry me a little
just been to sainsburys today and managed to fill an mpv!!!!
Click to expand...
Err, two trips to Sainsburys in the future? ;)
Click to expand...

Put it in the back seat. 8)
 
This is really killing me because I really love the look of the P6 BUT I would need to fit in 2-3 suit cases pram, dog, child seat me and the mrs!
I cant find a roof rack that you could fit the sealed plastic type roof box on. If I could find that I would be sold!!(or more to the point my mrs would be!)
Any ideas?
 
Small trailer? How many times would you need to carry this load and where to? I'm a little surprised that you've not found something to fit a roof box thingy to the roof with. I was going get a new roof rack for putting my mountain bike on the roof of mine, they had a universal one in halfords. The cost in the end put me off, had to buy the rack bars then the kit for the bike.

Search for 'paddy hopkirk roof racks' in google.


First hit on eBay..... 180325862285
 
After much discussion I have decided on a Mk4 or 5 Estate Cortina
I would like to say a Massive THANK YOU o you guys and I will be getting a V8 but it just does not fit with my needs at the moment.
Hope I am welcome to post when I find the right Cortina?
Cheers
Mark
 
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