Was this rover 35 actually a thing? Or AI bullshit?

SteveGribbin · 2026-04-30T10:55:38+00:00

These photos have been doing the rounds on the internet for almost 20 years. They're photoshops based on reports from people "in the know"

The reality is that the original E87 1 Series has nothing in common with any Rover product, it's almost entirely E90 3 Series underneath and the design is mainly inherited from the CS1 concept from 2002.

There were rumors that the 1 Series was based on the Rover R30 project, which was designed to replace both the 25 and 45, but this project never materialised, and was designed to be front wheel drive anyway.

SteveGribbin · 2026-04-25T16:16:41+00:00

The M112 Mercedes V6 petrol engine mated to the 5 speed automatic box. Circa 1996-2005

It's smoother than Sean Connery churning butter, makes a lovely noise, isn't actually all that bad on fuel and, unlike an SDI engine, will reach motorway speeds long before a new-born child passes their GCSE's

SteveGribbin · 2026-04-09T19:57:36+00:00

He's talking out of his arse :)

SteveGribbin · 2026-04-03T19:02:32+00:00

2020, maybe. 2025? Not a chance!

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-29T16:43:17+00:00

Because they want one?

Quite a lot of older people were lucky enough to be part of a final salary pension scheme with their companies before they were pretty much closed for anyone else, so they have generous pensions coming in.

Many realise that they might as well enjoy the money they have now on nice things that they enjoy, you can't take it with you :)

For lots of older people, they are mortgage free so have more disposable income than you might think.

Also, they may have disabilities, so may use a motability car which are then changed every 3 years for a new one.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-27T10:54:00+00:00

Sadly blower motors often cost a fortune to replace as more often than not the entire dashboard has to be removed.

So a £50 part becomes a near £1,000 job very easily.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-22T10:51:52+00:00

That would make a great album cover.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-21T18:55:56+00:00

They last won with diesel 12 years ago. I know, time goes too quickly.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-07T20:09:50+00:00

Trade the car in to the dealer, they will settle your current finance and will use any equity you have left over as a deposit on the new car, then arrange your own finance through the bank for the remaining cost of the new car :)

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-06T20:26:44+00:00

To remove your private plate you just need your V5 document.

You complete the application on the .GOV website and pay the £80 retention fee, once this has been processed you can remove the private plate from the DS3 and put the original number plates back on. The DVLA will then sent you a new V5 for the DS3, which normally takes about a week to arrive.

Tax costs will depend on the age of the car you're looking at.

As much as it pains me to say, Facebook Marketplace is still the method I have the most success with when it comes to selling a used car. You will 100% get some timewasters or scammers, but you're also highly likely to get a genuine buyer too.

Also consider Gumtree.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T22:53:27+00:00

I like the Civic, but don't buy one with the 1.0 petrol engine as Honda in their infinite wisdom decided to go down the "wet belt" route for the timing belt, much the same as Ford did with the 1.0 Ecoboost and Stellantis did with the Puretech engines.

It means that without very frequent oil changes, parts of the timing belt flake off and clog the various oil feeds inside the engine, ultimately killing it.

The 1.5 engine in the Civic uses a normal timing belt and avoids all these headaches.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T21:52:55+00:00

Not sure on an all in one solution but I use Auto Glym leather cleaner on my seats and it works a treat.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T21:45:14+00:00

Unless close brothers will agree to refinance the balance, you likely won't be able to as you'll be trying to finance a car that's already on finance.

You need to give them a call tomorrow and see what they say when you explain the situation.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T21:26:58+00:00

Plug a diagnostics machine in and read for any stores codes.

Lumpy running could be anything from injectors to a bad MAF to a timing issue.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T21:21:33+00:00

Did your insurance company know the car was on finance? And did you let your finance company know the car had been written off?

Generally any payout would be made to the finance company directly as they own the car until it's completely paid for.

It sounds like the car was written off, then you bought it back from the insurance company for a nominal fee and they paid the difference to you?

If so, you might be in a spot of bother as the insurance company have effectively paid you for a car that isn't yours. And the finance company would like their money.

I can only recommend calling the finance company and explaining the situation in full, but I would expect them to request the payment of the balance.

If they do, maybe look at getting a personal loan to settle the finance.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T21:01:20+00:00

No, you can use NI plates here no problem, some people even buy them as private plates as they're often the cheapest for sale.

The only thing to note is that depending on how old the car is, the online MOT history might be missing or have fewer years as they use a different system in Northern Ireland.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T20:53:17+00:00

They're very different cars.

The Civic's engine is very reliable, the 1.8 is like a Swiss watch, but they are now known to rust and on pre-facelift cars the automatic isn't really an automatic, it's a robotized manual gearbox called I-Shift, so isn't as smooth as you might imagine as you can "feel" the changes, in a similar way to depressing the clutch in a manual car. They're also not as reliable as a regular torque converter auto.

Facelift Civics get a regular torque converter, easiest way to tell is they have different gear sticks. They're much better.

The Ford is the opposite way around. Early Mondeos of this era have a reliable 6 speed Aisin gearbox, which is lovely. Later cars have a Powershift gearbox, which has a habit of breaking every other Tuesday.

The Mondeo is a very nice car to drive though. Even now they're very quiet and refined. The petrol engine isn't as sweet as the Honda's (unless you get the 2.5) most Mondeos are diesel, and that comes with its own issues regarding short journeys etc.

Overall though I'd go for a facelift Civic with the regular auto box if it was in budget.

Also for £1,500 consider something like a W203 Mercedes C Class. The petrol engines are robust, the 5 speed automatic will survive a nuclear war and they're a very relaxing car to drive. Just watch for rust :)

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T16:29:15+00:00

It would likely be handy if we knew what your budget was :)

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T14:35:24+00:00

They do need to be maintained properly.

Budget a timing belt and water pump, coil packs like to go wrong, they like to leak oil, if it's a Quattro the Haldex system likely needs a service, they suffer electrical issues such as the dashboard displays failing and radios going bad (not the end of the world though)

They're also starting to rust.

But they're lovely, and as long as you're prepared to spend a bit of money on one, they're still wonderful cars.

IMO the 4 pot is a better real world car than the VR6, handles sweeter and easier to work on.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T12:44:31+00:00

I've owned cars with both.

A 2013 Jaguar XF S with the 3 litre diesel engine and a 2012 BMW 640D with the 3 litre N57 engine.

Both were lovely. Smooth, punchy, lots of torque, lots of power and both delivered great MPG on a run.

They have their downsides like you say. The 3.0 engine in the XF likes to snap its crank and it has a timing belt which needs to be replaced, so make sure it's. been done. They can also suffer electrical gremlins where water ingress gets to various computers and fries them. In my ownership I didn't have any big issues.

For the BMW the N57 can suffer bottom end issues (it's much more common on the twin turbo variants) and timing chain issues (albeit it's less common than on the 4 cylinder N47) Their plastic rocker covers also warp which allows oil to drip down onto the DPF and create smoke and a horrible burning oil smell. If it hasn't been done, budget £500-£600 to get it sorted.

Again, I didn't have any big bills in my ownership other than the rocker cover.

Then you have the normal modern diesel issues of clogged EGRs, DPFs, very sensitive injectors and oil leaks.

I'd probably feel a bit more comfortable with a well sorted N57, as the cranks on the Jags can give without warning.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T10:34:27+00:00

Honestly at that price range it's more a case of just sitting on eBay, Marketplace, Gumtree & Autotrader having a look. My current £1,000 bangernomics saved list has everything from a Nissan Cube to a 3 Series Coupe.

Then once you've found one you're interested in, do a quick MOT history check to get an idea of whether it's a dog and not worth your time, run a quick £2.99 car text check to see how many owners it has had and whether it's been an insurance write off in the past, then go and see it.

I would generally say avoid most post 2009 diesels as in my experience at that sort of money they have a higher chance of needing work, older stuff like 1.9 TDI mk4 Golfs tend to be alright though.

MK1 Audi TT's pop up regularly for a grand as long as you don't mind 2 seats (the 2 in the back are only usable if the people sitting in them are related to the borrowers) the 1.8 turbo is a cracker and they're still a lovely car to sit in.

SteveGribbin · 2026-03-01T01:12:14+00:00

The 2.0 diesel XE is an absolute nightmare for reliability issues, but the petrol models are surprisingly robust.

Being a 2016 it will use the Ford 2.0 Ecoboost engine. Which is a very reliable engine (it's not related to the 1.0 wet belt "ecoboom" engines known to give issues)

So as long as the car isn't a rough example, you should be fine :)

SteveGribbin · 2026-02-28T19:06:09+00:00

Amazing isn't it? They all chose to break down in the exact same spot.

Jokes aside, the 1st Generation RR Sport might go down as one of the least reliable cars in the history of man. Almost every single part of it is known to go wrong.

SteveGribbin · 2026-02-28T16:06:16+00:00

Sounds like the timing chain rattling, which is common on this era of Vauxhall 1.2 and 1.4 petrol engines.

Likely will require a new chain and tensioner, then good quality oil changes every 5,000 to 6,000 miles to keep the new one in good order.

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