Impeccable, irresistible Rover 825 for sale

We could all reel off a good few cars that used to be commonplace and are now basically extinct. The stuff your dad had, your teachers had, the cars that would be found throughout the supermarket car park – and are now rarer than Ferraris. You’ll have your favourite forgotten car, but perhaps no brand has dropped from prominence further than Rover. We’re now more than 20 years since the demise of MG Rover (yes, really), and in that time, numbers have plummeted. Thank goodness there are a few dedicated souls committed to keeping the remaining cars going. 

The Rover 800 was definitely one of those everyday spots you thought nothing of seeing once upon a time. Little surprise, really, given it was once the UK’s best-selling executive car and more than 300,000 found homes between 1986 and 1998 (when it and the 600 were replaced by the 75). From that peak, numbers dwindled fast, though; they didn’t hold their value and there were some reliability problems, so they didn’t seem worth saving. We featured a Vitesse as a Shed in 2007 for £250…

The HowManyLeft stats are staggering, enough to make you wince. There were more than 7,000 827s on our roads in the late 20th century, which had already dropped to 10 per cent of that by 2005. Throw a recession and a scrappage scheme in and there were fewer than a hundred 827s by 2011. Now the latest figures show 11 taxed and on the road in the UK. 

The Rover-engined, KV6 825 would replace the Honda-powered 827 after 1996. Currently, we stand at three examples of those on the road in the UK, from a peak of almost 500. But that number could be set to climb by a third with the introduction of this 825 to the UK, an incredible Japanese import that will be registered and MOT’d when sold to its new owner. This could represent the first increase in Rover 800 numbers in the UK for decades. It’s like being a Countryfile presenter when a native species returns. 

It would do this car a disservice to say it’s the best Rover 825 around, because it’s got to be the best Rover we’ve ever seen. There can’t be many cars left from 1998 as good as this. Just imported as a one-owner-from-new, right-hand drive Japanese car, it’s covered just 9,469 miles since new. There are said to be ‘over 25 services’ in its history, so we’ll assume at least an annual check-up, it’s been garaged all its life, and is free from any kind of repair. Just imagine the love that’s gone into looking after this Rover 800 for more than a quarter of a century. 

Now it presents as the most spectacular of automotive exhibits, flawless down to the very last detail. Only the minor creases on the driver’s seat suggest any human contact at all, with lovely wood veneers, unworn buttons, and perfect piping. The engine appears like it’s just been fitted, the paint like it’s just been applied. For all the talk of iffy Rover quality once upon a time, this looks like a fantastic car. 

So what to do with the £10,000, 10,000-mile Rover? The ad, understandably, suggests this is probably one for the avid collector, a car to be used as sparingly as the original owner did. Which is probably what should happen. On the other hand, what a wonderful thing to cruise around in, strike up conversations about at every stop, and appreciate as a reminder of the time Rover (sort of) ruled the roost. Even with twice the miles, it’s going to be an unrepeatable specimen. And we’ll get the joy of seeing a Rover 800 on the road for the first time in a long time. You’d be doing charitable work, really.