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Rover Vitesse 2.0 Turbo

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J

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42 Posts
Discussion Starter · #1 · (Edited)
Howdy :)

I've been offered a Vitesse Turbo for a few quid and would like to know what I'd be getting myself in to...

Its on a J plate, I'm unsure as to the exact shape/model name, but its not a fastback or coupe, and I don't think it has the sport trim. The drive is quite smooth, and there's a fair amount of power to play with. Interior is a little worn, but nothing really bad. One window motor has gone and one is on its way out. Body work seems fine, but I'm far from an expert. Milage was around the 100,000 mark.

Are there any known problems which will cost money to fix? And is there anything else I should know?

Thanks :)



- James
 
G

·
#2 · (Edited)
We've just bought a 1993 J req Vitesse turbo for £250 and it passed an MOT first time with no work needed.

As long as the gearbox does not make awful noises, turbo is OK, the exhaust in decent nick, the head gasket not leaking oil, no coolant leaks, ABS lights not illuminated (if ABS fitted) and the body pretty solid you are OK. The rest is pretty much shared with normal 800s and readily available used.

Rust wise, the rear wheel areches, the fronts to a lesser degree and the grille seem to be chief suspects, along with the black trim finisher at the bottom of the windscreen.

The dashboard lifts above the instrment pod (sticks down with superglue), the electric window control unit may fail and so do the central locking motors - but all these can be had on ebay very cheap.

You can buy good Recaro seats very cheap on ebay - I will be listing mine soon.

If not a hatch or coupe then it will be a 4 door saloon - with fold down 60/40 split rear seats. It won´t be Sport spec as they came later.

Klinger head gasket set is only £40 from www.bestofbritishrover.co.uk , a cam belt is just £13. Use the proper 820 turbo oil filter (£8 from MGR dealer) not the smaller one from other turbos and naturally aspirated models, and a good quality oil changed every 6000 miles.

Go for it - we love ours and have just bought a Sterling, too!
 
G

·
#6 ·
Andy - top one is the "Fastback" and the bottom one the "Coupe". Imagine the bottom one with 4 doors.

ABS faults are usually faulty wheel sensors - about £70 each at BestofBritish. Less from a scrappy. A good one should show a resistance of 1.2 to 1.6 kiloOhms across the connections - more or less means faulty. Test with a multimeter - costing as little as £5.

If you pull the ABS fuse and remove the warning light then the system works like a conventional one.

This Yahoo group: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Rover800/ is excellent.
 
J

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42 Posts
Discussion Starter · #9 ·
Nice :)

The one I'm looking at doesn't have the alloys anymore as some kids nicked them :( I'll start my hunt for some cheap replacements asap, but I've got to watch tyre prices...

The Recaro seats aren't too bad, but the owner has a dog who likes to stretch out on the back seats making them a bit grubby, and the dash / carpets needs a good clean too. I was suprised at the condition really.
 
G

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#10 ·
I've got a spare set of (slightly scruffy) Vitesse alloys with decent tyres which I'm willing to sell. 4 alloys and a steel spare - and at least 3 tyres are pretty good, if not four. If I get a chance tomorrow I'll take some pics and post them up. They really need the lacquer stripping off and repainting (silver smooth Hammerite or car "silver wheels" spray work well.

Whereabouts are you? I`m in Wolverhampton.
 
J

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42 Posts
Discussion Starter · #14 ·
I'm still thinking tbh, Richard... I've got until next Thursday when his new car is being delivered.

The ABS light thing is worrying me slightly also, so I'll have to get those sensors checked out asap - thanks for pointing that out btw.
 
G

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#19 ·
Pull the SRS fuse - free! Disconnect the battery first, wait 10 minutes to allow the capacitors to discharge, then pull the fuse, then disconnect the connectors.

It's what I did on our Voyager for the same reason.
 
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