where are the Montego's [Archive] - Maestro & Montego Owners Club

CyrixDes

25th May 2003, 00:47

I know not strictly related but theres been some very interesting Leyland Cars appearing round my area lately (Burton-On-Trent), a brown Allegro 2 Estate, W reg beige Austin MiniMetro, Green Triumph TR7 and also a reassuring selection of reasonable condition Maestros. All above in very good nick especially considering us Brits were supposedly famed for building unreliable rubbish. How many of todays Fords or any others cars will still be seen around in 20 years time? Back to the subject title, I still also see quite alot of Montego Estates about but many unfortunately seem to have had a hard life.

matthewsemple

30th May 2003, 20:45

Similar situation in Bristol - loads of Maestros especially base models like Clubmans, Specials, etc but not as many Montegos.

Unfortunately the Maestros all look like they are on their last legs and despite not being that old (H, J, K, L, M platers) I get the impression that a bad MOT test would see many of them off - very sad.

I did see a great condition MG Maestro 1600 on a C-plate the other day which was very pleasing and I often see a tatty A-plate MG1600 that has had a replacement tailgate without spoilers. Both cars finished in Silverleaf.

It is strange that we don't see Montegos when they were built in similar numbers and usually had bigger engines. It must be because they were often company cars and many Maestros were bought privately and looked after by elderly drivers.

mikeno monti

31st May 2003, 21:12

Not many montego saloons around this area these days [Prestwick scotland] i C A MAROON SALOON occasionally.M ore estates some in good nick some not.A brown Highway 7 seat lives at the bottom of our road.Not bad nickThe lovely brown colour it is hides the obvious.

H48HPE

1st June 2003, 10:56

i think it can be put down to the fact that the montego was the bigger family car that went everywhere, and therefore they are seen around less because they have all been worn out, the maestro on the otherhand was built as less of a load lugger and therefore they have been subjected to a more relaxed lifestyle.

i might sound unpopular but its easy being ARG fans to get carried away and go on about how our cars are not as bad as there reputations for rusting. The harsh reality is that they are terible for it. our cars no dobt are in excelent condition because we take the time (and you need plenty of it) to prevent the rust taking hold, the average car owner doesnt want to spend hours messing with a car that to them is a tempoary measure till one a few years younger comes along, so thats why u hardly ever see montego saloons about.

I hate it when i find rust on the car because i know that the only way to beat it is to weld new metal in (which I cant do) so that means expensive repairs. Your average owner will just say "stuff it" and leave it till it fails a test.

cos im maestro mad ill do everything i can to keep my car on the road and the only way its going to get sent to the crusher is over my dead body.

e692wtt

1st June 2003, 13:44

Re the cars rusting, you're not wrong, but they're not THAT bad. Look at mid-to-late-80s Escorts and Sierras, for example. Our cars tend not to rust seriously, such as the chassis members, and the rusty parts are easily accessible.

Richard Gelder and myself visited some scrappers last weekend, and the only recent relevant additions to the rusting ranks of cars were Montego Countryman Estates, all British Racing Green except for a 'metallic maroon' one. One particular K-reg Countryman was all-but perfect except some rust penetration at the bottom of the rear edge of the n/s sill where it meets the wheelarch, and it had dodgy tyres with cords showing. Perfect inside. That's all that was wrong with the bodywork and interior. The only Montego saloons and Maestros have been residing in their particular piles for some time - many for 3 years that I know of! And they're rarely accident damaged - just corrossion.

People see an MoT bill coming and bottle it, happy to fork out much more cash on an unknown quantity of a newer car. If my MoT costs £200 (usually less, nowt this year), that's a month's HP payment on a new-ish car - and I don't then need to find 11 more for the year. Mind you, I don't have a big ego with an Image Problem... my step daughter asks me regularly why I don't go to Carcraft Of Rochdale (similar to Yes Car Credit), but never wants lifts anywhere, so that's 2 birds (cheap motoring and never get asked for lifts) killed with the same stone!

I think Maestros were purchased privately, whereas Montegos were often 'fleet cars' (although mine wasn't) and, as stated in a previous thread, that's why there are more Maestros in better condition on the roads.

The other other Rich.

lamonto

1st June 2003, 17:03

i agree with everyone that the maestro and montego are bad for rust,
but i would make the point that they are probably no worse than other british cars of their era.
also a lot of monty's were sold for fleet hire.
my 2.0I MG monty like most other MG versions were probably bought privately. back to my first post "where are all the MG 2.0I Monty's
only know of 2 in the Lothians and Fife area's of Scotland
on checking numbers built from the MGOC bbs pages it appears that only around 6500 MG 2.0I MEMS Monty's were made between 1989-1992
the last vin number for all Monty's was 625---. my monty vin number
602606
would like to know how many MG MEMS 2.0I Monty's are still serviving
ian

mikeno monti

1st June 2003, 19:50

I know of 1 MG 2L EFI on a B plate. One owner from new 74 thousand one the clock. The car has a digital dash and is for sale.It is advertised in the classifieds. I would die for it but circumstances mean i cant. In reply to the postings about rust on the cars,i dont think they rust any worse than any other mid 80s or nineties british car. The problem seems 2 b the motoring press still have a downer on them. Most mechanics and Mot places have the attitudi " its only a montego/maestro why bother? Well it happens 2 b MY montego maestro thats why we bother about them.I can remember reading that a well known so called Classic car magazines editor banned Austin Farinas because they were not classics,who was he trying 2 kid?. I think our cars will always have an image problem no matter what anybody does.What really matters is what we think of our cars,and the efford we put into keeping on the road and in the public eye.

SimonR

2nd June 2003, 08:06

You're right - of course our cars will always have an image problem - but that's part of their charm.

Whenever anyone laughs because I have a Maestro I just laugh with them and then ask them if their car has a leather/wood interior, electric mirrors, windows, sunroof, alloys, 8 speaker CD/MD audio system etc... Even if theirs does it's unlikely that it only cost them about Â£500! The last laugh is always on them. Besides there are not many cars that put the same smile on your face when you drive them, at least not for the same reason.

I'm just about to buy an XJ-S (now's the time to buy apparently) but whenever I get asked what car I drive I'll still happily say Maestro. I wonder if you can get a 'My Other Car is a Maestro' sticker?! :laugh:

Maria

2nd June 2003, 08:47

Totally agree. An ex-colleague was once terribly proud of his new(ish) Polo, which cost him 10x what my VP cost me. His had no wood trim, mine did. His had no sunroof, mine did. Mine has central locking, his does not. Ditto power steering.

Oh yes, and mine has bags more charm than his has in one valve dust cap ;)

SimonR

2nd June 2003, 09:04

How strange that you should mention the Polo especially. I was going to buy a polo as my first car until someone gave me a Maestro - the rest is history.

I have a very good friend who always denigrates my Maesty, who loves the polo and is frequently heard asking my why I don't buy a decent German car. Thing is, if you compare his wife's polo (same age as F153) to my car there is *nothing* to recommend the Polo. It's more rusty, has a truely awful interior, has electric nothing, looks so old-fashioned and is a horrid drive. It also cost a lot more than my car. No image problem tho, strangely. No wonder I keep offering to find her a Maestro. ;)

I have to say (and maybe this is a very subjective statement) that my uncle's brand new polo is obviously very good at transporting him from A to B and not breaking down, but the interior still is abhorrent especially compared to my VP.

mikeno monti

2nd June 2003, 09:30

I agree with all of the above. I used to get slagged rotten at work as i had had a monti estate at the time. M y answer usualy was bought paid for and mine. No hp or worring about where the next monthly payment comes from.The people that slag our cars off usually have never driven let alone sat in them.They might have heard bad reports but what cars dont u hear horrer stories about?.At least some of us know the truth.

F690OTF(RIP)

2nd June 2003, 09:32

Surely putting the words 'decent' and 'German' next to one another is an oxymoron. Especially when combined with the word 'car'. :)

SimonR

2nd June 2003, 15:54

Actually, one other thing, just while we're blowing the Maestro/Monty trumpet:

An old friend came round the other day in her brand new Ford Kan and I decided to take it for a drive to make sure that she'd not made a big mistake. I have to admit that it was nice to drive, all the controls felt very 'new' and positive but the windscreen pillar was in the most unhelpful place - just where you want to see if there's anything about to turn into you, or comming at you from a side street. The view out the back was pretty limmited as well.

It hadn't occurred to me before but all that glass on our cars makes a big difference. When I got back into F153 I realised that as the driver I've got a much better view than from most other makes of car, including a Rover 214 and Honda Civic.

E_T_V

2nd June 2003, 16:03

I'll agree with that. The front view is certainly better on the maestro than our 214 mk2 or the 400 mk2 saloon or the 600, (all the cars that I've driven!) Not to mention other lesser non rover cars..

The newer the car the more the pillar gets in the way and usually the less you can see of either end of your car.

:)

e692wtt

2nd June 2003, 16:45

So what IS wrong with the Ford Kak??? There's a girl at work who mutters on about how good it is with its 1.3i engine and blah blah, yawn... and it's got cheap road tax because it's good for the environment... blah yawn. etc. eh? snooze... yawn, stretch...

I like my Monty for many reasons, but mebbe the most important ones are that it is paid for, costs very little in repairs and servicing and is much, much more reliable than a lot of cars, especially my stepkids' father's S-reg Saxo (can't anyone make Saxo sound like what it really is? 'Sack-of-sh*te-so'?)!!!! Ha ha ha!!! Fancy having a car that scrambles its software twice in 6 weeks and needs a reprogram at the main dealer at £60 a time!!! Progress? I know of more than one Saxo that performs this as a party trick on a regular basis.

I also enjoy driving a car with an 'engaging character' (period road tests) that people say "I used to own/run/drive one of those, it was a good car". No negative feedback round these parts!

Cynical, me? You bet... and yes, I did say Kak (should be spelt Cack?)

The other other Rich.:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Jonathan

2nd June 2003, 18:46

Having had to make do with a Rover 214 (Mk 3) to drive to work in today, it really made me appreciate the Maestro. I've a strong liking for the modern Rovers but even so, it makes quite a contrast with the old order. Cramped, dreadful visibility, awful clutch and gearchange, seats too hard, not enough gadgets etc.

I wouldn't mind betting that most of those who 'trade up' to something newer, secretly, are quite disappointed.

Maria

2nd June 2003, 19:34

I don't know if I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I recently drove a friend's MG ZR. I was looking forward to it, but ended up being quite disappointed. The pedals were very soft, with much less feedback than the Maestro. Steering and brakes were good, but visibility could have been better. What shocked me most though was how little you could hear the engine. My car may have more than its fair share of dash rattles, wind noise and suspicious clunks, squeaks and rattles, but at least I can hear how much it's revving without having to rely on the dashboard instrumentation.

I'd like to take a ZT for a drive to see if the bigger engine's any more noticeable. Until then I'll stick to the much, much more intimate and involved driving experience that is taking the Maestro for the daily commute! :)

Dave

2nd June 2003, 19:43

I think most modern cars are too quiet - i borrowed a BMW 318ti-compact from work around the christmas period, and regularly found myself cruising in 4th at 5500rpm!! Luckily it was armed with a rev limiter! I also had a 330TD for a while, very very quick and torquey but had similar trouble - even from the diesel! It had a 6 speed sequential box, which made it even harder to remember! No such trouble from the 3.3l Z3(M) which had PLENTY of volume!!

I also agree with the visability issue - i think the Maestro must have superior visibility to most cars, old and new!

The only thing the maesty could do with is a bit of extra power - the 1300 A-Series feels a little strained cruising along with modern motorway traffic! I'll most likely cure this by adding a Rover827 to the fleet soon - and save the Maesty for the weekends!

Dave

Jonathan

2nd June 2003, 20:14

You read my mind, Dave. ;)

I've got a long weekend coming up, and I'm going 820 hunting I'm afraid. It means I can give the Maestro the attention it deserves.

Dave

2nd June 2003, 22:06

Jon, you'd be suprised how little difference there is in the insurance premium for the 2l and the 2.7l Honda V6. Avoid the later Rover 2.5KV6 its got a nasty power curve - not much fun to drive.

Avoid Vitesse's, they have hugely increased insurance premium!

I'm after a 2.7l Honda V6 Sterling 2-Door Coupe. A bit rare (Only 1000 or so produced), but VERY tasty!

Dave

Jonathan

2nd June 2003, 22:22

Very nice! I'm only looking for something practical and utilitarian really and it'll be one of the later models (not available with the 2.7). I wonder how the economy varies?

Dave

2nd June 2003, 22:39

The beauty of our *impecable* taste in cars is that fuel economy isn't a big deal! We spend say £500 on a Maestro, and get 30mpg... some may argue there new Micra gets 5789283mpg, but it still cost them £10,000 and instantly depreciates by more than i would spend on fuel in 2 years!!!

Likewise with the Rover 800, £1500-£2000 for a descent 2.7L Sterling with, say 70k on the clock - may only get 20-25mpg, but the equivalent BMW / Audi / Jag etc would cost at least 5times that anyway!

Can't lose!!

Dave:D

topgear

3rd June 2003, 07:50

1.3 too slow, strained on the motorway with modern traffic??? You're obviousaly not driving it right!
Ive seen countless 1.3's, including my own in the outside lane overtaking almost everyone at speed!

;-)

But jokes aside, i do agree! need more power... the 1.6 has a that little bit more, but still could do with a touch more on old right foot to keep Mr. P.O. Lice on his guard with his trusty camera!

;-):p

MaestroMatt

3rd June 2003, 08:53

I have had two 1.3L Maestros and used to fly up the right hand lane, overtaking everything in sight - you could almost watch the fuel meter swing to the left at times! The good thing is that the 1.3L dash doesn't have a rev counter so you can't gauge the damage you are probably doing to the engine!

On the subject of fuel economy, I have - since Saturday - had a brand new and working fuel flow transducer attached to the trip computer. I have, obviously, been doing a few experiments...

I was overjoyed to see that on motorway journeys at 57mph I could average about 40mpg. Sadly, that drops to about 27mpg at 80! However, if you dip the clutch and come off the accelerator at 80 you get over 110mpg due to the fact that you are absolutely scorching along and the engine is on slow idle. More coasting on motorways is therefore the answer to paying less for fuel. On my daily journey to work and back (a mix of 30mph and 60mph roads) the average fuel use is 29mpg which isn't too shabby for a 20 year old 1.6 that only cost me £300. I am wholly in accordance with Dave's view that our cars are cost-effective investments.

Needless to say, the fact that a split fuel hose was spraying petrol all over my engine last night didn't do anything for my fuel economy yesterday. :laugh:

tony

3rd June 2003, 18:46

going back to the ford ka we had a hire one for two week when we was on hoilday ,the one we had did not have a temp.gauge just a light,thats progress for u,:cool:

Austin-Rover

3rd June 2003, 19:09

Yes, the Ford Kack is truly an awful car. The worst aspect is the badge on the front grille. What is Ford trying to do by flooding the roads with plastic mobile handbags? It was bad when we just had the original Kack, but now we have the truly fowl Street Kack and the new Sport Kack!

Perhaps you can tell i am not fond of the products of the Ford Motor Co.???

tony

3rd June 2003, 19:36

there is a new kack out now a convertable,i supposeit sould say (no skip fires) on the side if it ,would it be called a kark con?

topgear

3rd June 2003, 21:10

:D Death to the KACK!!! :cool:

E_T_V

3rd June 2003, 21:21

speaking of truely awful new cars I have the misfortune of having a picasso parked outside as a hire car from work. It is truely aweful. no rev counter, no dashbard you don't need binoculars to see, microscopic pedals that my feet (size 9) keep getting wedged in and noisy too - the big boomy noise of new cars only worse.

If only I had a 5 speed box in the 1.3 maestro in the garage I'd use it a lot more. It is bad with the 4 speed box on the motorway but truely aweful as it has the low ratio police box I think.

Still there is always the option of getting a turbo! ;)

mikeno monti

4th June 2003, 09:00

I was visiting a scrap yard recently looking for a part, when it struck me that, there was an awful lot of "modern cars" rust free moderen cars.Why were they in there you may ask?. Well all the super electronic gadgeds that control the engine management had gone phut.The car was considered too old to fix so lets scrap it and get another one.At the selfe same scrappy not one monti or maestro.This is not an isolated case .I have been 2 other scrap yards and seen the same thing.A t least if our cars go wrong it is usually easy to fix. Long may it last.

Rich

4th June 2003, 13:38

Goodness me, i have been away from all this for a while,

Polos, my dad had an R reg diesel CL?? Anyway, i drove that for two weeks while my car was having bodywork done, and I have to say it was terrible, really. The throttle always felt like it was siezed, it required so much posative effort to push. Seats were generally uncomfy, and after 3 years, the drivers one was completly worn out, it burnt more oil than diesel, always needed topping up, and as for electric windows, well every few months one of the electric windows would make a noise like there was gravel stuck in it. It would then stop working completly, a trip to the dealer would follow, after having the car spent overnight with a wide open window. The dealer was helpful, and after removing a very complex door panel, jammmed it closed with a large lump of wood, as we waited the fortnight for new parts to arrive, another day of having them fitted and a nice Lupo as a courtesy car thats front indicators can only be described as modled on a tangerine, with the fuel cap which the efficeient german designers forgot about until the last minuite and so hastily shoved it in right at the back next to the rear light cluster, the window would finaly work again for how long???? Nobody knew!

Compare that to a 12 year old Maestro, drivers seat still ok, if not a bit soft now, still not threadbare by any means, and electric windows that have worked for the time I have owned the car, that is 4 years, not bad really, also considering 106k on the clock, and it still burns no oil. German quality? I think there all to busy scoffing bratwurst to care anymore.

1.3 on a motorway, well what can I say, I can sit in the right hand lane and go as fast as the car in front, which is never a Toyota. 90mph in a 1.3 with 5 speed box is about 4000 rpm, and mine will go faster than that if i want it to, it can overtake an audi kompressor quite easilly and in fact most executives which can get quite annoyed when overtaken by an old Maestro, which doesent even look a sporty model.

I must admit I have often thought "I must be damaging the engine by driving this fast", but there is no change in it really, it just keeps going, sometimes i think it wants to go that fast, you can put your fott down to the floor sometimes, and it wont go anywhere quickly, it just sorta says, not in the mood today, other times, you put your foot down a bit, and she really goes for it with little effort, and can pull 90 up a hill no probs, heaven help us when we get to a down hill!:D

Rich

John S

4th June 2003, 14:35

Nice one!! I might try and get a picture of the Ford KaK (curved off pyramid on wheels) in a salvage yard or better still - being crushed, so we can all have a good laugh.:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
As for my car performance wise I am quite satisfied all though I must say I get a lot of turbo lag when I put my foot down in first with very few revs. If I slip the clutch with 3/4 revs however (in the odd boy racer situation when I am trying to impress me mates) the car takes off like a good 'un with a hint of scrabbling and a 'whoosh' from the turbo and I'm long gone in a pile of black smoke - almost put a 1.6 Focus to shame who tried to chase me from a set of lights the other month.

:cool:

D87 SMW

4th June 2003, 19:03

When my dad was driving my £50 Maestro home through the Pennines and Snake Pass, he was reaching speeds of 60 MPH, and F170 showed no signs of struggling either. :laugh:
The car had 91400 miles on the clock at the time, and had been stood unused for the best part of a year too!
To this day, I still have no idea why the car cost me only £50! :laugh: :confused:

Dave

4th June 2003, 19:14

Granted - the A+ engine is a strong one! It pulls nicely through the revs, and makes for a lively drive in the countryside. I, also, enjoy a good thrash across Snake Pass in the Maesty!! But theres no denying it, 2.7l on the motorway is much more practicle - if not as fun on the country roads!!

Dave

e692wtt

4th June 2003, 23:39

The Peugeot 205 except for the GTI didn't have a temperature gauge from 1983, so no progress there...

F170GGT, there is nothing wrong with a modern car costing £50. All older cars are valueless, effectively, so if you are expecting an imminent disaster I think you'll be waiting a long time. My Monty cost £400 at 9 years old and only needed attention to the ring gear. A few more repairs and I'm driving the car 6 1/2 years later with a car that is cosmetically challenged but has a heart of gold. Went to Liverpool and back today no worries (except the whining driveshaft). Also saw a gold Special driven with, shall we say, commitment, although the shades of gold were several. F-reg, registered in Manchester (F170BBA?).

The 1300 'A'-series engine is a good engine, don't be fooled by "it's only a 1300". Open your mind.........

The other other Rich.:laugh:

peter

1st July 2003, 19:58

I was on the A19 the other day, in the Laguna. Doing about 70. Behind me was a tatty, but bog standard, B reg Fiesta 1 Litre which had been crusing behind me for miles. Suddenly, it comes taring out and overtakes - breaking the sound barrier in the process.

Just goes to show... It's not the size that matters, it's how you use it. :)

bandycat

10th July 2003, 16:16

HUNDREDS IN BOURNEMOUTH M8,
BUT THEN IT IS GOD'S WAITING ROOM AND THEY DO ATTRACT THE OLDER MOTORIST

Maria

10th July 2003, 16:18

NO NEED TO SHOUT!! :D

bandycat

10th July 2003, 16:21

sorry i'll whisper[/SIZE] :D

e692wtt

11th July 2003, 12:45

I thought Eastbourne was el costa geriatrica ... pick your metaphor...

The other other Rich.:laugh:

John S

11th July 2003, 13:38

Originally posted by e692wtt
I thought Eastbourne was el costa geriatrica ... pick your metaphor...

The other other Rich.:laugh:

'LA' costa actually as 'costa' is feminine.:p

e692wtt

11th July 2003, 16:18

How is la derived from el ? Just wondering. Eastbourne may be a bit of a mish-mash, but it sure ain't feminine...

I did German at school anyway, but much of what I know ain't really repeatable, mostly because it isn't gramatically correct (who cares about verbs and nouns and split infinitives at high school? More to the point, what are many of them?) but I know that Star Trek proudly splits the infinitive 'go' which presumably is a law of Physics?

Guess who else has had a frustrating afternoon at the orifice???:laugh:

The other other Rich.:confused:

John S

11th July 2003, 20:16

Sorry about that...could have made myself more clear!
I was just pointing out that most Spanish words ending in 'a'(e.g. costa) are of a feminine gender so require the word 'la' putting in front. I was trying to be a smarta**se :)

matthewsemple

11th July 2003, 21:28

You wouldn't get this level of discussion on a Ford forum! The Maestro was launched to the press in Spain, you know!

bandycat

11th July 2003, 22:00

Yo chaps!!!!!!
methinks the plot has been abducted!!!!!!:banghead:

topgear

11th July 2003, 22:02

me thinks Tony Blair is an Alien!!! and as for his wife!!!

bandycat

11th July 2003, 22:03

Originally posted by topgear
me thinks Tony Blair is an Alien!!! and as for his wife!!!
well quite!

topgear

11th July 2003, 22:07

:)
Hands up who wants a political poll added to the "~Off Topic!" section?

Let's see how many friends Blair really has!
If not tho, i'll never mention it again!! :D

bandycat

11th July 2003, 22:10

never mix montegos and politics

tony

11th July 2003, 22:18

Originally posted by lamonto
Monty's seems to be a rare breed, especially MG Monty's
Where are they all. Not around my area "lothians"
stacks of their small brother the Maestro
i think i own most of them:)

topgear

12th July 2003, 08:08

I think ive outraced most of them! ;)

e692wtt

14th July 2003, 12:36

So it's Ella Costa Geriatrica then? Sounds like a nice girl :laugh: if a bit old for me...

The other other Rich.:laugh:

haarp

16th July 2003, 17:18

Up until 12/7/3 I drove a Skoda Estelle 120L H reg. I swapped it 4 months ago for an old PC monitor. Oh dear, bad decision. I will refrain from denigrating the Skoda as I know that some people (usually "care in the community") love these cares. Then, on Saturday just gone I became the proud owner of a Maestro 2.0 diesel LX hatchback. Sure, it's not the most exciting car. Sure, it's got a lot of cosmetic rust (though, being black, you cant see it unless you are next to it!). Sure, it's a diesel. And, sure, it's got that "image" problem.

Well guess what. I don't care about any of that. It's got PAS, leccy windows, remote central locking and, being diesel, well it may not be a race winner but its very cheap on fuel. And the insurance is low. To me it is the height of luxury! I've never been able to afford a new car and have owned 7 cars over the last 12 years - since getting my licence. There is only one other car I have owned which feels as solid and safe (and,let's face it, a bit of trim rattle and rust on a £250.00 car means nothing!) as this Maestro. And that was a Y reg Saab 900. Aside from my old Saab this is the only car I have owned where I hope it is economical to keep after its next MOT in May 2004. Even if it is not, I fully intend to buy another Maestro if my car fails its next MOT in a major way.