1990 Rover - Austin Montego LX 1.6 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

It was OK

Faults:

Driveshafts, suspension, exhaust, etc.

Radio chewed tapes.

Bad rust and an engine leaking head gasket killed it off at 11 years old and higher mileage in 2001 - simply not worth fixing.

General Comments:

Not nearly as bad and as unreliable as people made them out to be, this Montego did me well through the 1990's. A dull car but dependable enough as any car - if looked after.

A common sight on the roads in the 1980's and 1990's, this car was Rover rival to the Sierra and Cavalier. In all honesty those were better cars, but the Montego was not all bad. It was comfortable and economical enough and decent to drive. Not bad looking, typical 80's boxy shape, mine looked OK in bright red, a common color.

1.6 drove well enough but nothing exciting, but the 2.0 was probably a better option.

Overall it just wasn't a bad car, and I have fond memories of it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th April, 2023

1990 Rover - Austin Montego SLX 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Cheap and pretty fast with an engine that will run and run

Faults:

Nothing major.

Had the sills replaced to pass the MOT, but at a cost of £70, cheap.

General Comments:

This car is so much fun to drive!

OK so the Montego isn't the fastest or flashiest car on the road, but gives some a run for their money with 0-60 in 9.6 seconds, so if you see a montego don't always think its going to be slow.

As I said styling wise not the best, but I think she is beautiful with those sleek lines down her sides and lovely hips, and looking down on the bonnet while you drive instils almost pride.

You can't help, but grin when you fling her into a bend and she's rolling everywhere, fun for the driver, not so good for the passengers he he! Generally she handles well, and is all right at 70+ mph.

Mildred (Montego) is quite well equipped for a car of her age with electric windows, mirrors, sunroof, and central locking, all in good working order. And there is loads of room in her.

The exterior isn't too bad for a montego, though the plastic petrol cover is bubbling! Really the rust isn't as bad as some people say.

Everything is cheap to repair and maintain with tyres from £25.

Every fortnight she does 200 miles plus with no trouble at all.

I love this car!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th May, 2004

1990 Rover - Austin Montego GSi Estate 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Misunderstood workhorse

Faults:

Nothing really, except the usual tyres, exhaust, brake pads/shoes, battery etc.

Let us down once in 6 years and 54,000 miles of ownership - the alternator stopped working so we were stranded with a flat battery!

Also, made a funny groaning noise for a while, but only around 50mph. Stopped after about a month though.

Got rid of it when the head-gasket blew and water began to pump out of the side of the engine!

Was also looking a bit rusty/scruffy by this point, but never failed an MOT for anything more serious than headlight alignment!

General Comments:

Well, it was a cheap 4 year-old car! It was the seven seats that attracted us to it. We'd heard all the criticisms, and only intended to keep it for a year or two, but ended up keeping it for 6!

It went to 7 European countries in this time, and only broke down once, thankfully that was 5 miles from home!

Also, put the 5 back seats down, and suddenly it's a van! Shifted HUGE amounts of stuff!

Steering was heavy despite being power-assisted, but the engine had a surprising amount of power when pushed.

Cabin build quality was quite bad though, with numerous rattles/squeaks, and a couple of bits fell off!

The Auto-box was a bit jerky, but most of the Monty's miles were on the motorway, so this didn't really matter.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th December, 2003

18th Jul 2006, 15:29

When our kiddie count went up to 4 (all boys) we needed to get a multi-seater pronto. I had always had a soft spot for the Montego Estate - clever, straight-forward, simple design, so when a jet black 2.0 GSi 7 seat Auto appeared for sale locally we just had to have it!

The seller had kept the car for over 8 years, and was clearly upset when I took it off his hands! It had been well cared for with full history and comprehensive documentation. We managed to get it very cheap as the MOT had recently expired, but it looked all sound and in fact passed the MOT with flying colours!

The car was supposed to be a mere stop-gap until we got a few more quid together for something a bit more up-to-date. But the Monte proved so reliable and faithful, that we ended up keeping it for 4 long years. It never let us down once and the boys absolutely loved travelling in the kiddie seats!

A little heavy on fuel, but it was a very rapid and comfortable car; also, being an auto it would always eat up a few extra mpgs.

We went on many happy family hols in the Monte all over the UK. As the boys got older and we needed more space, we simply attached-a roof box to the standard rails and carried on! We used the car extensively to move house and it never complained.

Unfortunately, a supposedly 'parked' car rolled into the front of the Monte, and it was never the same again. Small things started to go wrong until it started to look and drive a bit tired. When we finally put it up for sale, we were amazed at how many callers we got; it was sold in a few days and hopefully went to a good home.

Replaced the Monte with a Nissan Serena - a totally different beast, but a good vehicle all the same. But alas, a smile does come to my face whenever I see a Monte on the road - but that's not often nowadays...