Faults:
The car was a bit of a shed when I bought it. There was a bad engine earth so the car sometimes would only start on N and not in P and then the starter motor packed in.
I knew that the car was a bit of a rust bucket when I bought it, but these cars rarely give structural rust problems, only cosmetic (door bottoms, wheel arches, leading edge of the bonnet). Cheap prices mean that repairs/replacement of rusty panels is fairly easy.
"Green Flag" breakdowns include a burst radiator pipe (my fault), alternator pulley that ate fan belts, ignition switch failure and the headlight switch that broke apart. Other than that, perfectly reliable for an 18 year old car - and a BL car at that...
General Comments:
European Car of the Year 1977. Tow Car of the Year too.
The V8 engine is probably the reason why these cars have become classics in their own right. The straight six engines can be made to be reliable too.
There are a growing number of committed parts and garage specialists who can help you to keep these cars on the road. Run the V8 on LPG for even greater cost savings!
The interiors are (for the driver and front passenger at least) very roomy and very comfortable. Not quite armchair motoring, but not far off it. Some switches become delicate with age though. Beware of sagging headlining and temperamental electric window motors. And if the heater doesn't work, the whole dash has to come out.
There are at least two car clubs for the model so you will never be alone with your SD1.
3rd Sep 2001, 17:59
Totally agree with you! I have owned 7 of these cars, and only ever been let down once with a faulty wire on the fuel pump... Mind you I recently bought a 1987 Jaguar XJ40 for very reasonable money. You really should try one!