Just wait until you try and change plug wires and figure out that step one is you have to pull the upper intake manifold ... that was my "what the $#*@?" moment.

Cheers,

 

Key to Rover maintenance is you have to get under it. You do not get by by just taking care of things that you can get to under the hood by leaning and stretching and ratchet extension. Got to get under there and get a little dirty on regular basis.

I can only dream of how much energy I had a 23. I could actually bend and turn under my vehicles and lean over the fenders to work under the hood without back pain. BTW, don't wait to have kids, you can never afford it, and when you think you might have it all together your teenagers will take you places you never wanted to go, or maybe not if you are lucky!!

 

My respect for folks in their 20s goes up 1000% when I learn they've had to work on a bunch of old beaters in their lives. 1.) It tells me that mommy and daddy didn't provide you with everything and you've had to work for what you want. and 2.) You have enough sense of ownership and drive to overcome barriers to the things you want to do. Lesser schmucks go sponge rides from others or beg money from relatives. Good on ya.

One thing I've found since my 20s though is that now that I can afford to buy cars that only need oil changes, it kinda sucks. I bought the Rover partly to have a car that would eventually need me again so I could keep the skills sharp.

One more thing- you'll find that all of those skinned knuckles and greasy fingernails in your formative years translates to being able to keep cars 100% reliable for multiple hundreds of thousands of miles in your later years. I pity some of my privileged neighbors who are shocked by $2500 shop bills for the effects of a broken timing belt or stress over whether or not their car will get them to Seattle, or Albuquerque, or...

My wife's daily driver is an old Rodeo with 170K on the clock now. I wouldn't hesitate to drive the Alcan with it tomorrow, in the dead of winter because I know it's tip top inside and out. I've been over every inch of it with my own eyes and replace things before they fail.

Cheers,
Dave

 

I am 24... I was blessed with parents who couldnt afford to give me everything. I worked for it and my father taught me the basics. Now I proudly lay on my back under rovers and fix them on the weekends to make a little extra. Cars are only going to get harder and more expensive to work on. I have devoted too much time into rovers and will never think of owning anything but Rovers or VW's (from my past life).

 

I was born poor as well, and washed in the blood of capitalism early on- like you.

I am always running from some things, and working on cold steel in an unheated garage is one of them.

I AM looking forward to rebuilding an original Series in a NICE garage.