Wonderful car. My 1990 Austin Montego 2.0SLX (Mildred) has done 138000 miles, and is now being lovingly restored (most say just scrap it but shes too good for that).
Loads of passenger space, all mod cons bar air con and abs, cheap to run and repair and insure, got all front end parts for £75, new radiator for £40. 0-60 in 9.8 secs top speed of 108 (ive seen 110 on the speedo on a private track) The most entertaining car i have ever driven.
To top it of i believe this car saved me life or atleast from a very nasty accident when a van overturned on the duel carriageway a few meters away from me, and i was able to avoid hitting it and the car behind by swerving past it, all at about 65miles an hour, so those who say these cars dont handle, well they do, very well.
the rust isnt an issue apart from the wings so i know clean them once a month. the other slight problem is Mildred tends to wheel spin alot.
I have an '88 2.0 si Monty, and have to say I'll fight it's corner. Its done 48k from new, has no rust (partly thanks to me) and had a dead heat drag race with a 1.6 vtec civic which had an induction kit on it. It's spacious, ugly, but not THAT ugly, and has truly pleasing steering feel, turn in, and on the limit balance. This car got an unjustified bad rep because it had nasty and ugly older brothers and sisters (allegro, maxi, princess) and a small fault in the first year secured the hatred opinion of the badge - orientated mob from then. But it became a bloody good car, aside from the corrosion probs. If VW had made it, an icon it would be!
This is the car for me...always. I had a teqouise one called Talulah, her paint job was rank - an ex 2'l Diesal Taxi, then went to a carpet fitter before selling to me for £100 with extra carpet glue and gripper rods inbedded in the upholstry !! But Taluah just kept on going !! You could stand on the roof,kick her doors shut,...spill coffee in that baby, treat her so bad and she still started first time.......what I loved most of all was how comfy and solid she was...a real tank, plus the gear change is always so smooth,...just slips in !! Talulah was eventually stolen by someone ! Can you imagine that !! I had to let here get crushed eventually by the Recovery firm who found her. A sorry end to a beautiful ugly car. I well want another one...the tattier inside the better !!
I recently exchanged my wife's battered k reg Escort for a 1994 Montego 2.0 turbo diesel estate. The head gasket went after about a week and cost me about 120 quid to sort out. Funny thing though, in the six weeks that we've had it, my wife has only driven it once (she'd much rather drive my s reg Laguna). I on the other hand, have fallen madly in love with the car. There's loads of space, my kids love sitting in the rear facing seats, and, the only rust happens to be a slight bit on the bottom of the hatch. Worrying about the possibility of the engine packing up again, I have just picked another 1994 diesel estate for sixty quid - with a good engine too! So hopefully, I can look forward to cheap motoring. The ride isn't as refined as the Laguna, but it is fun to drive, and like others have stated, I do like the way that the wipers disappear out of view. I also owned an f reg 1.6 L that cost me about six hundred quid (not bad for a car that was only five years old at the time). The car was in ecxellent condition and never let me down, so I am still baffled as to why I swopped it for a Ford Sierra that fell to bits after about six months. Montego's are not that special to look at but they are cheap and fairly reliable - with spare parts easily available!
My dad bought the Austin Montego Estate 1.6 LS in 1985, just after it was released to the Dutch market. Beatiful dark-blue metallic. It was, and still is the best and finest piece of equipment we've ever owned. Very reliable, needed very little maintenance. Had rustspots that were easily repairable by ourselves! Great familycar with the nice double childrenseat in the rear, and the fine high-seated couch for the back passengers. We had a family of six and owned this car for 8 years, short drives and long ones on holidays. It then was resold and has been driven for many more years.
Great car, beatiful wipers- hidden below the windscreen and what I still miss on today's cars is, indeed, the variable wiper speed! This car has everything in place where it belongs. Design can still compete with other brands today! In those days it had very modern design, far ahead other cars.
I regret Austin doesn't exist anymore and I wasn't old enough to drive one back then. I now drive a 1995 Rover 214Si instead.
I bought a 1988 monty 1.6 in 97 for 400 with only 1 prev owner and fsh!!.Lack of power steering meant i soon had arms like Arnie, but ,apart from that it was a fantastic drive.Roomy cabin was grreat and only prob i had with it was the overheating due to crumbling radiator ,replaced and no more probs.Loved the variable speed wipers u dont see them these days(cue hovis music),and really miss the boot release handle at the bottom of the drivers seat.Sold it for £200 after 3 yrs due to dreaded tin worm and a blown head gasket, but had great times in her,what a car.
The Rover/Austin Montego is a reliable and robust workhorse. It still looks contemporary and the MG is gorgeous. Older, regularly used 2.0s can be EXTREMELY noisy,as my mate's parents used to have a red one, F955PJB.
I have a Diesel Estates which returns great MPG and is ideal as a workhorse. Developed lots of rust in the last year which is uneconomic to repair but absolutely reliable and has never let me down. Engine has done 94k miles but still good on oil, though it can throw out the soot when stressed.
My Previous Montego Was A 1.6 LX , Which Had The Usual Rust On Doors And Arches . However The Car Was Very Reliable (Even With A Tappity Engine) . I Now Own An MG 2.O I . In British Racing Green . This Car Is Fast ! It's True That These Cars Will Cruise At 100 MPH All Day On The Motorway ! Yesterday I Reached 120 MPH And There Was Still Power To Do More ! 84000 Miles Are On The Clock And It's Had 3 Previous Keepers . I Love This Car ! Can Be Thirsy On Petrol When You Put Your Foot Down ! 195 Low Profiles Makes It Corner Like Chickens Claws With The Uprated Suspension ! The MG Montego's Are The Flagships Of The Range !
It's mean, it's green and it smokes like a two stroke but I love my Montego Countryman Estate (in a state morelike). When I first bought it (there was all fields round ere), it was still all the same colour and shape, now it has 2 tone doors and a revamped front and rear. THe gearbox fell off a few months ago as well, but I soon replaced that, several times before it stayed together. I washed it yesterday.
Though I am only 20 years old I own a Montego 1.3, since last year when my father bought a VW Passat. I am really amazed by this car for two reasons: First of all it's design is still in th spirit of the days and secondly it has never caused neither to me nor to my father any real trouble! For it's money it must have been a real bargain! It's a shame that Austin doesn't exist anymore. My next car would surely be an Austin if the manufacturer still existed in our days!
Although only 24 years old I have owned a variety of moodels since the age of 18 as both everyday and 2nd cars, including motorsport. Also being committee members in a couple of the big MG/Austin clubs I have had experience of the cars first hand. All well seviced cars should cover 150,000 miles easily, I know of 2.0 models (including Turbo's) that have covered 250,000 miles on original engines/gearboxes. Other high mileage examples include a 1990 1.6 Estate that did 580,000 miles before a new engine was required. 1.6 engines are smoother than the 2.0 units, 2.0TD's are very economical and quite quick. Estates are excelent load carriers. Handling was surprisingly good, so if it feels a little soft and wooley it will need a new set of shocks (normally after 30- 40,000 miles). Watch for rust everywhere, especially on rear aches, door sills and doors. 2.0 models get a leak from head gasket on front/right of engine, this is only a problem if it is more than a slight covering of oil. 2.0's can also suffer rough running problems caused by broken or worn distributer caps/rotor arms. If you want to see really how reliable they are, check out this this web site, http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgm/capetocape.html , having covered over 8000 miles in 2 weeks in a 2.0GTi Estate bought for £100 with 120,000 miles, I have since taken part in some sprints and hill climbs in the car and beaten newer, sportier cars in my class.
We've had our 2.0Gsi estate (J reg) about 2 years now - a great car for the money - we've not had any of the famed unreliabilty (yet). The major problems: it's very light (onlt 1050kg) & torque steer makes the handling a little hairy.
I have owned my 1989 1.6SL for three years and have found it to be very reliable. My work colleagues take the "mickey" about the Montego, but are usually amazed at the number of "extras" fitted to the car, e.g electric windows, sunroof & heated mirrors etc, which may not are not necessarily fitted to their own younger vehicles.
Whilst the 1.6SL lacks acceleration, it rides well at 80mph on motorways. However, its soft suspension does nothing for the handling of the car and makes long fast drives along meandering "A" roads tedious (like Bournemouth to North Wales for instance).
With only 86,000 miles recorded, i expect to receive another 2 or 3 years trouble free motoring. After all, it would be pointless selling a car which is reliable and low in value! [Log in to view email]
I have a Montego Estate with the 2litre turbo diesel engine. It may be a ponderous lump of a car, but you don't buy a diesel for sparking performance. You buy it for reliability, load carrying ability and economy. And it those categories, the Montego delivers.
A heavy tank of a car that looks like it was designed by a kid on work experience! Great if your going to have an accident but there's not a lot else going for it. Only worthwhile engine was the 2.0litre turbo, but even then at high revs it sounded rough. You can buy a nearly new one on a 6 year olds pocket money but even then it would be a waste of hard earned cash.
Owned for 2 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2004.
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WHY O BLOODY WHY DID I BUY A MONTEGO, WAS IT A MOMENT OF MADNESS, TOTAL INSANITY OR WAS I DESPERATE. IT WAS ONLY CAR I EVER OWNED WHICH COULD ACTUALLY MAKE THE CAR FOLLOWING ME DISAPPEAR AS IF BY MAGIC. I CAME OUT OF A ROUNDABOUT ONE MORNING, THE CAR BEHIND ME SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF BLACK SMOKE COMING OUT FROM THE EXHAUST. HE MUST OF THOUGHT HE WAS IN SPACE AS THE SMOKE COVERED THE WIDTH OF THE ROAD. MINE WAS A B-REG 1300 SALOON WITH AN AWFUL GEARBOX, NEVER COULD GET THE BLOODY THING INTO REVERSE GEAR. IN THE END I SOLD IT, I ONLY WISH I HAD KEPT THE 1978 MINI INSTEAD OF REPLACING IT WITH THE MONTEGO, HINDSIGHT IS A WONDERFUL THING.
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Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2003.
Performance
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Brilliant Car.
Goes well, looks cool esp in the right colour and of course it is English.
Owned for more than 5 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2003.
Performance
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The montego will be evaluated as a great british classic in years to come- incredible reliability- I took mine to spain, france, holland, never led me down. Gorgeous metallic gold with enormous patches of rust- its sadly gone and dearly missed
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