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I love that car when I was in the Navy in San Diego in 1988 I used to go to the airport to rent a car for the weekend and I would get a Sterling and I loved it

I worked at Stirling Dealership here in Minnesota in 1988. The door latches always froze up, so doors wouldn’t stay shut, then your interior lights drain the battery. We were constantly jump starting them in the winter. They were interesting cars, but not ideal for our frigid climate.

This was my car - it needed a new transmission and that was beyond my abilities. I wish I could have kept it but it got a good home. I had owned two before this one and I love them.

Excellent review, I owned the larger engine version the 2.7 L as against the 2.5 L in your review car. Both were 1990 models in manual form in the UK - Rover 827 Sterling. One thing you omitted in your early history is the brand 'Rover', (you keep mentioning Austin) it started in the 1880s making bicycles and was a singular brand in its own right until the merger into British Leyland in the early 70s with Jaguar and Triumph etc. Austin had nothing to do with the development of this car, as 'Austin' didn't exist as a brand, it was just a title.

I also recently purchased a Sterling, and I disagree with you on the driving experience. I am amazed at how quiet the cabin is while driving, and I love the "one finger" steering which reminds me of luxury cars of the 70's and 80's.

Great Video! We love these cars so much! That is why we are dedicated to keep these vehicles alive by being one of the only distributors still supplying parts.

‪Interesting cars. I worked in a Honda/Acura garage briefly in the late 90s and I think some details here might be wrong. I recall the oil filters and distributor caps being the same as Acura, but they didn’t match year to year. Sterling kept the 2.5 engine with the cartridge filter longer, but as far as I remember they are the same parts as the 86 and 87 Legend with the 2.5. When Acura switched to a 2.7, they went to a spin on filter, but I’ve seen some exceptions over the years. I remember a little old lady with an 89 legend that had a cartridge filter for some reason. Sterling didn’t come out with the 827 and the 2.7 engine until a few years later. We always just matched up the Honda parts for the sterlings because we didn’t have a good way to look up the part numbers back then.

I worked for Rover in the UK and these were called the 800 series with the Rover 827 Sterling being the top of the range model. The rest were just called Rover 820 (carb fed poverty model) 820e (single point injection with the "e" designating economy) The rest multi point injection Si (Mid range) and Se being the highest 2.0 spec available. The flagship 825 Sterling was then introduced with the dreadful Honda 2.5 V6 that was soon upgraded to the far superior 2.7 available in a few of the same specs as it's smaller 2.0 sisters 827i, Si, SLi, and two flagship models the sporty Vitesse available in either manual or auto and finally the flagship auto only Sterling. They also made a very rare 825 turbo diesel powered using a 2.5litre Italian VM unit. And the super rare 2.0 Tickford turbo model.

Always loved the IDEA of these...Japanese engineering and reliability, with the warmth and luxury of a British car. A shame the execution didnt work. BTW I love that lug pattern quirk...My guess is the 4 lugs send the message that it's a cheap small economy car, where 5 lugs looked more substantial.

My grandmother bought me an 88 825 when I graduated from college. I loved this car and subsequently bought a hatchback 827 manual a couple of years later which was the best one of all. Great memories but a bit sluggish and a terrible investment unlike the Saab 900 SPG convertible I later bought to replace it. Thanks for the memories! I won’t mention what I drive now.

I drove one back in the 90's as a taxi. I had a Rover 800i with a 2ltr engine which was a bit under powered but ok. Mine was lower spec than that but I liked it a lot. It was automatic which was great for taxi driving. Nice and comfortable, good for wafting about

Almost made this my second new car purchase in my life. After hearing Honda reliability and British style. Luckily I was too poor at the time!! 😋

I loved mine, but repairing it was a challenge here in the USA. Now, it makes sense cause it’s a Rover.

Great review, my mother had one of these when I was growing up and I've got a lot of great memories riding in that comfortable backseat. I feel like hers went through something like three automatic transmissions but otherwise the car was pretty decent. I remember vaguely that they had a few electrical issues with the car but they were all minor nuisances. I've reached out to Dale a couple times and I've pondered buying one of these over the years but the difficulty in reseal always scared me away. Maybe someday!

I came back to this video because, like you, beyond all logic and reason, I love these too! But we're human, and we have emotions! I always associate these with British police cars or as government leadership in the UK during the late 1980s. Too bad that ideal marriage on paper didn't translate to the success I had hoped to see. 😞 I read your previous comment, SPCR, that the car was sold by the owner after the video was made! That hurts! It looks great in white, especially with the lower body cladding in gray. It's not all white like a current vehicle would be, so it doesn't look like an applicance. It's subtle yet interesting. I did see a Sterling for sale on craigslist a couple years ago, and it was in Los Angeles for something like $2000 or less. It took a while to sell until dropping the price several times. I think they still exist in places where they sold and the climate was favorable.

I love how you review these little gems!

We had this car in 87 and I totally loved it then. Same 2-tone exterior and tan interior. I took amazing care of it. The only difference is we didn’t have the passive restraint belts- those were added in 88. For us, it was quiet, comfortable, practical, and reliable.

Sat passenger seat as teen while my good friend drove his mothers Sterling into town. Had never heard of make until we were pushing a 100 mph down a Georgia straightway. We all remember taking out the parents loaner and putting pedal to the floor atleast once.I remember it was definitely not a car teens would wish to have but it had a little luxury along with a little get up.

Wow, rare car, such great condition! Thanks for the brief, but accurate, history of the BMC/BL/AR/Rover Group. It still survives as Jaguar Land Rover today and they still own the rights to the Rover marque... ;-) This is a very early-model Sterling, probably one of the very few demonstrator models given the hood-release placement and the 4-lug wheels as well as having has the old-style door cards (but, weirdly, the later-model seat controls). It is mainly an old one because of the 2.5L engine: they changed to the 2.7L version not long after launch as it was a torquier engine and Honda made the change for the Legend as well. I disagree with the cruise-control placement: it is logical and ergonomic to have it on the steering wheel and it was not an 'afterthought' as all Sterling/Rover models had it there from launch. The automatic climate control came in with the 2.7L, as well, so many of the valid points you made about it were changed with the 827SL versions.

Great history here even rare in the UK now as we know them as the Rover 800 Series

I like the hatchback came a year later

My parents had the '87 825SL in NJ and it had the RH drive hood lever. It ran pretty well. There were definitely issues with knick-knack parts like the door handles and glove box. The fuel indicator seemed broken because we drove to Michigan and the tank showed 3/4 full! It was stolen in 1991 when after an attempt a few days before, my father would rather get the insurance payout. I had a biased love for it.

LOL, no, you actually have a good reason to love this car, and I am glad I am not the only one! Let's form a club! I remember when they were released in 1987. I had the prividge to drive an '88 model in the early 1990s as a work colleague had one. I'd have one if it was more practical / easier to service. I don't believe many even survive in the home country, despite the Honda mechanicals. And yes, I remember the cornering lamps were missing on the one I drove. I would not compare the Sterling survivability with a Yugo. A Yugo would have been driven into the ground and have been a complete workhorse. Anyone buying a car advertised for price ($3,995 when released Stateside, if memory serves correctly) is unlikely to care for it, yet a car in the $20,000 bracket would have some owners who had the means to maintain it properly. That being said, many were discounted to push them out the door, so maybe some of the owners were not as well-to-do as one would think, and that if price brought them to sign on the dotted line, maybe they were frugal with car maintenance.

In Northern California and had my 1988 825 S in black. I kept it until 1996-97. Always regretted selling it. It was a challenge to maintain. Even drove it for a month with no reverse or overdrive. 😂

Right there with you. I have always loved the looks of the Sterling. My parents almost bought one, but went with Infiniti instead. I'd love to find a well maintained one, but I'm afraid the closest I'll ever come is my Matchbox model.

My dad had one of these when we were kids all the way up from the late 80’s until around 1997 he gave it up because of the issues

My father actually had one just like this. Something you shared which I had to pause, look again just for the laugh... 5 lug cap, 4 lug wheel. Haha!! 🤣

I'd wanted one of these since I first saw the pictures of the prototypes. They were far out of my price range when new, and the only one I could afford was on a junkyard lot years later. It's still a good looking car. And if it doesn't resemble modern cars, that's all for the better, really.

These were everywhere in the UK when I was a kid. A mate of mine owned a 1989 827 SLi around 1998. It was fast, until he blew it up.

One of the oddities of the car was the commercials never showed the car (at least none that I remember) I remember my Dad grumping about this every time one of their minidocumentary style commercials would come on and once again.. No car shown.

What a find. Congrats

Even in the UK market the Rover 800 is a rare sight now

I had a blue one as a kid that was manual…I just got my license it was a fun fast car. I do not remember if seatbelt was on track

I think all the chaos you described in the British car manufacturing industry was a consequence of, rather than a cause of, their quality problems. I can't think of any British car product that had internationally recognized value, reliability and durability. This Sterling example lays plain how awful they are, that they could successfully eradicate all the good that the car got from Honda. Like the saying goes, they couldn't pour a certain liquid out of a boot if the instructions were written on the bottom of the heel.

I don’t think most people would buy a car purely for the driving experience and fuel economy, I mean people buy large suvs and they aren’t fun to drive and aren’t fuel efficient. Someone who’s interested in a car like the sterling like how rare it is and the look of the car.

I had a Black 827SL when I was 21 what a ride.

Always wanted one

What is going on with the seat belts? We never had that here in the UK.

I have one of this with Honda engine, from 1988, in good condition. Can you tell me a correct price for it?

I'm so jealous! I am pining for an 827.

Love these , had a 89 827SL in the early 90's it was awesome, until I totalled it.

My brother had a 5 spd in like 1993 and it was a 1988 and it was pretty fast and a striking car back then

I had a British racing green 827sl.. with the power rear seats. The passenger seat broke within a week of my ownership. I miss it now since there so rare to see now. I traded it for a Saab 900 SPG. Great video though

They turned out not to be good cars. But the styling was certainly extremely crisp.

On 1987 and 88 the hood latch was on the passenger side .....in 1989 though 1991 it was on the driver side. Also the 1990 and 1991 year models had automatic climate..

Nice video and the Sterling looks in very good condition.

I have seen a few of these cars in the Seattle area. They were probably all this car.

Doggo at 7:53 . 🐶

It was a very good car!

Perfect for a J35 swap

Why did you not clean the inside of the car.,or the out side.,

the only thing sterling in those cars were the engine . Like all the rovers of that era . If you think it is going to be a classic then if you have land that you can store it in then yeh it would be worth a punt . But if the opposite is true you have taken up valuable space on something that might not be a classic

@Sale Proof Car Reviews Theres a 5 five lugnuts on a 4 lugnuts wheel because rover wanted to put their viking longboat on it, If you look at it you can see it resembles a bit a viking boat, but this is only my guess

Do a rabbit!! Maybe early rabbits aka Swallowtails or even the American made "westy" Pickup trucks.

It would be great to compare how the sd1 V8 did sales wise, we know the American public love a V8 so why did sales flop?

I had one of these here in the UK. Worst car I ever owned. Genuinely appalling reliability. Just a minor correction: it was never known as the Austin Rover 800. Austin Rover was the parent company. It was always the Rover 800.

You are making basically a big fuss over what is essentially a Honda Accord.

I'm creating a Facebook Group for Sterling Sl and Sli .If anyone wants to help let me know.Also,does anyone have an estimate as to the number of Sterlings are out there.i.e.well kept,restored or junk yard dilapidated?

"...Sadly, most of these were lost to the junkyards." SADLY?? I'm 63, and I remember the 1980s as probably the worst decade ever for domestic AND foreign automobiles. Nothing but cheap crap. By the way, I'll sell you my original Sterling key fob (from an 825) for $20. It's now worth more than the car was when it was traded in.

Hello from West Seattle

What did Americans think of Rover Sterlings in general?

Hi do still own the car

That one is MINT, makes mine look even worse than it is. It recently received a review as well! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j7mGf69zt5bNhqM.html

will you ever do a mercedes or are they all "good investments"

I'm disappointed here. I wanted to see the automatic seatbelts!

HANDBRAKE not emergency break. It has 4 channel abs for that. The handbrake is for stationary break. Why don’t you yanks know this😂😂😂