1983 Austin Maestro 1.3L Goes for a Drive

[@replevideo6096]

When you said the first owner had not discovered the seat adjustment, it reminded me of a similar error I made. I bought a Citroen AX diesel for £100 and just assumed a diesel would only have 4 gears. I used it almost exclusively in town, but on the odd occasion I went on a faster road I did notice that the engine seemed to rev highly for a diesel. The gear knob did not have any gear map on it. Then after a year, when I was giving the interior a good clean, I noticed a little plate on the floor at the base of the gear lever with a plan of the gear positions. That was when I realised I had a 5 speed box.

[@alairlibreinsfreie5785]

i'm from germany, and i'm one of verry few germans who actualy drove a maestro... and i'm one of even much fewer germans who did their driving-school and driving test on one (in light blue with exactly the same very blue interiour! ) ... that was because the owner of my driving school had also a austin-rover dealership... thanks a lot for the video... brought back memorys... the first cars you drive are always something special... and when i tell people in germany today in what car i did my driving-school, nobody has the faintest idea what car i talk about ....

[@shepshepherd]

In my opinion, the early Maestro is a superb piece of industrial design, and looks especially good when painted a light metallic colour.

[@Ben-jq5oo]

Me too. This looks great I think, but I'm horrified when I compare the lightweight quality with an '83 Golf..(a 1.3 CL 5 door for example). Was there much in price difference I wonder? (BL cars were not cheap I seem to remember)

[@williamgreer4087]

I find them very appealing

[@thomasdonald3291]

They had it so close, it was a great car, sadly they never updated it in time and was quickly surpassed by other marque's. I still have a 1.3 special it's very roomy and reliable

[@Karl_Burton]

It's beautiful

[@Brian-om2hh]

A superb piece of industrial design? The one I bought new in 1984 wasn't....... It began to rust 3 months out of the showroom.

[@pchristy102]

When my son turned 17 and was looking for his first car, I bought him one of these - in blue, no less! As a concerned parent, I was after something 1) cheap, 2) reasonably reliable and easy to fix and 3) NO STREET CRED whatsoever! The Maestro 1.3 fitted the bill perfectly! Added to which it came with a long MOT and low price tag! I loved it - he hated it! But he learned a lot from it, and managed to get through his early motoring years without incident, so it served its purpose well!

[@rupert72]

When i passed my test a long long time ago,dad gave me his VW polo 895cc,it was my very first car,no mod cons like we have to day,but as my first car and the feeling of independence that it gave me,it was great..nothing wrong with an older car for a first car lol

[@Max-gz7ik]

Its strange how some cars image change over time. They started out as BLs desperate attempt to evolve and maintain the company, then a cheap run around with an uncool image, to a complete joke and now that image is lifting and values are gradually climbing. I actually sought out a Maestro a couple years ago to replace a Pug 106 when I was in college because I wanted something British and easy to maintain. It was quickly labeled retro/old school by my peers and became the chariot of choice for trips, authentic '80s speakers blasting out the best hits of the decade they were made in! I parted with it January this year and doubled my money. Honesty wish I'd kept it, loads of fun!

[@adampeters7947]

My friends dad went further with the negative street cred approach. He'd received some inheritance money (£500) at 15, which he'd intended to use to buy a motorcycle. His dad took it off him and said he'd get it for him. 'Don't you worry son, I'll get you something really decent' He bought my friend a 100cc motor bike that had a fairing that *actually* went under his feet and over his head. God knows where he got it. It looked like a fucking antique. 'Dad, I can't ride around in that, everyone'll laugh at me...'

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

Love your passion when you are presenting and for ordinary cars. You and Hub Nut are my faves on KZbin.

[@furiousdriving]

Really glad youre enjoying the videos!

[@hedydd2]

Maestro and Montego still look good today and they have far better visibility than current vehicles with far more glass area, especially at the C pillars.

[@melgrant7404]

Agree.old designs more practical

[@davebicker8618]

Yep. A, B and C pillars these days obscure so much traffic. Call me old fashioned, but it is nice to see where you're going, and where you've been.

[@bensmithkent22]

Imagine rolling one you would get mashed up to the point you cant be identified.

[@paultaylor7082]

They were good looking cars, my particular favourite was the Montego Estate, a really nice looking car, which was great to drive. It was my company car for 3 years, I clocked up around 60,000 miles in it.

[@PaulSGraham69]

i drive for lothian buses in Edinburgh (single deckers) and a few months ago as i stopped at the lights a blue Maestro was 2 lanes across from me.. G reg plate 2.0 EFI, gave him a hoot and he waved..it was in decent condition, a few battle scars lol..thanks for the vid..

[@ukip2001]

Could be the only one left alive. Rust killed all the rest .

[@Sam-wh4of]

I think I’ve seen the one you’re on about. Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to get a pic :(

[@CharlieFlemingOriginal]

I don't like the Maestro, I was run over by one when I was 12 by an old woman who couldn't see the end of her nose, so I wave strong feelings about it....

[@scaleop4]

yes but you have to remember it was not the cars fault is was the idiot driving it lol

[@peter7624]

If you were a British car fan it would have been an honour! 😉

[@9256steven]

I have to say, I thought the Maestro was great when it came out, particularly the later 2.0L MG.

[@martinarscott3524]

Had 2 MG Metros, an MG Maestro and an MG Montego Turbo, they actually weren't half bad ! In fact the Metros were great fun, like driving karts, and the Montego for its time was pretty fast !

[@CherylCold]

MG hot versions were pretty amazing. A world away from the cold and warm car. 0 to 60 in an MG Maestro or Montego Turbo would give most cars a good run from the lights. They also handled pretty well. Shame they ran out of money.

[@johntimken9842]

I had an MG Maestro EFI followed by two MG Montego Turbo's. Wonderful vehicles that just about everybody hated which meant you could buy them as cheap as chips. Styling was good, and the multi-coloured interiors were superb. If you could live with the poor build quality, or was lucky enough to get one that had been thrown together on a good day at the factory, you had a great, cheap car.

[@james011974]

My parents had a Montego Turbo. It was so bonkers fast you would forgive any faults. Loved it 🤣.

[@bensmithkent22]

On a good day the bl slackers were at work you mean?

[@markadams3261]

A beige 1.6 L entered our company's fleet at 9 o'clock on launch day broke down at 10 o'clock

[@baddriversfootage]

My parents had a A reg 1.3L with the same blue interior. Brings back memories. They Also had a white hand painted 1.6HLS with brown interior. Them were the days.

[@darrenwilson8042]

Had a workmate who bought a 4 door City X. When he went to pick it up it had rear seat belts fitted that he hadn't specified and the dealer asked him for - I think - £75 to cover the cost. He said no he hadn't specified them so he wasn't paying so they made a buyer picking up his new car wait until they removed the rear seat belts fitted in error - with such customer service how could they fail..................................???

[@Parknest]

I had my first driving lessons in a pale metallic blue Maestro 1.3L (D220 SHD) in 1988 at the tender age of 17. The 1.3L is not quite the poverty spec model. That distinction belongs to the 1.3 Base which had steel bumpers (as did the Ledbury Maestros) and didn't have front seat head restraints. I saw a 51 plate Ledbury Maestro recently and should be featured in my next dashcam video.

[@AliMackMechanical]

We had a maestro van in my Uncles garage we used it for carrying Lorry tyres and gass bottles it did it no problem. Good review mate of a good car big thumbs up.👍👍

[@jackjarvis5451]

Going to look at one tommorw for my first car although all my mates are buying sporty fiesta I got my heart set on a maestro

[@jamesthomson3025]

Dearie me. I had an A reg 1.6 HLS as my second car...and it was dreadful. The heater didn't work properly, the front passenger side window kept coming off its runner and the clutch went within a month of me getting it.

[@nick2203]

I owned an MG Maestro 1600, complete with its talking dashboard back in the early 90s. Ironically the only problem I had with the car was with gearbox, which was a VW supplied item as you said in the video.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Nick-2203 I do like the MG version - a neighbour had a metallic blue one - a really handsome and underrated car.

[@nick2203]

@@simonhodgetts6530 Mine was white, on a B plate.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

You must be the only person ever to own the MG1600 and not have any trouble with it !! According to thousands of reports they were absolute underdeveloped shite.

[@nick2203]

@@scabbycatcat4202 i didn’t have any electrical problems, or reliability problems but as I said the VW sourced gearbox failed.

[@davebicker8618]

Also renowned for the saggy headlining. You could be driving along, and the thing would just flop down into your vision. We had a works vehicle from new, (in hearing aid beige) that stank of adhesive of some description. Good car though, loved it to bits

[@vikingraiders4138]

MG Turbo and the Vanden Plas were nice looking models.

[@jameslatimer1432]

Miss all the rover cars destroyed by Design to let the German car industry takeover and look how expensive German cars are now

[@duncanedwards7840]

@@jameslatimer1432 only the frivolous or stupid by brand new cars though !

[@miljororforsprakpartiet290]

Turbo must have annihilated all available GTi competition. Almost as quick as Lancia Delta Integrale.

[@MacklandsMotors]

My Mum and Dad shared a 1986 Meastro 1.3 'L' finished white, reg C975 KGB, back in the early 90s, and they say it is the best car they've ever had!

[@darrensmith6999]

I worked for Austin Rover Dealer in the 1980s and i was at the launch of the car when it came out, i liked them and owned an 1.3 HL model which i drove 60 miles a day to work in and moved house in it twice. it turned out to be one of the most reliable cars i ever owned. The vents in the rear doors are to allow the air to escape to make the doors close easier. The brakes on mine and all the others i drove when new were very good as i remember. They latter swapped the dash for a Monteago one piece moulded unit and rattle free. Great to go for a ride in a Maestro again great vid and thanks for taking me along haha

[@williamrance5086]

Solidity? I passed on my beautiful top end Maestro to my niece, some years ago. Through no fault of her's, she got hit by a large truck entering a roundabout. He caught her on the off-side rear wing. There was damage to the rear wing, but a relative in the motor trade checked out the serious bits along the chassis and suspension and found little wrong. However without any serious attempt by the insurance company to do similar checks - they wrote it off as, beyond economical repair. My niece was heart-broke - she loved that car, as did my wife. Both agreed it was nice to drive, solid, lovely seats and suspension - they both said they felt safe driving it. The vehicle shown in the video does look a little spartan, interior-wise, to the one I had.

[@BITTYBOY121]

I used to have a B reg 1984 Austin Maestro Vanden Plas with the 1.6 S series engine and the 3 speed automatic Volkswagen gearbox you were talking about !, It was a great car ! and it had that talking trip computer !! with Nicolette MacKenzie's voice ! and that rather cool and modern green/blue "SOLID STATE" digital dash, Mine was a very light pale blue with the blue dash trim and cloth seats, it had electric windows in the front and the rear windows were manual wind up, It had a steel factory fitted sunroof and the Austin Rover radio cassette player with 4 speakers (two in the front under the top corners of the dash trim and 2 speakers at the rear underneath the plastic side trim that were either side of the rear parcel shelf). Oh and also it had "VP" written either side on the rear quarter panel and those crazy wheel trims ! (with "VP" written on the middle of the nut covers) that were secured to the wheels using the same 4 hub nuts that secure the wheels to the car ! but due to the brakes on my one binding and overheating the wheel nuts became so hot that they melted the wheel trims slightly where the nuts go through the wheel trim and into the wheel hub that the wheel trims used to rattle below 30 mph ! even though the hub nuts were tight ! - Oh the memories of my 1st car which was a hand me down from my mum when she bought an 1990 E34 BMW 535i ! back in 1994 and gave me the Maestro as a present after I passed my driving test ! - Cool video ! - Very nicely done - Nice to see a really early Maestro in such good condition and still going strong !.

[@silverliteway]

A series was already 25+ years old by then!!

[@patrickswan4537]

My father worked for the firm that made the robotic paint machinery for these cars. I remember being taken around the Cowley factory before the launch of the Meastro, watching them go along the production line & getting a sneak preview of this new supossed wonder car .. exciting stuff for a school boy.

[@furiousdriving]

Very cool! That must have been really exciting to see

[@jameslatimer1432]

This car is 40 years old but when new it drove nice just what peoples needed to get to work or take on holidays and cheap and good value for money

[@superseven220]

The bonus is that when it is 40 years old in 4 years time it will be mot and road tax exempt

[@thelawminator]

This brings back some great memories, growing up my Grandad had one of these. I have no idea which version, but i do remember two things: Firstly he installed some kind of loud buzzer to buzz with the indicators to remind him they were on, and that there was alternator whine on the radio (I think he only listened to AM stations) which rose and fell in pitch with the engine speed. Good times!

[@mattbates6887]

Those little imperfections were rather nice in a way, you kind of lived with them lol!

[@t1rjb1]

Released in the 80s. Designed in the 70s. With technology from the 60s. As for the turbo model. Don't think I ever saw one without a knackered turbo.

[@davidwhittington8437]

I had two maestros first one was an upmaket vanden plas and a 2.0 MG both very different but brilliant cars

[@mattbates6887]

I drove the Austin Maestro as a company car for a few years in the 80s, and from what I remember it was a rather nice car to drive. I fitted a black steering wheel cover, which made it a lot easier to grip at lower speeds, and more comfortable and warmer on the hands. The Maestro was to be short lived in the company fleet though, as after a few years they switched back to Vauxhall Motors. A very useful spare wheel as well, which was standard back then. I think I'm right in saying that you can see the bonnet cover from the drivers seat, which in modern cars these days you usually don't. Very useful for judging distances ahead of you. A nice trip down memory lane, and glad I got the chance to drive one, thanks a million for the memories!

[@philnewstead5388]

Unfortunately those early dashes used to squeak incessantly, i owned an early 1600 HLS and worked for a BL dealer at the time, that is the correct position for the cigar lighter, I always felt that they forgot to include it and then just put it in the nearest convenient place when they remembered it. Those early cars had a terrible gearchange we could never figure out why it was so good in the Golf and so bad in the Maestro. All these problems were resolved when the face lift cars were introduced with their one piece dash and much improved interior and the new range if engines and the 2.0 EFI models. It has to be said that the later cars were as good as anything else at the time.

[@EdgyNumber1]

I had an MG1600 R-Series (A567 JBJ). Twin choke, twin DCNF carbs. Used slightly smaller chokes (got rid of the flat spots under acceleration,) changed the heavily restricted exhaust manifold and downpipes, created a custom exhaust with mandrel bends, and used a Pipercross reusable air filter (reduced heat soak.) A good tune and carb balance and the machine was good for 130hp on 4-Star. Good times. Motobuild shocks and springs all-round and Matador (Micheline rip-off) ditch finders and I had a fast cheap 2nd car. I enjoyed it. MG1600 used a close ratio 5 speed VW 'box. The lights as they show up on the dashboard are a default test 'status' to show the relevant lights work, with the handbrake up. One red one is for the 'brake fluid level low' indicator. Second red one is for 'front brake pad wear' indicator - Remember those? When the pads had little sensors to tell you your pads were low? The amber one is to warn you that your rear brake pads are active - on early cars such as this a separate flashing 'P' would indicate that your handbrake was up. Once the handbrake was down, and all those relevant brake components were fine, all the lights were extinguished until the handbrake came up again. It's nothing to get worried about. The other obvious ones were battery charge and oil pressure.

[@matthewsemple]

A nice review but the info on the gearboxes was wrong. The 3+E was only fitted to early HLE models and the 4+E was fitted to later HLE and the rarer LE. The car featured has a normal VW gearbox without the high E gear and the HLS had a normal 5-speed version again without the E gear.

[@simonlb24]

I had an A-reg HLE which had glacial acceleration due to the engine/gearbox combination - overtaking anything on a motorway was an adventure! It also had an intermittent fault where the temperature warning light would flash, the temperature gauge would go to it's maximum reading and the engine would go onto fast-idle at around 1,100 rpm. Apparently, it was a relatively common fault with the ECU.

[@NYChemicalRomance]

matthewsemple absolutely correct 👍

[@d2factotum]

Yeah, that sounds about right--my father's last car was a 1983 Maestro HLE and I well remember the oddity of that 3+E gearbox, even though I was far too young to ever actually drive the car.

[@NYChemicalRomance]

If I remember correctly, the sales brochure states E = Overdrive.

[@matthewsemple]

@@NYChemicalRomance maybe but it wasn't an overdrive in the traditional sense just a higher ratio final gear which in this case, the car featured in the video doesn't have.

[@stevejones1972]

My uncle had a brand new early model Vanden Plas, back when I was young, and for the early to mid 80s, I was amazed by the dashboard with digital display, and voice synthesizer, warning you of low fuel, seatbelts off etc. It was a futuristic car for its day, and at a time when my father was driving a mk4 Cortina, the Maestro was leaps and bounds ahead in terms of technology. The lower models were not as good though, and the Vanden Plas was the model to have if you wanted to impress the neighbours. I also remember these cars being very popular with the Police, as local panda cars. If you remember Juliet Bravo, Inspector Kate Longton was seen to arrive at Hartley Police station in a Y reg Maestro!

[@Martindyna]

I'd forgotten they did a VP version`, thankfully without a bulbous grill as in the (Austin) 1300 VP.

[@Clavinovaman]

Tiguan 2 has more than a passing resemblance to Maestro. 1.6 was nice to drive - especially with power steering.

[@garstanforddasilva9663]

I thought it was a very sensible family saloon and bought one soon after the launch. It was light, airy and easy to drive. Mine had a sunroof and the family loved it in summer, but the 1.3 was underpowered for a family of four. Good review. Thanks

[@petersimpson5859]

Memories of travelling to France on holiday in the boot as a 5 year old in 1983. We had the first one in town, cashmere gold paint with BROWN interior. 1.6l "R series" (modified E series as the S series wasn't ready). Always leaked oil but nice car. Replaced in '87 with a 213s which felt so classy.

[@gosportjamie]

"...It turns out the adjuster handles were just missing..." Aha, BL build quality and quality control at its finest, though it's also a pretty poor reflection on the original supplying main dealer that THEY didn't find and fix that when they performed its PDI...

[@hlund73]

..or they'd been removed and lost by an earlier owner.

[@gosportjamie]

@@hlund73 I suppose it is possible, though it rather sounds like the elderly gent the current owner got the car from might well have been the original owner. Unfortunately such snafus were not particularly uncommon on '80s BL and Austin Rover products. If it had been an older car when the gentleman purchased it I would be inclined to agree with you as they did have a habit of falling off in older age, the ones on my old Maestro Vanden Plas used to drop off if you looked at them wrong, and several of the Montegos I had did the same, including the post '89 face-lift ones with the Rover-inspired seats...

[@hlund73]

@@gosportjamie I worked in an Austin Rover dealership in the 80's. It didn't happen.

[@alecbrown66]

I really suspect that the original owner, got it from new and A set of seat covers fitted, as places from dealers to halfords did tricks like take adjuster handles off to get the covers to fit. And maestro/montegos had particularly wide for aftermarket covers, and instead of cutting the covers they tried ripping the handles off. Also if the owner read the handbook he may have noticed the 3 pages about adjusting and flipping seats about

[@hlund73]

@@alecbrown66 That sounds plausible, I wondered if they'd maybe been removed to stop tampering, say by kids on the back seat. The rear seat back rest looks baggy so it could also be the seats covers were removed to wash them.

[@Joe-pz9no]

We had a brand new Maesteo and upon collection at the showroom i checked the car over. I lifted the hatchback to check the spare tyre and the boot was full of water! After 3 gearboxes and noumerous trips back to the dealers for different problems in a year we kept that car for nearly a decade only getting rid of it when it was written off with a rear end shunt..... happy times. 😊

[@jakebond2294]

I drove a 1.6 Maestro Advantage one time. Nice metallic green with mock alloys. I thought it was a nice drive. Good chassis set up.

[@stepheng8779]

Lovely, we had a B reg in light metallic green, car was faultless but about as fast as a snail. Yep my dad bought the HLE, 18 months later he swapped it for an xr2, he missed his youth 😂

[@malcolmlane-ley2044]

You may well enthuse about something you view as a quaint classic, my HLS (A194 BRB), which hopefully for mankind has been scrapped was 2 years of sheer misery from the day I got it new in 1993 to the day I gave it back. Leaking windscreen, carpets that had been cut too small, creaking dashboard, trim falling off etc etc. The only positive thing I can say about it is that despite me deliberately running it on low oil and red-lining it from Nottingham to Sheffield every day the worst I could do to it was blow a valve.

[@tommytippee2437]

I can see the Range Rover P38 in the lines of this car. We had an MG version and it was a tough and reliable car.

[@johndrake2729]

Now that I think about it, you're right.

[@tommytippee2437]

@@johndrake2729 Nice ole cars.

[@Carl_Thompson]

Thanks for posting this . My second ever car (age 18) back in 1989 was a Y reg 1.6 HLS Maestro. The dashboard rattled, the Chain cam belt rattled and the interior was brown and tan. But I loved it never the less and drove it for 3 fun years. Happy memories

[@mikeclifton7778]

I had three Maestros; the first was a urgently bought 1.3L on a Y plate (my then current Horizon went severely crunchy underneath over the course of a year) so a very early example, roughly 37 miles of window-sealing self adhesive foam got the dash quiet! The in laws turned up one evening with a July 87 1.6L which was a world away in terms of just about everything, it even had a sunroof and was a very early example of the two colour paint, in this case red over grey. Later when I needed a second car to run back and forward to work I had a 2.0D Clubman which was surprisingly nippy and good fun, only moved on when I got a company car. If I had garaging room I'd love a Ledbury or a very late diesel...

[@davidgibson4840]

Dad had one and yes it did 97.. later had an mg with the talking computer. The 2.0 turbo was rapid

[@rydermike33]

Great review of an excellent example. Thank you. That wonderful A series engine once again.

[@Banom7a]

and Maestro platform still lives on as an Audi clone in China (Yema F16)

[@giuliopedrali116]

Still lives no, in recent times yes.

[@trevorlack1726]

I remember seeing the Van den Plass ( correct pronunciation) on Tomorrows World. There was a Austin Rover dealerhip opposite my local cinema. And after we saw Return of The Jedi we ventured into the garage to see this amazing car m

[@philipdodd2836]

My mate's dad had the 1.6 HLS back in 1984. Metallic red with a very beigy / brown interior. Lots of creaks etc. And the cigarette lighter position WAS standard fit in that rather odd location.

[@rogerlee6599]

I learnt to drive in a Maestro 1•3L A247 BNJ in light blue metallic paint of Barry Waite ( Ex-Kent Constabulary ) Driving School, around my hometown of East Grinstead, West Sussex & the Crawley Area where I passed my Driving Test, in the late 1984 - mid-1985 period of time !

[@petergibbs]

A blast from the past for me. Same colour and trim as the one I had for many a year, except mine had a 2lt engine (I think when you checked the specs it was more 1.9, but whose counting). Never notice it having heave steering, but then most cars then did not have power steering in those days. Have to say I loved mine. Had it until a front shock went through it's top mounting point. The RAC man who took us home said it was a common fault on Maestro of that age and advised me to repair and sell as things seemed to start going wrong in them for no reason after this point. I did and kind of regretted it. It was a nice car to use daily, never let me down until it had it's shock moment. Never had any rattles that I remember. I was a ford man before having it. The Escort felt more solid to sit in, but having used both daily, if you pulled up outside my home with both and said you can have one of them - I would take the Maestro any day. Thanks for taking me back in time.

[@paultaylor7082]

Love the Hub Nut sticker at the rear quarter light, Ian Seabrook will be pleased. The 1.6 ohc engine was the better bet for a Maestro, the car's interior is in great condition. I've gone even further back than the 80s for my classic car, a 1968 F Reg Morris Minor Traveller, which has an 1098 A series engine.

[@paulbingham8921]

god that takes me back mine was a complete blue interior i hated it so removed all the door cards completely removed the dashboard and painted all plastics in gray looked fantastic when done

[@jaggass]

Styling wise you can see the influences it had on the mk3 Vauxhall Astra.

[@TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels]

My dad's boss had an early (A-reg) Vanden Plas, complete with talking dashboard. Seemed quite luxurious when dad took us down to Brighton in it at the time. His boss kept it forever.

[@EinkOLED]

Did someone leave their baby in the back of that car when new and forgot about him?

[@MiniFR12]

The Maestro was the first car I was ever in, being delivered home from hospital in it. Was a (formerly silver) black MG 2.0, and it was ours for another year until it got stolen.

[@shaneweightman]

A girl I used to see 30 yrs ago had one of these , lime green ,, nwd was the start of the reg number ,, cheers Shane uk 🇬🇧

[@petermarshall3880]

My first car was a Yreg 1.6 Vanden Plas. It was ten years old when i got it and surprisingly rust free. Unfortunately the talking dash board didn't work, but all the digital bits did. And the cigarette lighter was in the same place!

[@paulpaul9914]

Owned a silver 1.6L Maestro for a few years, loved it.

[@hughmnyks]

Nice presentation there! I remember all the write-ups in Autocar from back in the day and wasn’t at all disappointed when I borrowed my old man’s B-reg 1.6 and did nearly 1000 miles in it. Timeless design IMHO. The output in bhp and lb/ft torque is almost the same as a Toyota Aygo 1.0, almost identical kerb weight and 14 secs 0-60.

[@williamhumberhawk8187]

Good cars. I had three Austin Maxi 1750's for about 15 years. I loved them and appreciated their features and roominess. And reliability that I found in them even when they were quite old and had already been well used when I acquired each of them. I sold my last one after I inherited my fathers 1961 Humber Hawk Series II that is a project car at the moment. I regretted selling the Maxi afterwards but I got a fair amount for it and covered the cost of a new tailored carpet set for the Hawk

[@stuyates76]

Had an MG Maestro Turbo back in the early nineties. Went like a bat out of hell. Everything else was bang average though.

[@poppaleggansquat3640]

The torque steer was wild at anythjng jver 70 though

[@alecbrown66]

If you think back to when this car was about -- i hired this age and model for weekends and long trips and loved it -- and compare its competition-- the mk 2 astra, mk 5 escort-- this car had more internal space, better fold down seats, better vents and heating and much better passenger space and comfort than the rest. And by 1988 it had the honda 1.3 engine, 5 speed box, sorted the steering wheel. Then power steering, decent brakes and much more lux seats! By the end it was a damn good quality, cheap from new, high spec car ( typical river getting it right at the end). The reason it did badly was the relationship with the montego, dusasterous car journo launch day with breakdowns. Bulgaria are still building the maestro and maestro vans, with sourcing all the kits, and presses. And they love both as comfy cheap reliable and easy maintenence. And they sell tons of them. What killed it was badge snobbery, top gear taking the hell out of it, and its terrible link to austin, british leyland, bl, strikes etc. Even changing to rover couldnt break that. Its sad, a decent basic 5 door tardis car with good facts and specs. Killed by unfounded reputation and the mabufacturers history.

[@hunchanchoc8418]

Are you sure about the Honda 1.3 engine? It's news to me...

[@jimmy1395]

Bulgaria stopped producing the Maestro since 1996 and for less than a year only 2000 units were built. Thanks to our greedy Bulgarian government Rover lost so much money into the manufacturing plant in Varna.

[@davidbatley9386]

In 1985 the company i worked for ran half dozen of the 1.6L in red with brown interiors the bumpers were a joke every single car in the fleet had at least two bumpers replaced the supplying dealer Clemo Motors Cleckheaton stopped replacing the parcel shelves on my car after the forth one they used to crack when you closed the tailgate, and as for handling anyone driving in the 1980s in Bradford the level crossing on Bowling Back Lane could be jumped on the way up with ease but on the way down i lost all wheel trims told the boss they'd been nicked happy days.

[@konradc12]

I had a 84/85 Vanden Plas which had the first gen dashboard and electronic instruments, but the later 1.6 S series engine. Very easy car to fix, and had to chsnge the corroded steel sunroof panel (same colour), and the rotten talegate. Cam belt and water pump was easy to change, but later the tensioner failed on the motorway. Got new tensioner and retimed the engine and all was fine. The S engine is a non interference engine. The computer kind of worked. The speed sensor on the gearbox failed intermittently, so would show 0 occasionally. Another simple fix. The S engine had a lot of torque, but you had to watch the oil level of the SU carburettor damper or it pinked. I got a repair kit and replaced the internals. Performance improved and less topping up of the damper. Other repairs - inlet manifold due to broken coolant pipe, exhaust rear box and pipe, leaking front strut, glued headlining, and replaced broken headlight glass and wing after sister in law hit something. Never got round to fixing erratic heater.

[@TomBartram-b1c]

The more powerful Maestros had a quality the competition lacked. They were properly scary. I nearly shat myself every time I was a passenger in my mate's 2.0 MG. He just laughed.

[@ronmccullock1407]

The plastic bumpers craked in cold weather

[@keithe8449]

I had two maestro's A 1985 Vanden Plas 1,6 auto And a MG 2.0 L 1990 They had their issues but I took them both to 130,000 miles plus. Rust in the bottom of the front doors and rear wheel arches were a problem. I used a lot of body filler and paint

[@peter7624]

Thanks for the great review. I had a 1.6 Maestro in the late 90s and it was a competent car once I'd sorted a problem with the front suspension (can't remember the details now). They had a strange arangement with the clutch IIRC where the drive was taken from the flywheel instead of the driven plate. It seemed to work alright though. The 1.6 engine was the later OHC motor and it performed quite well. A good all round car and made in Britain by a British company, sadly now history.

[@MsBananasmel]

We had a Maestro van in the mid nineties. It was fab. We also had an MG Montego for a while. Great car.

[@2006travers]

I had a B reg 1.3L van .Best van ever ,lots of low down torq and bags of room in the back.

[@neilwakeford]

Good review, just one point you were talking so quickly at first, but settled down as time went on. I’m sure this is nerves and as time goes on you will get on top of this. Good luck with everything.

[@mariopizzamanmario8563]

It makes a different sound from an Mini, because the engine is the other way round. This one has the carb on the front. Did you notice? No more transfer gears!

[@alltransman5033]

Hi, interesting video, my dad had the maestro 1. 6 auto bought from a main dealer in amersham bucks in that dark orangey brown colour, I believe the gearbox was a 3 speed vw, had a Web asto sun roof, as I remember it, it was a nice family car, flogged it to an elderly lady, think she was quite pleased with it

[@mattw8332]

My parents had an MG 1600 in silver (ERW 333Y), red seat belts, digital dashboard and a voice synthesiser. It was traded in for a Vauxhall Carlton 2.2i CD (D638 FEX) that I preferred over the MG.

[@furiousdriving]

to be fair the Carlton was a really classy and well made car

[@shaneweightman]

The mg 2ltr Efi was a nippy motor , for what it was , and the turbo

[@nitrosilvia]

Wow, ive never seen such an early maestro. Also never seen a pale blue interior like that. Such a cool car

[@thistimeimhere]

A 2000 X registration ladbury maestro is for sale on car and classic at the moment. Looks in great condition with a new dash and headlining recently.

[@matthewgodwin3050]

I remember seeing one of these for the first time in 1983. I was 3 years old and it was on a television news item with then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher driving it along Downing Street. I just about remember her saying something along the lines of "It's a very good car and I hope people really buy them. It helps to buy British right now". Good old Maggie. I also remember in the late 90s when a work colleague bought a really quite decent one for £50. It had a bunch of miles on it, and it had been through a string of owners, but it got him reliably to and from work for several years. They were worthless back then, but a decent buy if you just wanted simple and reliable transport for not a lot of money. If you weren't concerned about image, the Maestro was a really good family workhorse.

[@robertristinge4385]

Maybe we need The Ironlady back :o)

[@nkt1]

Robert Ristinge Why? There’s hardly anything left to sell off.

[@thedeadstig123]

The best version to buy is the Ledbury maestro, these were made from kits from 1998 to 2003, they were properly rust proofed and pretty much all hand built they used the later 1.3 A series plus which was made for unleaded fuel with the 5 speed gearbox, they also use the later 14 inch wheels and a tougher spring set up So you've got a very late meastro that is better on the motorway, can use unleaded and is far less likely to be a rust bucket than a Austin/rover built car

[@andrewcawood1364]

My first Maestro was exactly the same as this one.The second Maestro was the 1.3HL and i finished off with a Maestro diesel turbo.The Rover 200 & 25 i owned afterwards never had the same fondness i had for the Maestro's.

[@tz6414]

Looks better today. Amazing condition

[@raymondnewton2388]

Traded my 2.6 SD1 for a Maestro in the mid eighties took it to the Netherlands for a week where during a storm the drivers foot well became sodden. Back in the UK it developed a distaste for starting ,a problem which was rectified by the purchase of a Nissan Bluebird.

[@michaelloach9461]

I liked it when it first came out & I still like it now. Its got a chunky, stocky look & its got a bigger boot than todays VW golf!

[@shifty2755]

My dad had the 1.3 A reg in brown. The car was bomb proof..

[@user-blaster_2012]

In 1996, i bought a B reg MG Maestro 2.0 EFI. It was the fastest car i've ever owned. I clocked 137mph (very naughty) on the M40 just outside Oxford. Almost twice the legal limit. Apparently the turbo version was the most stolen car in Britain at the time, because of it's understated looks and insane speed - the ultimate getaway car. Later i bought an immaculate red A reg 1300 base model. Still a good car, but zero exitement : (

[@arrangrant4614]

My older brother had a 1.6 special maestro as his first company car working for an insurance company would have been around 1990.It was white with purple “special” graphics down the sides and on the back I believe this was run out model.

[@scottesplin4426]

My first car was a red K reg 2.0 diesel Rover Maestro Clubman D - no turbo, 0-60 in forever.

[@malcomcrawley9819]

Had one from 84 to 93, great car

[@perkin2000]

Spent a lot of time in one of those in the early '90s. Always have a soft spot for them. A fella once told me that the MG variant Maestro was superb fun.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Were you on the cast of scrapheap challenge?

[@perkin2000]

@@rimmersbryggeri Nope. Used to watch it though.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

@@perkin2000 Maestros Montegos and Novas were a staple of that show that's why I asked. I guess becasue the carbs made them dead easy to convert to other applications. And because alot of them were scrapped in that era.

[@petergouldbourn2312]

My dad had a maestro in the 80s in the same colour scheme but with the 1.6 engine. In many ways I suspect the 1.3 was the better bet as dads car seemed to struggle on the A and B roads and required thrashing to maintain decent progress. Nevertheless I loved that car. Pete 🇬🇧

[@grayfool]

The A series is the absolute classic engine for the UK. A well looked after unit is a great little lump. Easily tuneable too. Love the the little beast.

[@bikerguychris33]

The A series engine sounds Amazing, it sounds a little different in the Maestro, as it doesn't have its distinctive whine like in the Metro and Mini, due to an end on gearbox being used instead of the in sump one. I wonder how many A+ and A series engines have been modified to run on modern fuel without the need for fuel additives?

[@deviantrider9309]

That thing is mint the dog legs used too start rotting out on them in the first 3 years, Remember my nan's youngest brother having one of these when they first launched & thinking as a child how modern they looked compared to my dad & grandad's mk5 cortina's, He went on to montego's when they launched as he was lucky enough to get a brand new car every year with his job

[@2490debrick]

I wish they'd remake cars now at the very basic levels like this again! I need to get from a to b, a radio and air con is all I require!

[@furiousdriving]

there's always Dacia

[@kevinsmith6269]

Really enjoy your reviews of the everyday cars I grew up with :) The Maestro was a really good, simple car especially the diesel. The diesels just covered huge mileages with little that went wrong (until rust caught up with them anyway) Great channel Matt :) Just one point, millions of people do still smoke cigarettes including me although I wish I could quit and hopefully will one day. Would never smoke in my car though as I hate the smell of stale smoke. Thanks again for a great channel!

[@baronvonjo1929]

Even though it's so small by my American standards the interior looks so open and free.