1k: Legendorky: 1989 Sterling 827
From 1987 through 1991 ARCONA (Austin Rover Cars Of North America) imported a rebadged version of the Rover 800 series as the Sterling 825/827 for the US market. Under the skin are the bones of an Acura
Legend and the Sterling used Honda V6 engine mated to the front wheels. You hardly ever see a Sterling on the road anymore and probably mistake it for an Acura if you don’t notice the badge, but they sold about 36,000 of the sedans in 6 years of production. Find this 1989 Sterling 827 for $950 in Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
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The Sterling 827 is powered by a 2.7 liter Acura V6 that puts out 177
horsepower into the front wheels via a 4-speed automatic transmission.
The US market Sterlings were built at a Honda factory in Japan, so you might be pleasantly surprised at the build quality of a vehicle associated with 1990s British Leyland. Many mechanical parts (engine,
trans, steering, suspension) are shared with the Acura Legend, but the
body and most interior parts are all Sterling specific – so try
and find one that isn’t missing any trim parts.
See another cheap Britanese classic? tips@dailyturismo.com
Yeah seller, that's a way to write a car ad. I would imagine the only interesting parts of this car would be interior appointments, and no pics of that.
Chebby
I don't believe the U.S. Sterlings were built at the Honda factory in Japan. I believe they were built on the same British production line as the Rover versions sold outside North America.
Wikipedia summarizes it nicely: "Early build quality of the 800 was demonstrably poor as measured by J.D. Power. The various problems included issues with interior trim, problematic Lucas electronics, and paintwork. Corrosion problems in early models would also mar its reputation. All of this contributed to the eventual demise of Rover in the United States. The Sterling fell to the bottom of J.D. Power surveys, while ironically its twin, the Japanese-built Acura Legend, had enjoyed top rankings its first year."
John V — you might be correct, I thought I read somewhere that the US bound Rover's were built in Japan, but perhaps I misunderstood. The Acura Legend cars headed for the USA were built in Japan…so perhaps that is where I got confused.
-Vince DT E-i-C
If you want this car offer him $10 over scrap value, he'll take it.
Find out what his local metal recycler is offering for 3000lb of mixed scrap, add $10, that's your sale price.
Saves him the trouble of getting it to the scrapper.
So much pa·nache for $950
Thanks for this post as I really loved that Acura Legend back in the day. Always wanted a 2dr coupe. Didn't know the Sterling had the Acura bones. I would want the manual trans…like these two: humboldt.craigslist.org/cto/4687539110.html reno.craigslist.org/ctd/4677446862.html Jon
Confusion reigns. The original Acura/Honda Legend and Rover 800 series were developed jointly by Rover and Japanese partner Honda. Each built their own versions AND Rover built Honda Legends for the UK and European markets (these were checked after Rover build by a Honda facility at Swindon before they went to Honda dealers) while Honda built 800s in Japan for that (RHD) market – which is why a number ended up in New Zealand, which imports used cars from Japan, alongside British cars sold there new. NAFTA market Sterlings were all made at Rover's large car plant at Cowley.
I believe every word you've said is accurate but my point still stands: absent someone who's really, really desperate for Sterling parts, this car is worth a few bucks over scrap value.
Figures that it takes a guy named "Graeme" to have the final answer on an English car!