My Dad had a Maestro in sky blue, and have many fond memories driving around…the dashboard looked almost space age as a young kid…we had it from 1986 to about 1993… 30,000 mileage on an Austin Maestro, that’s insanely low mileage….
We never got Austin or Rover here in America. When I was in London I enjoyed looking at the cars almost as much as Buckingham Palace. Thanks for your British centric reviews.
As a Brit I always feel the cars you see in London are not representative of elsewhere. Mainly, because "normal people" avoid driving through central London and if you live centrally, you're not likely to have a car due to lack of parking and the tubes and trains being more than sufficient. A visitor could think we are all about black cabs, whereas even most taxis are normal car models outside of London.
Had same colour & interior I bought it new , a beige maestro 1.3 L 5 speed in 1983 👍 ( can smell the new maestro car aroma now 🥳) Main dealer offered it unbelievable discount part of a deal when I also bought a new freight rover Sherpa 350 twin wheel van at same time. drove the maestro all over Europe ( sports competitions with the British team) it never let us down 170k miles it always was good for 40-50 mpg hard driving Very stable at over 100 mph on the German autobahns🫣 Great little car 🇬🇧👍
My nan used to have one of these when I was a kid, I've got fond memories of her taking me and my brother out in it, when she used to look after us. Driving us out for the day for a picnic etc. Great memories. My nan's maestro was exactly the same as this one.....same coloured interior, and same fabric seats. It's like stepping back in time.
My Dad bought one of these around ´86. It was the first time he had ever bought a car brand new after owning several cars prior to this second hand. He loved it. I also drove it a bit as I’d passed my test by this time. I’d never driven a car so new before. I was blown away. The instruments seemed so modern. Your video has really brought all this back. The brown plastic on the dash; the warning light cluster; the clock; the general feeling of beigeness. A few years later my younger sister drove it into a tree when she was on a driving lesson. Game over. 😮Thanks for the memories! 😊
yes it was ok when launched i remember the mk 3 and 4 Ford Escorts being rubbish at the time , and the Mk1 Astra was nicer than the Mk2 , the Golf Mk1 was really cool after that they got boring the Meastro could have been a sucess but it wasnt
Thanks so much for making this video and thumbs up to the proud owner. Great to see these lovely old cars being both preserved and also used as they were intended.
Brilliant video!! My dad passed his driving test in one of these back in the day. Our family always had BL/Rover up until the mid-2000's. With regards to the "flimsy" key design, I was always told it was so the key blade wouldn't dig into your leg when your keys were in your pocket. Maybe a bit of a tall tale but it would make sense.
Love British Leyland cars . I've never understood why they changed the bumpers from plastic molded to metal in the last few years of production of the maestro though? , To me it it was like going backwards with design , the reason why the maestro, and montego stood out at the start was because of the body coloured bumpers on all spec cars.
A much underrated car. My best mate bought a tidy red G plate 1.3 long mot, 150 pounds. I was really impressed by its ride, quietness, and surprisingly lively engine, I could imagine an immaculate one would be a great daily use classic
Had two. A brown 1.3 base model which had metal bumpers and little else. My Dad and I spent most sundays at scrapyards trying to find parts to make it a better spec. Not even fancy stuff, but things like glovebox lid, clock, passenger mirror, parcel shelf, rear seatbelts. Was a reasonable car, had the same brown interior, but much more basic seats and door handles. Then had a 1.6 HLS in gold. Magic car, did me five years with little going wrong. They rusted less than most of the competition and their dowdy reputation is very undeserved. I really liked mine. Fitted a digital dash to the HLS from a VDP. Saw one at a show recently. Always nice to see cars that were once everywhere and now rare and so much more interesting than seeing rows and rows of same cars at a show. Great visibility from inside, comfortable and did everything they needed to. Great video, as always, but so pleased to see a Maestro being reviewed. Incidentally I've owned and driven some high performance and rare classics but I still have fond memories of my Maestros, particularly the HLS. Nice vid Steph, love it.
My grandad had an A-reg HL in a weird metallic red that looked like rust! Such a maligned and ridiculed car. I love them and its joyous to see such an old one on the roads. Great video as always Steph 👌🏼😎
I went to a dealer launch on these cars. I liked what I saw, you have to remember what cars were available back then, and this car was a quite advanced car when launched. Yes, it had the A plus engine, but it was actually ok in period, I drove many and worked on them for a living. The VP was a lovely place to be 😀
Thanks for this, Steph! Really enjoyed this review of this incredibly early Maestro in a fantastic colour. My grandfather had about five Maestros in a row, so these are very nostalgic for me indeed...
Steph you lovely lady. You never put any thing down and big up it's good bits. Most vehicles get to be poor when compared to much more modern vehicles and or they lack maintenance or have had poor maintenance.
Great vid thank you. Worked for an Austin Rover dealer and was at the launch of the Meastro in 1983. The econometre should be on green until the engine is revved then amber then red at rest green there might be a problem with this gauge. The keys were deliberately made bendy so when you put them in your pocket they bent rather than hole your pockets. Not kidding ! As I seem to remember they whent on to build a 5 speed HLE. However the 4 speed HLE according to Austin Rover could manage 60 .5 Mpg at 56mph.Not too shabby. I am an a BL Geek myself and love the Meastro and owned a 1.3 HL it had 125,000 when I sold it. Moved house in it twice great car. Ps sounds like there may be a wheel baiting going on that one. Thank you for a great video your enthusiasm is amazing.😁
Your right it has noisy wheel bearings, fitted loads in the 80s never lasted long, same on Montego cheapo bearings to small for the size of the car . penny pinching bl .
Everyone has said about this wheel bearing 😂😂😂😂😂😂. It’s the noise from filming. My camera girl on this job is a mechanic and she didn’t note any concerns.
My late Uncle bought one of these brand new D reg.....let me drive it, felt so honoured at the time....very comfortable car....this one looks immaculate!...great video.
Yes I remember the Austin Maestro, had one as a company fleet car in the 80s. The Maestro was a lovely car to drive, with plenty of room inside and very good all round visibility. Completely forgot about the Leycare Super Cover card, until you pointed it out in the video. The flat passenger side dashboard was really nice, why can't they make modern car dashboards like that. Thanks for the review on this great British 80s classic car, and thanks for the memories!
I had a 1.3 Maestro as a young driver. I swapped the seats out, stuck Rover badges on it and because it was a Bulgarian version it was dirt cheap. 200 quid in fact. I liked it a lot and it remains the only properly British car I've ever had.
My parents owned a silver MG 1600 (ERW 333Y) between 1988 and 1993. It had red seat belts, red pinstriping, digital dashboard and a voice synthesiser. On hot days the instrument panel would go blank and once I snapped off a door handle. Fortunately it was outside a Unipart shop. 😅 The grey interior plastics went pale green because my parents smoked a lot. I think my lungs have just about recovered.
Great discussion Steph of the fact that owners clubs are an important factor when choosing a classic car. Some car brands have got good communities around them, some haven't. It's about drawing on a body of shared knowledge about maintaining the cars and sourcing parts, but it's also social if it's good people.
Back in August 2015 when I collected my Volvo 340, I got quite a few looks. Just driving to the DIY store, someone in an Octavia estate had to stop to take a look. Can't wait to get my Astra on the road.
I owned two 1.3 & one 2.0 Turbo diesel Maestro.They were all very reliable and a joy to drive.They did take some unfair reviews which it did not think was fair.
A great video Steph and what a lovely car. I remember the maestro as being a good old bus as it was reliable and roomy and you could get all sorts in that hatch,,,,yes they were a good car and didnt deserve some of the bad press they got. I wouldnt mind having one to keep my sierra company lol.
I love your videos Steph as you dont talk any crap and give justice to some very at one time popular cars, i used to call the maestro as a good old bus as it did what you wanted it for. Old cars are underestimated as im still useing my ford sierra sapphire of 91 vintage and love it and being a fellow northern soul lover you keep the faith :)
I know this is an old vid, but just wanted to add that as an 8 year old in 1988 I vividly remember being sat in the back seat of my mum’s brand new Maestro HL in that lovely light blue the later ones came in as she drove it off the forecourt of Lex Maidenhead. It was a 3 month old demonstrator. By then the upper spec Maestros at least had a passenger wing mirror! I recall it was totally reliable and was good for the school run everyday. My mum eventually got bored of being in a Mum’s Taxi and traded it in for a brand new Mazda MX6 In 1993!!
I used a Vanden plas model of maestro often back in the day , gorgeous leather trim and I remember clearly the car had a voice of its own .. You’d hear ( petrol is running low , your door is a jar etc etc ) fabulous car and yet again another fab review.
Thanks for taking me around Yorkshire. BL built Leyand P76 in Oz, circa 71, it was bagged and rubbished by Australians, I can assure you this is a classic the V8 is magic very comfortable fabulous over long distances handled brilliantly due to power weight ratio. . Best car ever built here. Such a threat to Holden and ford out of date bangers it upset every one because it was British when there was lots of anti British sentiment here. Now they are worth a fortune.
I Believe this is the Sister Car of the Montego -Love Montegos had 5 Saloons Back in the 80s/90s Its Nice to See a Maestro Still Going , Thanks For Sharing This Video...
Takes me back.... Mind you, I had windscreen leaks from day one. A dead ECU a little later. Then the gearbox linkage fell off... Good old BL. NO WONDER YOU DIED OUT !
I owned one and had nothing but great memories. I traveled all over the UK in my fishing pursuits, it never let me down once. I did all my own servicing, it was so simple to work on. Yet at the time a lot of people slated them calling them an old mans car, and i could understand that to a point. But you could pick them up second hand, in excellent condition for a very good price, and if you just wanted a no nonsense A to B car at a good price and cheap running costs it was excellent . This is something the top gear brigade and motoring press dont understand, you see many people are not all really into cars, they are not bothered if they fly round a test track a second quicker than another car, and not everybody has unlimited money, so hence just buy a car as a means of transport
the molds were sold to India where they still make the Montego and Maestro saloon and van brand new, they also build a luxury version by mating a montego front end with a maestro body.,both the montego and maestro were good till the ecu went and one couldnt start the car.
Went from a EFI 2.0l straight to a 1.3, and I loved the 1.3, great in the snow and ice, looked very similar to this one, but sadly on the way to work one morning I broke the gearbox casing, and then found out it was from the VW Polo, which was very expensive at the time. I went on to have two 1.6 autos that I loved, the last one was finished by a rear end shunt that I thought was nothing but the boot never opened again and the pan was distorted, so it failed on it's MOT, superb comfortable car. Great review.
Hi Stephanie, I just love your videos, you're a great classic car enthusiast/reviewer! I love the Mastro too! If you and your husband ever come to visit Porto (Portugal) I offer you my classic car for a review, I would be honoured... I am the proud owner of a small and quirky Italian gem: a fiat 126 from 1977 - 600cc, 23HP and air cooled rear engine... just like a Porsche LOL Greetings from Portugal. José
Never owned a Maestro, but I always wanted a British racing green MG. When I was at college in the early eighties my mate's dad there was involved in the computer voice at the time. Great vid.
Being honest I wasn't a fan of the looks at the time these were common. My driving instructor had one and it surprised me with it how easy it was to drive. I passed my test in it, so the Maestro has a special place in my heart. Great video
Same here. The fuel transducer was a hard part to find even 20 years ago. It didnt measure consumption very accurately but the rest of the digital dash was great.
Martin North Yeah. I managed to find one back in the day. Easy to fit. Only three wires I think? But yeah. Didn’t work properly. The figures were miles out.
I owned the closely related Montego 1.6 estate back in the mid 90s and absolutely loved it. My brother had an MG Montego Turbo around that time. It was a beast! :)
80"s cars aren't really my thing but this low mileage example is so clean! And it's in the hands of someone who obviously really enjoys owning it. I can appreciate it for those reasons. Thanks for the ride Steph and Scarlett.
Hi Steph, I agree the econometer (basically a vacuum gauge) doesn't seem to function as it should. The orange and red bars should radiate out from the green centre. HL stood for "High Line", but not sure about HLS (High line special maybe?) and HLE (High line Economy). The famous bendy key was, I think done more for cost saving production removing the need to injection mould the plastic around the metal key. Instead, the key blades were inserted in a plastic carrier that was fastened to the key handle using roll pins and when new were very stiff. Excellent video Steph and wonderful choice of car too. I have a 1989 Maestro 1.6 SL which is quite rare. I love your videos and your presentation style and have been a subscriber since the TR7 video (I've got one of those, too...)
What a brilliant review by a very enthusiastic test driver , i had two maestros a c reg vanden plas and a g plate MG both brilliant reliable cars that were faster than people thought believe it or not i beat a XR3 away from the lights in the vanden plas which surprised the ford driver as much as me
Very interesting channel! I learned to drive in in the late 70s in my Dad's 1969 Hillman Minx (Hunter shape) and a driving school Fiat 124. My first car was a 1971 Austin 1300 (well, 2 actually that my Uncle - a village garage owner - made into one, using the well-preserved body of one that had shot mechanicals and the running gear of the terminally-rusty second). From there I bought my cousin's Maxi (1976 I think) then a Mini City (in Applejack Green - a horribly lurid colour) and after that, a Metro. (Around that time I borrowed a friend's MG Metro Turbo for a long weekend away - blimey that thing was quick in the early 80s!). Then it was the Maestro - a base model in red - in the Summer of 1982. My first new car and I was very proud of her. Sadly, I wrote her off after 9 months and that was the end of my relationship with BL/BMC/Austin/Rover - though I did drive a couple of Montegos as hire cars around the same time. A few years ago I dabbled in "modern classics" owning a (brilliant) 1996 MX-5 Mk1 (in poverty UK spec) and absolutely loved it and would like to give that world another go when I retire shortly. Maybe it could be a 1300 again, or even a Maestro - we'll see. Anyway, Steph, keep up the good work. Colin.
I learned to drive in my sister's MG Maestro 1.6, and my first car was a 1.3, so I'll always have a soft spot for them. Had an MG 2.0EFi for a while about ten years ago and I still maintain it was one of the best 'hot hatches' I've had, although sadly it was basically a roughly car-shaped collection of rust particles held together with paint by the time I let it go.
The austin rover key were designed to snap off the fob before you snapped the keys blade! And if you did brake the fob you could still remove the key from the lock
I had a 1972 mk1 Ford Escort back in the day. Now you could open that and start it with a 25 thou feeler gauge but it was my first car at 17 and i loved it.
Many thanks for another great review Steph. Scarlett has a terrific example of a Maestro there. I love those original touches like the service card and the 'Econometer' Just wonderful.
Great video Steph, there’s a guy who takes his Maestro to the garage I work at once a year for MOT, it’s a 1994 2.0 Turbo Diesel, he reckons it’s one of only 5 turbo diesels left on the road and the only Maestro Left in that particular colour, I was having a chat with him and he said checked on how many left, he added the trim levels together and reckons there’s 227 of all Maestros left, I was asked to pull the Maestro on the MOT ramp, although I only drove it a few yards it felt so awesome. This isn’t my only fond Maestro memory. Back in 2013 I went on holiday to menorca and the first vehicle I saw on the road after getting out the Airport was a Maestro still on British plates, I must admit the cars are growing on me, I never used to be a fan but now I think there great, along with Marinas and Maxis it’s such a shame there’s so few left.
The 2.0 litre Perkins diesels were phenomenal. They were so grunty. My dad had one that he eventually sold to one of my pals. I'd have bought it myself, but I already had one.
I love your down to earth approach to the cars - who else would say 'glorious beige Maestro' or enthuse over a brown and beige interior? However, that is an amazing survivor and it's good that people now appreciate a car that was underrated and ignored for years.
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What a cracking review of a lovely old motor! I hope Scarlett's still enjoying every second of ownership of this quirky motor. I miss my old maestro 1.6... which had an M16 from an 820Si fitted and also a fully retrofitted digital dash but I'm the later type dashboard. F38SNR I still miss you! I also got part way into converting my mum's old VDP (headed for the scrap yard until I took it on) and got well into converting it across to Volvo T5 power. D849OJN. If you google Volvo T5 Maestro there are pictures of the car with the engine and gearbox temporarily fitted. Due to a very dark and crappy time of life I gave the car away on the proviso it got finished... the guy stripped all the nice stuff out and sold all the parts on after claiming it got vandalised in his lock up by kids 😏 The daft choices depression and self loathing make you take, I wish I'd have just mothballed the project until I was better!
Steph I love watching your reviews, your presentation is knowledgeable and enthusiastic, plus you have great style! I hope it leads to bigger and better things for you in the future. And if you ever want to review my Maestro Vanden Plas with the digital talking dash in the future you are more than welcome!
Never owned a mk1, but owned around six Maestro's. 2.0l Turbo diesel could be quick once the turbo spooled up but no power steering so was terrible around town. Also owned a 2001 Y-reg Ledbury but that was terribly made if I'm honest. My fav was a 1989 1.3 L lovely engine and body colour bumpers with rust everywhere, but none that was structural. ran and ran that one and seems so quick! Great video :D
Wow! A bit of sentimental nostalgia for me this. Grandad used to have a 1988 Maestro and we used to ride in it a lot when I was growing up during the late 80s and 1990s. Grandad's car had the different dashboard design, shared with the Montego. Great car and as always, great review. Thanks.
the dash was much improved in later cars. I also remember periodically drying out the rear light clusters and cleaning the boot button as the would get very dirty.
Well done Steph, another good ‘un !. I drove many Maestros for work purposes in late 80’s and nineties. The 1.3 was the better one more economical, rather than the 1.6. I never got to drive the MG one though....2.0 very fast at the time especially the Turbo version. I seem to remember the gear change mechanism did give trouble, it was an early version of two mechanical cables connected to the gear stick. But I expect someone with better knowledge of this will put me right !.....
The White HLE. The car in which I learned how to drive The car of my parents and brother who later had the MG with double webers. Soft spot for the Maestro. Nb. We did have a passenger side mirror on our Dutch HLE and brown cloth(same as on the seats) on the door panels.
Another great vid,,, I saw one of these at Thakkers car dealership Watford pre release it was down in the basement and not ready for release,,the owner went on to sell Mercedes and later Harley Davidson,,, the proprietor had a purple metal flake Chevy Impala with Stars n Stripes on the bonnet,,,gosh that was 1983,,,Good old days,,,,when he showed us the talk facility we said it would never catch on,,,,Thanx for a great vid,,,have a great week,
Steph, you are certainly getting some amazing BL cars to review at the moment and Scarlet should be very proud of 'Molly'. It looks like the Econometer needs a bit of attention as it should show just the single green centre LED at idle then gradually fan out from the centre as you rev it. The 'strakes' on the tailgate were unique to just the HLE as far as I can remember. The keys were odd the way they flexed, but they were designed that way so as to fold out of the way in the event of an accident to protect the driver. I always wanted one of the original 1.6 Weber carburettor MG Maestros, but alas I never managed to own one. Keep up the amazing review and passion Steph ❤️
Spot on with the Econometer. Green when idling but there are two Amber lights either side then a red at each end. As a 4 year old boy I was transfixed but it annoyed my parents so the little button turned it off...
Look at a Mark3 Astra,its just a rounded Maestro.Scrappage schemes took a lot of old cars off the road that could have been saved.But then cars are disposable now....The Maestro looks cool now even love that colour....Great to see it.
Top vlog as ever Steph! Thanks for the explanation of the spec levels. Please tell if I’m wrong, but I think the base spec Metros had the fog light built into the rear bumper, but without a bulb and no wiring!
What a very nice looking car. However is that wheel bearing drone I hear or as the car is being driven is it just way the video turned out. Any news on your Morris Minor
Radio is a philips rebranded for austin rover... will have that on the sticker, same one early renault 5's had before the philips AN232 became standard in base level cars where you had to shell out between £80 to £150 extra for a stereo cassette with fm radio
My first quickish car was a read 1985 Maestro EFi, it was a brilliant car, way better than the XR3i my mate had, it got written of a by cavalier running a red light 😪
Wasn't the HLE an economy model - i.e. 3 speed + high top 4th gear? That may mean that the passenger mirror was left off to cause less drag to get as low a drag figure ( very important in the 80's ) and better mpg?
My Dad had a Maestro in sky blue, and have many fond memories driving around…the dashboard looked almost space age as a young kid…we had it from 1986 to about 1993…
30,000 mileage on an Austin Maestro, that’s insanely low mileage….
My childhood was defined by these cars. I'm so glad that there are people our there keeping them alive.
Oh absolutely can’t fault BL 🙌
There's a lot of maestro's in devon & cornwall, seems to be a hotspot for them down there last time I visited that neck of the woods.
We never got Austin or Rover here in America. When I was in London I enjoyed looking at the cars almost as much as Buckingham Palace.
Thanks for your British centric reviews.
We did get them--it may have been before your time.
@@SeattleSoulFan The P6 and the SD1 were here.
You did get Austin what about
A40 Devon and Dorset
Austin healey cars
Austin marina
Austin America
@@danielrussell446 The Marina and the Austin Healeys. Don't know about the others.
As a Brit I always feel the cars you see in London are not representative of elsewhere. Mainly, because "normal people" avoid driving through central London and if you live centrally, you're not likely to have a car due to lack of parking and the tubes and trains being more than sufficient. A visitor could think we are all about black cabs, whereas even most taxis are normal car models outside of London.
Had same colour & interior I bought it new , a beige maestro 1.3 L 5 speed in 1983 👍
( can smell the new maestro car aroma now 🥳)
Main dealer offered it unbelievable discount part of a deal when I also bought a new freight rover Sherpa 350 twin wheel van at same time.
drove the maestro all over Europe
( sports competitions with the British team) it never let us down 170k miles it always was good for 40-50 mpg hard driving
Very stable at over 100 mph on the German autobahns🫣
Great little car 🇬🇧👍
My nan used to have one of these when I was a kid, I've got fond memories of her taking me and my brother out in it, when she used to look after us. Driving us out for the day for a picnic etc. Great memories. My nan's maestro was exactly the same as this one.....same coloured interior, and same fabric seats. It's like stepping back in time.
My Dad bought one of these around ´86. It was the first time he had ever bought a car brand new after owning several cars prior to this second hand. He loved it. I also drove it a bit as I’d passed my test by this time. I’d never driven a car so new before. I was blown away. The instruments seemed so modern. Your video has really
brought all this back. The brown plastic on the dash; the warning light cluster; the clock; the general feeling of beigeness. A few years later my younger sister drove it into a tree when she was on a driving lesson. Game over. 😮Thanks for the memories! 😊
Hey ! Just discovered ur channel today , love ur style steph and keep up the good work 🙂🙂
Aww thanks Ian
I used to hire these to take my family on holiday to Devon and Cornwall in back in the early 90's.
They never let me down once.
I loved them. 😊
I still like the look of the Maestro and the Montego, maybe more now than when they were new
It was no more dated than the contemporary Volkswagen Golf, Ford Escort, and Vauxhall Astra at the time.
I agree - although it did look a bit dumpy compared with some of it's competitors and didn't have the kudos of the VW badge
@@chrispenn715
It wasn't so much styling it was the underpinnings like engines and suspension, gearbox etc, couldn't compete with in that respect
yes it was ok when launched i remember the mk 3 and 4 Ford Escorts being rubbish at the time , and the Mk1 Astra was nicer than the Mk2 , the Golf Mk1 was really cool after that they got boring the Meastro could have been a sucess but it wasnt
@@lucindafergusonartmk4 escort was the best other than the mk5.5
I really mourn the loss of Austin Rover. I had a mark two Rover 200 & absolutely loved it.
Thanks so much for making this video and thumbs up to the proud owner. Great to see these lovely old cars being both preserved and also used as they were intended.
To add to my last comment, you really are a wonderful presenter Steph. I've subscribed and intend to work my way back through your other videos.
What a special car and thanks again for the enlightening review, especially with all the input by its current owner Scarlett. Thanks Steph!
Brilliant video!! My dad passed his driving test in one of these back in the day. Our family always had BL/Rover up until the mid-2000's. With regards to the "flimsy" key design, I was always told it was so the key blade wouldn't dig into your leg when your keys were in your pocket. Maybe a bit of a tall tale but it would make sense.
My rover metro had that flimsy key too 😂
Love British Leyland cars . I've never understood why they changed the bumpers from plastic molded to metal in the last few years of production of the maestro though? , To me it it was like going backwards with design , the reason why the maestro, and montego stood out at the start was because of the body coloured bumpers on all spec cars.
A much underrated car. My best mate bought a tidy red G plate 1.3 long mot, 150 pounds. I was really impressed by its ride, quietness, and surprisingly lively engine, I could imagine an immaculate one would be a great daily use classic
I've watched this video so many times I cannot remember... 'One of my favourites of yours 👍
Had two. A brown 1.3 base model which had metal bumpers and little else. My Dad and I spent most sundays at scrapyards trying to find parts to make it a better spec. Not even fancy stuff, but things like glovebox lid, clock, passenger mirror, parcel shelf, rear seatbelts. Was a reasonable car, had the same brown interior, but much more basic seats and door handles. Then had a 1.6 HLS in gold. Magic car, did me five years with little going wrong. They rusted less than most of the competition and their dowdy reputation is very undeserved. I really liked mine. Fitted a digital dash to the HLS from a VDP. Saw one at a show recently. Always nice to see cars that were once everywhere and now rare and so much more interesting than seeing rows and rows of same cars at a show. Great visibility from inside, comfortable and did everything they needed to. Great video, as always, but so pleased to see a Maestro being reviewed. Incidentally I've owned and driven some high performance and rare classics but I still have fond memories of my Maestros, particularly the HLS. Nice vid Steph, love it.
Somebody did this with Jill re upgrading. I have a full HLE interior 😂😂😂😂😂
@@idriveaclassic posh Jill 👍
My grandad had an A-reg HL in a weird metallic red that looked like rust! Such a maligned and ridiculed car. I love them and its joyous to see such an old one on the roads. Great video as always Steph 👌🏼😎
I went to a dealer launch on these cars. I liked what I saw, you have to remember what cars were available back then, and this car was a quite advanced car when launched. Yes, it had the A plus engine, but it was actually ok in period, I drove many and worked on them for a living. The VP was a lovely place to be 😀
I love an A+
Another great video Steph. That Maestro is lovely. Great when ordinary cars fall into loving ownership. Keep 'em coming. 👍👌
Yay! I've been wanting this ever since the Montego review. Smashing video as always Steph :D
Awwwwww thanks so much!!!! I wanted a perfect example and then I got offered Molly and well, I couldn’t say no!
All the beige, all the brown, all the squares! Lovely! Same Tan/beige/brown color combo as an ‘84 VW Jetta I fell in love with many years ago
I’d like to take a Jetta out for comparison actually.
Thanks for this, Steph! Really enjoyed this review of this incredibly early Maestro in a fantastic colour. My grandfather had about five Maestros in a row, so these are very nostalgic for me indeed...
Aww that’s lovely. He was clearly a man with good taste.
@@idriveaclassic, he certainly was! Never got to drive any of them, though, sadly... My favourites were the 1.6 Mayfair and 1.6 Vanden Plas.
Great video and a lovely maestro. I've just bought a 1985 1.6l with 28k miles.
These videos are fantastic! I hope you're staying safe during the quarantine! I, however, have been spending my time watching your videos!
Glad I subscribed. I used to have the direct injection Diesel Maestro van. It was a rocket and sounded like a truck. Best wishes, Dean.
Steph you lovely lady. You never put any thing down and big up it's good bits. Most vehicles get to be poor when compared to much more modern vehicles and or they lack maintenance or have had poor maintenance.
Great vid thank you. Worked for an Austin Rover dealer and was at the launch of the Meastro in 1983.
The econometre should be on green until the engine is revved then amber then red at rest green there might be a problem with this gauge. The keys were deliberately made bendy so when you put them in your pocket they bent rather than hole your pockets. Not kidding ! As I seem to remember they whent on to build a 5 speed HLE. However the 4 speed HLE according to Austin Rover could manage 60 .5 Mpg at 56mph.Not too shabby.
I am an a BL Geek myself and love the Meastro and owned a 1.3 HL it had 125,000 when I sold it. Moved house in it twice great car. Ps sounds like there may be a wheel baiting going on that one.
Thank you for a great video your enthusiasm is amazing.😁
Your right it has noisy wheel bearings, fitted loads in the 80s never lasted long, same on Montego cheapo bearings to small for the size of the car . penny pinching bl .
Everyone has said about this wheel bearing 😂😂😂😂😂😂. It’s the noise from filming. My camera girl on this job is a mechanic and she didn’t note any concerns.
My late Uncle bought one of these brand new D reg.....let me drive it, felt so honoured at the time....very comfortable car....this one looks immaculate!...great video.
Thanks so much ☺️
These were available to buy up until 2006 in China ...including the van version !
Great video !
Yes I remember the Austin Maestro, had one as a company fleet car in the 80s. The Maestro was a lovely car to drive, with plenty of room inside and very good all round visibility. Completely forgot about the Leycare Super Cover card, until you pointed it out in the video. The flat passenger side dashboard was really nice, why can't they make modern car dashboards like that. Thanks for the review on this great British 80s classic car, and thanks for the memories!
Ah! The memories. Great vid. Hope the cold clears up soon.
Thanks lovely x
I had a 1.3 Maestro as a young driver. I swapped the seats out, stuck Rover badges on it and because it was a Bulgarian version it was dirt cheap. 200 quid in fact. I liked it a lot and it remains the only properly British car I've ever had.
Very in depth video!
Cheers!
My parents owned a silver MG 1600 (ERW 333Y) between 1988 and 1993. It had red seat belts, red pinstriping, digital dashboard and a voice synthesiser. On hot days the instrument panel would go blank and once I snapped off a door handle. Fortunately it was outside a Unipart shop. 😅 The grey interior plastics went pale green because my parents smoked a lot. I think my lungs have just about recovered.
This is one of my favourite ever comments 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@idriveaclassic Thank you. ☺️ It's true I swear.
Great discussion Steph of the fact that owners clubs are an important factor when choosing a classic car. Some car brands have got good communities around them, some haven't. It's about drawing on a body of shared knowledge about maintaining the cars and sourcing parts, but it's also social if it's good people.
Back in August 2015 when I collected my Volvo 340, I got quite a few looks. Just driving to the DIY store, someone in an Octavia estate had to stop to take a look. Can't wait to get my Astra on the road.
Hahahaha I love an old Volvo
I owned two 1.3 & one 2.0 Turbo diesel Maestro.They were all very reliable and a joy to drive.They did take some unfair reviews which it did not think was fair.
Yeah people love complaining 😂
A great video Steph and what a lovely car. I remember the maestro as being a good old bus as it was reliable and roomy and you could get all sorts in that hatch,,,,yes they were a good car and didnt deserve some of the bad press they got. I wouldnt mind having one to keep my sierra company lol.
You should get one!
I love your videos Steph as you dont talk any crap and give justice to some very at one time popular cars, i used to call the maestro as a good old bus as it did what you wanted it for. Old cars are underestimated as im still useing my ford sierra sapphire of 91 vintage and love it and being a fellow northern soul lover you keep the faith :)
I know this is an old vid, but just wanted to add that as an 8 year old in 1988 I vividly remember being sat in the back seat of my mum’s brand new Maestro HL in that lovely light blue the later ones came in as she drove it off the forecourt of Lex Maidenhead. It was a 3 month old demonstrator.
By then the upper spec Maestros at least had a passenger wing mirror! I recall it was totally reliable and was good for the school run everyday. My mum eventually got bored of being in a Mum’s Taxi and traded it in for a brand new Mazda MX6 In 1993!!
I used a Vanden plas model of maestro often back in the day , gorgeous leather trim and I remember clearly the car had a voice of its own .. You’d hear ( petrol is running low , your door is a jar etc etc ) fabulous car and yet again another fab review.
Thanks for taking me around Yorkshire. BL built Leyand P76 in Oz, circa 71, it was bagged and rubbished by Australians, I can assure you this is a classic the V8 is magic very comfortable fabulous over long distances handled brilliantly due to power weight ratio. . Best car ever built here. Such a threat to Holden and ford out of date bangers it upset every one because it was British when there was lots of anti British sentiment here. Now they are worth a fortune.
I Believe this is the Sister Car of the Montego -Love Montegos had 5 Saloons Back in the 80s/90s Its Nice to See a Maestro Still Going ,
Thanks For Sharing This Video...
I’ve done a Montego review too ;)
@@idriveaclassic Cool, I Will Check it Out,Thanks.
Takes me back....
Mind you, I had windscreen leaks from day one.
A dead ECU a little later.
Then the gearbox linkage fell off...
Good old BL.
NO WONDER YOU DIED OUT !
I fixed my iffy gearbox linkage with the inside of a bottle cap. What's your point?
Found your cars series on the Morris marina Facebook page absolutely love it really well Informed cars series keep up the good work
My family owns a scrapyard and I remember playing in lots of these when I was wee. I used to think they were sporty looking 😂
I owned one and had nothing but great memories. I traveled all over the UK in my fishing pursuits, it never let me down once. I did all my own servicing, it was so simple to work on. Yet at the time a lot of people slated them calling them an old mans car, and i could understand that to a point.
But you could pick them up second hand, in excellent condition for a very good price, and if you just wanted a no nonsense A to B car at a good price and cheap running costs it was excellent .
This is something the top gear brigade and motoring press dont understand, you see many people are not all really into cars, they are not bothered if they fly round a test track a second quicker than another car, and not everybody has unlimited money, so hence just buy a car as a means of transport
the molds were sold to India where they still make the Montego and Maestro saloon and van brand new, they also build a luxury version by mating a montego front end with a maestro body.,both the montego and maestro were good till the ecu went and one couldnt start the car.
I love your channel! And yeah these cars were so clean and contemporary when new.
Aww thanks so much 🥰🥰🥰
Went from a EFI 2.0l straight to a 1.3, and I loved the 1.3, great in the snow and ice, looked very similar to this one, but sadly on the way to work one morning I broke the gearbox casing, and then found out it was from the VW Polo, which was very expensive at the time. I went on to have two 1.6 autos that I loved, the last one was finished by a rear end shunt that I thought was nothing but the boot never opened again and the pan was distorted, so it failed on it's MOT, superb comfortable car. Great review.
Those SUPERCOVER cards were all embossed and silvered on a large (rather noisey) machine at the back of the Post Room at Pagoda House in Cowley....
Excellent video, owned two Meastro's both were brilliant.
Cheers Simon
Hi Stephanie, I just love your videos, you're a great classic car enthusiast/reviewer! I love the Mastro too!
If you and your husband ever come to visit Porto (Portugal) I offer you my classic car for a review, I would be honoured... I am the proud owner of a small and quirky Italian gem: a fiat 126 from 1977 - 600cc, 23HP and air cooled rear engine... just like a Porsche LOL
Greetings from Portugal. José
Never owned a Maestro, but I always wanted a British racing green MG.
When I was at college in the early eighties my mate's dad there was involved in the computer voice at the time.
Great vid.
Wow really. That’s cool!
I had a red Rover Maestro courtesy car for a wk & liked driving it very much. Nice&Comfortable to sit in.
Being honest I wasn't a fan of the looks at the time these were common. My driving instructor had one and it surprised me with it how easy it was to drive. I passed my test in it, so the Maestro has a special place in my heart. Great video
325K Austin Maestros taxed on the roads in 1994. Now just 173. That's just 0.0005% remaining of those you saw in '94!
What a great find and lucky car to find a loving owner. Molly will go on for years and gain in value.
God yeah. Iconic car
Another very good, informative and enthusiastic review. I had the same colour interior in my metro . It brought it all back lol .
Aww thanks pal x
I put the digi dash in my 1.3.L All worked. Had it talking too. Had to buy the dimmer and the gearbox sender unit to make it work properly.
Same here. The fuel transducer was a hard part to find even 20 years ago. It didnt measure consumption very accurately but the rest of the digital dash was great.
Martin North Yeah. I managed to find one back in the day. Easy to fit. Only three wires I think? But yeah. Didn’t work properly. The figures were miles out.
Oohhh snazzy!
I owned the closely related Montego 1.6 estate back in the mid 90s and absolutely loved it. My brother had an MG Montego Turbo around that time. It was a beast! :)
Oohhh an MG. fancy!
Brilliant review, I've not been keeping up with your content for a while, very bad of me. But at least I've got lots of your videos to binge watch
Classic British leyland door gaps there Steph and that fantastic hearing aid brown colour 😁😁 great video 👍👍
Ade H love the description of the colour! 😂 I’ve also heard it described as ‘heavy smoker’s handkerchief’! 🤣
I didn’t even notice door gaps 🙈
80"s cars aren't really my thing but this low mileage example is so clean! And it's in the hands of someone who obviously really enjoys owning it. I can appreciate it for those reasons. Thanks for the ride Steph and Scarlett.
Hi Steph, I agree the econometer (basically a vacuum gauge) doesn't seem to function as it should. The orange and red bars should radiate out from the green centre. HL stood for "High Line", but not sure about HLS (High line special maybe?) and HLE (High line Economy). The famous bendy key was, I think done more for cost saving production removing the need to injection mould the plastic around the metal key. Instead, the key blades were inserted in a plastic carrier that was fastened to the key handle using roll pins and when new were very stiff. Excellent video Steph and wonderful choice of car too. I have a 1989 Maestro 1.6 SL which is quite rare. I love your videos and your presentation style and have been a subscriber since the TR7 video (I've got one of those, too...)
Aww thanks Simon. I didn’t realise it wasn’t working properly. What a shame x
What a brilliant review by a very enthusiastic test driver , i had two maestros a c reg vanden plas and a g plate MG both brilliant reliable cars that were faster than people thought believe it or not i beat a XR3 away from the lights in the vanden plas which surprised the ford driver as much as me
New subscriber here glad i found you !! My very first car I bought was a Y reg 1983 1.6HLS back in 1988. Great video and happy memories
Aww thanks Carl x
Very interesting channel!
I learned to drive in in the late 70s in my Dad's 1969 Hillman Minx (Hunter shape) and a driving school Fiat 124. My first car was a 1971 Austin 1300 (well, 2 actually that my Uncle - a village garage owner - made into one, using the well-preserved body of one that had shot mechanicals and the running gear of the terminally-rusty second). From there I bought my cousin's Maxi (1976 I think) then a Mini City (in Applejack Green - a horribly lurid colour) and after that, a Metro. (Around that time I borrowed a friend's MG Metro Turbo for a long weekend away - blimey that thing was quick in the early 80s!). Then it was the Maestro - a base model in red - in the Summer of 1982. My first new car and I was very proud of her. Sadly, I wrote her off after 9 months and that was the end of my relationship with BL/BMC/Austin/Rover - though I did drive a couple of Montegos as hire cars around the same time.
A few years ago I dabbled in "modern classics" owning a (brilliant) 1996 MX-5 Mk1 (in poverty UK spec) and absolutely loved it and would like to give that world another go when I retire shortly. Maybe it could be a 1300 again, or even a Maestro - we'll see. Anyway, Steph, keep up the good work.
Colin.
My gran had one of those cars in her Metro!! 😍
My mum had a maestro van de plas and was the first car I got to drive after passing my test. And my dad had an MG 2.0 Efi, happy days 😃
aww lucky!!! Xx
I learned to drive in my sister's MG Maestro 1.6, and my first car was a 1.3, so I'll always have a soft spot for them. Had an MG 2.0EFi for a while about ten years ago and I still maintain it was one of the best 'hot hatches' I've had, although sadly it was basically a roughly car-shaped collection of rust particles held together with paint by the time I let it go.
The austin rover key were designed to snap off the fob before you snapped the keys blade! And if you did brake the fob you could still remove the key from the lock
I didn't know that, so I've learned something today.
Actually a good idea, although I’ve never experienced one ever snapping
Oh didn’t know that
My Princess would open and start with my Front Door Key!
I had a 1972 mk1 Ford Escort back in the day. Now you could open that and start it with a 25 thou feeler gauge but it was my first car at 17 and i loved it.
Many thanks for another great review Steph. Scarlett has a terrific example of a Maestro there. I love those original touches like the service card and the 'Econometer' Just wonderful.
Just brill isn’t it 🥰
Great video Steph, there’s a guy who takes his Maestro to the garage I work at once a year for MOT, it’s a 1994 2.0 Turbo Diesel, he reckons it’s one of only 5 turbo diesels left on the road and the only Maestro Left in that particular colour, I was having a chat with him and he said checked on how many left, he added the trim levels together and reckons there’s 227 of all Maestros left, I was asked to pull the Maestro on the MOT ramp, although I only drove it a few yards it felt so awesome. This isn’t my only fond Maestro memory. Back in 2013 I went on holiday to menorca and the first vehicle I saw on the road after getting out the Airport was a Maestro still on British plates, I must admit the cars are growing on me, I never used to be a fan but now I think there great, along with Marinas and Maxis it’s such a shame there’s so few left.
This is such a nice little comment 😊😊😊
The 2.0 litre Perkins diesels were phenomenal. They were so grunty. My dad had one that he eventually sold to one of my pals. I'd have bought it myself, but I already had one.
I love your down to earth approach to the cars - who else would say 'glorious beige Maestro' or enthuse over a brown and beige interior? However, that is an amazing survivor and it's good that people now appreciate a car that was underrated and ignored for years.
What a cracking review of a lovely old motor! I hope Scarlett's still enjoying every second of ownership of this quirky motor.
I miss my old maestro 1.6... which had an M16 from an 820Si fitted and also a fully retrofitted digital dash but I'm the later type dashboard. F38SNR I still miss you! I also got part way into converting my mum's old VDP (headed for the scrap yard until I took it on) and got well into converting it across to Volvo T5 power. D849OJN. If you google Volvo T5 Maestro there are pictures of the car with the engine and gearbox temporarily fitted.
Due to a very dark and crappy time of life I gave the car away on the proviso it got finished... the guy stripped all the nice stuff out and sold all the parts on after claiming it got vandalised in his lock up by kids 😏
The daft choices depression and self loathing make you take, I wish I'd have just mothballed the project until I was better!
Steph I love watching your reviews, your presentation is knowledgeable and enthusiastic, plus you have great style! I hope it leads to bigger and better things for you in the future. And if you ever want to review my Maestro Vanden Plas with the digital talking dash in the future you are more than welcome!
If you pop me an email that would be great x
Hope that's a possibility for a future video, would like to see a comparison. Really loved this review video.
Never owned a mk1, but owned around six Maestro's. 2.0l Turbo diesel could be quick once the turbo spooled up but no power steering so was terrible around town. Also owned a 2001 Y-reg Ledbury but that was terribly made if I'm honest. My fav was a 1989 1.3 L lovely engine and body colour bumpers with rust everywhere, but none that was structural. ran and ran that one and seems so quick! Great video :D
Thank youuuu 🙌🙌🙌🙌
Beautiful example. All that beige!! Love it 😀😀
Wow! A bit of sentimental nostalgia for me this. Grandad used to have a 1988 Maestro and we used to ride in it a lot when I was growing up during the late 80s and 1990s. Grandad's car had the different dashboard design, shared with the Montego. Great car and as always, great review. Thanks.
Thanks for the love, Steph
Great vid Steph, don't know if I'd get on with that econometer though,it would probably be in the red most of the time. 😂
A bad digital vacuum gauge my aygo has a a better version, takes into account gear, load and when to change up or down
Hahahahaha I’m a fast driver. I’d have it in red 24/7.
the dash was much improved in later cars. I also remember periodically drying out the rear light clusters and cleaning the boot button as the would get very dirty.
Well done Steph, another good ‘un !. I drove many Maestros for work purposes in late 80’s and nineties. The 1.3 was the better one more economical, rather than the 1.6. I never got to drive the MG one though....2.0 very fast at the time especially the Turbo version. I seem to remember the gear change mechanism did give trouble, it was an early version of two mechanical cables connected to the gear stick. But I expect someone with better knowledge of this will put me right !.....
Cheers Ian!
The White HLE. The car in which I learned how to drive The car of my parents and brother who later had the MG with double webers. Soft spot for the Maestro.
Nb. We did have a passenger side mirror on our Dutch HLE and brown cloth(same as on the seats) on the door panels.
Just lovely aren’t they x
My first car and it was coloured metallic mint. Lovely little car.
Another great vid,,, I saw one of these at Thakkers car dealership Watford pre release it was down in the basement and not ready for release,,the owner went on to sell Mercedes and later Harley Davidson,,, the proprietor had a purple metal flake Chevy Impala with Stars n Stripes on the bonnet,,,gosh that was 1983,,,Good old days,,,,when he showed us the talk facility we said it would never catch on,,,,Thanx for a great vid,,,have a great week,
Aww thanks for your lovely comment
@@idriveaclassic , My pleasure have a great week,
I had a Montego many years ago - not a bad all round car, very under-rated. 👍🏻
Deffo
Thank you for this fantastic video! The owner, Scarlett, I think is one of my old pals with whom I have lost touch. Would you be able to help me?
Hey if you send your email to idriveaclassic@gmail.com and your full name I’ll whizz through my inbox and try and connect you both x
Steph, you are certainly getting some amazing BL cars to review at the moment and Scarlet should be very proud of 'Molly'. It looks like the Econometer needs a bit of attention as it should show just the single green centre LED at idle then gradually fan out from the centre as you rev it. The 'strakes' on the tailgate were unique to just the HLE as far as I can remember. The keys were odd the way they flexed, but they were designed that way so as to fold out of the way in the event of an accident to protect the driver. I always wanted one of the original 1.6 Weber carburettor MG Maestros, but alas I never managed to own one. Keep up the amazing review and passion Steph ❤️
Thanks so much for your above info Mr H! I’ll give the feedback to scarlett on the econometer x
Spot on with the Econometer. Green when idling but there are two Amber lights either side then a red at each end. As a 4 year old boy I was transfixed but it annoyed my parents so the little button turned it off...
Look at a Mark3 Astra,its just a rounded Maestro.Scrappage schemes took a lot of old cars off the road that could have been saved.But then cars are disposable now....The Maestro looks cool now even love that colour....Great to see it.
Top vlog as ever Steph! Thanks for the explanation of the spec levels. Please tell if I’m wrong, but I think the base spec Metros had the fog light built into the rear bumper, but without a bulb and no wiring!
Oh god I’ll have to check Jill and let you know 😂😂😂😂😂😂
What a very nice looking car. However is that wheel bearing drone I hear or as the car is being driven is it just way the video turned out. Any news on your Morris Minor
I had a maestro van in faded yellow lol think it was ex BT,cool road trip car plus earned cash with it👍🏻🇬🇧
Radio is a philips rebranded for austin rover... will have that on the sticker, same one early renault 5's had before the philips AN232 became standard in base level cars where you had to shell out between £80 to £150 extra for a stereo cassette with fm radio
I'm old enough to remember the launch of the Maestro. The five year old me got really excited by the talking dashboard at the time :)
My first quickish car was a read 1985 Maestro EFi, it was a brilliant car, way better than the XR3i my mate had, it got written of a by cavalier running a red light 😪
Its almost 40 years old. Solid, comfortable and you would think that it was built a few years ago. Amazing really
I had its bigger brother the Montego, 2.0L Perkins diesel, epic car, built like a tank and about as refined 🙂
Wasn't the HLE an economy model - i.e. 3 speed + high top 4th gear? That may mean that the passenger mirror was left off to cause less drag to get as low a drag figure ( very important in the 80's ) and better mpg?
It had an indicator on the dash econometer of coloured lights.