Advice please

[natdawson]

Head room is going to be my main problem. Inside leg measurement of 33" yet being 6'7" means I struggle for head room a lot even in most modern cars.
So far I think the Dolomite is looking good although not too sure what to look for or what improvements could be made to make daily driving easier.

[TerryG]

My inside leg is 32" although I am only 6'1ish and I fit comfortably in to my Range Rover Classic. Loads of legroom in the back even with the seat all the way back (even more in the LSE as it is 8" longer). I also fit in my morris minor with the seat all the way back and loads of head room but no space in the back for rear seat passengers.
I have a friend that is 6'6 and drives everywhere in a 1986 Jaguar Sovereign (with a questionably 80s bodykit fitted).

[Laird_Scooby]

Rover 800s are cursed with a lack of headroom - I am 6ft tall and have a slightly longer than average back and my head brushes the sunroof aperture. That's why, despite being a huge fan of them, I didn't mention them.

The XJ40 has better headroom, though, thanks to a lower seating position.

I've not had that in an 800 RIch, in fact when i had my last Jag i often bumped my head on the sunroof frame (the nasty sharp bits hidden behind the headlining!) on my XJ40. Reckon it must be down to how you set your seat in that case.

[JPB]

My inside leg is 32" although I am only 6'1ish and I fit comfortably in to my Range Rover Classic. Loads of legroom in the back even with the seat all the way back (even more in the LSE as it is 8" longer). I also fit in my morris minor with the seat all the way back and loads of head room but no space in the back for rear seat passengers.
I have a friend that is 6'6 and drives everywhere in a 1986 Jaguar Sovereign (with a questionably 80s bodykit fitted).

Head room is going to be my main problem. Inside leg measurement of 33" yet being 6'7" means I struggle for head room a lot even in most modern cars.
So far I think the Dolomite is looking good although not too sure what to look for or what improvements could be made to make daily driving easier.

What a pair of short-legged blokes you two are!

Dollies don't need much if anything to render them suitable for daily use. They're lively, comfortable on factory settings and with stock bushes, have almost as tight a lock as a Herald at 27 feet kerb to kerb and both the front seat and the column are adjustable in more than 400 different ways (according to the brochure). So with those little 33" legs and a long back, you'd drive one with the seat at the lowest position at the rear and one notch up at the front edge but examine lots before you buy and avoid anything that's less than immaculate as there's little point given their low values. Unless of course you want a project to fettle yourself.

[Richard Moss]

I've not had that in an 800 RIch, in fact when i had my last Jag i often bumped my head on the sunroof frame (the nasty sharp bits hidden behind the headlining!) on my XJ40. Reckon it must be down to how you set your seat in that case.

I've always set the rover seats at their lowest setting and still found that headroom is challenged. My last XJ40 had no sunroof (bonus: rust-free roof ) and there seem to be quite a lot that don't have one but it's very hard to find an 800 with no sunroof.

[Laird_Scooby]

I think it is very hard to find an XJ40 with air-con and a sunroof - i think mine was one of the few. Conversely i've never seen an 800 without a sunroof regardless of air-con or not - i've heard they exist just never known one.
I think the 800 headroom thing is going to come down to individuals - long legs/short back = plenty of head room, shorter legs and longer back = lack of head room. That said i found the Jag more comfortable in a "Sitting straight up" driving position whereas with the 800s, i find a more "laid back" position is better which could be why i found the XJ40 challenged in the headroom dept and never had a problem with any of the 800s i've had.

[Mitsuru]

Have you looked at the Daimler badged version?

[Phil P]

Please please don't have a Mark X Jag they were horrendous barges. I used to service 2 of them in the mid 60's. On the funny side though was that one we had in had little 'D' shaped marks in the leather in the drivers side rear door card. I was intrigued until the Jags owner came in one day with a blonde about 5'-10" wearing a fur coat and white stiletto healed shoes. The heal pads being the same size as the impressions in the door card.

[Laird_Scooby]

Please please don't have a Mark X Jag they were horrendous barges. I used to service 2 of them in the mid 60's. On the funny side though was that one we had in had little 'D' shaped marks in the leather in the drivers side rear door card. I was intrigued until the Jags owner came in one day with a blonde about 5'-10" wearing a fur coat and white stiletto healed shoes. The heal pads being the same size as the impressions in the door card.

Are you sure it wasn't a Daimler version with monogrammed leather? If it wasn't, it certainly is now!

[JPB]

....a blonde about 5'-10" wearing a fur coat and.......

Uh-oh...

...white stiletto healed shoes...

Phew!