(Gl)arses Guide

[outlaw118]

So, matey round the corner is flogging his mothers Rover 214si, R-plate, one owner 40k from new, fsh, head gasket done, Mot etc. Pretty good nick, not perfect, but ok.Wants 700 sheets.What's it really worth?

[VWPowered]

sounds about fair to me

[155V6]

My ex sold a P reg one without HG done for 750 so that sounds like a pretty good deal

[pogweasel]

Not a bad price I suppose. That said, having the HG done once is no guarantee it won't parp again, plus the electrical maladies that can beset these, then add pensioner image..... £500 and it would sell instantly, zero hassle.

[Guest]

Don't buy it unless you can have a proper long drive around in it first to confirm the headgasket situation 100% - not just a few goes round the block and let it sit on idle so the fan kicks in - a proper long drive. When the headgasket goes on the bubble-shape Rovers it can require a hell of a lot of money throwing at it, to the point where they become scrap (doesn't seem to on the old ones, not sure why).I bet a fair few of these get passed around to people who reckon they're far too good to scrap, spend a fortune trying to fix them up, figure out they need a secondhand engine, realise they cost a fair bit (and might be be just as knackered), then end up punting them on at a loss, until eventually someone gets fed up and weighs it in.£500 sounds more like it to me, but I wouldn't fancy it to be honest. I'd get one of the older square ones, they seem like nicer cars.

[Milford Cubicle]

What electrical maladies?They are pretty decent to drive, but I would give £500 for it too.

[pogweasel]

What electrical maladies?

Do they not have real ball-ache problems with immobilisers? My mates mother in law had one condemned to scrap when it was about 7 years old because of it, and I have heard similar tales of woe...

[VWPowered]

non working electric windows etc, just check everything works first is what i think he means, my 400 tourer was forever breaking something, i was lucky it was normally something attached to the peugeot lump that broke lol

[Milford Cubicle]

I've had lots of '90s Rover and never had any major trouble with them. Having a pop at MG-Rover, Rover Group, Austin Rover, etc. seems to be a national pastime. [/Rover fanboy]

[155V6]

Non-working windows,& central locking motors seem pretty common on these,my MG(same shape) has noisy locking motors but they still work OK.

[pogweasel]

Sorry to the fanboys, just working on what I know!

[ashmicro]

The preferred fix on these is the MLS, or multi-layer steel gasket. Basically a Land Rover job - check to see if one of these was used. Did they use new headbolts is another good and pertinent question.

 

However, you have no way of knowing if the head had gone porous.

 

The immobiliser can be a pain, but can be fixed by getting the ECU, 5AS (immobiliser) and fobs from the same car that has a totally mashed engine.

 

Head on over to www.mg-rover.org and ask away. A great bunch of very helpful people.

[andrew e]

MG Rover are bunch of Loonies

[ashmicro]

MG Rover were bunch of Loonies

Fixed!

[andrew e]

[Owain-328i]

I've had lots of '90s Rover and never had any major trouble with them. Having a pop at MG-Rover, Rover Group, Austin Rover, etc. seems to be a national pastime. [/Rover fanboy]

LOL yes thats correct. But the fact that many of the cars produced in that time were rubbish doesnt really help!

[Milford Cubicle]

Were they any worse than any other mass manufacturer? I don't think so.Hopefully this won't turn into a Cavette/Vauxhall-type borefest. Sorry!

[Cavcraft]

Not a bad car that drives ok with a throaty engine. £700 sounds a bit rich to me though, think you could score a similar aged Escort (can't mention another make as the whiners will kick off) for less though.If the gasket's been done to a good standard it should last yonks and I suppose it depends on how long you plan top keep it. Less than a couple of years and it'll be wirth next to naff all because of their perceived reputation.Sorry if that disappoints our token 'Rovers R ace' person.

[pogweasel]

You should be able to score a similarly aged Escort for nothing. Extras will include invisible wheelarches and a footwell full of sharps.

[VWPowered]

rover are seen as a prestigous brand in france, most who own them do love them

[Albert Ross]

Probably better off looking for the "Austin 1100" looking Toyota Corolla. Yes, they're becoming that cheap now. I know parts are more expensive, but what's the chance of you needing to buy any?

[ashmicro]

As Pog says, an Escort of similar vintage will most likely be full of tinworm. As all of us here know, oily bits are a lot easier to fix than the ball-ache of welding. A Rover with a fubar donkey will be a lot easier to put right than a Fred Flintstone Escort. Go the whole hog and get the engine and subframe from a wedge 220 turbo...

[mk1_4dr]

Sounds a bit rich to me also,although Ive alway considered the interiors quite nice places to be (if a little cramped)But, me personally, Id be spending around the same on a Honda Concerto, maybe a couple of years older, but it'l be 'old man' owned and should prove to be more reliable D

[r.welfare]

£500 cash will probably score it. But only if the HG has been changed to the proper metal one as ashmicro says, and the head has been skimmed. The 1400 K is actually one of the best lumps of that capacity, a really smooth revver, but doesn't tolerate a loss of coolant, not helped by the fact the coolant capacity is tiny and most folk don't do weekly underbonnet level checks any more.To my mind £500 is better spent on a Concerto or earlier 216 hatch (with the Honda lump), but then again if this car is overall in good nick (and the FSH is meaningful, i.e. it's been serviced annually rather than on a mileage basis and still has the receipts so you can see what's what, i.e. the cambelt has been done), it's worth a punt. These bubble 200s tend to go flaky round the edges (front wings, rear arches) but don't crumble to nothing like an Escort. Make sure you can get on with the driving position though, I don't at all as you feel you're sitting on the car rather than in it.

[AnthonyG]

Sounds a fair price if the HG was properly done and you get a nice long test drive in it. These were regarded as great to drive when they came out, but never did that well due to being overpriced by deluded Rover/BMW management who thought they could charge a premium over Escort/Astra etc, particularly as they are not much bigger than a Fiesta really. I believe this model was intended to replace the Metro/100, but the truth of that is lost in Rover/BMW 'backstabbing' myth/legend now. Like Hirst and Mr Welf, I prefer the earlier 'R8' models (like MrB's). There are still a surprising amount left on the road round here, so I think they were put together better. Diesels and 216s just seem to chug on indefinitely.How about a Honda Civic of the mid 90s as another alternative? Or dare I say an Almera?

[garethj]

However, you have no way of knowing if the head had gone porous.

Gone porous? Did the porous-beetle get in there and munch away at it?

 

Porous when it was manufactured, shirely? Aside from that, quite a good drive when they were new IMHO

[mk1_4dr]

However, you have no way of knowing if the head had gone porous.

Gone porous? Did the porous-beetle get in there and munch away at it?

 

Porous when it was manufactured, shirely? Aside from that, quite a good drive when they were new IMHO

No, AFAIK its todo with substandard aliminium during casting. Just like some of the Ecotec lumps

 

D

[mk2_craig]

I believe this model was intended to replace the Metro/100

Ultimately it did when they later lobbed the 1.1 motor into the car, must be a fairly dire driving experience.

 

Definite future shite potential

 

Incidentally, there's a 2002 Rover 25 advertised for spares or repairs in our local rag at £150. Wonder what's so horribly wrong with it at that price...