Advice on buying a Rover 25

m_stan

I am going to see a used Rover 25 tomorrow - a 2000 with very low mileage. I have no experience or knowledge of these cars - the girlfriend likes them, so we're looking at buying one.

Can I please hear the thoughts of those with direct experience of the 25. I'd like to hear about the common problems, what to look out for when buying, and generally your thoughts on this model. Also, with Rover in trouble, how difficult is it/will it be to get parts in the future ?

Many thanks in advance.

Webmonkey

Wait for people to start talking you out of Rovers, - they aint as bad as they are said to be, for the price you get great value.
In earlier years the Head gasket was a problem, I amn't quite sure about the Rover 25's.

As for parts in the future, don't worry - there will always be parts. Xparts are still developing parts and on top of that Rover has been bought so reproduction will begin again but i amn't sure if the Rover name will stay as its a chinese company.

Others will give you some more advice...

JohnCleary

The only thing to look out for when buying a Rover K-Series engined car (apart from the usuals) is the Head gasket. At 2000 miles it wont have been changed, so check the coolant expansion tank for oily liquid. If the liquid is oily and has dirt on the inside, walk away. Also with the oil filler cap, check for 'mayo' around it. Again, if theres a presense of it, walk away as the head gasket is about to go.

The 25 1.4 came in to versions, the 83PS and 103PS. Ask the person which version it is as the 103PS has nearly 20BHP extra. (Its a simple upgrade anyways, its just the throttle cable that differs - 20euro from a dealer)

Ann Elk

Not sure if you've made a decision on it yet but i have a 99 rover 200 - (the same year they re-badged it as the 25) - i've had no problems at all with it apart from a worn bushing with threw the tracking askew. The local dealership tried to tell me that the entire steering rack needed replacing, but i located an independent guy locally who knew exactly what it was and fixed it straight away for about 40 quid.

As cars go i think its great for what it is, a good level of specification and its nippy enough to give a decent bit of confidence on the road (the 1.1 is underpowered apparently). X parts have given a commitment that parts will be available into the next decade so supply shouldn't be a problem. However the depreciation will be pretty heavy now so bargain as had as you can, there are good deals to be had.

m_stan

I checked with my family mechanic and he told me to steer clear. According to him, they are renowned for head gasket problems and if this is not caught in time the gasket can cause an awful mess with oil all over the engine. He also said the work involved in fixing this is much more than the standard car.

Now this guy is not god, but he is the mechanic myself and my family have used for years. We trust him and there was nothing for him in saying this, so I went with his word and bought a fiesta instead. Got a great deal of a guy who's emigrating, so I'm chuffed.

Webmonkey

yup just as i thought would happen

LegacyUser

Don't buy a rover - the engines are crap - know someone who had a Rover with only 22,000 on the clock - fully services by a main dealer and the head gasket went. He ended up having to buy a new car out of his own pocket while waiting for Rover to fix. Lost a fair few grand in the transaction.

That was when their was a rover to fix it!! Cheap and nasty motors - look posh - but not posh

Guy:Incognito

bubby wrote:

Don't buy a rover - the engines are crap - know someone who had a Rover with only 22,000 on the clock - fully services by a main dealer and the head gasket went. He ended up having to buy a new car out of his own pocket while waiting for Rover to fix. Lost a fair few grand in the transaction.

That was when their was a rover to fix it!! Cheap and nasty motors - look posh - but not posh

Nice generalisation. I just bought a Rover 620. its a 94 and is exactly the same car as the 94 accord i gave my dad. Engine is identical, as is interior. So bar some chrome and a bigger bootlid and bonnet its the exact same car, even down to the Honda engine, radio, parts etc,.

IrishRover

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=280833

ds20prefecture

m_stan wrote:

I checked with my family mechanic and he told me to steer clear. According to him, they are renowned for head gasket problems and if this is not caught in time the gasket can cause an awful mess with oil all over the engine. He also said the work involved in fixing this is much more than the standard car.

When a head gasket goes, you get water from the cooling contaminating the engine oil and vice versa. The contaminated oil does not lubricate the engine and the contaminated coolant does not cool the engine as it should. You engine's life expectancy then becomes measured in days versus years, unless you fix the problem with a new gasket.

A "mess with oil all over the engine" is the least of your worries. Replacing the gasket on a rover should be no more difficult than on any other car. The reason (i'm told) why Rovers are more prone to gasket failure is that the K-Series engine is made of a very light alloy prone to slight warpage in the head. So you might need to have the head skimmed to make it flat again, which would be additional cost.

He not wrong about the engine being reknowned for head gasket problems. But to listen to some you would imagine you'd be lucky to drive 2000 miles in a rover K-Series car. The engine (like any other modern engine) is pretty robust if properly serviced. Make sure that the car has a full and detailed service and ownership history before parting with cash.

Besides, there are lots of other reasons not to buy the 25. Cramped, slow, dead handling, poor ride, plasticky interiors, not very economical, not very pretty. The design is as old as the hills, and you'll struggle to sell it when you're done with it. But these are just rehashes of what the motoring press say, so take them with a grain of salt - I'd rather believe one or two previous owners than people who are being paid by car companies.

What is the asking price?

m_stan

TBH - I'm not in a position to argue against any of these points - I know nothing about mechanics. All I know is, I trust the opinion of the guy I asked and he told me to steer clear.

As I said, I bought a prestine Fiesta instead and I'm very happy with my purchase, so I'm not bothered by the Rover anymore.

For those that are keen on what I was looking at here is the car. It's in Clontarf. Owner has emigrated and in the hands of a family member. Seems like a good buy on the face of it, though I never went to see it.

Webmonkey

Some people believe its a fault in the cooling system tha is at fault for the HGF.
I bought a Rover 400 a few months ago off a guy. He had modded to cooling system. He done some sort of new pluming system in it and says that it should sort out the HG problem. And i'm now on 50,000 with no problem so far, maybe it will do the trick.
As well as that it is possile to add a sensor to the Coolent bottle to alert you if the water runs low. This is a sure sign of HGF if your water suddenly dissapears.
If the problem can be caught on time then your engine will be ok but most people would probably not even realise its out of water and drive away screwing up the engine.


Edit: Imo that price was a rip off anyways

ds20prefecture

m_stan wrote:

As I said, I bought a prestine Fiesta instead and I'm very happy with my purchase, so I'm not bothered by the Rover anymore.

DOH! Should have read your post - enjoy the Fiesta.

LegacyUser

Stekelly wrote:

Nice generalisation. I just bought a Rover 620. its a 94 and is exactly the same car as the 94 accord i gave my dad. Engine is identical, as is interior. So bar some chrome and a bigger bootlid and bonnet its the exact same car, even down to the Honda engine, radio, parts etc,.

Actually, not a generalization at all. The head gasket on a car fully serviced in a main dealer garage should not go at 22,000 miles. According to a second opinion we got at the time it is a regular occurence. Also from the posts above others confirm.

The rovers look fantastic but reputation wize they are not. I saw my brother stung bad

Don't know what the story is with your 94 model - maybe you struck lucky.

mstan - best of luck with the Ford - good decision - reliable cars

Guy:Incognito

bubby wrote:

Don't know what the story is with your 94 model - maybe you struck lucky.

As lucky as anyone else who bought one or an Accord. Rovers are blanketly dismissed as crap, generally including the 600 range, yet honda's are considered vgery good and reliable. Obviously both cannot be true as its the same car with different badges.

Webmonkey

Well there is one good thing of them having a bad Rep. We get to drive a unique car on the road as everyone keeps clear of them.

LegacyUser

Stekelly wrote:

As lucky as anyone else who bought one or an Accord. Rovers are blanketly dismissed as crap, generally including the 600 range, yet honda's are considered vgery good and reliable. Obviously both cannot be true as its the same car with different badges.

You are right - some of the Rover models use Honda engines - others use Rover engines.

The 400 series was a collaboration with Honda (nearly identical to a mid-90's Civic in fact!). A mixture of Honda's design and reliablity, and Rover's K-series engine.

Webmonkey

A cool engine when it works though. A right deadly nippy one. (in the low gears)

ds20prefecture

Webmonkey wrote:

A cool engine when it works though. A right deadly nippy one. (in the low gears)

Good enough for Lotus to use in the Elise.

JohnCleary

Webmonkey wrote:

A cool engine when it works though. A right deadly nippy one. (in the low gears)

Its true. I have a 1.4 K-Series Twin-cam (did the HG myself at 55k miles just to be sure) and I love it.

Its VERY responsive in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear. Serious torque for a 1.4, and pushing 103PS as standard, not to mention a forced induction, de-burred manifold and a de-cat, I reckon im pushing about 107BHP. Not bad for a 1.4!

Rips any other 1.4 off the start line

bazz26

ds20prefecture wrote:

Good enough for Lotus to use in the Elise.

They use the Toyota Celica 190bhp engine these days.

To the original poster.

I am not a fan of Rover but that is my preference. If you are getting one cheap then go for it. Just make sure it has a service history and check that the head gasket is in good health, the gear box is not sticky and all the bits and bobs are working. The 1.4 engine has over 100bhp which is very nippy and would shame some other similar sized new cars even today.

It might also be worth looking at the 45 as this can be got for the same money but there is more space on the inside and the boot is bigger than the 25. Standard equipment on the 45 is better too.

Here is are a couple of nice ones:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=265621
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=Car&carID=260142&message=You%20searched%20for%3A%20Rover%20400%2C%20Year%3A%202000%2E%20Your%20search%20returned%20one%20vehicle%2C%20which%20is%20shown%20below%2E&CFID=14012813&CFTOKEN=14928242