Rover 25

Shelli

What do you think of the Rover 25? I'm thinking of buying a 2001 25i.

I'm a little worried that people say that parts are a nightmare to get for Rovers.

Does anyone have any experience with them or have one?

Guy:Incognito

Parts arnt a problem. Rovers just need to be looked after a little bit more than others. Like an Alfa, they are generally grand once looked after. It's not really a case of forget about whats under the bonnet form one end of the year to the other. Fluid levels have to be regulrly checked like coolant etc. They are cheap as chips to buy because of percieved quality and the fact that they are no more.

Personnally I'll be looking at a 75 in a while.

Max_Damage

I believe they've the K-series engine, which is prone to head gasket failure.

I myself wouldn't go near one, but that's just me.

colm_mcm

you have to weigh up how much you MIGHT spend on repairs against how ridiculously cheap they are. I think if the price is right and it's got a good spec, they're a grand car (but only if cheap)

ldr

my girlfriend own`s a 00 rover 25 for the last 2 1/2 years and never ever had any problems. starts every morning with no bother. i service the car every 3500 miles. got it with 50k and have now 61k. and still perfect.

JohnCleary

Here's a sniplet that I posted about a 414 (same engine)

The rover 414...
1.4, K Series engine from 1996 on. 103 PS
Gearbox will be on left-hand side when you're sitting in the car (Not the Honda engine)
The usual weak headgasket, check your oil/coolant twice a week and you won't run into problems

My 1.4 K is on 110,000 miles, it's not going to break. The clutch isin't even slipping! Going for a TB change next week, once i've this done I will have 100% confidence in the engine again.

Probably up there as being one of the most powerful factory NA 1.4's that came off the line, plenty of torque too (Compare with the VW Golf 1.4 which is around 75BHP)

This engine will treat you how you treat it. It's not an engine that you can abuse and forget about, but give it a bit of TLC and it'll be fine

If you have any specific questions, get yer arse to http://forums.mg-rover.org ... *ANY* question you have will be answered there - they're a great bunch who love their 'Best of British'

Shelli

Thanks for that, I'm looking at a 2005 at the moment, and I think it's a really good deal (not that I know anything about cars lol) I'll have my mechanic have a look at it before I make the final decision.

crosstownk

Personally, I'd steer well clear of any Rover. In my experience they are not as reliable as other manufacturers. They have a poor residual value and can be hard to shift in a private sale. I work in the car leasing game, and currently, I have no Rovers on fleet due to the fact that the lease premium is inflated due to the poor residual value.

That said, not every Rover is a lemon. There are plenty of folks out there that own Rovers and would buy another based on previous experiences. And if you get it cheap, then it could be worth the gamble. Like I say, not all Rovers are unreliable, they just have a higher chance of being problematic than other brands.

JohnCleary

I would have no problem buying another Rover, infact i'd love to buy a Rover 220 Coupe turbo... serious power!

As I said, my car is nearing 100,000miles and still going strong. All depends on how much you're paying I guess, Rover's can be bought at seriously bargain prices, in that case then i'd say 'Buy'

Just check your fluids very regularly. K Series engines like to be taken care of

Mailman

the streetwise is another one I'd look at.
A bit daft but with that much suspension travel you won't have suspension problems.

colm_mcm

crosstownk wrote:

I have no Rovers on fleet due to the fact that the lease premium is inflated due to the poor residual value.

Surely this is a good reason to buy a used one?

unkel

colm_mcm wrote:

you have to weigh up how much you MIGHT spend on repairs against how ridiculously cheap they are. I think if the price is right and it's got a good spec, they're a grand car (but only if cheap)

Well said, Colm

crosstownk

colm_mcm wrote:

Surely this is a good reason to buy a used one?

Absolutely. But, througout the trade, a Rover's residual is low because of their reliability, not because of looks, style, etc. So, before you buy, you must realise that there is a higher chance of unreliability. If you are prepared to accept the chance then you've got a cheap car - as long as it doesn't prove to be troublesome, otherwise it may cost you more than you bargained for. But if you end up with a reliable car then you're on a winner.

Any car can end up being a headache - some are just more prone than others. Rover, imo, are on the 'more prone' side of the scale.

Guy:Incognito

crosstownk wrote:

Absolutely. But, througout the trade, a Rover's residual is low because of their reliability.

Thats not true of all models though. Take the 620, that is a rebadged Accord and the 75 2.0 diesel thats essentially a 320. These are lumped in with teh "rovers are ****" generalisation by people and suffer poor resale. Plus as people with perfectly reliable and good running Rovers and Alfa's will testify, and has been said in this thread, they are unreliable to people who dont look after their cars.

At the end of the day, motoring when the general public is concerned is about which car can take being mistreated the most. A few makes are weak when mistreated and suffer as a result. The fact of it is, you cant buy most Rover models and forget about things like fluid levels from one end of the year to the next.


EDIT, missed your last sentence.:D point remains for others.

crosstownk

Stekelly wrote:

At the end of the day, motoring when the general public is concerned is about which car can take being mistreated the most.

So true. And it is big factor in the reliabilty of any car.

But trends emerge, and in any industry, there are leaders and then loosers. I wouldn't consider Rover a leader, all things considered. But that doesn't mean that buying a Rover won't end up the bargain of the century!

BnA

The one thing you will have to keep in mind when buying a rover is the difficulty you will have in selling it in a few years.

I have a 02 MG ZS (Rover as well). It's a lovely car to drive. Hasn't given me too much trouble. The head gasket did start to leak so I done it and I have had no other major problems in 20k miles.

But, I'm trying to sell it now. Nothing wrong with it at all. I'd just like a change. But it's nigh on impossible. It's been advertised now for almost 7 months at a very reasonable price and I have only had one person even come to look at it.

So if I was in your shoes and thinking of buying a rover 25. I wouldn't buy as new as 05. Buy a 01-02 in the knowledge that in 2 or 3 years it will be worth nothing but at least you won't have spent much.

layke

Buy something else.

Rover's are not renound for their reliaqbility. They are seen as an old man car especially if it's in Racing green (which I believe they all are).

I bought my first car because it was cheap. I learned the hard way.

JohnCleary

layke wrote:

I bought my first car because it was cheap.

So did I. It's great, 110k miles and still going! w00t!

Guy:Incognito

layke wrote:

I bought my first car because it was cheap. I learned the hard way.

Just because a car is cheap doesnt mean it's junk. ie a 1990 micra is only going to fetch a certain price no matter what condition it's in. It may well have been serviced regularly, driven brilliantly and be in immaculate condition, but it wont fetch above a certain ceillign value.

colm_mcm

crosstownk wrote:

Absolutely. But, througout the trade, a Rover's residual is low because of their reliability, not because of looks, style, etc.

The main reason for the low value is because of the fact that they have gone out of business. Apart from the head gasket issue, there aren't any major problems to look out for. The electrics are as good or better than any French car. A lot of parts are Honda sourced.

crosstownk

colm_mcm wrote:

The main reason for the low value is because of the fact that they have gone out of business.

They had a poor resale before things went wallop. Now,as a result of going out of business, the resale is probably suffering more. But if someone else has taken that hit you could get a nice car at a very keen price.