Would it be really stupid...

fits

.. to buy a Rover 45 like this one?

http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=603400
or this one..
http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=650758

Someone suggested a 600 before, and I do like them, but I think I'm going to have to minimise the tax bill for the moment.

colm_mcm

2250-2500 is the max price for those two

fits

colm_mcm wrote:

2250-2500 is the max price for those two

You mean the maximum I should pay? How do you estimate that? Not arguing, just curious.

fits

Anyone else?

peasant

That's your basic problem ...nobody wants anything to do with Rovers anymore (except maybe the 75).

So, if you buy one, you can pretty much forget about resale.

Having said that ...if the second one checks out to be true to description, with low mileage and history and all ....you could do a lot worse.

Keep an eye on coolant and oil levels and you should be grand.

But you would have to be prepared to simply throw it away, once you're done with it.

The question now is ...how much money can you afford to throw away and how long are you prepared to drive it to make your investment worth your while?

Whoever buys this Rover now, will probably be the last person ever to pay real money for this car, so haggle, haggle, haggle.

fits

I have to say, the prospect of getting such a low mileage car with full service history and such a high spec for less than two and a half thousand is really whetting my appetite.
What Car doesnt have much bad to say about them aside of depreciation and no NCAP rating.
I think they look well too.

gyppo

As Peasant said, nobody wants them anymore. Take a look at this one (ok, I know its a 1.6 - even more unwanted)

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=Car&carID=649868&message=You%20searched%20for%3A%20Rover%2045%2C%20County%3A%20Westmeath%2E%20Your%20search%20returned%20one%20vehicle%2C%20which%20is%20shown%20below%2E&CFID=32949755&CFTOKEN=18246213

But, keep a very good eye on fluid levels, and they're not too bad a car.

BrianD3

fits wrote:

no NCAP rating.

The 45 is based on the mid nineties Honda Civic 5 door which has a 3 star rating with a strike through the 3rd star. The Rover could be expected to have a similar performance

ZiabR

To be honest, stay away from Rover.

fits

logik wrote:

To be honest, stay away from Rover.

Why though? Is it impossible to get parts? Is it hard to get someone to fix them?
Your comment is exactly what my Dad would say, but thats based on one Rover he owned forty years ago... I need more reasoning than that.

I feel like there's an angel on one of my shoulders telling me to buy a corolla or an almera or a golf..... something like that..
Theres a devil on the other shoulder roaring that they're really BORING! to get an alfa or a rover or an older beemer... The devil is shouting louder atm...

colm_mcm

If you can get a Rover at a small price, then go for it! compare what else you could get for the money. Apart from the head gasket issue, the 45 isn't a bad car, and even if you budget for a couple of new head gaskets, which may or may not happen you've still saved a packet compared to similar cars with the same or lower spec.

fits

The 1.4 IE seems to be less susceptible to head gasket failure than the 1.6 (according to my internet research) which is one of the reasons I'm looking at that one. I'm open to correction on this though.

BrianD3

From what I see, a lot of 45s are driven by old farts. A car driven by one of these is likely to be low mileage and may not ever have gone above 50 mph. But at the same time it may not have been driven very well so parts like clutches may wear out prematurely.

As for Rovers generally being crap - if you're looking at a car worth about 2k the make is far less important than the way it's been driven and maintained. I have to laugh at people who make definite statements about reliability eg saying a 2k corolla is a great car but they wouldn't touch a 2k Rover with a bargepole. In truth, when you get to this price bracket you'll come across lots of nails in every make.

fits

Well I'm going to look at a new model 1999 mazda 323 1.4l tonight, and hopefully a Rover 45 tomorrow.

ToxicPaddy

People in general have a bad opinion of Rovers as do a lot of people about Fiats etc..

A lot of this is based on previous experience whether directly or through a friend/relative etc..

If you like the car, buy it.. simple as that.

Its not a huge amount of money to get a car of that age with such low mileage.. So as has been said here before, once you keep an eye on things that you know are known issues then you should be fine..

Dont expect a trade in value as of the history of Rover, parts might be hard to come by, but that may change in the future.. and there are always scrap yards and independent manufacturers..

fits

Well I test drove the 323. It was in really good nick except for one wheel rim scratch, and the airbag light stays on for varying periods of time after starting (sometimes it doesnt stay on at all). Theres no nct on it. Would this airbag sensor problem cause hassle for getting the nct?
Price was very reasonable, Im tempted... Owner is convinced its a 1.4, but I can only find info on 1.3 and 1.5 litres. I suspect this is a 1.5 litre... does anyone know if they did sell variants with a 1.4l petrol engine?

Esel

That second 45 looks very nice. www.honestjohn.co.uk gives them a good review overall. Mentions to look under 'new' Rover 400 as well, where he mentions that the timing belt should be replaced every 35K to 40K miles. Check that is has been done, if not, factor this into the price and get it done yourself soonish.

Due to a lot of people being wary of Rovers, you should be in a strong position bargaining for this car. I would start at €2K (or less) and very slowly come up to max say €2,300. Depending on timing belt situation of course. Find out a price for this before you go to see the car. Local mechanics should be a lot cheaper than dealer. Get both prices though, and use the higher one when nogotiating!

colm_mcm

fits wrote:

Owner is convinced its a 1.4, but I can only find info on 1.3 and 1.5 litres. I suspect this is a 1.5 litre... does anyone know if they did sell variants with a 1.4l petrol engine?

1.3 generally are LX spec, whereas 1.5 tends to be GLX.
I'd recommend the GLX, and those 323's are up there with the most reliable smallish cars you can get - every bit as good as a Corolla

Webmonkey

esel wrote:

That second 45 looks very nice. www.honestjohn.co.uk gives them a good review overall. Mentions to look under 'new' Rover 400 as well, where he mentions that the timing belt should be replaced every 35K to 40K miles. Check that is has been done, if not, factor this into the price and get it done yourself soonish.

Due to a lot of people being wary of Rovers, you should be in a strong position bargaining for this car. I would start at €2K (or less) and very slowly come up to max say €2,300. Depending on timing belt situation of course. Find out a price for this before you go to see the car. Local mechanics should be a lot cheaper than dealer. Get both prices though, and use the higher one when nogotiating!

There is no issue with timing belts. It not a problem on Rover and the haynes manual states that timing belt should be changed every 60,000 miles or 5 years - which ever comes first.

To be honest most people are talking BS about rover. They have never owned a rover only listen to what the guy next door has to say and more than likely he has never owned a rover either.

My god, 2k where can you go wrong? I would buy it if I were you. They a excellent car.
They have an amazing engine - the K-Series.
It award winning, best power to weight ratio ever hince why Lotus used them for motor sport but that got nothing to do with you buying this now

As for the Headgasket problem - there is no denying there is a problem alright. These cars require a lot more maintenance as the coolent system capacity isn't the biggest. Any leaks can cause over heating leading to head gasket failure.

There was an uprated head gasket released later on but it still prone to go if not looked after well enough.
Land rover use the 1.8l k series engine in their Freelanders and they came up with their own solution, their own modified gasket. No reports of HGF on this gasket are known yet so looking good.

1.4 is a great engine. 103BHP? There arn't too many other engines out their that compare to this especially when you compare to other 1.4's like golfs - they just 75bhp. Big Difference.
It gets from 0 - 60 in 10.8 seconds - So you will not be short of power!
Any it is very economical, bout 45mpg.

Also came 1st in Top 10 engines on MSN Cars:
http://cars.uk.msn.com/News/Top_ten_article.aspx?cp-documentid=1025845

I've a Rover 400, same engine and to be honest besides HG problem, it hasn't given any trouble what so ever.
Even if Head gasket does go it isn't end of world. Just make sure you don't drive around with it gone over heating.
Parts should only come to 250 euro including timing belt/water pump change. You would nearly do it yourself with a haynes manual.

As for parts, not scarce. Xparts in england signed a contract there bout 2 years ago to supply parts for next 10 years.
And MG is coming back by a chineese company. NAC MG. So over next year or two be prepared to see MG back on road with those beautiful K-Series engines

I don't get all this crap about Rovers being a bad car. There are probably a lot worse out there but I amn't going to judge unless I owned one.

Ne ways best of luck with it anyways.

colm_mcm

I'd sooner have a Rover with head gasket worries, than certain other european cars with far more to worry about.

Esel

Webmonkey wrote:

There is no issue with timing belts. It not a problem on Rover ....

But...but....but HJ says it is? Can still be used to keep the offer price low anyway!

Tbh, I can't see why HJ would mention this if 'there is no issue'. Are you saying he is full of it?

Webmonkey

To be honest, I on the Rover 45 page on his site now and i see no mention about timing belts besides the Diesel Engine.

Esel

Webmonkey wrote:

To be honest, I on the Rover 45 page on his site now and i see no mention about timing belts besides the Diesel Engine.

Check the 400 page. On the 45 page, he advises reading this.

yayamark

as the saying goes of its too good to be true, then its too good to be true.

ur buying a car with limited parts left if anything goes wrong. and if things do go wrong u could be paying well over what u actually paid for it!

ask urself the question. why is he selling it?:rolleyes:

fits

Webmonkey wrote:

My god, 2k where can you go wrong? I would buy it if I were you. They a excellent car.
They have an amazing engine - the K-Series.
It award winning, best power to weight ratio ever hince why Lotus used them for motor sport but that got nothing to do with you buying this now

1.4 is a great engine. 103BHP? There arn't too many other engines out their that compare to this especially when you compare to other 1.4's like golfs - they just 75bhp. Big Difference.
It gets from 0 - 60 in 10.8 seconds - So you will not be short of power!
Any it is very economical, bout 45mpg.

Hmm you're talking me into it...:) OH is pretty handy with cars as well, I should think he'd be able to change the head gasket... he's done it many times before on older vws. TBH I probably wouldnt be considering the Rover if I didnt have him around.
Anyway, I cant get in touch with that low mileage one owner owner... Meanwhile the clock is ticking away on that mazda... a car I know would be a good buy... but lets face it, it doesnt have 103 BHP:D

gyppo

fits wrote:

Hmm you're talking me into it...:) OH is pretty handy with cars as well, I should think he'd be able to change the head gasket... he's done it many times before on older vws. TBH I probably wouldnt be considering the Rover if I didnt have him around.
Anyway, I cant get in touch with that low mileage one owner owner... Meanwhile the clock is ticking away on that mazda... a car I know would be a good buy... but lets face it, it doesnt have 103 BHP:D

The only thing to remember is that you will always get something for the mazda when you are finished with it. You will probably pay someone to take the rover away.
If you like the rover though, go for it. the low mileage one you showed would be great value at 2100/2300.

Webmonkey

As said already parts is not an issue. I can walk into my local garage and get what ever I want. I don't know what this whole thing is about. Just because the company went into administration doesn't mean parts an issue.

fits

Well I just test drove a 45 there. It didnt have a full service history (only one service in the book) and the starter motor sounded a bit dodge to me... But I loved it! It had nice power and handling, a very different beast to the mazda.
I think I definitely will get a 45, its streets ahead of anything else for the money... as long as I can find a nice example...

Marcus.Aurelius

check out carsurvey.org that's usually pretty good.

colm_mcm

yayamark wrote:

ask urself the question. why is he selling it?:rolleyes:

What a ridiculous statement.

Webmonkey

fits wrote:

Well I just test drove a 45 there. It didnt have a full service history (only one service in the book) and the starter motor sounded a bit dodge to me... But I loved it! It had nice power and handling, a very different beast to the mazda.
I think I definitely will get a 45, its streets ahead of anything else for the money... as long as I can find a nice example...

I'm happy you like it Just make sure to do a weekly check on coolent level. Make sure it always at max.
These checks should be carried out weekly anyways regardless of cars. People think once a car runs that everything is fine when they could be causing damage.

What was happening when starting? Maybe a bad battery?

fits

Battery was dead when we tried to start it. Then the starter sounded very harsh when we did get it going. Boot/bumper was a small bit out of line as well so it got a small tip there. Added to that there was no service history and a few scratches on it. It probably wasnt the worst example, but I think I can get a better one.

Webmonkey

Yep sure shop around. No shortage of them and can be got for half nothing.

fits

Well head ruled heart in the end, and I've agreed to buy the 323. It was well looked after, well serviced and in great condition.
The two rovers and the almera I looked at all had taken minor bumps. I went to see another 45 today, and it was an awful car... brakes seized, clutch would need replacing soon, engine was oily, and a few deep scratches, rear bumper was falling off... I just couldnt find a decent example of the 45 this week, and I'm kind of in a rush to change the car.
323 hatch shape suits my needs a lot better as well....

maybe next time...

Webmonkey

Well as long as you're happy. No point buying car fallign apart, that goes for any make.
Enjoy it

fits

Webmonkey wrote:

Well as long as you're happy. No point buying car fallign apart, that goes for any make.
Enjoy it

Cheers!
The heart is a little heavy, but I know I made the right decision. Dont know where I'll be in 6 months, so resaleability was another concern. That said, if I'd seen a nice 45 I would have bought it.
Anyway the 323 hatch is quite a nice car, and I think it looks well enough, not as bland as the saloon, its navy black in colour... I just hope that 1.3 engine gets me up the hills.

Webmonkey

Yep well good luck with it anyways.

Maybe your next car might be something like what i'm getting next, an MG ZS. Scarce out but a lovely car imo