2001 rover 25 as a cheap run about, opinions?
Discussion
hi guys, currently own a bmw 330ci which im hoping to sell to a friend of mine to free up some cash and im after a very cheap run about
was looking at a vauxhall cosra c model 2001-2003 which would either be 1.2 sxi or the 1.7 diesel engine which would return either 50 mpg or 60mpg and they both can easily be had for around £2500, perfect i thought.
however i know a lady with a 2001 rover 25 1.4 going for sale, shes about to have the brake pads replaced on it and she said she would be happy with 1k for her, its a 51 plate with only 50k miles!!
what are these cars like as cheap run abouts? my main criteria with my next car is it much be good on fuel(40mpg +), cheap to run and reliable as i will probably keep it a few years.
my main concern is head gaskets which i hear certain rover engines are prone to them failing.
she claims its never missed a beat, but then again she probably tweaked i was interested but my friend has one on 75k and i think thats been 100% reliable aswell...
just thought i would get some input on here before i went any futher
cheers guys
was looking at a vauxhall cosra c model 2001-2003 which would either be 1.2 sxi or the 1.7 diesel engine which would return either 50 mpg or 60mpg and they both can easily be had for around £2500, perfect i thought.
however i know a lady with a 2001 rover 25 1.4 going for sale, shes about to have the brake pads replaced on it and she said she would be happy with 1k for her, its a 51 plate with only 50k miles!!
what are these cars like as cheap run abouts? my main criteria with my next car is it much be good on fuel(40mpg +), cheap to run and reliable as i will probably keep it a few years.
my main concern is head gaskets which i hear certain rover engines are prone to them failing.
she claims its never missed a beat, but then again she probably tweaked i was interested but my friend has one on 75k and i think thats been 100% reliable aswell...
just thought i would get some input on here before i went any futher
cheers guys
rich85uk said:
hi guys, currently own a bmw 330ci which im hoping to sell to a friend of mine to free up some cash and im after a very cheap run about
was looking at a vauxhall cosra c model 2001-2003 which would either be 1.2 sxi or the 1.7 diesel engine which would return either 50 mpg or 60mpg and they both can easily be had for around £2500, perfect i thought.
however i know a lady with a 2001 rover 25 1.4 going for sale, shes about to have the brake pads replaced on it and she said she would be happy with 1k for her, its a 51 plate with only 50k miles!!
what are these cars like as cheap run abouts? my main criteria with my next car is it much be good on fuel(40mpg +), cheap to run and reliable as i will probably keep it a few years.
my main concern is head gaskets which i hear certain rover engines are prone to them failing.
she claims its never missed a beat, but then again she probably tweaked i was interested but my friend has one on 75k and i think thats been 100% reliable aswell...
just thought i would get some input on here before i went any futher
cheers guys
in a word.was looking at a vauxhall cosra c model 2001-2003 which would either be 1.2 sxi or the 1.7 diesel engine which would return either 50 mpg or 60mpg and they both can easily be had for around £2500, perfect i thought.
however i know a lady with a 2001 rover 25 1.4 going for sale, shes about to have the brake pads replaced on it and she said she would be happy with 1k for her, its a 51 plate with only 50k miles!!
what are these cars like as cheap run abouts? my main criteria with my next car is it much be good on fuel(40mpg +), cheap to run and reliable as i will probably keep it a few years.
my main concern is head gaskets which i hear certain rover engines are prone to them failing.
she claims its never missed a beat, but then again she probably tweaked i was interested but my friend has one on 75k and i think thats been 100% reliable aswell...
just thought i would get some input on here before i went any futher
cheers guys
Bombproof. apart from headgaskets on a 1.4 Twin cam.
This shouldn't put you off however since this is still a relatively cheap repair. (£200-£300) don't forget how many 1.4's were made in various cars. Peoples bad experiences were mostly due to back street garages changing gaskets but not renewing the long stretch bolts. The 1.4 punches well above its weight performance wise... a 50k miler will still be running in?? The cars were in production from 1995/6 in 200 guise. A late 25 will be much less likely to have a gasket failure.
The 2.0 LE series diesels are the best things ever made and I have pushed 3 of these up to stratospheric mileages, The current one has 183k miles still on original clutch.
The 1.4's are cheaper, more plentiful. in my opinion the rover 200 / 25 is one of the best bangers money can buy.
keep an eye for rust on rear arches, other than those 2 points. you won't go wrong.
put it this way. I run newish Audis and Landrovers. I still run a Rover 200 for the tip car and hack. Its the one car in my fleet that never lets me down.
N
N
Edited by heightswitch on Wednesday 7th April 17:45
Like so many Rovers, they are much better cars than many would have you believe. Find a well maintained R25 and it will serve you well. The one you describe sounds ideal. As already mentioned, the little 1.4 K-Series punches well above its weight. I was amazed when I first drove one years ago.
My wife's car is a 1.8 MGZS and she does not hang about and gets low 40mpg on a run. Even I get mid 30s driving without economy dfriving in mind. Provided the car is well maintained and your right foot is not too heavy, 40+ mpg on a run is easily possible.
Oh yes... so called head gasket failures. They do not all do that. Several K-Series in our family since 1993 and none have suffered so called HGF. I service all my family's cars. At the first signs of any coolant loss, identify and rectify. Ignore it and drive on and that's when the 'failures' occur. Many drivers are guilty of this. A work colleague drove on when the steam stopped and the temperature gauge dropped down from red to around normal ( no coolant to sense for the sensor ). driving on so he needed more than a gasket. His engine seized solid ten miles after it stopped steaming ...
So, if that gasket does become suspect, check it early. As already mentioned it's 2-300 quid job for the pro outfit provided it's not been driven on after the warnings signs and overheated severely. Parts about fifty quid and a leisurely few hours work for the DIYer who knows how to twirl the spanners ...
Good luck.
My wife's car is a 1.8 MGZS and she does not hang about and gets low 40mpg on a run. Even I get mid 30s driving without economy dfriving in mind. Provided the car is well maintained and your right foot is not too heavy, 40+ mpg on a run is easily possible.
Oh yes... so called head gasket failures. They do not all do that. Several K-Series in our family since 1993 and none have suffered so called HGF. I service all my family's cars. At the first signs of any coolant loss, identify and rectify. Ignore it and drive on and that's when the 'failures' occur. Many drivers are guilty of this. A work colleague drove on when the steam stopped and the temperature gauge dropped down from red to around normal ( no coolant to sense for the sensor ). driving on so he needed more than a gasket. His engine seized solid ten miles after it stopped steaming ...
So, if that gasket does become suspect, check it early. As already mentioned it's 2-300 quid job for the pro outfit provided it's not been driven on after the warnings signs and overheated severely. Parts about fifty quid and a leisurely few hours work for the DIYer who knows how to twirl the spanners ...
Good luck.
Funnily enough, we had the exact same requirements.
Need a cheap small car that is cheap to run and maintain.
Bought last night, an 03 plate Rover 25 Impression 1.4. with Mot and tax for just £1275!
I am still pinching myself, as I keep thinking whats the catch... it's done 60k miles and is a shiny, nice looking and well cared for little thing!
I had an original 1991 Rover Metro Gti which suffered the head gasket thing.... am hoping in 12 years they managed to resolve that issue!!
Need a cheap small car that is cheap to run and maintain.
Bought last night, an 03 plate Rover 25 Impression 1.4. with Mot and tax for just £1275!
I am still pinching myself, as I keep thinking whats the catch... it's done 60k miles and is a shiny, nice looking and well cared for little thing!
I had an original 1991 Rover Metro Gti which suffered the head gasket thing.... am hoping in 12 years they managed to resolve that issue!!
Max M4X WW said:
My brothers 1.4 25 feels gutless at low revs, Is something wrong?
I've changed the throttle body to a 103ps one as it had the restrictive one but its still flat low down. Cant remember what it was like before this change.
The throttle body and airflow meters are all ecu matched. if your car now pulls away very slowly and only picks up beyond 3000 rpm and the revs rise slowly then pound to a penny this is the route of your problem.I've changed the throttle body to a 103ps one as it had the restrictive one but its still flat low down. Cant remember what it was like before this change.
you need a Bosch specialist to match the correct parts. I have even been down the route of changing the AFM only with pattern parts to find similar results.
Buy a genuine Bosch one and make sure all the part references match.
Its a £90 ish part from memory
N
Edited by heightswitch on Tuesday 11th May 21:13
Ive had several rovers now a 216, 214 and now a 1.4 25 impression like yours i cant really fault them obviously yeah the head gasket might go near the 100k mark but its a easy fix and, but apart from that i only ever really had to change the service items a caliper and a water pump, Ive been up and down motorways the works and touch wood they never let me down. great underated cars the only reason people slate them is coz of what they were like in the early days.
K321 said:
my friend had one,the car stopped working at 60,000 miles. also they were built terribly.how do i know? i went to the factory for a gander when they were being built
If we all didn't buy cars because "a mate had one that stopped working" then I doubt ANY cars of ANY brand would ever be sold.
How did your ROVER factory tour compare to the other car company factories you have toured?
It all boils down to how well the car is looked after. I'm impressed with my VVC K series and it does get a hard time, all I do is check the levels regularly and make sure the motor is warmed up before I drive it remotely hard, or even at all. But I've always done that with any car.
Much the same with people moaning about Alfa reliability, surprise surprise, we've had a few and had no problems, because we look after them. Then in the next breath my colleague at work is moaning that his 156 has seized solid.....maybe he shouldn't have ran it out of oil, no that can't be it, must be Alfa's fault. You get the idea.
Much the same with people moaning about Alfa reliability, surprise surprise, we've had a few and had no problems, because we look after them. Then in the next breath my colleague at work is moaning that his 156 has seized solid.....maybe he shouldn't have ran it out of oil, no that can't be it, must be Alfa's fault. You get the idea.
What is not generally realised, and there's lots of evidence of that here on PH, is that there are far more unreliable car users and owners than unreliable cars.
In fifty one years of car ownership, I have never had an unreliable car. Luck ... could be... plays a minor part but, I have ALWAYS maintained and serviced my cars myself. That includes the last new car I bought ( MGZS in 2003 ) ~ which has never been serviced professionally ~ which my Boxster owning neighbour assures me its reliability is due solely to its Honda engine.... He's wrong or course ... It has the "They all do that" K-Series ...
...
I have bought the occasional used car where the frustrated previous owner has given up after unsorted and sometimes very costly problems with reliability. Guess what ... an hour or or so careful inspection, checking and rectification ~ Voila:~ reliable car! Some of those problem cars were not down to their owners alone, professional incompetence was the reason... and the poor owner charged a small fortune and it was still not fixed! The latest one such being a poor woman who paid to have her cylinder head "dressed and skimmed" and it still over heated. Whoever skimmed that head left it more warped than before the skim so that it allowed compression gasses to enter the cooling system! A good used replacement transformed the car!
..
In fifty one years of car ownership, I have never had an unreliable car. Luck ... could be... plays a minor part but, I have ALWAYS maintained and serviced my cars myself. That includes the last new car I bought ( MGZS in 2003 ) ~ which has never been serviced professionally ~ which my Boxster owning neighbour assures me its reliability is due solely to its Honda engine.... He's wrong or course ... It has the "They all do that" K-Series ...
... I have bought the occasional used car where the frustrated previous owner has given up after unsorted and sometimes very costly problems with reliability. Guess what ... an hour or or so careful inspection, checking and rectification ~ Voila:~ reliable car! Some of those problem cars were not down to their owners alone, professional incompetence was the reason... and the poor owner charged a small fortune and it was still not fixed! The latest one such being a poor woman who paid to have her cylinder head "dressed and skimmed" and it still over heated. Whoever skimmed that head left it more warped than before the skim so that it allowed compression gasses to enter the cooling system! A good used replacement transformed the car!
..
I run a tuned 1.8 K series Metro and thrash in within an inch of its life on trackdays and autotests and it just keeps going. It had the newer style gasket etc as a precaution. Superb engines when looked after.
I have just bought a Rover 25 Gti with the 143 vvc engine to play with too.
Eddy
I have just bought a Rover 25 Gti with the 143 vvc engine to play with too.
Eddy
K321 said:
my friend had one,the car stopped working at 60,000 miles.
Hahaha, that's brightened up my day! My Fiat has well over 100k on it and stops working at least twice a day, sometimes more. It's clearly a typical Fiat electrical problem as it seems to be coincidental with turning the ignition key to the off position, bloody Italian rubbish. My dads MG has the same problem, but then again it does have Lucas electrics.i own a rover 25 myself they are good run abouts, as long as they've had a recent new head gasket if not check the anti freeze for any floating oil and under the oil cap for any cream substance where water got into the oil if so keep well away from it. if its ok make sure it's got a reasonbly new radiator on and you should be fine otherwise it could blow the headgasket
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