Faults:

Noting particularly major has gone wrong with the car.

The Clutch went at 68000 miles, but was repaired cheaply.

General Comments:

The car has 2 personalities it can be driven fast and is fantastic on country lanes. It is also a very comfortable car to cruse up and down the motorway.

Fuel economy is a strong point on a run it will easily return 40mpg on a run and 30mpg in and about town.

Being the 1.6 it has cloth inertia, but the quality is very good and it has worn very well and is still in very good condition. The seats are fantastically comfortable and the driving position is spot on. The removable glass roof panels and light colored dash and trim make the interior seem very light and airy.

The gearbox is a delight to use and the clutch has a nice feel to it.

With disc brakes all round and ABS stopping is not a problem.

Overall a very underrated car, it looks stunning, goes like stink and handles well.

Faults:

Track Rod ends gone twice.

Front Brake wear heavy.

Faulty Cooling Fan that would switch on when not needed (and more importantly not switch on when it was needed - leading to overheating).

Got through 1 catalytic converter per year of ownership.

Driver's side CV joint needed replacement.

Rear shocks replaced.

Needed new Radiator.

Water in front light housing (s). Headlights and fog lights replaced.

Head gasket blew to the tune of £950.

Leaking from T-bar glass roof.

General Comments:

I have a very mixed view about this car. On the one hand, I am a motoring enthusiast that has loved this particular model of car for many years. When I became old enough to insure one, I went out and bought the most expensive one I could find in the country with the most extensive service history possible.

Despite checking Oil and Coolant levels religiously, and keeping every component in tip top condition, this car cost me an average of close to £2,500 pounds a year in repairs to keep on the road.

Plus points :-

Performance is fantastic. 0-60 times are much quicker than almost any other car with the same engine capacity.

Fuel economy is really quite amazing considering the performance. Over 40mpg is easily achievable on longer runs.

Quite possibly one of the best looking coupes around (IMHO). Good level of equipment. As a secondhand buy, you get a lot of car for your money.

Seats are the most comfortable of any of the 6 cars I have owned.

Minus points :-

Handling is positively dreadful, especially in the wet. Handling is NOT AT ALL progressive, and will catch you out if you are not very careful. This is definitely a straight line car.

Rover garages are extortionately expensive. £60 per hour to diagnose any faults with the flat minimum rate of 1 hour (even though I told them what the problem was).

Because of the above, running / servicing costs are very high for this car. Every service has cost me over £400. By way of direct cost comparison, I now run an Astra Coupe 2.0 Turbo for around half the monthly cost.

This was a dream car for me to own (I know it's no Ferrari - but I don't like Ferraris). In the end I am very pleased to have owned one, but due to my experiences this time round, would *never* buy Rover / MG again. Such a shame.

Faults:

Brake Caliper was seized on so couldn't take it home first day.

Alloys continue to flake causing slow puncture like symptoms.

Boot release lever inside the vehicle has snapped.

General Comments:

I love this car, originally bought it for the Mrs, but find myself using it for work etc.

It's quick as chuff and handles excellently.

Tends to be a bit over the top with rev noise on the motorway.

Travelling on uneven surfaces can be a bit squeaky, especially with the windows down. due to no door pillars I suspect.

Nice to take the roof panels off in the summer and feel the wind in your hair!