1997 Rover - Austin 200 214si 16v 1.4 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Cheap and a little cheerful

Faults:

Speedo Has never Worked. due to sensor (i think) working on the problem.

Fuel Gauge is shocking. On empty it still hold 3 gallons of fuel.

Exhaust system is falling apart and making some strange noises. (Will fix only if I can get the speedo working)

Clutch is extremely bad for a city car.

Sun roof is starting to rust badly around the frame causing leaks into the interior.

So many sounds in the cabin.

Heater Controls are falling Apart.

Immobiliser died leaving me stranded, called out the RAC and they soldered the battery in the fob (works fine now) but I decided to have the Immobiliser permanently bypassed.

Speaker Cover just fell of the drivers door.

Power Steering pipe roted away (£40 to fix)

General Comments:

Okay so there are a lot of problems with this car! But it only cost me £250, and drives around 550 miles almost every weekend.

The car handles well a lot better than my Volvo 850 T5, but that's no surprise really.

I wouldn't say the car is that quick on the motorway its great driving around town though.

The good thing about having a car like this is that you can jump in it with a smile on your face because you just don't care about it.

If you're looking at buying one of these or even a new 25 or mg, I wouldn't. Build quality is shockingly bad, the glove box doesn't line up correctly it creeks and groans, its starting to get rusty.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th December, 2006

1997 Rover - Austin 200 214si 1.4i from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Good Fast Car For A 1.4

Faults:

The clock did not work common problem, the main beam switch stuck had to be replaced, had a screaming sound from the engine now and then when cold. But if you are thinking of getting one the main problem is the Head Gasket they go every 40.000 miles or so, it's a faulty inlet valve and a lack of engine coolant that makes them blow luckily mine never went.

General Comments:

All in all a great car very nice to drive very smooth and easy to handle and if you don't mind putting your foot down hard it really goes well, I raced a BMW 318 and won believe it or not, it very fast for a 1.4 I was very impressed the only down fall is the it drinks up the gas if you don't keep it under 3000 rpm, but all in all a good reliable fast car apart from the head gasket problem.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th November, 2006

1997 Rover - Austin 200 214i 1.4 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

It is a fun car to drive especially for younger drivers, grannies driving it give it a bad image!

Faults:

The front windscreen wipers had to be replaced when I first bought it.

The fan belt needs to be tightened every four months or so.

General Comments:

A CD player was installed for me by the dealer, which in turn quite badly messed up the electrics. The problem was finally sorted after several trips to the dealer.

The car is comfortable to drive, but it does over steer. Overall the handling is satisfactory. The car revs very well and puts other larger engine cars to shame, you can soon wipe the grin off their face whilst the traffic lights turn green.

The cabin is of a considerable size for a 1.4,overall enjoyable to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th September, 2004

1997 Rover - Austin 200 214i 1.4 8v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Very good car

Faults:

This car has no major issues since I bought it. Only the front seat can get a bit squeaky over speed bumps.

General Comments:

This car has the best naturally aspirated engines for its class.

The response and the vehicles specifications are execellent.

There is a mystery about the coolant level where does it go after 3 weeks?

I have no problems with the engine,

I do drive my car hard, The steering is very good and even better with GMAX Suspension. For Eg: On the M6 in bad rain the steering was perfect at 95 to 100mp/h all the way through.

The weather seals do need changing at 65,000miles because in bad weather conditions the back floor gets wet! but no signs where the spear wheel is.

Apart from that, I love this car and I would buy another rover!

Good Car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th August, 2004

25th Aug 2004, 04:31

If youre loosing coolant at the rate you say, it sounds like the head gasket is failing. VERY, VERY, common on K-series engined rovers and landrovers, and why I wouldn't buy a rover.

25th Aug 2004, 12:26

As regards the coolant issue and the engine's ability to make it vanish - I'd suggest having a close look at the head gasket.

This is a common failure mode on Austin-Rover / Rover Group engines.

A blown head gasket will allow the engine to overheat (has the previous keeper removed the thermostat??) and there will be white deposits inside the oil filler cap.

Ignore it and you run the risk of warping the cylinder head.

Glad you like the car otherwise. My employer used to have several as pool cars.