2000 Rover - Austin 25 iL review from UK and Ireland

- The rear wiper jet wash has stopped working

- Had to replace the contacts on the solenoid

- Replace brake master cylinder (my fault during brake fluid change)

- Boot stopped shutting (turned out to just be seized wire/catch, so spray with WD40 has solved that)

This car, and any Rover with the L-series is fantastic. The engine is about as reliable as engines get, not for a Rover, but for any car. I would put this alongside any VAG diesel engine in terms of reliability.

The car is very quick for a diesel, 0-60 in 9.7 seconds, which is faster than a Citroen Saxo VTR and a Fiesta Zetec S (both 10 seconds or just over), and it has mid range pull of an 8 second car due to the 178ft lbs of torque.

Fuel consumption is ALWAYS above 45mpg, even when I drive her hard. Parts are plentiful and cheap, but generally these engines require very little attention. Insurance group 7 for a car this fast is pretty low; as a 19 year old man it is very reasonable.

The interior is dated and the seats aren't anything special, if you are after appearance just opt for the MG ZR version with an L series engine and that problem is solved.

Possibly the strongest point for the car is the price; a used example with low miles can be found easily for under £3000, and an early model (W reg) with under a 100,000 miles should cost no more than £1500. These cars are perfect for a low cost low hassle option, and depreciation isn't a problem as they are so cheap to find and easy to get rid of due to well known reliability in these engines.

They are not the refined cars, the engine is noisy at idle (quiet on the move) and the car does feel heavy (clutch, gears etc) and jerky when moving about town. It is suited perfectly to motorway driving, where the mpg is very high and the car picks up well in 5th gear, from 50/60mph to whatever speed you need to do.

All in all, the car is not going to turn heads, but it does offer one of the best cars in terms of value for money about.