1998 Rover - Austin 400 414i review from UK and Ireland
"Nearly a very good car. Scandelously short engine lifespan"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Cylinder head cracked.
Electric mirror motor failed.
Exhaust tail pipe rusted off.
Rear door lock sticking.
Power steering fluid leakage.
Boot carpeting studs fell of leaving the carpeting hanging out all over the place.
Boot seals leaking constantly, leaving a nice in-car pond in the spare tyre well.
General comments?
The car is one of the quickest 1.4s I've driven.
Not much good unfortunately if the the cylinder head is only going to last 42000 miles.
The handling and feedback is fantastic, especially from the perfectly weighted power steering.
The gearing seems to be very unevenly spaced making it difficult to pull away without a nasty judder or a squeal from the front tyres. Fine once you get out of 1st gear though.
The interior is a bit old fashioned, but very comfortable.
However, the build quality of the interior is very suspect in places, such as the sunglasses bin on the right of the steering wheel and the boot carpeting.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.4i Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 42000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 48000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Escort |
| Date of Entry | 3rd July, 2003 |