1996 Rover - Austin 600 Reviews - Page 4 of 6

Nothing.

As this car is 6 years old and has only done 32,000 miles I believe it is a bargain. It is in superb condition.

I am really impressed by the comfort and acceleration. Cruising at speed is very comfortable.

Just normal wear and tear bits. Had a stainless steel exhaust installed recently, and what a difference it makes!

Driver's electric windows doesn't operate smoothly when wet.

Unknown rattling noise from the rear suspension, though it still drives smoothly.

The car has proved to be very reliable, the Honda engine's great although performance is somewhat affected by the auto box.

The car has however developed some annoying rattles in various parts of the interior, perhaps it's a sign of Rover typical build quality!

Overall, the car's been a reliable cruise with everything I've hoped for from my first car.

A Ford fiester or a Rover 600 for the same money? I know which i'd go for!!

Changed electric aerial, tried to change the air filter but the screws are rusted solid, that's all.

I bought this car for £1900 96 on a P plate with 84,000 miles on the clock so I can't moan.

I do find petrol consumption heavy in town, has anybody got any ideas why. Maybe the air filter hasn't been changed for ages causing more petrol to be used. I will check with Rover.

The interior is pleasant and it has got everything except air conditioning, but the seats are slightly uncomfortable.

I find the amount of road and wind noise annoying at speed, could be quieter.

Gear linkage broke at 78,000 miles. I was told they were in short supply and on back order from Rover, after waiting for a month I walked into a local Rover dealer who had one on the shelf.

SRS developed a fault, turned out to be a dodgy battery. Rover claimed the battery was fine and the problem was being caused by the alternator (£300 + labour). Still charged me £25 to turn the warning light off!

Changed front tyres twice, Pirelli P-Zeros, excellent tyres but £125 each, ouch! Never needed to change the rear tyres (also P-Zero).

The anonymity of this car is its biggest attraction. It has no spoiler, no skirts and simply says 600 on the back.

Torque is fantastic from 2200rpm and it will easily out pull a BMW 325. I wrongly assumed it wouldn't attract the attention of various hot-hatch owners, but having recently fitted the biggest and loudest dump valve I could find they appear to be more inclined to back off. Marvellous.

My only problem has been with Rover dealers. In my experience they are either not sufficiently trained to correctly diagnose problems or simply dishonest in suggesting the more expensive option. A wait of over a month for a part when one of the local dealers had one on the shelf was also totally unacceptable.

Fantastic car, terrible dealers.