1981 Rover - Austin Maxi HLS (Twin Carb) 1750 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A very practical classic

Faults:

There have been no major problems, the master slave cylinder on the clutch leaked once. Most of my spares are now purchased through the growing Austin Maxi club.

General Comments:

If you own a Maxi, or have in the past why not join the Maxi club, parts are easy to find through the club, and good vehicles for sale are advertised and there are plenty of ideas.

The best towing car ever designed - the overhang from the back wheel is very short. Simply the most practical car ever developed in the UK.

Sadly they were not given much credit in their day, so many ended their lives early heading for the scrap yard - what a shame. I am only 21 this being my first Maxi, but it is our 7th family Maxi.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd June, 2000

3rd May 2001, 08:21

Brilliant cars. My cousin had 3 for his upholstery business and used them for years to lug furniture round in. reliable and never let him down. First one was a J reg and the last was a W reg. Then he hit the big time and bought a BMW! He never had another one after that but then he didn't need to lug furniture round anymore. We could also get an extended family of 9 in it and luggage etc as well and it never complained once. Perfect. A credit to British engineering, albeit a rare one.

1981 Rover - Austin Maxi 2 Auto L 1.75 petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Automatic gearbox was weak even when I bought the car secondhand but even so managed 30k miles over 4 years! Finally caused me to give away the car when autobox was beyond further repair. Other than that, only consumables were required.

General Comments:

Bloody marvellous car! Bought for 'banger' price but took us all over UK and France without missing a beat. Supremely comfortable, sits firmly astride the road, tows just about anything, doubles as a van, camper, truck, taxi. Wish I still had it!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd July, 1999

1978 Rover - Austin Maxi HL 1750 cc from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Lots of snapped choke cables, and one blown head gasket -- not bad for a 21 year old car, which was considered crappy, even in the prime of its life!!

General Comments:

A truly amazing vehicle!! BL underseal is still lasting out well -- no rust !!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 13th July, 1999

11th Dec 2000, 14:02

The Maxi is an excellent car, my dad had two over a span of 8 years, and only 1 thing went wrong - the suspension collapsed on one wheel!

20th Dec 2000, 16:41

I remember my dad having several(!) of these during the 70's / early 80's.

First was a blue one (L reg'd) - very reliable apart from the alternator packed up when we were on holiday in Torquay. Next was a sort of sandy beige type coloured one and finally a sort of 'filled nappy' brown one (possibly the worst colour ever seen on a car?) that got written off when someone drove into it whilst it was parked.

They were an ideal car for a growing family - the hatchback was still a fairly modern idea and it had a 5 speed box for economy - my dad thought it was a great step up from the Cortina Estate he'd had previously. We kids thought it was great because it had cloth seats (the Cortina's had horrible plastic ones - they used to get really hot in the summer and were freezing in the winter).

In fact he liked the Maxi's so much, he replaced the last one with... a Maestro!

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1980 Rover - Austin Maxi Maxi 2 1.8 petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Nothing I shouldn't have expected. It has suffered from some age related problems, various seals have failed and the engine mounts needed renewing. Rust was starting to show. Alternator and battery went. Clutch has been replaced twice.

General Comments:

An excellent all round car. Swallows huge amounts of luggage and tows wonderfully. A much under-rated and maligned car. Rover dealers are a bit variable, some don't want to know, others like having something a bit different to get parts for. Parts are dirt cheap.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th August, 1997

15th Jan 2002, 14:32

I drove a Maxi II HLS in the late 80's (my fathers) while owning a MkIII Cortina myself. The Maxi had superb road holding and performance in comparison, but it did breakdown (gearbox faults, clutch hydraulics, head gasket) on a number of occasions while the Cortina only failed to start once.

Roadholding is nice, but low garage bills are nicer - I still drive rear drive Fords now.

Mark Hawkins.