DorsetStrider
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| posted on 26/6/06 at 02:14 PM |
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Tin Top Recommendation
Hiya All,
A friend of mine managed to write off her car last week and has been looking for a replacement. She has spotted one she likes and has asked my advice.
It's a Rover 200 1.4 R reg 72,000 miles on the clock. She's had a tough couple of years and I don't want to steer her wrong... and
not being that familar with rovers, never having had one, so thoughts I'd ask you wonderful lot for your thoughts.
My biggest concern is that the repair bills are going to be silly now that rover is defunct. Is this the case or is someone else making replacement
parts for them now?
Any thoughts/comments would be very gratefully received.
Who the f**K tightened this up!
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mike smith1
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| posted on 26/6/06 at 02:27 PM |
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K series engine? Can suffer with overheating problems which causes them to tend to crack in the exhaust ports, fairly regular occurance at a engine
rebuilders.
Pattern parts are available dont think the parts are a issue, but would steer away from the K Series Engine!
Im sure some will disagree but just my 2p worth 
Mike
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Jasper
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| posted on 26/6/06 at 02:57 PM |
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There's a reason they went bust - they made crap cars - I would touch one with yours
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graememk
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| posted on 26/6/06 at 03:03 PM |
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on the + side, most rovers have been owned by older or mature drivers so never rallyed or raced like most 2nd hand ford / vauxhalls.
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Scotty
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| posted on 26/6/06 at 03:12 PM |
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personal opinion would be that the older rovers (like that one) are generally good cars - its the newer ones that seem to be made from chocolate parts
PLEASE NOTE! All comments made by this person are to be considered "Tongue in Cheek" and are not meant to be taken seriously in any way - so there!
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UncleFista
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| posted on 26/6/06 at 04:42 PM |
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Check the coolant, K-series hold very little coolant so what there is needs to be in tip-top shape.
If it doesn't look like it's been changed regularly (every 2 or even better 1 years) run away...
All IMHO of course 
Tony Bond / UncleFista
Love is like a snowmobile, speeding across the frozen tundra.
Which suddenly flips, pinning you underneath.
At night the ice-weasels come...
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britishtrident
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| posted on 26/6/06 at 04:49 PM |
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With the 214 it is important to know which engine is in it -- single cam K8 or K16 --- K16 come in two different horsepowers the top spec has 104ps
and is very nippy.
The single cam 8 vavle K8 is just about 100% bullet proof, the 16K is an excellent unit but dosen't suffer fools pushing the engine hard from a
cold start, equally well it dosen't take well to idiot garage mechanics it is a good DIY engine but must be worked on exactly as per WSM, I have
now had 5 cars with K16 engines in the family with not one head gasket failure.
Bigest single problem on the 1.4 version is the clutch and gearbox, the clutch is 190mm but is a pretty puny item and the gearbox came from the
Peugeot 205/206, so check it carefully in all the gears and test the clutch and the foot brake. Ask if the cam belt has been changed, if not it will
need changed before 90k miles. If it has been properly dealer serviced evidence of coolant and brake fluid changes should be in the service book.
Just do the standard engine checks --- look for signs of external water leaks especially around the right hand corner of the inlet manifold, look for
signs of any residue in the coolant tank and cam cover then leave it idling for 30 minutes. Check the external condition of the raddiator and power
sterring fluid cooler -- at over 100k miles these can start to give trouble.
If air-conditioning is fitted check it works.
Listen for any knocks or rattles from the front of the engines especially from the area of the front pulleys. If you have volt meter check the
alternator is producing at least 13.4 volts at 2500 rpm with the headlamp dip beam and heated rear window on. If you can get a look at the MOT
emmision test result sheet.
Check for rust in the edges of the doors and bonnet and tailgate. . At R reg it is just possible you may find corrosion at the brake pipe end fittings
(Rover brake pipes are plastic coated except at the ends).
Finally check the condition of the exhaust normally Rover exhaust fail first at the bend adjacent to the rear right hand road wheel.
[Edited on 26/6/06 by britishtrident]
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Danozeman
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| posted on 26/6/06 at 07:30 PM |
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Cant follow up with any extras to what BT said. Apart from the fact if its a 16v it will fly and the 200's are great little cars. Im actually
semi looking for a cheap one for the wife.
Also the TD they use is a bloody good quick little engine.
Dan
Built the purple peril!! Let the modifications begin!!
http://www.eastangliankitcars.co.uk
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smart51
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| posted on 26/6/06 at 08:26 PM |
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As far as I know, the 1.4s have good reliability. I thought it was just 1.8s that suffered.
I've driven a few 214s through my old job. They're just fine really. The 103PS 16V engine is the one to have but the 84PS 16V (that
replaced the 8V) is also good.
Driving wise, my only gripes are that 2nd is a bit tall (so that it will reach 62MPH) and that the steering has too much "on centre" about
it but most people like strong on centre feel, aparently.
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