Saw a very clean looking R reg Rover 200 1.4 today, 110k going for £400 ono. I phoned the owner and arranged to have a drive on Thursday if it is still for sale (can't get over that way till then). MoT till November.
He reckons to have put ten thou on it in 18 months, doesn't know when the belt was last changed though. Worth a punt if it drives ok, or a shed to avoid?
|
Brother had one from new - nice little car.
Bit bigger than a Fiesta, bit handier than a Focus.
Definitely worth a go if it's in reasonable order.
|
the good bits
its a 13 year old car
its a car no longer made
its got the reliable engine
its got the reliable engine with 110,000 on it and low miles in the last few years which is often bad for any car
its got 3 months mot tops
the bad bits
cant think of any
|
Just the obvious check for head gasket problems :).
I don't think the 1.4's suffered too badly for this, but my uncles 25 did suffer from head gasket failure.
I suspect Bellboy was being slightly sarcastic above! For £400 my only concern would be the lack of MOT, if the heas gasket goes in six months time well tis a £400 car.
|
Do check it carefully, especially the cooling system and plenty of oil changes - the rest of the car is usually fine, but the K-Series does like good coolant and fresh oil. Id be looking for any signs of HGF.
If its all good in that respect then yeah, not bad cars, economical, willing engines and quite chuckable. Cambelt is every 5 years/60k and they will do the 60k but id check the age of the belt in this case, they do go ping on occasion if left.
MOT is a bit short - give them no more than £300 if you can.
|
Even Stu thinks that £400 is too much.... ;)
I think with 3 months MOT you shouldn't be paying more than £175 - scrap value £100, plus £25 per month of MOT.
|
We shook on £300, picking it up later. It is in clean condition, immaculate inside, no rust and very tidy under the bonnet, no mayonaise under the filler cap and clean oil. 4 good tyres too. Last years MoT had no advisories either. Trouble is I've left things too late, the Mondeo's MoT expires next week and I have to have a car to work so the search got a bit desperate.
Who knows with a car at that age, might turn out to be a shed or might not. If I get a year out of it I won't complain, any more will be a bonus. I should be better placed financially next year so can get something decent, but times are tough at the moment :-(
Should get eighty or ninety for the Mondy in scrap value and that owes me nothing after six years and nearly 100k.
Last edited by: Robin Regal on Tue 17 Aug 10 at 14:29
|
...We shook on £300...
Sounds good to me.
At this money a Rover in good order is probably a better buy than a Ford Fiesta, many of which seem to have picked up some dodgy history if they reach this age.
The Rover's a nice car to drive, too.
|
>>£80 or £90 for the Mondeo in scrap
Don't. Put it on ebay with a £100 starting price (which will give you £80 plus cover the sales fee) and I bet you do better than that. Lots of pictures and well-written blurb. If it doesn't do better than that then I'm afraid it will have cost you £8.
Times are tough for everybody, and your motor will be worth more than scrap value.
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Tue 17 Aug 10 at 15:37
|
I agree with Mapmaker. If I were in the market for a secondhand engine or gearbox, I'd rather buy a complete, driveable car for £200 than spend the same amount and take a chance from a breaker. Plus all those other little spares you can take off as well.
Either that, or it will be in Eastern Europe somewhere by this time next month. Your car is worth a couple of hundred quid, and I bet you get close. £99 starting bid, no reserve.
|
|
Well done that man, keep us updated with how your bargin buy turns out. Lets see if my £400 Daewoo is a better buy than a £300 Rover ;-)
|
Thanks for all your input.
Well, it got me home, all of 20 miles. Drives nice, not as comfortable as the Mondy but I've had worse and it is very acceptable. Wind up windows which I don't mind as Mrs RR's electrics cost us two hundred quid the other year.
I might well try ebay with the Mondeo, the engine and box are sweet as a nut, upholstry and all four doors are sound too. Now, repeat after me;
It is PETROL engine, and I must put PETROL in the tank and not diesel like I have done for nearly 20 years. The PETROL pump has a Green nozzle and not a black one which is diesel and no good because this has a PETROL engine and will only run on PETROL. And please don't let me pay dearly for laughing like a drain at my BiL a couple of years ago when I found him stranded in Cardigan after filling his just bought diesel van with petrol out of habit. It won't happen to me because I will remember that this is a PETROL engined car.
|
|
An ugly blob of white emulsion on the petrol cap will remind you each time you open the flap.
|
|
You shouldn't be able to get a diesel nozzle in your filler.
|
>>Its not.<<
From someone who drives a car just as out of date now as the Espero was in 1995, id stop throwing stones in that glasshouse of yours ;-)
|
>> Lets see if my £400 Daewoo is a better buy than a £300 Rover<<
We could open a 'book' ... I'll have a fiver E/W :)
|
why would you have a fiver ElectricWindows?
wheres Bigtee and his decipher machine?
|
>>why would you have a fiver ElectricWindows?
Go and do your Abs exercises Bb.
|
|
My money's on the car with the manual windows, although I expect the Daewoo will be cleaner. :)
|
500,000 good cars gone under scrappage and looks whats left
a car from a failed manufacturer
and a car from a failed manufacturer
you couldnt make it up................
|
|
Talking to my local used car dealer recently he was nearly in tears while telling me about some of the stuff that had gone through the crusher.
|
|
Good luck with the car Robin. Sounds like a bargain.
|
>>although I expect the Daewoo will be cleaner. :)<<
Ive just finished compounding it, tomorrow, its valet time :-) just y'all wait an see, this ones going to be minted.
|
>>just y'all wait an see, this ones going to be minted.<<
You cant make a silk purse out of a sow's ear ... (ouch!)
|
>> >>just y'all wait an see, this ones going to be minted.<<
And what denomination coins will the crushed steel be made into do we think?
|
>> You cant make a silk purse out of a sow's ear ... (ouch!)
And gives lie to the old adage "you can't polish a Daewoo" :-)
|
>> >> Lets see if my £400 Daewoo is a better buy than a £300 Rover<<
>>
>> We could open a 'book' ... I'll have a fiver E/W :)
>>
I don't think anyone will collect. The ink must be nearly dry on the Daewoo V5C surely time for it to move on.
Good Luck ! with the Rover.
|
I am sure you've done this already but older cars like this can be cop magnets (or though a lot less so with older people behind the wheel). I would check all the lights, tyres etc so if a cop did inspect it they have nothing to give you a ticket for.
For £300 its cheap motoring if it passes the MOT :). Even if you decide in three months time the MOT will be too pricey I am sure you can get £150-£200 for it without the MOT.
|
>>older cars like this can be cop magnets (or though a lot less so with older people behind the wheel).
OI!
Although thinking about it, I've never been stopped in the Pride. ;>)
|
I don't think it is an issue for anybody over 30 really, but if cops see young peope in an old car they just assume no insurance, MOT, tax, dangerious tyres, brakes etc.
That said I never got pulled in my old bangers either :).
|
Believe me Rattle, there is no bigger cop magnet than my Mondeo, the improvised bungee cord bumper bracket standing out like a sore thumb. I did get stopped once in it, but that was when it still looked respectable.
Must be my age :-(
|
|
The art to running something old or different and not getting unwanted fuzzie attention is to always have your steed in good fettle and clean...
|
Rover 200 - Iffy
