Good afternoon all.
I have 'won' a 99 Rover 214 on ebay today and am going to collect later.
Does anyone have any tips that they can offer on this car, common issues.. Ive never bought one from Ebay before - any tips would be great !
Thanks
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alright mike, congrats on the 'win'. make sure you check the basics. levels, service history, old mots, take it out on a good long test drive till its warm then try get it into some traffic. if tis fitted with the k series engine they do sometimes have problems with the head gaskets and overheating which can prove to be expensive. have a good look around the joint of the head and the engine block too see if you can see some evidence of leaking or recent head removal ie gasket compound/ hylomar. good luck
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alright mike congrats on the 'win'. make sure you check the basics.
I think the concept on Ebay is to check BEFORE you bid, but the above points could be used to reject the car as "Not as described" if not regarded as normal wear & tear for the age of the car.
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Thanks guys !
TBH It looks like a smart little car, Ive queried the HG and any leaks, squeeks and grinds...
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Head gasket, head gasket, head gasket.
Make sure the coolant level is correct, and the coolant contains anti-freeze (i.e. not diluted from constant topping up with water). Make sure the temperature gauge behaves properly. Take off the oil filler cap and look for the slightest sign of white/brown gunge (mayonnaise). Engine should be very sweet and responsive, and start instantly.
K-series head gasket issues aside, the 200 is a very underrated car, like most later Rovers.
Cheers
DP
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make sure you get at least part of the log book so it can be taxed
make sure the car isnt being sold by a dodgy back street hammer it together p/t trader
do as said double check the engine for all thats mentioned
lets hope its better than the eckie :-)
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my mate won a 213 in a phone in at telegraph in 1989, it went back to the garage at least 20 times, leaky sun roof , mis-aligned doors , complete lecky failure amongs other things ....dont buy rover nuff said
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>>dont buy rover nuff said
213 was a pretty good motor apart from rust,engine wise it had the Honda unit which lasted longer than the car.
214 far better car, except the hg probs which now cars are scrapped because of,body wise last years and outlive engines
Keep an eye on cooling system,checking a couple of times a week, as these gaskets and heads go very EASILY.!
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Steve
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Personally, I would never, ever buy anything with a K series engine in it. My brother has a Caterham 7 (factory built) with a 1.8 k engine which popped it's first HG at 7000 miles and under three years old.
Rubbish engine design with small coolant capacity, plastic dowels, long head bolts and generally a recipe for future headaches.
How many MG tf drivers would buy another one?
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I tend to agree, but I'm sure I've heard of uprated aftermarket HG's which replace the original when it pops, and shouldn't pop again for the life of the engine! Obviously it's a waste of time if the first HG failure warped/cracked the head, in which case it's off to the Rover parts dept (scrap-yard).
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Start the engine from cold & listem.
They have hydraulic tappets and when started from cold, mine sounds like a diesel because the previous owner, my father, only used it for short runs in 6 years. After 2 miles when the engine has warmed up, the noise disappears.
If the engine is warm when you arrive, be suspicious.
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>>I've heard of uprated aftermarket HG's which replace the original when it pops
Didnt actually cure the main problem though.
I read that the Chinese have modified the K-series and now call it the N series,to be used in the new MG being sold to America
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Steve
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2.5k per year in a 7? Did he dislike it?
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2.5k per year in a 7? Did he dislike it?
A Caterham 7 is a very very impractical car. You can't lock it, so it can't be left anywhere public. You can barely get it over a speed hump. You feel very claustrophobic when the hood is up. Driving one in the rain leads to oversteer even when you're trying to avoid it. Its rare that owners manage to average much more than about 1500 miles a year.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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>>>>>>>>>>A Caterham 7 is a very very impractical car. You can't lock it, so it can't be left anywhere public. You can barely get it over a speed hump. You feel very claustrophobic when the hood is up. Driving one in the rain leads to oversteer even when you're trying to avoid it. Its rare that owners manage to average much more than about 1500 miles a year.
Have you ever owned one??!! What car do you drive??
Judging by your comments you know nothing about these cars whatsoever!! I own a seven type replica and the last thing they are is practical. Thats why I have a Mondeo Estate as another car for trips to B&Q and Tescos. Try putting a Mondeo into a tight bend at 70 and all you get is a week in hospital. What you say about speed humps is nonsense as well. My car is just under 4" off the ground and I never have a problem with speed humps as I know how to appraoch them. (There are plenty near my house)The hood has never been on more than once or twice when I have been caught out in the rain and I dont know of anyone who's car has been stolen or vandalised when left unattended. I take my steering wheel with me and leave the rest to the security system fitted by a specialist.
As for 1500miles a year, we're doing Lands End to John O Groats in August in the Caterhams so that's that nearly gone.
Providing of course the head gasket holds out.
I have a 2 litre Zetec in my car. Much better
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Yes I've owned one. I'm in the market for another or an Atom or a Radical.
They're great fun, but my principal point was that 1500 miles a year in one is normal.
A quick glance at Autotrader shows the following for Caterhams for sale
1988 13k miles
1999 16k miles
1994 10k miles
1994 38k miles
2000 11k miles
so the leggiest example on my quick search has only averaged 2200 miles per year.
They don't get vandalized because people are careful where they leave them. People don't generally take them out in the rain. People don't do long commutes in them. I know that there are exceptions to the rule but they're very rare.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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If it cost a bit then check HGF and coolant before driving away. Change coolant and hoses immediately, ensure air is removed from system. Monitor coolant level daily.
It it's a cheapo then drive. I had 216 for a few days many yearsago, rather compact but the (Honda?) engine responded well to my commands. Gearbox was like stirring tripe though.
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check the coolant in really often, i cannot stress enough how important this is on these cars, the K series is a great powerfull engine BUT the coolant bottle is so small, the engine will overheat so quickly if the level drops, the head is ally so will warp very easily, this will in efect make the car a scrapper. as the cost to repair is mucho expensive.
Check the coolant level a couple of times a week at least.
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We owned a 214 for 5 years (infact still do but its unsued in the garage now!). In that time and some 75,000 miles all that was done was the head gasket caused by a leaky radiator. All of the above is sound advice and any loss in coolant needs to be found and fixed.
Ours is on 120,000 miles now and the engine was/is fine before it was garaged, gearbox and clutch original as was everything else on the car other than 1 exhaust and tyres/brakes etc!
Very reliable cars despite potential HGF, although this in itself is fairly cheap to fix if caught early enough and combined with a cambelt change.
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