Hi,
I am after abit of advice. I currently need a diesel car but don't have much money, and a Rover 220SD Turbo has come up. Its done 77k with FSH and in very good condition for £800.
I've read the carbycar, and it doesn't seem at all bad, only thing is is that there are 2 keys but only one remote fob. The seller says that they only ever come with one.
Does this matter? And what do people think of Rovers?
Cheers
Craig
Edited by Pugugly on 01/02/2009 at 22:53
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They can be very nice cars BUT check ever so carefully for HGF as while not especially prone, if they do go, it costs a fortune to fix.
Also, check it has had proper coolant and oil changes, they are important.
They also need a good battery, takes alot to fire them up and a weak battery will soon fail.
The price is way too high though, no more than £650 with full MOT.
They came with two remotes from new, seller is blagging, I used to clean these cars new, so I should know.
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I had a '98 420 SLD Turbo with over 150,000 miles on the clock, serviced by myself and nothing untoward to worry about, I would not be concerned too much so long as it has got FSH, otherwise offer a low price, its a buyers market. Expect 38ish mpg round town and 50ish on a run.
Plenty of spares still available so no concerns there either.
I had two remote fobs, I wouldn't think that it would cost too much for a second one, I would be tempted to stay clear of EBay, you might find a forum on the net dedicated to Rovers - which if there is one could be a wealth on info on all matters Rover - hope that helps.
BTW I run a Laguna 2 at the mo and am on their owners website (no affiliation to Renault) so you get the gen from their owners.
What year reg is it BTW
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If I remember correctly, it's a PSA diesel.
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220SD turbo will likely be the jellymould shape 200 with the Rover L series direct injection engine, non-intercooled. These engined seem to be strong and economical with little or no reputation for head gasket problems. The intercooled SDi version went very well. Check the car carefully for rust though; my wife's old 200 had rusted out where the boot hinges bolted to the roof...
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If the seller's being a little economical with the truth over the remote key fobs, I'd be very wary of that mileage.
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>>with little or no reputation for head gasket problems
Well I had a 420 D with the 86 bhp L-Series which had a suspected HGF so it was done - turned out to be the oil cooler, so worth changing this first if you get HGF symptoms, its cheaper!
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Its a 1996/97 P Reg, also its in very good condition and the only bit of rust I can see is bubbling slightly round the rear boot lock.
The rest of the car looks mint. Is there any issue with having 1 remote fob as I notice on the carbycar page it mentions something but its not that clear?
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Plenty of diesel Peugeot 406s and Citroen Xantias at that price.
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Plenty of diesel Peugeot 406s and Citroen Xantias at that price.
Insurance is an issue on 406's and Xantias. They're group 12 and for me pretty pricey to insure!
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We ran a 1997 214 from 60,000 to 140,000 in 5 years and it proved very reliable - nothing went wrong other than the headgasket - that isnt a problem on the diesel though! The L series is a very hardy engine and will go forever if it gets regular oil changes - 77K is just run in!
As for rust - the hotspots seem to be around the lock as you say, boot hinges can go badly, around the front indicators in the wings and eventually the rear arches will go if not cleaned out. Generally they stay rust free though!
It might be a bit overpriced but its still cheap motoring and will return you 50mpg easily.
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There arent any real issues not having the fobs because aslong as you have the handbook ( tells u how ), you can switch it over to just using the key but still retain alarm/immobilser functions, which id recommend as the fobs are fragile anyway.
When I worked for a Rover dealer ( with just the cars of the age your talkinga bout ), we had to all be well aware of how to overcome non-functioning fobs.
Its an old model at that age, they made them much later and these were a bit nicer, so I would haggle hard on that price.
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I don't think I can get it much cheaper, as I am part exing my current car with it (the car is from a local dealership).
The reason why I am part exing is because I really don't have the time to try and sell my car and then find another one after selling it. Plus with the amount of miles I am doing having a petrol engined car is getting very expensive at the moment (I'm doing about 15-18k a year now).
How do you do the fob/key thing? As It has the service book but no hand book?
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Do a search for MG-Rover forums - there is a brilliant one which is easy to look up - they know the cars inside out and were instrumental in fixing my Rover. If they cant give you an answer, nobody can!
I cant recall for sure - I think if you unlock with the fob and lock with the key that sorts it, however I wouldnt want to be quoted on it! There is a process for turning the alarm off when the fob fails having locked the car with it too.
Need a security number for it though so do check you have this as if the battery fails, you will need it or the alarm and immobiliser kick in.
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Stuart you can link them in this genuine case.
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