1994 Rover - Austin 200 214 Si 1.4 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A reliable, economical workhorse

Faults:

Alternator failed at 71000 miles.

Gearbox whining badly, and smell of hot gear oil in heavy traffic. Plenty about in scrap yards, so fixing it not really a problem.

Bad clutch judder caused by spring on cable self-adjuster getting weak- will replace it when I change the gearbox.

General Comments:

Very quick for a small engine in a relatively big car.

Handling passable in the dry, but lethal in the wet- terminal understeer!

Quality trim makes for comfort on long journeys.

Fuel economy excellent- anything from 35 to 50mpg depending on driving conditions.

Grandad image, but at £700 for 18 months/12000 miles of almost trouble-free motoring, I don't care!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th March, 2003

30th Dec 2004, 11:10

Totally agree with you.. had very few problems with rover 214 over last 4 years and 25k still goin strong :)

1994 Rover - Austin 200 214 SLi 1.4 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Good for over 155,000 miles

Faults:

Had a bad time between 130,000 and 135,000 miles when the head gasket, alternator and gearbox all went within weeks of each other.

Other than that, nothing.

General Comments:

I would say to anyone who has a prejudice against the Rover brand, get over it.

This car was excellent.

How many other small engined hatchbacks can cover 155,000 miles and still look and sound like they have just left the factory.

I still see it quite a lot and it still doesn't chuck out any smoke.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th December, 2002

1994 Rover - Austin 200 SLI 2.0 petrol T series from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A Rover Gem

Faults:

The piston rings needed replacing after 135,000 miles. The engine began to burn a little oil.

Nowadays engine is like new, After rebuilding with new gasket and rings, I ran the car in gently for 1,000 miles, before changing oil.

With frequent oil and oil filter changes, these cars can cover 400,000 miles without serious engine overhaul.

Original radiator is beginning to loose fins (but does not leak) Not bad for 8 years old.

Clutch, brake pads and tyres replaced, but these wear on all cars.

General Comments:

I am very impressed with this car.

My previous Rover 214 SLI, G Reg was also very reliable and covered 128,000 miles without requiring much work. (only a clutch and rear suspension bushes) Also consumables such as tyres and brake pads.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th December, 2002

1994 Rover - Austin 200 214 SEi 1.4i, 16v, DOHC, 103BHP from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Fantastic

Faults:

Absolutely nothing has gone wrong with this car. It had and still has a full service history from new.

General Comments:

What a fantastic car, 1/2 leather seats, full electrics, 0-60 in under 9 seconds, 103 BHP and all the usual MG Rover refinements. The car is nice to drive, has a good driving position, is very responsive, holds the road reasuringly well and has a really nice gear shift. Only grumble was the standard sound system, but I replaced it with a Blaupunkt one.

The Rover K-series engines are truly amazing not only are they of all aluminium construction, but the 1.4 is the powerfullest normally aspirated production engine on the road. The engines run cleanly and sweetly and will go and go if looked after.

MG Rover deserve to be doing well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th April, 2002

7th Jun 2002, 07:42

Looks like you got your hands on a good one - had mine a year and the damn thing just kept on breaking down. I'll admit when it did go, it went well. As for the 0-60, they're quick - but not that quick. They average out at between 10-11 seconds. So er, you're wrong.

9th Mar 2006, 21:50

No he's not, I've run my standard 214 sei at Crail (in Scotland) and my best run was 9.23 seconds. This was in the wet, so in dry conditions, maybe under 9.0.

16th Oct 2006, 14:52

For the bubble-shape car, which I'd expect to weigh a little more, it's quoted at 10 seconds.

With a bit of wheel spin and quick gear changes at high revs, and maybe super-unleaded petrol, a 9 second 0-60 is (probably just about) possible with a stock car.

By the way, these Rovers have really decent traction, especially with the 15" alloy wheels, so a wet 0-60 is bound to only be a little bit longer than a dry one.