1993 Rover - Austin 800 820Si 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Luxury tourer for family trips

Faults:

Heater not working.

Handbrake not working.

Leak at header tank unit.

115000 miles on clock, but solid and clean, new tyres, MOT until 2004.

General Comments:

Considering I bought this car at auction for £275.00, I knew that some work would have to be done.

This Rover is a big beasty and because of its size, many people tend to go for smaller cars.

This is like driving a settee from a leather suite, and is great for comfort and leg room.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th July, 2003

31st Aug 2004, 09:27

I have 376,000 miles on my '93 820Si, nothing has ever gone wrong (apart from worn tyres and had the exhaust replaced). Bought it for £900 4 years ago with 117,000 miles on. It is the most comfortable car I have ever owned. Unfortunately someone came into the side of it at a roundabout and it has been written off. Hope to get another one, but newer, maybe '98 mileage is no issue though!!

14th Jun 2008, 18:19

I have a Rover 820 Si, and it goes like a dream. The power delivery on the accelerator is fantastic. It has just been diagnosed with ABS pump problems, but still is a beautiful car.

1993 Rover - Austin 800 820 Vitesse 2.0 turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Teaches the boy racers a BIG lesson!

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

I bought the car very cheap off a mate and it is in mint condition.

It is extremely quick for the size of the car, however this is reflected at the pumps.

It is very comfortable to drive, very responsive and handles brilliantly.

The boot is huge and there is LOADS of room in the back. For what I paid you could pay a hundred times more at a dealer for a new model!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 10th May, 2003

1993 Rover - Austin 800 827Si 2.7lt from Switzerland

Summary:

Best value for money

Faults:

Until now, no problem with the car.

General Comments:

In order to save some money I decided to sell my Audi A6 1999 and buy a cheap car.

I found a Rover 827 with 131000 km and built in 1993. The condition of the car and its price was very interesting, so I decided to buy it, although I know about the bad image which Rover Cars have in terms of quality and reliability.

The more I drive the car, the more I like it, even the automatic transmission is sometime not very smooth, compared with the Audi A6 1998 which I had before, but does the job.

Also I remark some noises coming from deformations in the structure when driving over bad roads. Structure seems not very rigid.

The interior is just in perfect condition after 9 years and with more than 130000 km! Leather of the seats looks as if new.

A comfortable car, best value for money. (I got it for only 4500 Swiss Francs!, all options included).

If you want a comfortable car and don't matter about little old-fashioned design, then this car is best for money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th October, 2002

18th Mar 2008, 17:15

This car has a Honda engine which, as long as it's serviced correctly, will comfortably pass 200,000 miles (320,000 kms) and still deliver all its power smoothly. It's a great engine.

The quality of the 800 was variable. If you get a good one (and it sounds like you did), it will be a good, reliable car. Get a bad one though and it will be a nightmare.

I ran a 1996 820 Vitesse Sport (2.0 turbo) as a company car which did 150,000 miles (240,000 kms) and apart from a slight appetite for engine oil, drove beautifully. Apart from a gearbox failure in its first year, and a problem with the dash top peeling away towards the end, it was 100% fault free. Even the clutch was original and still didn't slip or judder.

1993 Rover - Austin 800 820i 2.0i-16v from Netherlands

Summary:

Big car for small money

Faults:

I had to replace the radiator because it was really gone. Three oil leaks were found, but these are minor (and very expensive to repair), so there's no hurry there. The powered window at the driver's site something refuses to close, but this happens mostly when it's warm (no problem this Summer!).

General Comments:

I first was looking for a cheap Volvo 940, but then I found a real cheap, big and well-maintained car...

This Rover is not sophisticated, but drives really nice. Although it would be good if the engine made a little less noise on the motorway.

Furthermore spacious, fast, exclusive (only four other Rover 800s in my town), good looking and reliable. The yearly APK (MOT) was no problem. No repairs there.

Although not as nice as my brother's Rover P5 3.0, I'm really happy to own this Rover.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th July, 2002

30th Oct 2002, 15:05

I had 2 of these over 5 years from new.

To say they were unreliable is to be kind but I had to accept them as company cars.

Burst head gasket, electric windows failed at least 10 times, clutch went, exhaust went, engine kept flooding when started, trim squeaked. Alloy wheels corroded to hubs and could not be moved.

All in all the most unreliable cars I have ever driven. Big and roomy, but unable to go round S bends without making you sick!

Absolutely horrible.

NEVER EVER again!