love this car. my first car was a borrowed fiat brava 1.2 very boring car no power at all took for ever to get to 70 on motorway and if you had 2 adults in back wouldnt go up hills. when i gave it back i only had £500 to spend on a car and needed one big enough for a family as me and my partner had a baby. so i brought this rover 214 sei on a m reg so it was the old shape but looked in good nick it had done 143k miles but had a full service history had the car for 15months with no trouble bar a faulty starter motor no problems to put new one on. decided to get rid when my windscreen cracked when a stone hit it and i wasnt covered and was gonna cost £150 to fix then summat on power steering went just wasnt worth the hassle its alot of miles for a old car. i then brought my 414si with 72k on the clock no rust leather seats and full electric really fun to drive cheap to insure and tax and fast too. but unfortunatly i went into the back of someone at some light and smashed front end but managed to get 2 wings headlights bumper and bonnet radiator plus a new batterie for £150 did the work with a friend and after 5months of being left and neglected while i decided weather to scrap it or not it started first time was really amazed glad to be back on the road with it think im goona treat it to a service for neglecting it..
Had to buy a car quick and with 500 quid in my pocket, there was not much choice. All the "cheapie" cars in the local papers went in hours, so I walked into a dealer and asked what crappy trade-ins they had. Being in the trade, the guy hated Rovers (lol) so he let me have this Rover 414 (iS or Si people can't seem to decide!) Anyhow, aside from the failed rear wiper motor (which I thought might have been just a fuse :( ) and the non working remote tailgate open lever (couldn't be bothered to reattach the cable) and a really nasty sounding rear nearside wheel hub. Apart from that, despite high mileage it's been an excellent car. Long distances are not a problem and neither is the car when running round town. Alloys deformed slightly so rear tyres kept losing lots of pressure, but a quick (and cheap) clean up and gum application at Kwik Fit (recommended) sorted that out. Minor complaint is that some bugger stole the insignia from my alloy centre and those are rare to get hold of :( otherwise, excellent spec, electric everything, fantastic design sunroof and brilliant sound (from a standard stero). NICE!
Nippier than expected for size, inexpensive insurance and tax
some minor defects seem glaringly common
Reviewing a 1997 model.
414 si / is
Owned for 6 months.
Bougth a 1996 Rover 414 si, last one month to the day and then the engine completely ceased up. The mechanic said it would cost me 1100 plus VAT for a slightly new low mileage engine. Now I have to sell it for scrap because its just not worth it.
Hello world! (what a great way to start a review!)
We have probably all heard the comments about Rovers being unreliable, dubious, risky.... mechanics saying, "I wouldn't buy one of those, mate!"... I knew someone who had a Rover 214 and asked his view of Rovers... he liked his......so I bought my 1996 Rover 414 Si and took what might turn out to be a gamble. Still, the price WAS right!
£850 for an almost immaculate car with 58K and Rover S.H.! That was 2 months ago. I can only say I am very pleased with the car. I have replaced the driver's door check pin (the metal rod that stops the door being caught by strong winds when open) which had snapped (how on earth can you snap one of those????? still, easily fixed) and also replaced the rear wiper motor... these are ancillary components that could go on any car (and were broken when I bought the car.) A couple of LED sections don't work on the radio so can't read every character on the radio display sometimes... this is a fiddly job to replace the clock display (which doubles as the radio display too)...
but HEY these things are very minor indeed and for the money, I am very happy to keep the change! Chink chink!
I have driven around 3000 miles, lots of long distance journeys, and I can only say the car is a joy to drive. Really smooth, comfortable... cruises beautifully and efficient too (and cheap tax and cheapish insurance.) Very precise steering...no play whatsoever and the engine sings sweetly. Plush interior in my view with handy elec mirrors. I would definitely recommend the car to you.
There are undoubtedly faults to which the car is prone (it seems mainly something going in the cooling system, leading to head gasket problems, and a gearbox fault which can develop)..... too many people point out these design "flaws" (including pro mechanics...) for them to be ignored....but so far, I have had no such problems. Very pleased and enjoy driving. As you may know, the car is the same as the Honda Civic, just with a Rover engine. Some Rovers even have the Honda engine... now that is a good car for the money. Cheaper to insure than the Honda Civic for the same spec. With high depreciation, if you are on a budget and if you find the right used car, the 414 could prove to be a good buy. I will continue to keep my eye on the coolant level!
Bought a Rover 414 Sli from my Parents,3 days after getting it, the Bottom Timming belt sprocket lug snapped off, that held the pulley from working lose. So 1st i lost my Power Steering, then the pulley dragged my timming belt off :( I ended up bending 2 exhaust Valves on pot number 3 BORING!!!.. Handling is a big lame, under steer city and loads ov body roll to go with it.
Dash rattles when cold (everytime I boung it up it rattles somewhere else, doors vibrate. and general rust in the normal places..
I'm probably biased because mine has just died a terrible death (garage informed me to erm ....get shut), but I have loved this car when driving,instead of under the bonnet. I've had it for 6 years and spent about £1060 on parts (some on labour - inevitable for me with the cylinder head) £176 a year (not bad for all those years with seriously amateur care - I just about know how to get them going again). Had long term cooling system problems - they have never been away since bought from careful owner. Cylinder head gasket gone twice, clutch once, alternator, starter motor, one battery, 1 set tyres, screwed for £160 by bad MOT garage telling me a gaite had gone on the rear suspension - and they nicked my screwdrivers cos my boyf left them in it - prat ! Great cheap parts from my local autoshop. Good job aswell because it cost a packet back then - prices all dropped now - lost loads on it. Cheap insurance, tax, I've worked on other cars but never owned one before this - I don't know is £176 a year parts cheap over 6 years ? Seems so if you can do a bit of work yourself, it's comfy but it rattles - doors and windows become a problem. I have really low mileage too though.... Lizard
1994 214 si. hgf at 96k lowered suspension meant doors dragged on footpath. but for £500 !!! I got £550 back after 2 years, but lost the £500 approx on HG and new rad which I had to have.
so I bought 1999 414 si only 26k lovely motor, really impressed, nice to drive, but after 1 month and 300 miles, HG has failed, which is the situation at the moment.
found a 96 model cheap-ish, just over £2k, however had a head gasket failure, and needed new cam belt (excess of £300) the brakes are poor also, i have wasted alot of money on the stupid car! its not worth it!! it really isnt, go get yourself a GOLF they are reliable and VFM!
In that time I've had absolutely no problems (though its only done 22000 miles) until now. The Cylinder cover has developed a minor oil leak, which does not concern me greatly, and certainly does not ebb away my oil level greatly. However, I'm still not sure whether or not this is a result of an accident I had about 2 months ago.
The car starts first time hot or cold, UNLESS you dont hold the ignition long enough when cold. Then it sulks and won't start without holding the key on for a good few seconds.
Performance, while not outstanding is certainly good for a 1.4 engine in a car this big. I managed to keep pace with a friend in a 1.8 Jetta GTi (which he wasn't too pleased about!). It does like to go hard though, and this drags fuel consumption right up.
Handling is quite spongy, but it is very comfortable, and motorway miles disappear.
The spec on the iS is quite good, 1/2 leather, air con, alloys, etc. I paid only £9000 miles for an ex-rover car, which was 10 months old with only 6500 miles on the clock. Unfortunately it is now worth £5500 at best, at not even 3 years old, with 22000 on the clock. Depreciation is a major drawback on Rovers, so it would be worth going for a slightly older and higher spec car to get VFM.
Insuranace is not cheap however, and UI pay more than I would on an Astra 1.6 16v Sport. Servicing too is expensive, a 2yr/24k mile service cost me in excess of £200 last summer at a dealer.
Owned for 2 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed March 2004.
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Service for my car can´t fix cooling sistem for engine. Computer test say "termo sensor". When termo sensor is replenish, cooling sistem have no good RPM (average sistem work 15-20 sec with max. RPM), and water get out from box.
Owned for 2 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2004.
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Just bought my third 1.4 Rover.. this time a '95 estate, fully serviced with 77K, garaged all its life too!!.. Imaculate condition, but head gasket gone.. Usual problem, fixed this 3 times before on other cars.. (New gasket is 20 quid!!!) This one is the best buy yet.. Paid a disgruntled neighbour 50 quid for it due to a greedy garage wanting to charge him £670 to change the gasket!!.. Thanks garage!!!
These cars get 40 odd to the gallon.. cheap insurance and tax.. every home should have one.
Owned for 1 month.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed January 2004.
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Brought a Rover 1.1 Kensington 2 days ago "N" reg 1995 with 79k, cost £800. Now discovered the Head Gaskette is needs replacing, cost £250.00. I will keep this car for 1 year then sell it and never buy any type of rover again. Nad
Owned for 1 month.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed January 2004.
Performance
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bought rover 414 from new in 1995 have replaced head gasket twice after 15000 miles and 30000 miles have now done 49000 and looks like its gone again warranty run before the first gasket went.also replaced wheel bushes gasket manifold all before 20000 miles. rover what a disgrace.
Owned for more than 5 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed December 2003.
Performance
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Dreadful car. Bought a 1995 414 6 months ago for £900 so far has cost as much in garage bills. List of problems include; manifold gasket, thermostat, front brakes, coolant system, radiator, alarm system, battery, power steering, cam belt and water pump. Av
Owned for 6 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed August 2003.
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Bought a brand new 414 back in 96. It has now covered 146,000 miles. There have been no major problems apart from 2 new catalytic converters and starter motor. The dreaded head gasket problems can be avoided if the coolant level is kept in check and the car is serviced regularly. Ride is very comfortable and handling precise. Performance from the k-series is excellent for a 1.4 with 30 bhp more than equivalent golf or astra. Depreciation is bad, but no worse than an escort or astra.
Owned for more than 5 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed March 2003.
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Awful problems with 1997 model.Cylinder head gasket cracked because the dial does not warn of overheating.Replacement Hose to radiator holed after 2500 miles and would seem to have a design fault. Resale value zilch. Will NEVER buy a Rover again.
Owned for 5 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2003.
Performance
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Purchased new late 1995, 120k miles to February 2003. Two cylinder head gasket failures 75k and 120k miles. Water pump failure 120k miles. Rear suspension bush failure 75k miles, repeated starter motor failures from about 40k miles the last of which punctured the gearbox casing causing a major oil leak. Good local mechanic salvaged this gearbox at reasonable cost. Otherwise generally reliable, good fuel economy, reasonable performance for a 1.4. Let down by silly minor faults, drivers door window repeated failure, rear door handle fell off, radio buttons fall out.
Owned for more than 5 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed December 2002.
Performance
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Overall Value for Money
At about 12,000 miles it needed a new cylinder head gasket and the head re-skimmed due to distortion - this started with an oil leak. I've done 21,000 mile now and the car is nice to drive. It has however dropped in value dramatically - not good on re-sale value. Other things are going wrong - only minor so far but all relating to the engine area. In hindsight I would not have bought this car due to past problems and depreciation of value.
Owned for 4 years.
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