To buy or not to buy? (2001 Rover 25)

[RichG11]

Hey guys,
I just had my old Astra literally blow up on me. After looking around, Rover 25's seem to offer a lot for not such a huge price.....

But I will cut to the chase. I have found a 2001 1.6L IL 5dr with 67,000 miles on the clock at £775.

I am told these have problems with head gaskets but is there anything else I should look out for?

Any advice would be very happily received as I am on a tight budget with a newborn little girl and other stuff.

Hope im not breaking any rules asking this question, Cheers

Rich

[MalcQV]

Had a 2003 1.6 iXL. Never had any HGF's but then I was told it had just been replaced by the garage I bought it from.
Had to repair the cabling to the wash wipe in the rear hatch, they do fracture.
Had a complete new exhaust inc. cat and two front tyres. All the other consumables such as oil obviously.
I bought mine with 60k on an sold it with 78k I think or there about.
A good reliable car and cheap to run

[MGJohn]

Originally Posted by RichG11

But I will cut to the chase. I have found a 2001 1.6L IL 5dr with 67,000 miles on the clock at £775.

I am told these have problems with head gaskets but is there anything else I should look out for?

Rich

Hi and

Find a good one and they are exceptional value now. The 1.4 is quite lively and the 1.6 has more poke too. Better to have the 1.6 if you'll be carrying lots of baby stuff and passengers. been there done that althought the 1.4 will cope adequately.

Test drive. Drive that car for for at least 20 miles to get the engine up to fully warmed as only then are issues likely to show if there are any. No need to go silly, just drive normally. Explain to the seller your concerns before buying and on advice by more experienced buyers, you want to drive the car for at least twenty miles. I'd even offer to put a gallon in the car to demonstrate that I'm seriously considering buying the car. If for any reason that twenty mile drive is not possible, I would walk away.

If the test drive is on, then drive the car being all ears and eyes for the twenty miles. Try to include some stop-start stuff and faster speeds ( legal ) on the local dual carriageway. Do not be persuaded that a quick run round the block is sufficient. That will tell you very little.


Assuming that the car checks that it's in obviously good shape regarding body and interior, after that drive with the car nice and warmed up, lift the bonnet and have a good look at things. Look at the Coolant expansion bottle. Is the level of the hot coolant near or a little above the MAX level. That's a good sign if it is. If the coolant is clean and clear, another good sign. Open up the AirFilter housing ( four spring clips ) take out and look at the filter element. Is it fairly new or looks like it came out of the Arc being full of dirt, leaves etc and far from efficient. A good clean engine compartment with newish Oil and Air Filter elements are good signs of a cared for car, moreso than shiney paint and clean carpets in my experience.

Those are key features I would look for on any Rover, particularly those with the sophisticated K-Series engine which has a reputation for cylinder head gasket problems. A search here will show the various checks and what else to look for.

One other thing I would look for is under the timing belt case on the driver's side of the engine. Looking for tell tale signs of coolant loss stains or even wetness there which could mean a worn water pump. I have put up pictures of what to look for when a water pump is worn out or starting to wear out. A quick search here should turn them up. A prime cause of so called gasket 'failure' when worn. A worn water pump is not expensive to replace. Caught in time can save that gasket from problems.

Spend some time on here searching and you will be well equipped to look at that and assess that 1.6 Rover 25. Better still if you can take a more experienced friend along to view it too.

[RichG11]

This is exactly why I posted here! I knew I would get informed opinions and experience as to what to look for!

Thank you so much. I am still on the look out for a car, strangely enough a 1999 Rover 400 1.4 with 33,000 on the clock has shown up close to me. Very tempted as the price is very good! (£795).

[JoeyTaffy93]

I own a 2001 1.6 Rover 25 iS, great car and fun to drive, never let me down reliability wise, all I've replaced is a radiator and IMG (quite common but very cheap to fix, cost £5 for the gasket and took about an hour to 2 to fit). Mines at 169,000 miles and doesn't miss a beat.

As for the 414, see if you can get it down to around £650/700.

[RichG11]

Thanks for that Joey. Yeah, I am in the process of trying to get a lift to go and view the 400. Before I even leave I will be phoning and offering £700. I don't want to pay more anyway as it needs tax. £800 is my budget all in so....

[Rover_King]

What astra was it and what happened?

[JoeyTaffy93]

Originally Posted by RichG11

Thanks for that Joey. Yeah, I am in the process of trying to get a lift to go and view the 400. Before I even leave I will be phoning and offering £700. I don't want to pay more anyway as it needs tax. £800 is my budget all in so....

Not a problem mate and best of luck with it.

[RichG11]

Originally Posted by Rover_King

What astra was it and what happened?

it was a 1996 Astra 1.7 TDS, the one with the isuzu engine. I basically bought it for £500 3.5 years ago and ran it into the ground lol. It went for its MOT the other day and while it was on the rollers the passenger side front brake calliper actually exploded. On top of that nearly every brake line was split, big hole in the middle of the exhaust and something to do with the floor of it was rotten....

The repairs were going to cost a good £250 so i just decided to cut my losses and take £100 and use it as an excuse to buy a new car lol.