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Ubiquitous succesor to the Mini

Advantages: Economical, Oodles of character
Disadvantages: Cramped interior, basic trim quality

...I saw a 1984 1.3 Austin Metro for sale in my local free-ads for just £350, I was exstatic. I remember my best friend owning one from new and he had said that it was the best small car he had ever purchased. My wife needed a new car for work, and so I decided to investigate. Two weeks later I had haggled the owner down to £330 and I was the proud owner of this stunning blue pocket rocket. I'm making no false pretence that this is a fast car, however ...
...around 65bhp on tap. Fuel economy is excellent, returning 45+mpg on a long run, and about 35 around town (perfect for negotiating the confusing one way systems of inner bournemouth cheaply...), and fuel efficiency is not the only money saving aspect of this car: After 3 weeks it appeared that the seal had gone in the petrol cap, a short trip down to my local Rover dealership sorted me out with a brand new cap, and I only had to hand over £1.45!!! ...

Tonyoverdrive 19.01.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Austin Metro 1.3

Austin Maestro By Ben Aston

Advantages: Fast, Comfy, Economical and Easy to keep on the road (good parts supply)
Disadvantages: Rust, rust and errrr, rust!

The austin maestro 2.0 petrol is a fabulous car when you find a good one, the MG variant is especially good! There are many trim levels on the Maestro ranging from pauper spec City E to plush Vanden Plas models, personally I'd go for a trim level of HL or above, you get nicer seats and a quieter cabin. The one downfall of the Maestro was the horrific tendancy to rust out for fun. Always give the car a thorough check over for rust, especially in the ...

shutaap 17.12.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Austin Maestro 2.0

Austin Montego 2.0

Advantages: Very comfortable, spacious and reliable
Disadvantages: Interior not so wonderful

The Austin Montego 2.0 estate is a very big car. It offers lots of legroom for both the driver and passengers. The Montego has been known as cheap and nasty by lots of people but I think they are splendid cars and I am proud they were British made! Our montego did lots of jobs for us. It managed to take us and lots of suitcases on holidays even when it was in its 90,000 miles! It was also used to transport heavy garden materials and never complained ...
...I would recommend the Austin Montego to people with a low budget or people who just want a car for a working purpose. The insurance is very cheap.I would buy the 2.0 litre version... It is VERY powerful.As I said you could probably find a decent one for around £500. ...

sav90 31.07.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Austin Montego 2.0

Rover Montego. Brill? Or just a rustbucket??

Advantages: Great handling,good fuel economy,not bad looking
Disadvantages: Rust,rust,rust,and more rust!!!!!

I owned my 'G' plate Montego for almost a year and went through a few thoughts in that time. I went from thinking it was a great car and wondered why there were so few people owning one, to thinking that it was just destined to be in a scrapyard from day one. My 'Monty' was the 1.6 LX model which gave a sunroof and electric windows for luxury. Central Locking was also thrown in. Common problems here were that one or more of the doors wouldnt lock/open ...
...rubbers. And the lecky windows would be slower than a week in jail!!! There is a few major problems with this old classic aswell. Cylinder heads blowing in the engine( I replaced two in the space of 16'000 miles) and water creeping into the boot. Now I can guess what you're thinking. "Water in the boot aint serious" WRONG!!! You see, the water creeps into the boot through the ill fitting rubber seals,rolls along the boot floor and into the passenger ...

hamsters4breakfast 24.06.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Austin Montego 1.6

Cheapest people carrier available

Advantages: Seats up to seven, cheap to run and mantain
Disadvantages: Style,style, style

The seven seater 2.0 Montego Countryman estate variant is available on the 2nd hand market for very reasonable prices. An M reg 1994 with 55000 miles costs around £1500. Compare that to a Renault Espace of equivalent age and mileage, £5500. Now let me clarify my position. I do not for one minute suggest that they are equivalents, they are patently not. The Espace is a modern purpose built people carrier, with a large dose of style and panache. The ...
...street cred and the bodywork and fittings are of poor quality. However, if you consider three things, a) what can I afford and b) What do I actually need, c)Am I a fashion victim, then I think I can make a very strong case for the Montego. If you are on a limited budget you want a car which has low maintenance, is reliable and practical. The Montego is all of these. You may have a large family and need a car for the school run, shopping trips, family ...

Woodster 19.07.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Austin Estate 2.0