Hey my names Kris. Currently driving a MG ZT CDTI + and have an amazing girlfriend called Tasha whi...
Hey my names Kris. Currently driving a MG ZT CDTI + and have an amazing girlfriend called Tasha which I love to bits!
Member since:05.03.2008
Reviews:5
Well it’s about time I shared my experience with my Rover Coupe.
My first car was a 1998 Rover 214Si which I bought and drove for just over a year. I was always on the look out for another car and definitely wanted to stick with Rover as my 214 had been nothing but extremely reliable and great fun to own and drive.
I was looking through the Autotrader like I do every week and came across a few Rover 200 Coupes. Wow was the first word that came into my head when I seen them. I’ve never before seen one of these on the roads and didn't even know Rover made a Coupe.
On this particular week there were only 2 to choose from...a 1998 Tahiti Blue 216 Coupe Auto with 87,000 miles or a 1998 British Racing Green 216 Coupe Manual with 80,000 miles. At this time I was leaning more towards the blue one as my 214 was the same shade and it’s just a fantastic colour. I was put off though by the Auto box. However I thought more on the green one and thought that maybe a change in car and colour was just what I needed. I decided then to just go and have a look at it and see what I thought of the coupes in general. Of course though I ended up buying it!
The Car
What I had just bought was a 1998 Rover 216 Coupe SE with 80,000 miles, electric mirrors, electric windows, full cream
leather interior, front fog lights, air conditioning, targa top removable sunroofs, British racing green and in pretty good condition. Due to a slight problem with the driver’s electric window I managed to get a bit of a discount and ended up paying just £1050 which in my eyes was just a pure bargain.
Spec
After doing some research I discovered that my spec level was indeed extremely rare to get on a 216. This added to my chuff ness of getting such a car for the fee I had paid.
Insurance
Insuring it at 20 wasn't much of a problem either, even though it’s described as being an insurance group 14 car. It worked out just £100 more than my previous 214.
I will never forget my first drive in it. It just attracted so much attention being such a rare car to see. I just felt so proud to own such a car.
Handling
The handling was nice and sporty yet very smooth. There was body roll don't get me wrong but the balance between smoothness and that sportyness was just perfect. However I do believe my 214 was able to take corners faster. I nearly lost control of my coupe when I was exiting a roundabout in the wet at around 40mph (A speed which was commonly used in the 214 on the same exit in the same conditions) the rear end of the coupe started to slide out. Thankfully I managed to hold it and get the car back under control.
Speed, performance & MPG
The overall speed and performance was almost identical to my previous 214. There was maybe a slight difference in the way the car picked up at lower revs but there wasn't much in it. The Rover K series 1.6 engine packing 109bhp was just as responsive as the 1.4 103bhp. Fuel consumption again was just slightly different. 33mpg town driving. Of course though 40mpg was achievable on long drives.
Reliability
Well in the year I had it I have to be honest and say it just wasn't as reliable as my previous 214. As previously mentioned when I bought the car the drivers electric window was not working, just this clicking noise when the button was pressed. My dad being a mechanic was able to strip the door down and get it working again. However sometimes Auto down failed to work or did work for 2 seconds and then stop the window before it got a chance to get fully down. This was not the major problem though.
The major problem was that every 2-3 weeks the coolant would just completely disappear. One day it would be on the max line and the next the bottle would be empty. Instantly thought head gasket but it was all fine and the car was still running perfectly and no signs of overheating. There was no sign of leaks either. I never did find out the cause of this and as a result I ended up selling the car cheap, but more on that later.
When the icy mornings started I had a few more problems. The driver’s door handle failed to open the door, I had to use the passenger side and climb over and open the door from the inside. Had to wait 3 weeks before getting it fixed. What had happened was one of the rods had snapped within the handle. My dad done a DIY repair and it was as good as new. 2 days after getting that problem fixed I came out one icy morning and opened the door only to find it would not close, i.e. it would not latch on. Some spraying of the internal door parts with WD40 done the job but it was another morning of being late to work and another morning of me just swearing at it.
There were a few other niggly things such as wiper fuses blowing and leaving me stranded in the rain with no wipers. The fault was traced to the wiper motor which is a common fault on the 200 series.
To sum up in all the time I had the coupe it wasn't a bad car. I still loved it right up to the point where I sold it.
I only sold it because I was slightly sick of the coolant loss and I fancied a change to something diesel. I ended up buying a VW Golf GT TDI and then sold the coupe to a local guy who he said could take care of the niggles and tidy it all up. In the end I sold it for £670 which I felt I was letting it go for a tad cheaply but considering the niggles didn't seem too bad. And besides I had a Golf now to replace it which surely anyone would think a VW is miles better than a Rover?? Unfortunately this was not the case. More on this in my Golf review.
Up to this date the guy who bought my coupe still owns it and has taken great care of it from the date he got it just over a year ago. He has reconditioned the engine costing hundreds, taken care of all the niggly faults and got all the minor bodywork issues fixed. It now looks and shines like a brand new car and I wish he would sell it back to me.
Well that’s the story of my coupe. I hope it was enjoyable to read and offers someone out there advice on these truly class cars.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: VVC Engine or Turbo engines are extremely quick and handle well. Targa removable roof. Disadvantages: Turbo tyre wear, not a very modern dash!
fezza101 04.04.2006 ·
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Review of Rover 200 Coupe
Advantages: VVC Engine or Turbo engines are extremely quick and handle well. Targa removable roof. Disadvantages: Turbo tyre wear, not a very modern dash!
fezza101 04.04.2006 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Rover 200 Coupe
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