Rover 220 Coupe

My work mate saw my Rover Coupe after I had bought it and said `I bet that goes like sh...............t off a shovel. Well it did and I certainly notice the difference now that I have a 4 x 4. I bought the Rover after seeing it displayed in a petrol station by a private seller. I had to drive past it every day and eventually brought my husband to have a look. He liked it straight away. It was about 3 years old at the time and was reasonably priced ...
...time I had a Rover GTI and had always been happy. It had been reliable and a nice car to drive, so I thought I can`t go wrong with another Rover. One quick test drive and it was ours.


Considerations.
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The Rover Coupe is group 15 insurance, making it quite expensive to insure. I did not mind this too much as my GTI was group 14, the difference would not have been too much. This would ... more

My work mate saw my Rover Coupe after I had bought it and said `I bet that goes like sh...............t off a shovel. Well it did and I certainly notice the difference now that I have a 4 x 4. I bought the Rover after seeing it displayed in a petrol station by a private seller. I had to drive past it every day and eventually brought my husband to have a look. He liked it straight away. It was about 3 years old at the time and was reasonably priced (though I forget what it was now). At the time I had a Rover GTI and had always been happy. It had been reliable and a nice car to drive, so I thought I can`t go wrong with another Rover. One quick test drive and it was ours.

The Rover Coupe is group 15 insurance, making it quite expensive to insure. I did not mind this too much as my GTI was group 14, the difference would not have been too much. This would be difficult however for younger drivers. I knew someone who had bought one and he could not afford to insure it so had to sell it. When we bought the Coupe, we immediately were able to reduce the price by a few hundred. It made us wish we had offered even less. The seller was younger than me and it made me wonder if he was finding the insurance a problem. Another consideration is space. Whilst the space inside is alright, the boot is fairly small. It is not so much the size, but the opening. There is room for say, a television, but it would not fit through the opening. This was an important consideration for us. We have a dalmatian. We always buy hatchbacks for this reason. We just decided to ignore this. It meant having to take him for walks locally when on my own, when I used to like driving to different places. If we took him in the car, my husband needed to be there, as he would get in the way of my driving.

From the outside it looked really nice with the typical streamlined appearance of a coupe. It has a spoiler on the back. It was purple in colour, metalic, so it changed slightly with the light. A bit of a girly colour I thought, but I bought it from a male and sold it to a male. It was 2 door, I would have prefered a 4 door having a young child but it wasn`t too bad. He was a bit older and able to get in and out himself. The car seat was a good fit and that was the main thing. It had a T-bar roof, that is, the sunroof was in 2 halves and could also be removed, a special bag was provided to put it in. It was not an electric sunroof like in the GTI, but it was more versatile. The alloy wheels looked good, they were unusual looking. It had the typical bump in the bonnet of a turbo engine. The windows, as well as the sunroof were tinted.

It had central, remote locking and alarm. It had a walnut dash which looked good. It had very nice full leather seats, quite low to the ground. The GTI had half leather, they looked even nicer in full leather. The seats were a bit like a bucket style which were comfortable to sit in. The only disadvantange to the seats were getting in and out with jeans on. I did manage to scuff the seat slightly (I think just the drivers side was more difficult to get out with the steering wheel in the way) with the metal on my jeans. I had to think every time I got out then. There was enough leg room both front and back. There was air conditioning. It had all the usual and everything was easily accessible. The T-bar roof was quite good. A bit of a gimmick really though. Yes, you could open only one side of the sunroof, but if I didn`t want it open and my husband opened his side, to me, it is still open! We did remove the sunroof sometimes on hot days. It was easy to put in the bag though a bit fiddly, at first to put back. We didn`t do it all that often though. It was just removing the sun roof. It wasn`t like an open top car, but it was still nice. When shopping we could fit all the shopping in easily and it was not problem getting the bags in and out. The problem was with bigger items. Our main problem was the dog. I would not drive with him on the seat, it is too dangerous. It was a real disadvantage.

Oh, the Rover Coupe was great to drive. The acceleration was fantastic. The BHP was really powerful but I am female, of course I can`t remember what it was. The power steering was responsive, the breaks also (which they would need to be on a car capable of speed). All in all, it had good road handling, good on bends etc. It was responsive, comfortable and an enjoyable drive. Petrol consumption was quite high, but it really wasn`t too bad. It was consume more if driving faster and pulling away quickly. It was great to drive. It would make me drive too fast though. Driving along a dual carraigeway to work, I knew that if I left later I would be able to make up the time. Not good. I prefer now to drive more slowly. It used to compel me to be away first at the traffic lights. I can`t be bothered now. It was a great car to drive at the time though. It was very reliable. I only had one problem which was with the remote, and was able to sort out quickly at the local Rover dealer.

A great car to drive but I would not consider it really to be a family car. We were a family but it was mainly the dog that was a problem. Of course, not all familes have dogs. At the time I didn`t mind paying the insurance, it didn`t seem too much. Now that I have changed, I have realised how much I was paying. I have better things to spend my money on than higher insurance. For someone who wants a fast car and is prepared to pay higher insurance then I think it is a nice car. It is not quite a sports car. The fuel consumption is not too bad. It is going to be more in this type of car than ones with a smaller engine. My fuel consumption has increased with my 4 x 4 so looking back, it was not bad. It was not practical for my horsey lifestyle. I really needed a hatchback for the horse equipment and the dalmatian. Also think about selling in the future, because not everyone wants a car with high insurance. It was fun to drive for me to drive for a while, but I didn`t need anything as fast. I think people will drive to the speed of the vehicle. I would rather have something slower now (which I have), and I think I am a better driver. It was not necessary for me to have something that warranted high insurance. I think the Rover Coupe would suit a lot of people who wanted someting a bit quick, but didn`t want a sports car. Just think beforehand, especially if young, of the insurance costs. 

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