I will never buy a bmw (a must read for the Rover bashers)

[Easy_Rider]

the k series if rebuilt properly is a crackin motor bit like the B16
honda motor its based on ,however as first built about 95% of them
were crap

bmw/rover not really a unique situation

If anyone is interested to know more about the K, here are some articles. They really are very good engines.

http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/en ... _the_K.htm

http://www.aronline.co.uk/index.htm?essaykseriesf.htm

 

[hoegaardenadds1]

there are companies that will do the necessary work (metal dowels, uprated hg, and moving a plug to allow better oil flow{or something like that})to a k for very litle money, and they turn into cracking little race engines! and they cost peanuts cos no one trusts them

 

[andrewl]

The biggest con with Rover was being lumped into the BL Group, it was previously a sought after upmarket brand.

Every Rover road test I've read from the mid 60s onwards (I have large collection of old car mags) puts Rover as very much middle market brand - and not a great one either.

I'm surprised they even made it into the 90s as a manufacturer considering some of the rubbish they produced...

 

[andrewl]

there are companies that will do the necessary work (metal dowels, uprated hg, and moving a plug to allow better oil flow{or something like that})to a k for very litle money, and they turn into cracking little race engines! and they cost peanuts cos no one trusts them

Or you could just buy a Toyota engine which will need no work

 

[gibbleking]

anyone who has driven a 214 rover wouldnt feel sorry for them...mine was awful...blew up in luton one day...never again

 

[crud]

anyone who has driven a 214 rover wouldnt feel sorry for them...mine was awful...blew up in luton one day...never again

been through all this before, same old story, im not going to see your point of view, your not going to see mine

I had an m reg 214i se,

I bought the car for £150 while 12 years old . I did 30,000 miles in 8 months, driving from my home in north wales, to work in Preston.

it was fast, 100bhp from a 1.4, it was nice to drive and it took loads and loads of abuse everyday on the motorway.

this all lands on death ears tho, everyone had one or knows somone who had a crap rover :roll:

have a look around, suprising how many are still on the roads, considering everyone thinks they are 'crap' and dont want to spend any money on them..?

out of mot and in need of four new tyres, and knowing no one wants them, mine was sadly scrapped.

M54 TWY, rest in pieces.

for anyone who really cares and has 30 or 40 mins spare, this is a good read


http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topi ... se%20Coupe

 

[rosstheboss]

The reality of it is there's no room for even slightly rubbish cars these days, or cars with rubbish reputations. Vauxhall and Ford have both improved there cars hugely in the last 15 years. Think of the difference between a Focus and the last Escorts or the latest Astras compared to their predecessors. Mediocre cheap cars (which are also fairly reliable or have very lengthy warranties) have been sewn up by the koreans

 

[Easy_Rider]

The reality of it is there's no room for even slightly rubbish cars these days, or cars with rubbish reputations. Vauxhall and Ford have both improved there cars hugely in the last 15 years. Think of the difference between a Focus and the last Escorts or the latest Astras compared to their predecessors. Mediocre cheap cars (which are also fairly reliable or have very lengthy warranties) have been sewn up by the koreans

And Rover were doing the same, they had the 75, which is a good car, the Mini, and the new small hatch that went over to BMW as the 1 series. The ZS and ZT were also hugely underated, people thought they were just 45 / 75 dressed up. Tiff raved about them.

Unfortunately for Rover the image damage had been done already with the R100, which they were going to axe soon anyway.

 

[rosstheboss]

"The ZS and ZT were also hugely underated, people thought they were just 45 / 75 dressed up."

Perhaps that was the problem, did they really have to look so similar? I'm sure they were great cars but I never wanted one because it looked like I'd driven my gran's car to Halfords and put some shiny stuff on it.

 

[Easy_Rider]

Well they were doing things on a shoe string after BMW asset stripped them.