Quick (sensible) opinion on a car please

Well the most obvious one is the HG. If it hasn't been changed, which is unlikely, and been done by a reputable place that skimmed the head, used an uprated gasket set (Land Rover I think) and new stretch bolts, it WILL need doing shortly, so set aside several hundred pounds, depending where you are. At the same time, it will most likely need a water pump and they might as well do the timing belt if it hasn't been changed fairly recently. Oh and the radiators are pretty crappy too, so that should be checked over.

I have owned a 200 which was written off early 2009 and replaced it with a 25, so I'm not anti Rovers like most people, but there's no denying that the K-series engine, while excellent when running, has it's serious Achilles heel. Where I had mine done have done over 300, had no failures and if you have it serviced by them, which I don't, guarantee the engine for five years, but unless you want to get involved avoid.

Other than that... I've had no particular problems but I do service it properly.

HTH Andy C

great little car apart from the head gasket. I got one recently in nice looking condition and very low mileage for 100 quid , BUT I had to do the head gasket/water pump/cambelt/antifreeze.

So - is the test to rev the engine (cool) with the water cap off to see if the level changes much?

no, buy a block test kit.

Is this something a Motor Engineer (decent garage that does engine work) will possess? I have never heard of such a thing - what does it do - pressurise the system - or read pressure?

any garage would have it, basically it is a coloured liquid that will change colour if combustion gases pass through it. the kit is on ebay about twenty quid or so. that vehicle can suffer from non-combustion head gasket leaks when it pumps oil into the water system, but that is easy to spot by inspection of the header bottle.

Looked at it today and it was something of an anomaly. The mileage was only showing 27,000 (apparently backed up with MOT documents but not yet seen)

Really clean - door edges, interior, etc. Downside was that the son of the lady owner had: Applied tints to the windows - police made him remove it from the fronts, daft big exhaust tail pipe and back box fitted and alloy wheels (good tyres). The nuts seemed a bit odd in that some showed more empty thread than others - a bit suspect! No smell of combustion in the cooling water. Electrics -- incl Sun Roof seemed fine. Air cleaner removed and replaced with a conical thing.

All a bit of a mix of careful lady owner and stupid son.

On the topic of wheels - is it possible that the studs may not be long enough? Or is it more likely that the nuts are wrong?

just walk away from it, there are millions of nice, safe cars available.

So it's been chavved up, badly if the wheels are anything to go by, and is a Rover with potential nasty headgasket issues.

Hmm.

Need I say more?

Walk away from it , if its been customised by stupid son then its probably had the bollocks hammered out of it by him

Definitely seconded.

Andy C

I agree with the others - walk away from it and find a careful lady owner without a stupid son. Oh and perhaps not a Rover - unless it's a P4 or a P6 ;=)

"Kellerman"

Thus spake John ( snipped-for-privacy@ntlworld.com) unto the assembled multitudes:

So, did she buy it or not? Enquiring minds wish to know! :-)

Sorry - No she decided it was a 'ticking time-bomb' and she decided to wait for something more straightforward later in the year.

Thus spake John ( snipped-for-privacy@ntlworld.com) unto the assembled multitudes:

Sensible girl (no doubt helped by wise old dad :-)