Rover 25's... good budget "newish small car" option?

Stormster

Stormster

Stormster

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Hi guys. I've got a 1.6 Corsa Sport at the mo and I'm 27 soon... despite my car being damn reliable and I do like it, I just don't think I should be driving one of these and would rather deal with old man jokes than lads car chavbox jokes lol :)

I just want a small car, cheap to run, buy etc... Been looking at Rover 25 iS's, or similar spec... in either a 1.4 K series guise or a 2.0 turbo diesel if I can find one..

Been having a mooch around and for 2k you can get a fair bit of car for the money, 51-02 reg lowish miles and so on. I really DONT want a car bigger than a 25, and all the other options seem a bit girly or shopping car stylee...

I'm aware of head gasket issues but is there anything else I need to look out for in general? Are they a worthy budget "grown up-ish" purchase?

Cheers all :)
 
What do you want out of a car? The rover prolly has the lesser 'street cred' and your corsa is uber reliable...

Not sure I'd be changing cars based on the current options :)
 
Personally I much prefer driving the 25 to our Focus. Its a bit lower to the ground, and feels a bit more racey.

Head gaskets are an issue. Our 218 went and my dads 25 1.4 went. Cost £500 to fix. Other than that we've had no real problems other than the missus 'spatial awareness' in a car park. ;)

We went from a old shape corsa to the Rover. Complete step up in car, so much better. 2k should get you a nice one.
 
All I want really is:

Something quite cheap to run yet reliable (despite head gaskets, 1.4 fuel consumption is ok and tax is cheaper bracket than mine)

Doesn't look young laddish and chavvy (my Corsa to me is subtle but it still gets slated lol)

Not too big, I hate reversing and parralel parking and I have to do it all the time because of where my girlfriend lives :D

Not too bad spec, not too bad looking...

Decent handling and performance for "what it is"

No more than £2k absolute max, less if possible as it's not for keeps.

and....

2000 or newer :) Mines a 1999 so definitely don't want an older car.
 
Stormster said:
All I want really is:

Something quite cheap to run yet reliable (despite head gaskets, 1.4 fuel consumption is ok and tax is cheaper bracket than mine)

Doesn't look young laddish and chavvy (my Corsa to me is subtle but it still gets slated lol)

Not too big, I hate reversing and parralel parking and I have to do it all the time because of where my girlfriend lives :D

Not too bad spec, not too bad looking...

Decent handling and performance for "what it is"

and....

2000 or newer :) Mines a 1999 so definitely don't want an older car.
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and yet you don't mention a budget.

oh 2k. erm. Not a rover 25, they're horrible. If you don't care about your appearence (which it would seem you do judging by not wanting to look like a boy racer) then I guess they're not so bad.
 
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VW polo
High mileage focus
Skoda fabia
Renault clio
civic (older)
 
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How about a Honda Civic VTi-S 1.8

Uber reliable and good performance and average mileage ones can be had for £1.5k-£2.5k only downside is it won't be a newish car

CivicVTi.jpg
 
Looked at all those options Ben, for 2k and W reg or newer (unlikely get newer than W) they aint much cop mate.

Civic above is nice but would prefer a 3 door if I was gonna go VTI stylee, nice though but even those will be too old and I am wanting keep insurance down too for a while. Would rather wait till I've got 5k for a performance car then see what the options are lol :) Runaround will do for now.

The plentiful-ness (is that a word? lol!) of 25's in good nick for 2k or less makes them appealing as finding a good one wont be too hard, unlike a Civic VTi in 3 or 5 door really.
 
Just so bored of it :( Although it refuses to break and it's a good solid car... but it's Red - never again! lol.

Should have brought your old one really!
 
The Rover 25 is far better than an old shape Corsa

I'd personally seriously consider it - keep a very close eye on the coolant and let it warm up properly before revving it and you'll help to reduce the likelyhood of a HGF
 
Stormster said:
All I want really is:

Something quite cheap to run yet reliable (despite head gaskets, 1.4 fuel consumption is ok and tax is cheaper bracket than mine)
Click to expand...

Okay. 25 has the aforementioned HGF issues. If you're okay with that, then great,

Stormster said:
Doesn't look young laddish and chavvy (my Corsa to me is subtle but it still gets slated lol)
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It won't look like that. If anything, it'll look like you're about 97 years old until people get close.

Stormster said:
Not too big, I hate reversing and parralel parking and I have to do it all the time because of where my girlfriend lives :D
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Uh.....I just know I'll cop some flak for this, but if you can't cope with reversing and parallel parking anything larger than a Rover 25 then you shouldn't be driving.

Stormster said:
Not too bad spec, not too bad looking...
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Not sure on spec. As for looks....25s aren't my thing, but if you like the look then great.

Stormster said:
Decent handling and performance for "what it is"
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That quote has been used to defend so many bad cars over the years....:) And in this case, I don't think it holds true - even as small hatches go, the 25 isn't the best to drive. Your mileage may well vary. Having said that, you've driven a Corsa....the only way is up, provided you don't go the Korean route.

As for prices, I'll bow to those with greater knowledge.


****edit****

Actually, Fox and atpbx are right. You've got a Corsa, and as an upgrade you think a Rover 25 is the best idea. There has to be something better out there, surely?
 
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