Tough call - Vi plan in jeopardy!

mattyprice4004

mattyprice4004

mattyprice4004

Soldato
Joined
24 Apr 2007
Posts
7,567
Location
Southport
I've been talking to a few Rover peeps, and they're saying the 400 will be a better ride, better car, much bigger inside than the 200 Vi I'm going to get etc.

So now the decision is do I lose my room (tbh, it's only the driver's room I care about) and decent ride quality for something thats meant to be a thousand times more fun? And is the 200 much smaller from a driver's point of view?

I can afford to keep both, but would rather have a car that covers the point of being able to take high miles and be cheap to run, so I don't have to move stuff from car to car and maintain two motors. The diesel goes well, and is reliable but the smoke is getting annoying, as is the lack of induction noise and 4,500rpm limiter!

Does the idea of keeping both seem a good solution, as in 200 Vi for fun and 400 for pottering to work, or will the Vi be more than good enough for both?

Expecting around 25k a year miles wise :)

Help!
 
Fair enough, I went in a 200 and it felt smaller in the front.

They feel nothing like a 400, I didn't think so anyway. At least the Vi didn't - felt really light, zippy and that it had real chunks of power, rather than bags of torque but no real urgency to the way it moves.

Better than a 400 overall, just not sure how a K with VVC would cope with what could be 25k a year.
 
Janesy B said:
Or

Consider something that isn't a Rover.

;)
Click to expand...

This. Surely there's something better out there for you?

Yes, a Vi will feel faster and better handling than a 400 diesel but that's like saying a broken leg is better than aids. You wouldn't want either if you had the choice.
 
Going from the 400 to the 200, you lose 2cm in overall car width, GAIN 3cm in height, and lose nearly 35cm in length (most of that being the boot). Not exactly huge differences in size. Weight is down a sizeable tad, down from 1250KG to 1060KG (the 200 being 85% of the weight of the 400).

If you are even close with your estimated figures for your 420iXLD's state of tune, then the difference in HP will be negligable, and the torque will be lower. To be fully honest, I doubt it'll feel like an upgrade at all.
 
Last edited:
To all the haters :p I've considered a lot of other cars, and none have had the things I look for - there's always been a point missing. Plus no one wants Rovers so they're dirt cheap!

It has been considered, but the fact that my 400s have been so much better than my old Fiesta proves they are a viable car. FYI, I've had 400s since January last year and they've all been smashing.

I hate anything that's got a silly amount of computer control - I want to be able to take a spanner to it and not need to dealer reset the service light, something that is fun and something cheap. The Vi meets all :)

So the consensus is that the Vi would be a good bet compared to my 400?

Edit: Recent events have made me lower my bhp expectations on the RR day, overboost meaning the turbo is down to 19psi again and smoke issues mean fuelling is down too. I'm thinking 130 perhaps?
 
Not when you're going to be doing 25k a year in it.

Why not wait until you can afford a worth while upgrade rather than hopping from car to car every 5 mins.
 
rover416i said:
Plus no one wants Rovers so they're dirt cheap!
Click to expand...
Theres a reason no one wants them!
rover416i said:
I want to be able to take a spanner to it and not need to dealer reset the service light
Click to expand...
Would you not rather have a car that worked instead of having to take a spanner to it?

Edit - Can i just ask how much you spent on the rover, including mods?
 
Bennie-Mac said:
Theres a reason no one wants them! Would you not rather have a car that worked instead of having to take a spanner to it?

Edit - Can i just ask how much you spent on the rover, including mods?
Click to expand...

Red 416i:
New exhaust - £180
New tyres - £100 for 4
Brake pads - £20
Oil change and ail filter - £20
Manifold gasket - £3
Piper cam setup - £80 ;)


Blue 420iXLD
New exhaust - £80
TU1 FP adjuster and MAP controller - £40
T1R tyres x2 - £125
Rear trailing arm bushes - £150 fitted
Oil change x2 - £35


I don't see why people don't like them, for me they do the job and until I get one that causes me a right pain in the backside I shall continue having them. :)
 
Bennie-Mac said:
Theres a reason no one wants them! Would you not rather have a car that worked instead of having to take a spanner to it?

Edit - Can i just ask how much you spent on the rover, including mods?
Click to expand...

All my Rovers worked fine and broke no more so than any other cars that I've had. People like you are what keep the prices down, keep up the good work :cool:
 
I used to know someone who put a VVC into a 400. He seemed very happy with the conversion. It is a shame Rover did not do it themselves, or with the 1.8T.

At the end of the day you should try and see if you like it.
 
hehe between company cars i owned a 620Ti - you should get one of them! 200HP, half leather, Climate, and apart from a water leak it worked perfectly for the 6 months i woned it! (only cost £300 too!). Brilliant chassis as well!
 
Pigeon said:
I used to know someone who put a VVC into a 400. He seemed very happy with the conversion. It is a shame Rover did not do it themselves, or with the 1.8T.

At the end of the day you should try and see if you like it.
Click to expand...

Shame they never did a 1.8 in the 400 full stop really, although swapping the lumps isn't a difficult job.

The 45 came with a 1.8, and you can put the VVC head on that quite easily, a VVC head would cost about £150 IIRC.

To me it's about the fact I will have revamped the engine, replaced the prone to failure parts, and made sure it's in tip-top condition. This will be half the fun of having it :)

Edit: The 620Tis are brilliant, the only thing stopping me is the T series engine - I know nothing of these plus they drink like an Essex girl on a hen night.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom