What car- £700-1100

Tim said:
What, like a Rover 214 8v?:confused:
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They are rubbish as well but he loves them simply becuase he bought one for his GF and it doesnt break. No idea why he can't hold the Fiesta in similar regard as its vastly superior to the 214.
 
[TW]Fox said:
They are rubbish as well but he loves them simply becuase he bought one for his GF and it doesnt break. No idea why he can't hold the Fiesta in similar regard as its vastly superior to the 214.
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I am with Jez, I would choose a Rover Mk3 over a Fiesta Mk3/Mk4.
 
[TW]Fox said:
What does it offer that a Mk4 Fiesta does not?
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Having driven all of the cars in question I feel I can offer accurate information as opposed to relying on articles or posts I have read.

The Mk3 Rover 200 interior is a superior design to both that of the Mk3 and Mk4 Fiesta. The seats are very comfortable and the materials used are of a higher quality.

Both cars are cheap to maintain and very easy for novice mechanics to work on and learn a lot of skills, not many specialist tools are required and even engine work can be quite simple on the single cam, 8v K series in the Rover.

Due to the cost price equipment levels will be both in similar cars if you shop around for a good example. If however you are in a rush to buy then it's more than likely you will find a higher spec'd Rover than Fiesta.

Due to the popularity of the Fiesta over the Rover you should be able to purchase a newer Rover for your money.

The K series engine is very fun to drive, it warms up VERY quickly which makes it ideal for pottering around the city in the winter as the heaters also blow hot air within a very short space of time.

The Mk3 Fiesta doesn't have a patch on the Rover 200 Mk3. It is an inferior car from an older generation so I will not compare the two. It looks very dated where as the Rover and Mk4 fiesta, although look old, do not look out of date. I appreciate looks are subjective to an individual though.
 
Tesla said:
200 interior is a superior design to both that of the Mk3 and Mk4 Fiesta. The seats are very comfortable and the materials used are of a higher quality
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Garbage. They are all as rubbish as each other. Nothing of this type has 'higher quality'. Fiesta is more readily available, you get more choice, and it's arguably more reliable. Tidy handling cars, as well. No idea why you are comparing Mk3 as production ended before Mk3 200's began, or at least, at around the same time.

1.25 16v Yamaha unit in the Fiesta is a decent engine, the 1.4 8v in the Rover is simply annoying. 16v far better but comes with reliability concerns not present on the Fiesta.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Garbage. They are all as rubbish as each other. Nothing of this type has 'higher quality'. Fiesta is more readily available, you get more choice, and it's arguably more reliable. Tidy handling cars, as well. No idea why you are comparing Mk3 as production ended before Mk3 200's began, or at least, at around the same time.

1.25 16v Yamaha unit in the Fiesta is a decent engine, the 1.4 8v in the Rover is simply annoying. 16v far better but comes with reliability concerns not present on the Fiesta.
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The reason behind comparing the Mk3 Fiesta was that they fall into the price braket of the Rover 200 Mk3.

Rover 200Mk3 were being sold at the same time as the Mk3 Fiesta (when new) in 1996.

The 1.4 8v engine is not annoying, I found it good fun to drive as it responds well to being driven properly. Also, the gearing means the car can hit 60mph in second making it ideal for the occasional dual carriageway/motorway joining acceleration.
 
Tesla said:
The reason behind comparing the Mk3 Fiesta was that they fall into the price braket of the Rover 200 Mk3.
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So does the Mk4.

Rover 200Mk3 were being sold at the same time as the Mk3 Fiesta (when new) in 1996
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Not really, production ended for the Mk3 in 1995. There were a few 'Classic' models to rid of old stock in early 96 or so but thats about it. Mk4 was around from 96.
 
im 18 and so have a car and know about what cars all my mates had as first cars.
Bascially 306s seem to need new gearboxes/clutches/power steering. you name the problem ive had a friend with a 306 with that problem.
Also had a friend with a xsara. same engine etc as 306 and guess what that spent its like getting new haed gaskets new clutches. (they all had cars in your price range).
I would say steer clear of french cars in general!!

My micra k11 has had no problems in 18mnths so i must recommend it. It uses sod all petrol. Its only 1litre but they are all twin cam 16v so they arent as bad a the old corsas. A 1.25 fiesta is a good call they are nippy and cheap to run. Also a mk1 corsa are good. Remeber keep it small as a first car. Insurance is rediculus as it is so small engine. small egnine stil lgoes A-B and wil lstill do all the speed limits :p
 
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mglover070588 said:
Remeber keep it small as a first car. Insurance is rediculus as it is so small engine. small egnine stil lgoes A-B and wil lstill do all the speed limits :p
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Although this is true a typical bigger can with bigger engine is cheaper to buy.

I decided to go down this route and bought a larger engined car with lots of comforts and then put the rest of my money toward my £2k insurance bill.
 
Is the Fiesta 1.25 really this good?, i mean I'm sure it is a good first car but every body seems to recommend this very car. I think I'll have a look on auto trader see if theres a half decent one on there. I was going to go with the 306 1.6 but after reading this thread it seems the Fiesta would be a better option.

Any particular model to look out for, LX, encore etc?.
 
Mark A said:
Is the Fiesta 1.25 really this good?, i mean I'm sure it is a good first car but every body seems to recommend this very car. I think I'll have a look on auto trader see if theres a half decent one on there. I was going to go with the 306 1.6 but after reading this thread it seems the Fiesta would be a better option.

Any particular model to look out for, LX, encore etc?.
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If you want to go for a 306.......forget the petrol verisons. The 1.9 Dt or XRDT are superb. Noisy yes, economical yes, cheap to insure yes, nippy YES(screw mod) ;)
 
Mark A said:
Is the Fiesta 1.25 really this good?, i mean I'm sure it is a good first car but every body seems to recommend this very car.

Any particular model to look out for, LX, encore etc?.
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Yes it really is that good for cheap motoring. Put it this way, we bought ours when it was one year old (it's a '97 R Reg), the only major thing that's been needed fixing mechanically in that time were the wishbones, but they were done last year or so ago, after 70/80k miles.

I have the encore at the mo, and i'm not quite sure exactly what you get with that over a normal fiesta as there are no toys at all, no electric windows, no power steering etc etc no cd player as standard, no abs etc altho for me that is a bonus as it means there are less things to go wrong.

I use it as my daily driver and it suits town driving perfectly. Even if/when parts do go wrong they will be cheap as chips to buy.

Bet i've just jinxed myself now haha, mind you i won't mind spending money on the car if needed, it cost us just under £4500 roughly 10yrs ago and has been worth every penny.
 
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[TW]Fox said:
What does it offer that a Mk4 Fiesta does not?
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Fiesta's are just absolutely horrible cars, i dont know what it is about them but they are just tacky and nasty and eruggh. I feel the same about 90% of fords and vauxhalls and citroens and peugeots and other cheap marques.

Ok so a Rover 214 is hardly a great car, but they dont have that feeling of absolute tackiness, cheapness and nastiness about them, yet are still very cheap.
 
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