What's the least you'd pay for a car? One that was taxed and tested, that you'd want to go on and use for a few months and maybe - who knows? - rather longer, if the force was with you, and nothing fell off?
The very embodiment of Shed motoring?
You may or may not subscribe to the theory that latching on to some workable metal in return for a very small amount cash is the very definition of Shedding. Whatever your view, there is no denying that this Rover 623 GSi is a proper, honest to goodness, old-fashioned bargain.
Before you lay into it, pay heed to the wise words of Shed. He has some valid experience that may cause you to realign your anti-Rover prejudices.
The 600 was Rover's 1993 re-imagining of the Swindon-built Honda Accord. This was a worthy machine in its own right. Some 600 engines, notably the 2.0-litre turbo petrols and turbodiesels, were Rover-built, but all the other petrol lumps (including the 2.3 four in this Shed) were pure Honda units. Shed makes no comment on this: just make your own assumptions in regards to reliability.
Grey plastic, fake wood - yup, it's a 90s Rover
During the focus-grouping stage, punters assured Rover that they loved the look of the 600 and faithfully promised to buy lots. Which they did, relatively speaking, despite the premium pricing that (as a result of all the positive feedback) Rover happily applied to the car. Of course, those punters also liked the BMW 3 Series, and Ford's new Mondeo was winning most of the group tests at the time, so the 600 was up against it somewhat. Nevertheless, it was something of a commercial success.
Shed attended the UK launch of the 600 Series back in '93. The test route laced its way across the B-roads of Oxfordshire and revealed a car that, despite its slightly stately appearance, would happily tolerate the inputs of a buffoon. The FWD chassis (with a bit of passive rear-wheel steer built in) was surprisingly tidy, the ride was good, and the performance more than ample. There wasn't a vast amount of room in the back, but it was all most agreeable up front with a nice mix of wood and metal in the top o' the rangers. Of which this leathery GSi is one.
If it can scrape through its MoT it could be a winner
We're fortunate in the UK in having a lot to choose from at this end of the market. Even so, it's getting harder to find anything for under £500 that (a) won't get you stopped by the Law for some legal transgression or other or (b) is worth considering as a driving proposition.
This example of what was an important car for Rover (presaging as it did a new era in shapely design) does not have the reek of impending doom hanging about it. It's a '98 car, built one year before the 600 was replaced by the 75, so it benefits from all the tweaks and twiddles the model received in its six-year lifespan, including the 10mm drop in ride height that came along in '97.
If it gets through the MOT next month - and the vendor gives us every reason to believe it will, barring a five-minute retensioning of the handbrake cable - it could reward its next owner with a period of gratifyingly cheap motoring. The weak points are not 600-exclusive: they are the usual old car traps of corrosion and age-compromised moving parts. Remarkably, it seems that the leccy windows, roof and seat all still work.
For the price of a Michelin meal for four, or three if you go mad with the wine, you can get a classically-hewn sporting saloon with a sprightly turn of pace, predictable handling, a degree of refined luxury, and reasonable running costs (even the 197hp 600Ti turbo returned nearly 30mpg). You may not fancy it yourself, but on one level at least this Rover represents the true spirit of Shedliness, and as such surely justifies a two-minute dig down the back of the sofa.
Rover 623 GSi - MOT till May and Tax till September
The car comes very well equipped with leather seats, electric drivers seat, electric sunroof, air conditioning, cruise control, 6 CD Autochanger and electric windows all round.
Mechanically it has run very well and has never let us down in the time we've had it. It has been recently serviced and the engine pulls strongly, currently on around 113k miles.
There are a few marks and scratches on the bumper, but overall it is a clean car for its age.
As far as I am aware there are no obvious problems that would prevent the car from passing its next MOT, except for perhaps the handbrake could do with adjusting/tightening. Any inspections welcome.