My 1999 Rover 200 (first car)
Discussion
I thought I should start a thread on my first car, because I've seen a few first cars in this forum. Hopefully I'll pass my test on Wednesday (unlikely) and finally be able to drive it properly!
It's a 1999 Rover 214, which I found on eBay with a BIN on £800. Went to see it that day (wasn't far away) and ended up paying £650 for it. It had as-near-as-makes-no-difference 100k miles on it, it's now on 101,200ish. It's the 1.4 16v version (difference between this and the 8v version is that this one does in fact move) iS model, meaning that I get front foglights, a half-leather interior with what Rover called 'Morello purple' inserts on the seats and carpet.
Since I've had it I haven't modified it, just been cleaning and polishing it. However the plan is a PH smiley on the back, and maybe put an armrest from a Rover Coupe in, to make the interior a slightly nicer place to be.
Pics:
Apologies for quality, taken on my phone.
About 15 minute after it arrived:
After a LOT of polish:
And the interior (not the exact one, but same spec):
And no, the head gasket hasn't gone! (Yet.)
Cheers,
Matt
It's a 1999 Rover 214, which I found on eBay with a BIN on £800. Went to see it that day (wasn't far away) and ended up paying £650 for it. It had as-near-as-makes-no-difference 100k miles on it, it's now on 101,200ish. It's the 1.4 16v version (difference between this and the 8v version is that this one does in fact move) iS model, meaning that I get front foglights, a half-leather interior with what Rover called 'Morello purple' inserts on the seats and carpet.
Since I've had it I haven't modified it, just been cleaning and polishing it. However the plan is a PH smiley on the back, and maybe put an armrest from a Rover Coupe in, to make the interior a slightly nicer place to be.
Pics:
Apologies for quality, taken on my phone.
About 15 minute after it arrived:
After a LOT of polish:
And the interior (not the exact one, but same spec):
And no, the head gasket hasn't gone! (Yet.)
Cheers,
Matt
tosscops said:
I had a 1996 214si for a few months. Not a bad car, the only thing that went was the radiator fell out and the rear boot hatch was faulty 
Apart from that I put on 20,000 miles before selling it to it's last owner who blew the headgasket
Rovers always have problems, that's what makes them Rovers! :PApart from that I put on 20,000 miles before selling it to it's last owner who blew the headgasket
Hopefully it'll be in someone else's ownership before the HG goes.
John Boy 616 - If/when it goes, I'll be looking at putting the MLS uprated gasket on it, but until then I'm just hoping it won't go at all. And thanks, I'm pretty sure I'll need some luck!
Raize - It's £280 for 3 months, and runs out the day after my test. If everything goes to plan, I won't need to extend that.
Burrito - It is good fun to hustle along a nice road. If yours could do 30k miles being thrashed, mine should be fine until I get rid of it!
Raize - It's £280 for 3 months, and runs out the day after my test. If everything goes to plan, I won't need to extend that.
Burrito - It is good fun to hustle along a nice road. If yours could do 30k miles being thrashed, mine should be fine until I get rid of it!
therealpigdog said:
whilst on a provisional the assumption is that there is a responsible person curbing the OP's enthusiasm. the day after he passes, he's going to go crazy and put it in a ditch.
yes I mean, but it doesn't normally go up that much? I passed 5 years ago and it went up a few hundred, same with my brother who passed a year or so ago. Not a FEW grand.......?!Any car for your first car is good, regardless of what it is. 3k is unbelievable though for insurance! Having passed my test in 2004 and not getting my own "bought" motor until 2008 (previously on the old mans insurance) I was paying £1400 to be on a MK2 Golf Gti with mods declared. So in comparison yours is terrible, I'd shop around.
ETA: How did you do on your test? Judging from the lack of activity on here, you were successful
ETA: How did you do on your test? Judging from the lack of activity on here, you were successful
That's pretty much the price for insurance for young 'uns nowadays, maybe a few hundred more than I'd have expected. Don't forget if you re-read his OP, £280 was only for 3months while learning on a provisional not for the year.
The 18/19 year old lads at my work are all paying between £2000-2500 for their insurance and have clio 1.2 campus type cars.
The 18/19 year old lads at my work are all paying between £2000-2500 for their insurance and have clio 1.2 campus type cars.
Well, I failed 
for finishing my parallel park too close to the car in front. Don't quite understand how that's a fail, as it didn't endanger any other road users, but oh well. Retest booked, early December.
As regards insurance, it's £280 on my provisional for 3 months from Collingwood Insurance. The cheapest quote I've had from the compare websites is £2971 from Elephant, with both my parents as named drivers. I'm pretty sure I can get that down to £2500 at least by phoning them up, but there's no point doing that right now if I haven't passed. It's still less than a friend is paying on his 1.2 M-reg Corsa, he's paying £3700!
Right, little update. Before the test, I gave it a bit of a clean, it needed it. Pics:
Particularly proud of the wheels, they looked as if they hadn't been cleaned since it was new. Cheap Astonish wheel cleaner and an old toothbrush, I think they've come up quite well:
for finishing my parallel park too close to the car in front. Don't quite understand how that's a fail, as it didn't endanger any other road users, but oh well. Retest booked, early December.As regards insurance, it's £280 on my provisional for 3 months from Collingwood Insurance. The cheapest quote I've had from the compare websites is £2971 from Elephant, with both my parents as named drivers. I'm pretty sure I can get that down to £2500 at least by phoning them up, but there's no point doing that right now if I haven't passed. It's still less than a friend is paying on his 1.2 M-reg Corsa, he's paying £3700!
Right, little update. Before the test, I gave it a bit of a clean, it needed it. Pics:
Particularly proud of the wheels, they looked as if they hadn't been cleaned since it was new. Cheap Astonish wheel cleaner and an old toothbrush, I think they've come up quite well:
I owned one of these a few months back as a general run around s
tter.
Was pleasantly surprised at just how good it was. Fantastic handling, very comfy interior and shifted well enough too.
Compared to similar cars of the same time, these are well ahead in terms of interior comfort. Compare these to a saxo, 106, clio, corsa etc. and these come out much better.
tter.Was pleasantly surprised at just how good it was. Fantastic handling, very comfy interior and shifted well enough too.
Compared to similar cars of the same time, these are well ahead in terms of interior comfort. Compare these to a saxo, 106, clio, corsa etc. and these come out much better.
Deluded said:
Fantastic handling...
Really? You sure? Tough week at work?OH had one years ago and it was ok at best, did it's job in comfort and was nicely equipped at the time. Until the head gasket went. Sold it to a couple of mugs who didn't notice the mayonaise for oil. Went shopping about half an hour after selling the car and drove past them at the roadside, traffic police had pulled them over for some reason. Maybe they were putting 'the fantastic handling' to the test.
Nice enough first car, crazy insurance but looking back I paid over a grand for a mk3 escort worth 950 back in 1993 so all relative I suppose.
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