Should I buy this banger- Rover 414Si

[Rave]

Long story short, I've been borrowing my mum's car for the last few months while she's been travelling, but now she's back and she needs it from time to time. I really ought to get my bike fixed so I can ride that to work, but I could do with a car in any case.

Anyway, there's been a P-reg Rover 414Si parked about 20 yards from my house for a while- it had a TfL minicab licence sticker in it for a while. That's been removed now, and in its place is a for sale sign. So I had a quick look. The only obvious problems (beyond the obvious problem that it's an 11 year old Rover) are that it needs two new tyres, there's a crack in one of the rear light clusters, and the offside rear arch has rusted through just behind the back door (the nearside is starting to go but could be rescued with a bit of hammerite I think). It has 127K miles, tax to the end of June, and the advert reckons it has some MOT (though it doesn't specify until when). The asking price is £275- though I don't know if that might be negotiable.

So whaddya reckon? If the MOT is also until June, then I could run it for 5 months and just scrap it if it fails the MOT. I'm pretty sure it's the 1.4 16V engine, and I was thinking of trying to drop one of those into the Maestro I also have sitting outside my house, and which I plan to weld up and rescue*. Insurance will be about £260 for the year, I checked on Confused. Two tyres shouldn't set me back more than about £70 I reckon, so I'd be on the road for about £600.

Is this a bad idea? I know that K-Serieses have a rep for blowing HGs, but this is a 1.4 so shouldn't be as prone as the larger engines. If you really don't think it's worth the risk, what other very cheap bangers would you recommend, and where would I find them?

Further up the road is a W126 Merc 500SEC for which the owner is asking £1300. Don't worry, I know I'd be buying a bottomless money pit, but it looks bloody cool. Arches are going on that one too.

* I really like Maestros. I can only apologise.

[Howard]

The 1.4 is as prone as any for HGF but if you look after it and show some mechanical sympathy it should be fine. Depends how much abuse it's had, it might have already been changed at that mileage

Get the Merc. And when that dies, put ITS engine into the Maestro.

Or, I'm sure you can find a Mondeo for that money.

[StevenF]

At that sort of mileage, check to make sure the cambelt has been replaced.

[Wh@l3fish]

The K-Series engine was waaaay ahead of its time imho. I've got a GTM Rossa K3 kit-car which has the 1.4 k-series mpi in (out of a metro!) and it's a dream!

But as said before, it depends on how it's been treated. I think that the HGF was more prone on the 1.8 litre engines, but it really depends how the one in that car was treated. I think the fact that it had a TfL minicab sticker in and it's £275 speaks volumes - you shouldn't expect too much.

Agree with Howard, drop the 500 engine in the Maestro!

[joshwa]

There's a happy Rover banger owner over here:
Hey folks

Although his is deisel so he can run veg oil in it! making it even cheaper I think Rover are becoming the king of bangernomics

If the Merc is as nice as this then get the Merc!

[Rave]

Good link Josh cheers, will have to join up. My father in law is lending me his Mondeo for the rest of the week, so there's no urgent hurry for me to buy right now. The Mondy waltzed through its MOT today (although he had to have a new tyre fitted last week- and have the tracking reset, it was 5 degrees out all round ). If the Rover's still there in a few days I'll offer £200 I think.

[Behemoth]

You can get so much better for £275, have a look on piston heads, saw some cars there for okish money that looked pretty well treated for what they were asking for them. I'd say the HG on that Rover is possibly on it's way out at that milage on a 1.4.

My grandad has a P reg 416 SLI at only 60,000 miles the HG said good bye, cost him £600 to get it fixed.

[Shad]

As mentioned, head gasket issues really only apply to the 1.8. Check the rust out thoroughly, if it's just behind a rear door it could extend to the sill which will likely be an MOT failure.

However, for that price you could easily justify running it to the MOT and then scrapping it if necessary.

[J4MES]

Can't help but think if you spent slightly more you'd get a much better motor - it's a high mileage ex-cabbie Rover; three reasons not to bother imho. A Mondeo with less miles (which would be a substantially better car) could be got for similar £££s I reckon. But you've seen it and it might be in fine fettle...

I'm with Howard - get the Merc, and chrome it up