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Depends how long you keep it. And head gaskets go on all sorts of cars. My first HGF was on a VW. Enuf said.
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Never had HGF. Ever. Only 1 Rover model in last 15 years .(820).
No VW .
That explains it then:-)
madf
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Ive only had it twice, this being the second time, but ive known various people have it happen. Both cars ive had it happen on were 11 years old at the time. Strange lol
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thought i was mad 750 nicker on an old rover
>>mad............
You tell it like it is.
Edited by pendulum on 05/11/2007 at 22:00
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No more mad than someone who would spend thousands extra on a car just because it has image.
Its not even a tangible quality given that it used to apply to cars that were superior, which these days, they really arent anymore.
Atleast Im paying for something that I can see infront of me. Image only matters as much as what the neighbours think - I like my neighbours, but the day that they affect what car I drive will surely never come.
Sorry but come on, image really is for people who play golf and like looking at themselves in the mirror, showing off their whiter than white teeth.
My Rover may only be an old junker, but with its HG fixed, it will still do same job as a 20 grand car. And so far, its still 18 grand cheaper.
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Good for you, Stu.
As I say in the post on 07 Rovers, the very subject of Rover seems to create a hostile reaction from some posters.
I used to have a Rover 416 which I got rid of when HGF reared its ugly head. I actually wish I had persevered and tried to sort out the problem, though, because I loved that Rover, but swapped for an Octavia which I didn't like at all and sold after 12 months. The depreciation hit on the Octavia would have paid for a few head gaskets!
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I've only ever once had HGF on a BMW 316i that had a FSH and we had owned it from new.
Stu - you should have realised it wasn't a good idea to make a post about HGF with a Rover, it was bound to pull the negative comments out of the woodwork!
Blue
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Oh I know, but then its a stereotype, as with many other cars - the Rover is of the age that HGF can happen and I had just hammered it for 800 miles right off the bat - it was bound to throw up something. Just plain bad luck as these non-intercooled diesels are not known for doing their HG in the same way the K-series is.
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How much will a reconditioned engine with a warranty cost? It might be better than having the HG replaced only to have a piston go through the block in 3 months time.
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Just popped in to have a look at the car. The head has been sent away for testing. He said the engine looks like its in good nick and hasnt suffered much. The blow appears to have been three small ones. May have caught it in time, can only hope.
Honestly, I dont know, my instinct is always to repair rather than replace where possible.
He also found one of the cambelt pulleys is very stuff so thats going to be replaced along with a front wheel bearing. I just cant wait for the final bill. Not.
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Sorry to hear about the Rover, Stu - I've considered a 220/420/620D a few times in the past.
I just hope the bill doesn't creep up too high. So often a garage will quote £xxx for a repair, then a few 'well that needed sorting out at the same time" items get thrown in - and maybe with good reason - which bumps up the price considerably. The VAT element (if not recoverable) just seems to rub a bit of salt into the wound.....
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Id always wanted an L-Series Rover, I loved driving them when I worked for a Rover main dealer and I still do, its such a loud engine, but I guess that gives it an 'earthy', run forever feel that diesels these days dont have.
The torque is just astounding too. On the flat, it will pull away in 3rd gear on tickover, just love that!
Well I knew about the wheel bearing and there was already a squealing pulley that made a helluva racket when cold, so id rather these things were all sorted at he same time, esp th epulley as he had to remove it as part of the HG work so saves on labour.
The VAT is enough to make your eyes bleed sometimes looking at the chunk they take - its going to be atleast £150 ontop of my bill.
I now intend to keep the car for ten years, as that way I will get my money out of it.
Thats if it lasts that long. Ive been told 300k is possible with a well cared for L-series, we shall see as I will be doing about 25k per year.
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No more mad than someone who would spend thousands extra on a car just because it has image.
>>Image only matters as much as what the neighbours think
>>Sorry but come on image really is for people who play golf and like looking at themselves in the mirror
You replied to my post when you said those things. I drive a banger of a Citroen ZX FYI! I care not a jot about "image" and I agree with most of what you've said there.
However I also agree with bellboy - stupid amount of money to spend on an old Rover.
You can buy another reliable car that will last you years without trouble, for the same money it'll cost you to repair that old Rover.
Nothing to do with image.
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OK fair do's.
The point about my particular Rover is simple though and it does make sense overall.
Yes Im paying out for a head gasket and its not cheap, but equally I could buy another car and have it happen or anythingelse.
Plus I just paid for a cambelt service which was pretty horrific cost wise aswell.
The Rover came with bills in the last year of nearly £900, suspension, brakes and exhaust are all nearly new, aside from a couple of cosmetic bubbles, its rustfree and they ARE good cars. Its based on a Honda and was built in the days when they made them properly.
As such, my mechanic said that yes, its alotta money Im spending on an old Rover, but it is money spent on a solid car that has plenty of life left in it.
As a long term purchase, its good value but short term of course its a stupid amount, but it would be a stupid amount on any car of such low value, regardless of what make.
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In my opinion you have done the right thing Stu. Its well worth spending a grand on a car you know than buying something where you start all over again.
Recently gave the wife?s Maestro diesel bought new in 1993 to the son in law who wanted a second motor for his journey to work every night which is a eighty mile round trip.
Before I gave it to him I had a new head gasket fitted and a few other jobs done which bought it up to excellent mechanical condition.
He has already put quite a few thousand miles on it at 55mpg.
If the body is in good condition I think its always well worth while to repair than scrapping.
Some folk don?t turn a hair at losing a thousand quid as they drive out of the showroom but not everyone thinks like that.
Your car is one of the old proper diesels which many wish still remained and while the body is OK keep it going. A traffic Policeman neighbour has had a Rover 420 diesel for many years and while he drives some high performance motors at work always says he prefers his old Rover.
wemyss
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 06/11/2007 at 23:19
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that was my reasonoing too stunorthants26 i wasnt knocking your choice just that this is an old car to spend mega bucks on,were you not the same person that i told you to buy the jetta at £600 notes top for but you were gazumpled?
i just couldnt do it when the country is awash with cars.
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I will have a similar delima soon, I paid £850 for my Fiesta which was on the chea side and it came with a fresh MOT. However it needs new bushes, tryes, wiring loom, radiator and other minor stuff. This will set me back £400 but the ca has no rust and touch would machanicly seems great so even if the car ends up costing me £1250 its still a bargain considering it does 40mpg, costs £100 per year to service and has no rust etc.
While other ponces are using a manual wind down window in their £4k superminis there is me using my electric seat to pop my head out of the roof! :p
I paid £400 for my old car and I would have had a new engine put in it, the chasis was perfect and mostly rust free apart from a bit inthe boot which was would have developed intoa problem. The reason I didn't was the car just didn't meet my needs.
So if the OP's Rover does everything he wants then I think it could be worth spending the money providing a proper guarentee is given in regards to engine condition.
Incidently I am no Rover fan but the L series engine is often regarded as one of the most reliable diesel engines ever made for cars.
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Swapping cars is ok if your are mechanically minded, but im not, so buying one is always a bit of a risk - i know a reasonable amount, but I wont spot everything.
As such, id rather spend my money on one car and one car only now, show a little commitment!
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I am in the middle of doing the same thing and hoping its the right choice!
Since buying our MG TF we have decided its perhapes best not to use it every day in the winter for a 50 mile round trip commute and hence our old Rover 200 has come out of the garage after a year of not moving.
It needed MOTing and it wouldnt start and a simple job has now cost me a starter motor, alternator, ignition bits, brake discs and pipes etc. The cost is mounting....
Do I spend £400 getting a 12month ticket on something we have owned for 7 years or risk buying something at this end of the market that needs its own repairs? Chose the £400 option - although it might creep up again before it gets its ticket. If we get another 12-24 months out of it at 3-400 a year its worth it.
In contrast my Audi cost me £700 for a cambelt service 6 months ago and is now due an oil service at £200 20K later. (oh and probably lost £500 in depreciation!)
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as bbroomlea says it's better to spend a few quid on a motor you know to keep it running than to spend money on another car that may also need work.
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With this value of car, better the devil you know.
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I think theres a perception that an old car should only have money spent on it only up to its value, but value in itself isnt just in terms of money, its also whether you can better it, regardless of possible sale price.
You get lucky with the odd old car, but most cars under a grand come with some issues and I always budget atleast the asking price to sort them out, from experience.
Now the Rover has caught me out, hands up on that one, but as my mechanic said, there were no indications just 5 days before and certainly not when I bought it, so its just plain bad luck.
I genuinely like the car though, its one of the cars I always wanted for its economy, good build and pleasent drive. Its also spacious and will serve well as a family car, so it has long term potential. Its about as economical as any family can get, even modern ones, so with fuel prices as they are, it makes long term sense in that way too.
I have, over the years, been through cars like nobodys business, keeping one a year is long for me, but im older now, Im buying my first house next year and wasting money on car after car has to stop, so buying a car and putting in money to buy long term ownership isnt a bad idea.
Its like they used to say with most Korean cars - depreciation was horrendous but if you kept it ten years, it was good value.
Why is it that Rovers are so derrided though, I mean, in its day, it was one of the best family cars of the day, albeit expensive?
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you are going to do 200k miles in this baby over the next 10 years....
good luck!!
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I have just done a few sums over 10 years of motoring.....(probably not overly accurate!)
If I keep my Audi A4 and our 214 on the road, including the MG TF for weekends we would be spending around £15,000 at the very most to keep 3 cars going (£500*3*10) - depreciation would not be a problem as we bought them mainly at the bottom of the curve - factor this in though and at worst that would be £29,000 if the cars were worthless..
Buy ONE clio/fiesta/corsa etc every 3 years for 10K and trade in at 3.5K, and thats 19.5K in depreciation alone, add £500 in running costs a year (conservative estimate) and thats 24.5K total for ONE shopping trolly thats not particularly desirable!
If you need 2 'basic' town cars then you are looking at a lot of money! Pull the depreciation out and buy something older and there is no contest in which is better on your pocket (and the environment if you are that way inclined!)
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we can find numbers to support any argument...
how about this
new corsa 9k, 3 years later sell for 5k, minimul annual costs and in warranty
verses 214 jalopy, £500pa plus warranty of £250
its cost you £500pa more to have a brand new car!
i know what i would do!
Edited by nick1975 on 07/11/2007 at 22:45
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i was always of the opinion that if you run an older car then its either got to be simple to maintain or reliable enough not to break down
you would therefore run something like a fiesta for normal s/h motoring
or
a rover 420 diesel if you knew it was going to do the miles without needing a new donkey after 4 weeks
the other way to look at the argument is buy a banger for peanuts and see how it pans out and be ready to throw the towel in
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My Rover is fairly simple. If anyone expects to buy an older car thinking it will run like a new car, they are dreaming. Thus, on occasion, you need to spend a bit of money on it.
Its still cheaper than a new car. Much cheaper.
Granted, Im spending £1000 on a car worth £600 BUT I could easily buy another £600 car that needs just as much work done. Finding a decent £600 diesel aint easy because most have lots of miles and run on a shoestring. Good ones go for good money because people value them.
What would happen if I spent another £600 on another car, is that id buy another car that needed work of some sort as do most cheap cars and only have £400 left outta my budget to repair it. Then I could well end up with TWO cars I couldnt afford to repair. Not clever and much less sense than fixing what I have.
I want a car that I can keep, not one I can throw away.
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