The Rover 25 - Reviews

They are alright,much maligned,but a lot better car than given credit for imho.
My missus had one when we first met,it was 2000 on a W.She had bought it new,put a 100k on it and generally neglected and abused the poor thing but it kept going until HGF.I wouldn't blame the car for that either,she never checked any levels ever !
It went well,handled ok and was quite comfy and refined really.The cabin was a nice place to be.
I liked it enough to get rid of my E36 at the time and buy a 99 414s which i also liked.

Only things i remember changing on the 25 were a starter motor and the wiper motor which kept nipping up and blowing fuses.It was reliable thing in general.

No not really on that one,the general opinion is that the earlier ones up to 02 were a bit better built mind you.
Arches and wings can get scabby and the front subframes can rot too.They can go at the rear of the sill in front of the rear arch which will be a prescribed area.The wifes was a bit scabby on the top of the sills where water sat between the sill and kickplates but it was only surface and not rotting from inside out.
Seen them go on the roof round the tailgate hinges too.
Hers was ten years old and never had anyhing corrosion related at MOT time.

One minor thing i just remembered,make sure its got its aerial and its base is tight.Leaks in the roof otherwise and you need to drop the headlining to get at the base nut.

They are not a bad car by any stretch for the money.

However, having a HG done is useless unless it was done by someone who

A)Knew what they were doing
B)Used the right parts ; most will use cheaper parts since the cars are worth very little.

As an example, my friend bought a Rover 216 with a HG done by a trader. It ran well for a month. After that the heater started to go cold once fully warm for a while and then the tank pressurise. He then took the car to his uncle who was a Land Rover specialist. With the right dowels, a genuine LR HG and a few other things (I think he said the bill was around £600 ; what he paid for the car) the car was superb for the 3 or 4 years I saw it, and surprisingly quick for a 1.6 to boot .

Thanks for the positive feedback you lot!! It's reassuring to know


Will be seeing the paperwork / history today so can make the final decision of that. General consensus seems that non-old car loving folk say they're rubbish, "OOOO the K series, stay clear!" where more knowledgeable people seem to rate them okay.


Had a quick drive last night, engine is nice and revvy, runs smooth and quiet. Clutch bite point is a bit high but not slipping, feels fine, gearbox feels like you haven't actually selected a gear but does go in gear every time, think its just the feel of the box. It's a bit different to anything I've driven before (its 2005!!). Its got, leccy windows, AC, power steering, 5 GEARS!!!! Remote central locking etc.

Had a look underneath and it seems really good. Few scratches, small bubble on the front wing and old biddy parking dings but that's it. The welds on the rear beam have a bit of, hopefully just, surface rust so will get that cleaned up.

Sunroof is leaking - the only known fault.

If ok with mods - I'll get some photos up, looking to buy Sunday proving history is good.

What mileage was the HG done? Smaller engines such as the 1.1 and 1.4 last much longer than the 1.8.

If you get one, budget and keep some money aside for a HG change. As much as you'll look after it, others won't have, so it could go regardless.

Oh and thanks Mgmrw for the advice! I'll try and not cock up sorting the sunroof - is is straight forward job? Seal out, clean, re-seat?

How much is it? If its £500 then you don't really have much to loose.

Seal, alignment, or replacement one from breakers.

Unsure, not geeked up on 25's, I was a ZR boy... They were all 105bhp.

52mm throttle body, and ECU swap should help.