Joined
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283 Posts
Hi all Im new to this site.
Just thought I'd say hello really and share my newly found Rover experience, sorry if this post is a bit long (and boring??)
Basically Ive been driving a trusty Ford Escort 1.6 LX for over a year now and although was a nice car, it always lacked that umpf that I was after (without paying over the odds for a faster car, insurance, tax etc)
Ever since I had a go of one my friends Rover 214 bubble (16v) I loved it, i found it really fun to drive and it seemed to so much nippier than my 1.6.
Another one of my friend also had a Rover 220 Turbo Diesel which I enjoyed driving, although his had a ridiculously heavy clutch!
Having test driven a few other cars in this "class", such as Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo and I didnt find any of them particuluar fun to drive. All in all I knew that I wanted to own a Rover, and it was a tussle between a late model of a 200 or a 25, which ever I could get hold of for a reasonable was of cash.
Last week i saw an R25 iL advertised in the paper for 1900 , W reg with 54k on the clock, FSH and though Bargain!
I went down there and had a test drive and once again enjoyed the experience and thought, yes , Im gonna get this little beaut! Its a iL model in tahiti blue and has a nice black upholstery and sporty seats.
Now that im an owner and been driving it just udner a week im starting to realise that now that I own a Rover, it wants something back!!
Gone are the days of the ever forgiving escort where I could pull off wil mimimal effort and be happily cruising down a bypass at 70 mph without hardly realising that im moving at all!
For one thing, the rover makes damn sure that Im working my legs muscles hard to move off smoothly, and it has kindly reminded me that letting the clutch out too quick will inevitably cause me to look an absolute weapon at a junction or roundabout in queues of traffic!
The ol trusty escort had light as a feather , hydraulic steering , whereas this beast likes to remind me that is a few hundred Kg of metal that i'm controlling around bends and not an empty shopping trolley down an aisle!
But has been good to me by giving me more power when moving off, more stability around corners, more sense of driving involvement and best of all a more comfortable and enjoyable car to be in than ive driven before!!
Oh and it is the 103 PS model, according to the VIN plate.. 1.4 engine and almost 15 BHP more powerful than the Escort and it definately shows.
Anyway, the moral of the story Im happy with this new car - its got its little quirks that im starting to live with - ie snappy clutch, heavy power steering, more engine, wind and road noise at speed - but this adds far more character to the car than my ol Ezzy!
See ya!
Just thought I'd say hello really and share my newly found Rover experience, sorry if this post is a bit long (and boring??)
Basically Ive been driving a trusty Ford Escort 1.6 LX for over a year now and although was a nice car, it always lacked that umpf that I was after (without paying over the odds for a faster car, insurance, tax etc)
Ever since I had a go of one my friends Rover 214 bubble (16v) I loved it, i found it really fun to drive and it seemed to so much nippier than my 1.6.
Another one of my friend also had a Rover 220 Turbo Diesel which I enjoyed driving, although his had a ridiculously heavy clutch!
Having test driven a few other cars in this "class", such as Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo and I didnt find any of them particuluar fun to drive. All in all I knew that I wanted to own a Rover, and it was a tussle between a late model of a 200 or a 25, which ever I could get hold of for a reasonable was of cash.
Last week i saw an R25 iL advertised in the paper for 1900 , W reg with 54k on the clock, FSH and though Bargain!
I went down there and had a test drive and once again enjoyed the experience and thought, yes , Im gonna get this little beaut! Its a iL model in tahiti blue and has a nice black upholstery and sporty seats.
Now that im an owner and been driving it just udner a week im starting to realise that now that I own a Rover, it wants something back!!
Gone are the days of the ever forgiving escort where I could pull off wil mimimal effort and be happily cruising down a bypass at 70 mph without hardly realising that im moving at all!
For one thing, the rover makes damn sure that Im working my legs muscles hard to move off smoothly, and it has kindly reminded me that letting the clutch out too quick will inevitably cause me to look an absolute weapon at a junction or roundabout in queues of traffic!
The ol trusty escort had light as a feather , hydraulic steering , whereas this beast likes to remind me that is a few hundred Kg of metal that i'm controlling around bends and not an empty shopping trolley down an aisle!
But has been good to me by giving me more power when moving off, more stability around corners, more sense of driving involvement and best of all a more comfortable and enjoyable car to be in than ive driven before!!
Oh and it is the 103 PS model, according to the VIN plate.. 1.4 engine and almost 15 BHP more powerful than the Escort and it definately shows.
Anyway, the moral of the story Im happy with this new car - its got its little quirks that im starting to live with - ie snappy clutch, heavy power steering, more engine, wind and road noise at speed - but this adds far more character to the car than my ol Ezzy!
See ya!
