[schnozzles]

Hello!

Bought a 1993 (K reg) 214 SLi off a mate a couple of weeks ago. She only cost me £100 so my initial thought, having been carless for a while, was to keep her until early next year and then px her (she's called Ruby ) for something a bit newer.

However... now that I've got her and I've done a few miles, I think I might do her up and keep her for longer.



First thing I need to do is replace the old Rover stereo. It switches on but doesn't find any stations so I think the aerial's become disconnected anyway. After that I need to replace the driver's side window mechanism, fix a hole under the spare wheel, give the whole car a going over with T-cut & some wax, and look at fitting some rear headrests.

Any pointers welcome - I used to own motorbikes so am used to doing some work myself and have lots of tools, but I'm not so used to doing up cars!

A bit more about Ruby - 2 careful owners, FSH (pretty much) and all the usual stuff fixed - head gasket & rad both done, new cat last MOT + full set of hoses. She's got some rust patches that I need to sort out but I don't think there's anything structural apart from the hole in the boot - mind you, MOT is due next month so I guess I'll find out then!

[RoverRevival]

That sir, is roveritus.

The only people who don't like Rover are those who have never driven/owned one

[Mr Teddy Bear]

Welcome to the forum! I hope you enjoy Ruby

[4V8s]

Nice one.

the hole in the spare wheel well shouldnt be an MOT failure if its not too big and not within 30cm of a suspension mounting point. Should be an easy patch. If its rusting from the inside due to damp/water in the boot it will be a good idea to solve the cause too - could be sunroof drains, or the air vents behind the trim panels in the sides of the boot, or around the rear lights.

they are quite endearing these cars - hence i've now owned mine for 17 years!

whats up with the window mechanism? might just need greasing and adjusting if its stiff. are they electric? think the Sli did have elec windows? I retrofitted them into my car (from an SEi)

to fit rear headrests I would think will require changing the back seats (upper/folding part). so you'd need to find some in the same material to match, or otherwise swap the whole interior which is what I did in mine to a nice SEi spec (half leather sports seats). Depends how far you want to go with it!

[schnozzles]

Roveritus - like it

Yeah, realised after I got her that Ruby is a car that was built for driving. Give her a bit of welly and she responds really well - just a bit odd after having modern cars (last one was a Honda Accord SE) to have one that likes to be driven at high revs. Good though! And quite fun on the bendy bits, despite the slightly spongy suspension..

I'm sure I'll be posting lots asking for help as I try to get her sorted out. So many questions!

Slight drawback is that I unfortunately don't have a driveway so will have to do any work on the road if I do it myself..

Hole in the boot was due to extreme condensation, allegedly. I've got a dehumidifier cushion so I'm keeping that in the boot to dry it out. Looks OK at the moment.

Yep, electric windows in the front. Previous owner fixed the mechanism - the "concertina" - a couple of times, but says it's irreparable now. He's put gaffer tape round the window to keep it up for now, but offered to fit the new mechanism when I've sourced it. Luckily there's a breakers near me that specialises in Rover so it shouldn't be hard to get the bits I need

[GTiJohn]

£100

Lots of dosh left to sort out those small probs then!

You'll get lots of help on here

[rik216cabby]

I had one similar to that, mine was a J (I think) and 3-dr but I rated it - one of the quickest and smoothest cars I'd owned for a 1400 16v, took me'n'her all around the UK with pretty much no hassels at all. Sadly it was written off for me on my 24th birthday by a chap shooting a junction in town - was raining and I had no ABS, if I'd known then what I know now I'dve retained salvage and repaired it as the damage wasn't that bad at all.

Anyway, enjoy it - they are a nice drive.

[Fatdave]

hello and welcome

[Nudge]

Hi & Welcome