1990 ROVER 214 GSi
Owned for three decades and still in daily use– just the sort of classic Rover story we like
‘I’m a firm believer in preventative maintenance’
‘It was time for me to choose a new company car back in February 1990, and I chose this. I certainly didn’t think that I’d still be driving it more than 30 years later, but I liked it so much that I decided to buy it when the lease was up in May 1993.
‘It’s a very practical car, comfortable on long journeys and still returns more than 40mpg, so it is ideal as a daily-driver. I enjoy owning other classics, including a number of Rootes cars, but the Rover is my everyday transport and it still goes by the nickname of ‘Coolness’, which is what the kids called it when it was new.
‘The Oyster Beige over Tempest Grey paintwork is still in very good shape and the leather trim responds well to regular applications of hide food, but it’s a shame that I didn’t specify power steering in 1990 because it feels quite heavy when parking.
‘I’m a firm believer in preventative maintenance, especially when it comes to corrosion, so back in 1993 I wax-treated all the box sections and the sills and now I just top it up every few years. As a result it’s only ever needed a little welding at the rear of the sills, and I’ve just added some further protection there to get it ready for winter and the salty roads.
‘I also do all the mechanical work myself; over the years I’ve changed the timing belt and cylinder head gasket (it hasn’t given any trouble since) and overhauled the CV joints, brakes and suspension.
‘I’ve replaced the thermostat, too, although it takes longer than the manuals say because quite a few parts need to be removed for access. An urgent clutch cable replacement was also needed recently!
‘Looking back, the trickiest job was replacing the headlining – it was sagging in place, and a leak around the sunroof poured water onto my wife’s head – she wasn’t amused! The sunroof needed a repair to rusty water channels, but unfortunately the upholsterer fitted the headlining incorrectly so the pattern looks a bit odd. That aside, the Rover is still perfect as our everyday car and it receives a bit of interest now that there are so few on the road.
‘In fact, the Rover 200 & 400 Owners’ Club did some research and it looks as though my car is the fourth oldest known to exist, and probably the oldest still in regular use.
‘It’s just too useful and too good to replace so I can see it staying with me for years to come.’