Rover 213 and 216 (1984 - 1990)

Last updated 25 September 2013

Buying Guide

Good

• Second product of Honda/BL co-operative ventures after the Triumph Acclaim.
• This is a Honda Civic/Ballade based small 4-door saloon 13' 7" long by 5' 4" wide and weighing from 840kg.
  Honda 72bhp 1342cc engine with five-speed amnual of Honda three-speed auto from 1985. Also, from 1985, 1598cc Montego engined version with 85bhp or 103bhp in injected VDP and Vitesse apprications.
• The VDP could be had with a three-speed automatic.
• The Vitesse was reasonably quick. A few of these cars still on the road.

Bad

• No power steering option, even on the VDP.
• Rover 1.6 engine can suffer the same problems as in the Maestro and Montego.

Watch 

• If buying as a banger, the Honda engine is the one to go for.
• Though they seem to resist rust quite well, if it has taken a hold there is nothing you can do about it, so treat as terminal.
• The first places to look are round the rear wheel arches and round the window frames.
• Any damp inside the car and it's likely to be due to a rusted through window frame.