ROVER 45 Hatchback 2000‑2005

Had to buy this fast as my SAAB was written off - not sold on looks but comfort on 1st drive. Since then it has proved a really good buy - had 83 000 on clock, now at 104 000 and due mot soon. Since I have had it (16 months) I have only had to replace1 rear brake caliper, it seems this a problem on the Rovers as once they start to have any problems there is little can be done (garage even tried stripping it down.) Otherwise has been a VERY good runner, starts well in cold (-17 last winter) and in damp - no signs of rust anywhere. Can easily accomadate 2 children's car seats in rear and the children are not cramped. Boot space is good, can fit buggy and a week's shopping or enough luggage for a week away without any problem. Only down side that being a 16v DOHC if you decide to have some fun on country back roads (and it handles well enough to do so) then the petrol comnsumption falls but small price to pay for fun. Overall, a solid and reliable vehicle that I can trust.

would be a fantastic car if the head gasket wouldn't give such griff.

Economical and powerful , lovely to drive and comfortable.

cost an arm and a leg this car in fixing but value stays the same...(how low can you get...lol)

I've had 3 rovers now, two 1.4 litre engines and a 1.6 litre coupe. great acceleration, fun to drive and better than peple say. my second 1.4 was owned for 6 years! shame about the dodgy head gasket but apart from this, a very good car. might get another one as they are excellent value.

I bought the car in a hurry as a stop gap after my previous car had been vandalised, that was two years ago, and I've no intention of getting rid of it. The only fault I can find is that you cant split the base of the seat when you need extra space in the back, so a third passenger with the rear seat down is not an option

Economical easy to run and maintain car ahich has been no trouble in the 3 plus years I have owned it. Only selling as dont need it for work now due to having a baby.

This was my third Rover, and was bought to replace another Rover 45 which I sold to my neighbour. I had previously been very impressed with the Rover 45, and the Rover 400 as I had one of these as well a few years back.

The 1.8 Steptronic has a lovely auto gearbox which uses the CVT technology, and is so smooth and easy to drive, with great accelration and manual override if I wanted to take control of the gearbox myelf - but the downside was the fuel economy was woefully bad, only about 24mpg around town, although it managed about 38 mpg on a run, this is not good with todays high petrol prices.

Although very dated now, I liked my Rover 45's tradiational looks, and the lavish interior with plenty of walnut on the dash and the doors - it was so comfy to sit in and nice to drive, Dashboard was nicely laid out - based on the 90's Honda Civic, with easy to use controls and a nicely laid out instrument panel.

The boot was very large and with the seats down, the car could carry an awful lot, so I'd say it was very practical.

Low prices of these cars make them a bargain now, as you can get a nice 52 plate for about £1000 with reasonable mileage.

The downside is the engines - most Rover 45 petrol cars use the K series engine, which is a dog of an engine with dreadful reliability - mainly down to the weak head gasket, and my second R45 blew its head gasket at 70K. I fixed the engine myself, but if I had had to pay a garage, I would have scrapped the car.

This Rover, the 1.8 IXS, at 46K miles on the clock met its demise one night at 70mph when the engine blew a piston and made a hole in the side of the block. I had to be recovered by the AA, and the car was scrapped the next day, needing a new engine.

I had always maintained my cars, and they never went without anything, so this Rover was my last - never again. They are cheap for a reason - nice car, really lovely to drive, but the K series petrol engines are a ticking time bomb. If you get a R45, get the diesel engine - far more reliable.

This was brought as a family car with space for a very tall driver and 2 kids. It has proved reliable in this regard with plenty of space. This is NOT a boy racers car by any means, but a good workhorse, doing just what it says on the tin! It is used to run to and from work, to and from school and family outings, what more do you need.

Had the car for 6 years and it has never let us down, I change the oil and filters every six months and really don't do much else. The gear change got a bit stiff at 180k but some wd40 on the linkage and that is fixed now.

We get over 50mpg from the diesel and the car still drives well at a high mileage. A great family car.

This is a great car, only reason I'm changing is because I need a diesel for work.

Spacious inside, great boot space, comfortable to drive and a nice fast car as well.

It's a smooth car to drive, one bad thing about it is that the road noise seems loud. But if you've got the tunes on then it doesn't matter.

I have owned the above car for over a year and have covered in excess of 20,000 miles in it. The only fault encountered to date has been a failed alternator, which on a 10 year old car which has covered 80,000 miles is not bad going!

The bodywork is in great condition with no rust anywhere. It is very well built and has ample space to do all I need to do, it even houses our two greyhounds in comfort!

It wouldn't win awards for refinement, it is very comfortable and smooth but there is just a bit too much road and engine noise. Great engine and people overhype the head gasket failure issue on Rovers, I have had a few now and as long as they are kept serviced and water levels checked regularly you shouldn't have any problems!