Rover 216 GTI

i had a 216gti tc 5dr in caribbean blue form 94-97 and it was a great car - put some rover 15's on it and it looked the biz with the grey lower half, half leather interior elec windows,mirrs,roof etc 8.9 - 60 was fine and a 7200 red line was interesting - great sound from the Honda engine when extended. had a few reliability issues - lamba sensor went, £ 235 including diagnostics etc, radiator split - another £ 200 odd + recovery cost - that was it . Was mint when i sold it to my neighbours inlaws for £ 4,500 in 97 with 62k on it. within a few months it was crashed / repaired - all wheels kerbed and when i saw it last about 2 years later - 3 wheels were missing ! replaced with steels & ready for the crusher - shame

The Rover 216 GTI is a fantasticly nippy car it is a modern classic and can keep up with any of the newer cars in looks and speed.

There are a few shows to go to with your modern Rover but they are becoming more popular keep your eyes open for more events.

I love my gti, mrs hates it!!! i dont care about group 14 insurance, its a beast of a 1.6. go for dohc if at all poss, best engine out of the lot. Reliable, fast, mostly easy to repair.

Rust (not on mine) and that apparently they used to put loctite on the cv joint are the only bad points.

We have had this car in the family for 15 years, I bought it when it was 2 years old. Its in British Racing Green, Twin Cam, 1991 with only 83000 on the clock. Had two new cam belts and with it having the honda engine it purrs along. We love the old girl and wont part with her for anything.

I love my Rover 216 Gti. Consistently thrashed at every opportunity. She loves it. and keeps going forever. She has never complained once. Nice Roar. Kicks in at 4500RPM. Town at 30mph in 5th no problem - purrs. Motorway at 70mph, cruises perfect and bags of acceleration left. I love my Gti.

I love my Rover 216 gti its the dohc 1.6 honda engine really fast beats most cars of the mark,Its about 140 hp got a K/N cone on it, I think its got a short-shift gear box as well which is great for accelerating, Got some new alloys and tyres for it still kept 15" on it. Its got a stainless steel exhaust and with being a 1991 plate its pre-cat,

Which sounds great its lowered 40mm rest of the car is standard got the half leather and elecs etc...

I've read some reviews and they have said that the gti tops out between 120 and 130, On a track I've had mine at 140+ which is great considering its 17 years old now. COOL CAR.

The rover 216 gti mine being the 1990 H reg is one of the beast things rover produced but only with the help of the honda 1600cc DOHC engine in it. One day i would like the 220 turbo coupe as they are supposed to be better than the escort rs turbo!! but would settle for a turbo on the 1600 if some one made one for it? never buy i rover with a rover engine in they are not very good at all, stick with the honda engine if at all possible.Hope this helps some of you out there to get your first rover 216 gti if you buy one u will never look back i never have, had this one now 4 years done 50,000 miles in these 4 years and replaced only 1 tyre and a track rod end altogether on all 4 mot's.passed everytime.So have fun and take care of it ok.

Bought my Rover 216 GTI in 2001 for a grand with 67000 on the clock, one owner and full service history & now has 147000. Last year the water pump seized and snapped the cam belt. On recommendation from my best mate who happened to be a Rover mechanic said I probably bent at least 2 valves. Upon removing the head I had found there was no damage so while the head was off I lapped the valves back in which takes some time being a twin cam. To my surprise the bores were still in perfect condition with no lip at the top of the bore so the Honda engine is much better than the old days with the Ford Cortina and the like.

I bought one of these gems a few years back from an auction as it was cheap and I needed something that could still overtake. This is the worse review you'll find on this car as I bought the worst example possible, it had two spoilers and 16 inch curbed up rims. I got it for next to nothing though so it's not so bad, after I had unmodified it, it turned out to be a pretty sweet car, I had a spare Honda CRX engine in my garage for spares (from a previous purchase). This is the same unit I think it's a "d-series" Honda 16v 1.6. I was impressed with my CRX so this was just a cheaper version. It went pretty well, surprised a few people given how cheap I got it. My mate went tool for the job!

Still one of the best cars Rover have made in recent years.. Which explains why there is no Rover anymore.

I've been looking around for a newer car recently but haven't found anything to really compare to my Rover 216 GTI, for the £1500 I spent on this 5 years ago. This car has done everything I've ever asked. Brilliant 16v engine, still good for 135ish indicated even after 95k miles. It does leak water into interior and rear heated screen connector come adrift, though not bad considering some of the (newer) junk I've owned.