2005 Rover 25 1.4L Petrol · RX55 DXP

The Rover 25 presents a mixed but broadly stable mechanical picture as of its most recent MOT on 4 August 2025 at 91,317 miles. That test passed, yet the tester flagged three advisories that warrant close attention. The offside front outer track rod end ball joint has slight play, indicating early-stage steering wear that will need monitoring or replacement. More critically, the rear sub-frame and both nearside and offside rear outer sills are corroded, though the tester judged that structural rigidity was not significantly reduced at the time of inspection. These are not immediate failures, but they represent an active corrosion trend on a 20-year-old vehicle that a buyer must verify has not worsened since August 2025. The mileage record reveals a notable gap. Between the August 2022 test at 81,119 miles and the August 2023 test at 81,317 miles, the car covered just 198 miles in twelve months, suggesting it was either parked for long periods or used extremely sparingly. From August 2023 to August 2025, mileage jumped to 91,317, an increase of roughly 10,000 miles in two years. That is a significant shift from near-static use to moderate annual driving. The low lifetime average of around 4,348 miles per year is unusually modest for a 21-year-old car, and the abrupt change in usage pattern raises questions about how the vehicle was stored and whether prolonged standing contributed to the corrosion now visible on the sub-frame and sills. The binding nearside front service brake noted in the August 2024 test at 86,721 miles did not recur in 2025, so that issue may have been resolved. However, the combination of a worn track rod end, corroded rear sub-frame, and corroded sills means a buyer should prioritise a thorough under-body inspection. Have a garage check the sub-frame mounting points and sill seams with a probe to confirm the corrosion remains surface-level and has not compromised structural integrity. The track rod end play should be assessed on a steering rack to determine whether it has progressed beyond the slight movement recorded in 2025. Suspension bushes, coil springs, and brake components on the rear axle also deserve scrutiny given the corrosion advisories and the car's extended period of low use followed by a sudden increase in mileage.