Best of the Bargain Basement Vol. 2

[anonymous-user]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-ZS-2-5-V6-low-miles-t...

supercheap 400 tax and test 6 months

MG ZS 2.5 V6

[oilslick]

SebastienClement said:

I've got the 2.0v6. It's not the fastest thing in the world (around 9 seconds 0-60) but in gear acceleration is pretty good, and it more than keeps up with traffic. This engine's real strong point is how nice it sounds and how smooth it is. The 2.0v6 is noticeably smoother than the 2.5 variant, too. Fuel consumption is usually 'dissed' but it's not bad! I get 33mpg in mine on a pretty decent combined cycle.

A few things to watch out for though:

• Cambelts. There are three and its a £500 job to change them. Nice if they've already been done! Intervals are 90,000 miles or 6 years.
• Thermostats. They have a plastic housing which becomes brittle and breaks down. This causes water loss, which by most garage 'experts' will be declared as "HEAD GASKET OH NOES!!!! BEST SCRAP IT MATE". The V6 is NOT prone to head gasket failure. Another common side effect of a dodgy thermostat, is that the engine does not reach operating temperature.
• Inlet Manifold & VIS Motors. They have some fancy VVT system which BMW decided should be made out of plastic. This means it wears out, and if the plastic mechanism goes in the inlet manifold it sounds dreadful - but really it's only some worn plastic bits flapping about. Attached to this set up are two little motors known as "Vis Motors" that control the plastic flaps. They are prone to oil ingress and stop working. If these stop working, you'll see a big decrease in fuel consumption, and the car won't feel lively at all. A set of reconditioned VIS motors will set you back about £100. They're held on by 4 screws each and are a doddle to change.

I really do rate these cars - they're lovely. A lot of people would have you believe that they're unreliable and costly to fix. This is not the case. A few other common issues are:

• Leaking rear light clusters : Needs new seals. An improved version is available from a member on the owners' club. Around £15 for a pair, I think.
• Interior sill protectors come off : Needs new clips. Those BMW clips they used just don't last forever (;)). You can get a set of decent fir tree clips to re-fix them on with for about £2.00
• Plenums collect water : Under the bonnet there are some voids below the scuttle panel. The drain holes in the bottom tend to get clogged with leaves, and they fill with water. This is mainly an issue because it is where the cars ECU is situated. Lots of cars have had to have new ECUs because of water damage. This tends to affect diesels mostly, as their ECU cases were not water proof. Better to keep the plenums clear of debris anyway. Doesn't cost anything but about 2 minutes to check and clear.
• Weak Clutch Hydraulics : This one is a bit annoying. The slave cylinder is made out of plastic and it prone to fail. It is also situated within the gearbox housing. This makes replacing it a £500+ job. Lots of cars out there with it already done though, so don't be put off by a relatively low mileage car that has had a replacement clutch.

And as for parts costs, here are a few things I've had to do (prices inc labour):

• Front suspension arm : £125
• Rear brake set up : £90
• Thermostat : £140
• Drop links and Exhaust Middle Section : £150

See, not bad and readily available. I'm just about to have the front brake set up refreshed (new discs, pads and fluid) which is going to set me back £110 inc labour.

Anything else, just ask!

Posts like this are why I love PistonHeads.

[scdan4]

still time to run but potential to end in thread budget.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-SAAB-9-5-2-3t-Estat...

[texasjohn]

The Spruce goose said:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-ZS-2-5-V6-low-miles-t...

supercheap 400 tax and test 6 months

MG ZS 2.5 V6

Nice to see a saloon with the smaller spoiler.

Rear door might need to be sorted before next MOT. Otherwise, great!

Good find IMHO.

5 door versions of these, and the Civic 1.8VTi, are always on my radar.

[Emeye]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

£1k GTVs just dont make sense to me.

Better off spending £2-3k on a really well sorted V6 with all the common problems sorted.

A £1k car is likely to give you £1-2k of bills before long, so you might as well buy the better car in the first place and have a stress free experience.

There was a lovely V6 just sold on the Alfa boards for £2200 - a few cosmetic issues, but it had just had about £3-4k spent sorting the common mechanical stuff.

The problem with a £3k GTV is that when it throws a £500 bill you feel compelled to pay it, if your £750 throws a £500 bill you bin it! Then buy another £750 GTV....

[Emeye]

http://www.welovemotors.com/used-cars/saab-9-5-2-0...

A lot of family barge for the money!

I came home in a 9-5 saloon taxi last night. It was a very nice place to be!

Edited by Emeye on Saturday 19th April 10:42

[Save Ferris]

Bought this last weekend as a PX from work. 2002 Lexus IS200 Sport manual, 1yr MOT, Good Lexus history, and barely run in at 213,000 miles!

I got it for £300

[martin mrt]

Bargain 😊

[jas xjr]

Emeye said:

http://www.welovemotors.com/used-cars/saab-9-5-2-0...

A lot of family barge for the money!

I came home in a 9-5 saloon taxi last night. It was a very nice place to be!

Edited by Emeye on Saturday 19th April 10:42

i like that despite it having 16 and 17 " wheels and two lots of cloth interior

[inman999]

Emeye said:

The problem with a £3k GTV is that when it throws a £500 bill you feel compelled to pay it, if your £750 throws a £500 bill you bin it! Then buy another £750 GTV....

Agreed. Ours was £650 with decent tyres and recent rear bushes. In 18 months nothing significant went wrong. In fact the biggest gripe was the wipers tended to do their own thing.

[Buff Mchugelarge]

Save Ferris said:

Bought this last weekend as a PX from work. 2002 Lexus IS200 Sport manual, 1yr MOT, Good Lexus history, and barely run in at 213,000 miles!

I got it for £300

Bargain!
Rare too being a manual. Cracking sounding cars too and cheap enough to thrash to death.

[aspirated]

Save Ferris said:

Bought this last weekend as a PX from work. 2002 Lexus IS200 Sport manual, 1yr MOT, Good Lexus history, and barely run in at 213,000 miles!

I got it for £300

and being a sport it'll have the factory LSD

[ambuletz]

Save Ferris said:

Bought this last weekend as a PX from work. 2002 Lexus IS200 Sport manual, 1yr MOT, Good Lexus history, and barely run in at 213,000 miles!

I got it for £300

Get a write up done in the readers cars section! I'd love to hear how you're finding it. along with more pics of course.

[Save Ferris]

I'm loving it so far! very smooth, nice sound to the 6cyl as you'd expect. It's perhaps not as quick as I assumed it might be, but that's not a bad thing really.

It needs a damn good polish and perhaps the alloys re-furbing, but for the money I cant complain!

[tali1]

£300 - almost as cheap as used LS400 !
Have heard that IS200s are a bit gulpy around town .

[anonymous-user]

25 mpg in an is200 auto was taking it easy..

[Stenn]

Subaru Forester - Could make for a trusty workhorse.



Gravel drive points too!

[Toaster Pilot]

I can't work out whether this is cheap or not due to the mileage - I do want it but need the money for other stuff!

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/159636/chea...

[Strawman]

The seller says the engine was changed in 2006 so will have done less miles than the car. I think any MX5 with an MOT and no visible rust for £600 is cheap.

[MiniMan64]

Save Ferris said:

I'm loving it so far! very smooth, nice sound to the 6cyl as you'd expect. It's perhaps not as quick as I assumed it might be, but that's not a bad thing really.

It needs a damn good polish and perhaps the alloys re-furbing, but for the money I cant complain!

I'm intrigued.

I've been looking for an interesting left field estate family wagon that's not German which has led me to Alfa, Saab and MG but I've seen a few Lexi(?) pop up but known nothing about them.