RE: Shed of the Week: MG ZS 180
Discussion
Top Gear reviewed it well...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBkNYTNi1wQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBkNYTNi1wQ
Edited by paulyv on Friday 15th January 12:10
I have fond memories of my ZR. Was the 1.4L so was very slow but great on corners and was just fun to drive. The thing is still running but on its very last legs. Dare say current owner will have to scrap it within next year.
I got rid of the ZR to buy a ZT and must say, the ZT handles very well. I got the diesel so it is slow but great at crunching miles and very comfortable interior. Now getting rid of the ZT for my new Volvo but will miss her to an extent.
Dare say that MG could have been great if they had been nowhere near the old grandad Rover company. Shame they are now just bargain basement Chinese company.
I got rid of the ZR to buy a ZT and must say, the ZT handles very well. I got the diesel so it is slow but great at crunching miles and very comfortable interior. Now getting rid of the ZT for my new Volvo but will miss her to an extent.
Dare say that MG could have been great if they had been nowhere near the old grandad Rover company. Shame they are now just bargain basement Chinese company.
Had one of these in lurid yellow, bought from new. Was a fantastic car to drive, sweet engine, comfortable driving position etc.
Only problem with it was the reliability. Spent half it's couple of years with us in the garage having things fixed (no exaggeration!). Oil pump being a particular problem. Bits regularly fell off. I still loved it when we got rid of it but needed rather more reliability that it offered.
A pre-hooned old one like this? Haggle a bit, buy it and just run it till it falls to pieces is my advice
Only problem with it was the reliability. Spent half it's couple of years with us in the garage having things fixed (no exaggeration!). Oil pump being a particular problem. Bits regularly fell off. I still loved it when we got rid of it but needed rather more reliability that it offered.
A pre-hooned old one like this? Haggle a bit, buy it and just run it till it falls to pieces is my advice
burritoNinja said:
I have fond memories of my ZR. Was the 1.4L so was very slow but great on corners and was just fun to drive. The thing is still running but on its very last legs. Dare say current owner will have to scrap it within next year.
I got rid of the ZR to buy a ZT and must say, the ZT handles very well. I got the diesel so it is slow but great at crunching miles and very comfortable interior. Now getting rid of the ZT for my new Volvo but will miss her to an extent.
Dare say that MG could have been great if they had been nowhere near the old grandad Rover company. Shame they are now just bargain basement Chinese company.
I think there's 4 blokes that did quite well out of that image tbf.I got rid of the ZR to buy a ZT and must say, the ZT handles very well. I got the diesel so it is slow but great at crunching miles and very comfortable interior. Now getting rid of the ZT for my new Volvo but will miss her to an extent.
Dare say that MG could have been great if they had been nowhere near the old grandad Rover company. Shame they are now just bargain basement Chinese company.
Thinking man's Accord Type-R or Primera GT IMO. In fact, I'd probably take this over the Primera, which did handle well but had a gutless, bland (if utterly reliable) engine. Whats all this about complaining about MPG? You wouldn't buy a V6 if you were bothered about that. I myself have jumped on the > 4 cylinder bandwagon while I still can. This looks to be one of the cheapest ways to do it. Similar age Mondeo's are probably turning into brown dust by now, and the less said about Vectra V6s the better (engine aside).
Build quality of a chocolate teapot, and reliability of a cheap Japanese wristwatch.
Before I get shot down in flames, I've bought and sold a number of these and the ZT 190's, and to be honest they flatter to deceive.
Agreed, they are quite agile, but the engines invariably haven't had the cam let replaced or thr VIS motors sorted out due to the cost compared to the value of the vehicle; let's not forget that if you buy a £750 car then you don't want to spend £750 on a clutch, ca belts replacement and VIS motors.
Ah, the price.
If I say that the last ZT I bought was a 2003 car with sub-100k and I paid...£275 (no rust, no issues, drivers bolster worn)
And the last ZS 180? It was a last off the line 2005 car, 80k, and with the factory body kit and a stainless exhaust for £600
Sorry Mr Shed, but this car is waaaay too much money in my book
Before I get shot down in flames, I've bought and sold a number of these and the ZT 190's, and to be honest they flatter to deceive.
Agreed, they are quite agile, but the engines invariably haven't had the cam let replaced or thr VIS motors sorted out due to the cost compared to the value of the vehicle; let's not forget that if you buy a £750 car then you don't want to spend £750 on a clutch, ca belts replacement and VIS motors.
Ah, the price.
If I say that the last ZT I bought was a 2003 car with sub-100k and I paid...£275 (no rust, no issues, drivers bolster worn)
And the last ZS 180? It was a last off the line 2005 car, 80k, and with the factory body kit and a stainless exhaust for £600
Sorry Mr Shed, but this car is waaaay too much money in my book
MajorMajor76 said:
I'm sure I remember one of the motoring press at the time describing it as "as much fun as an M5" or something similar. Before I get flamed, I'm not suggesting it actually is and having never driven one I'd not be able to offer an opinion. Having owned Hondas of a similar vintage, though, I can believe what people are saying about the handling.
Jason Barlow on a TV prog. (might have been old Top Gear) stated he thought the ZT was two thirds of an M3.Mr2Mike said:
Kitchski said:
Drawbacks? The ride is SHOCKING. I mean really, really bad. MGR couldn't produce a good ride and great handling.
Perhaps yours was broken or a previous owner had fitted stiffer springs? Mine had firm suspension, but it rode perfectly well, and the suspension was one of the best bits of the car.
t ride. Had a 120 Atomix before that, and it was just as bad. Worse, probably, due to the reduced weight over the front end. Managed to improve the ride by carting 150kg of old car magazines in the boot for a couple of months in the 180. It was just over sprung, that was all. I've driven others (I sold them for a brief while many years ago) and they're all the same. Maybe our expectations are different?Couldn't fault the handling/grip though. Very neutral, ultra forgiving yet not inert or boring. A great car to punt around in. Probably second only to the ZX 16v I used to have, in terms of handling. The only reason that was better was because it rode so much better, though the snappy back end was a bit tiring and less of a feature on the MG.
Nick Young said:
Had one of these in lurid yellow, bought from new. Was a fantastic car to drive, sweet engine, comfortable driving position etc.
Only problem with it was the reliability. Spent half it's couple of years with us in the garage having things fixed (no exaggeration!). Oil pump being a particular problem. Bits regularly fell off. I still loved it when we got rid of it but needed rather more reliability that it offered.
A pre-hooned old one like this? Haggle a bit, buy it and just run it till it falls to pieces is my advice
Reliability was also a major issue for me with the ZR and ZT. I owned the ZT for about 6 weeks of nothing going wrong and then all the breakdowns started. Sunk over £2,000 into it in repairs/servicing in space of 6 months. Now gone 10 weeks with no issues but I don't trust the car one bit. Why we now got a lease car. Only problem with it was the reliability. Spent half it's couple of years with us in the garage having things fixed (no exaggeration!). Oil pump being a particular problem. Bits regularly fell off. I still loved it when we got rid of it but needed rather more reliability that it offered.
A pre-hooned old one like this? Haggle a bit, buy it and just run it till it falls to pieces is my advice
Nick Young said:
jamespink said:
When oil was $100 a barel, fuel was £1.33 ish
a litre. Now oil is sub $30 a barrel, fuel is still £1+. Discuss...
Not much to discuss really - fuel duty @ 58p per litre + VAT @ 20% = 70p going to the government before you even take into account the cost of the fuel. a litre. Now oil is sub $30 a barrel, fuel is still £1+. Discuss...jl34 said:
Always thought the Mk2 saloon was a cracking car
Wow that is beautiful, lovely colour too! I couldn't get hold of a Saloon one with the V6 when I was looking so I got a ZT instead. Can't agree with the ruined suspension thing, the ZS' are meant to be slightly harder but the ZT was sublime and struck a good comfort/firm balance. I'd buy another ZT if I had the need, but I'd get a 190+ and fit a 160 box
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