Friday 31st July 2015

Shed Of The Week: MG ZT-T / Rover 75 Tourer

Both ends of the Rover wagon spectrum explored by Shed this week with a 75 diesel and ZT-T V6

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Two for the price of one this week as we explore the varying appeal of the Rover/MG 75/ZT wagon.

Both our Sheds are from 2001, the year in which George Bush was sworn into office, quite literally probably; Stanley Kubrick had his Space Odyssey; and Shed discovered that Mrs Shed had a vestigial tail.

Still a handsome old bus

The thing that rescues this Rover from the usual curled top lip and sneer of disdain is the oily lump under the bonnet. There can't be many people who don't know that this is the same BMW 2.0-litre turbodiesel unit that has been thrumming busy execs up and down the world's motorways for who knows how long.

Actually, that's not quite right, there are some people who aren't aware of the gold ahead of them thar sills. A pal of Shed's picked one of these CDT Rovers up last year for buttons and has been serenely motoring on since then with a gratifyingly small number of diesel receipts in the glovebox and zero repair bills to spoil his fun.

Admittedly, from an engineering design perspective this engine is about as fresh as last week's Fyffes banana or Shed witticism. But let's take nothing away from it, for many years it was the undisputed king of the donks. That knowledge has always kept CDT prices pretty buoyant. Even now there really aren't that many in the three-figure bracket.

And for more sensible PHers

The miles are highish on both cars but perhaps just high enough for them to have leapt majestically over most of the major hurdles that might have blighted their lives up to now. With the diesel engine of course that will be injector trouble and the dual mass flywheel clutch. When it's running well the 2.5 petrol six in the MG is a refined and composed unit, much like the car itself. You may encounter any, all or none of a myriad of problems affecting head gaskets, coil springs, brake master cylinders, thermostat housing seals, cambelts, coil packs and clutches. Don't expect much above 25mpg, but opening the story out to all 75s/ZTs do expect a wide range of pleasure and horror stories in almost equal measure from angry or ecstatic owners. Water ingress through the tailgate was a problem on early estates.

The ads, particularly for the Rover, are typical dealer fare, grammatically odd mixtures of capital letters and commas and each in their own way a splendid triumph of content over flow, but at least they give you a good idea that these were decently specified cars. Well built ones, too. Even the appalling sticker underneath the Rover's tailgate can't take away from the still sound finish fourteen years down the road. Looking at that sticker you suspect the owner of the Rover either had a brilliant sense of humour or none at all.

CALL FOR MORE INFO. DO IT NOW

The MG of course is rather less smelly looking. Give those Brummie lads their due, they knew how to slap paint on. Shame the chaps at the top weren't quite so diligent.

Which one would you have? The shiny money in every sense is on the MG but Shed suspects that a significant underbelly of PHers looking for a tool capable of most things and with minimal running costs would sign up for the Rover.

Anyway, here are those ads. Try and read the Rover one out loud in one breath. That's how it was written.

Here is the ZT-T ad and here's the 75.

Blue, LONG MOT, HPI CLEAR, CALL FOR MORE INFO, 5+ owners, Air-Conditioning, Alarm, Alloy Wheels (18in), Electric Windows (Front/Rear), In Car Entertainment (Radio/Cassette). 5 seats, WE'VE CHNAGED ADDRESS! AS OF 1ST MAY WE ARE AT MAULDEN GARDEN CENTRE, A507, MK452GP, £895
2.5 190 + 5dr

Zircon silver
Insurance Group 8, Part exchange trade clearance, ABS, Air Conditioning, Alarm, Alloy Wheels, Body Coloured Bumpers, Central Locking, Drivers Airbag, Folding Rear Seats, Front Electric Windows, Front Fog Lights, Height Adjustable Drivers Seat, Immobiliser, Passenger Airbag, Power Steering, Radio/Cassette, Rear Electric Windows, Remote Central Locking, Roof Rails, Service Indicator, Side Airbags, Steering Wheel Rake Adjustment, Steering Wheel Reach Adjustment, Trip Computer,Tel: David : 07511 667260

 

[MadDog1962]

The MG looks a lot more appealing than the Rover. Those cheesy stickers are danger signs for me.

Not my cup of char really, but for less than 900 quid it seems like a lot of car in not bad shape.