MG zt 2.5 v6? what daily driver?
Discussion
hi, i am looking for a new daily driver and was considering having a look at these. i also like the mondeo st200 which i have driven and think is a great car although perhaps a little more dated inside and out or an octavia vrs (although not sure how much i trust 1.8t vag stuff as i know people who have had lots of problems with them) or audi a4 quattro of some sort.
a frugal car would definately save me money and so another option would be a possible fabia vrs as the fuel economy is too hard to ignore and i know the 130tdi engine is reasonably peppy.
im not after anything too fast as i have the impreza for that but mainly something comfortable and safe to have my little boy in etc and nothing too bland to look at (i know a fabia doesnt look exciting), and dont want anything older than about a 1999 and no vauxhalls.
i dont really want to spend more than about £3k.
any other ideas? thanks
thanks
a frugal car would definately save me money and so another option would be a possible fabia vrs as the fuel economy is too hard to ignore and i know the 130tdi engine is reasonably peppy.
im not after anything too fast as i have the impreza for that but mainly something comfortable and safe to have my little boy in etc and nothing too bland to look at (i know a fabia doesnt look exciting), and dont want anything older than about a 1999 and no vauxhalls.
i dont really want to spend more than about £3k.
any other ideas? thanks
thanks
rb5230 said:
hi, i am looking for a new daily driver and was considering having a look at these. i also like the mondeo st200 which i have driven and think is a great car although perhaps a little more dated inside and out or an octavia vrs (although not sure how much i trust 1.8t vag stuff as i know people who have had lots of problems with them) or audi a4 quattro of some sort.
a frugal car would definately save me money and so another option would be a possible fabia vrs as the fuel economy is too hard to ignore and i know the 130tdi engine is reasonably peppy.
im not after anything too fast as i have the impreza for that but mainly something comfortable and safe to have my little boy in etc and nothing too bland to look at (i know a fabia doesnt look exciting), and dont want anything older than about a 1999 and no vauxhalls.
i dont really want to spend more than about £3k.
any other ideas? thanks
thanks
Tips: a frugal car would definately save me money and so another option would be a possible fabia vrs as the fuel economy is too hard to ignore and i know the 130tdi engine is reasonably peppy.
im not after anything too fast as i have the impreza for that but mainly something comfortable and safe to have my little boy in etc and nothing too bland to look at (i know a fabia doesnt look exciting), and dont want anything older than about a 1999 and no vauxhalls.
i dont really want to spend more than about £3k.
any other ideas? thanks
thanks
1/ Don't buy the 160bhp V6, it has the same economy as the 190bhp yet has smaller brakes and less power. 190bhp has fast road cams or something along those lines, it does make a big difference in safety and performance (brakes vs. cams etc respectively obviously).
2/ The 180bhp is the automatic version, so obviously expect a bit less economy, but it has the same brake setup as the 190.
3/ Those V6's are fairly bomb-proof. Look out for expensive 60k/90k services with the belts needing to be done.
4/ Watch out for faulty VIS valves, car will run fine if they've gone but it'll be marginally down on power. Cheap enough to replace, but stops you from enjoying the car so much.
5/ Plenty of reliability, superb comfort. Mine never missed a beat in nigh on 30,000 miles.
6/ Tyres aren't cheap. It eats them. 225 x 18 = £££ for a daily driver. Although I did 15,000 a year for 2 years in mine and aside from slightly pricey servicing it was an awesome machine.
Lovely cars, I'd absolutely own another.
Edited by seopher on Thursday 5th August 17:04
Currently running a 190 tourer myself. As said before, make sure it's had the belts done as they're £500 at least but the rest of the servicing is cheap as I do it myself. A set of 4 Kumho KU31 tyres is about £350 if you shop around, Nangkangs a little over £200.
MPG is average for the size, motorway I've had up to 33mpg but around town can drop to low 20s - average is about 26 but I reckon this is balanced out by the cheap purchase price.
It's comfy, quiet(ish), sounds good, has a nice engine and looks smart. The interior rattles like a b
d though on mine (it's the doorpins but I can't be arsed to pull the door cards off)!
MPG is average for the size, motorway I've had up to 33mpg but around town can drop to low 20s - average is about 26 but I reckon this is balanced out by the cheap purchase price.
It's comfy, quiet(ish), sounds good, has a nice engine and looks smart. The interior rattles like a b
d though on mine (it's the doorpins but I can't be arsed to pull the door cards off)!My Mum and Dad now have one each, they seem to like them, well my Dad does, my mum is kind of
not that bothered.
They drive well, they are well made and seem reliable, they are good looking and you dont, best thing MG made by a mile, people slag MG's off but dont base your opinion on them based on a Metro or Rover 200 you had. I prefer them to my Saab 9-3 Aero, way better built. They arent all that fast but they move ok, even the V8 (which my uncle has) is quick but not massively so, sounds epic though.
One downside is some of the trim is hard to obtain now, bonnets, bumpers, wings but to be honest, at 2 grand if you are needing that lot its a write off anyway.
not that bothered.
They drive well, they are well made and seem reliable, they are good looking and you dont, best thing MG made by a mile, people slag MG's off but dont base your opinion on them based on a Metro or Rover 200 you had. I prefer them to my Saab 9-3 Aero, way better built. They arent all that fast but they move ok, even the V8 (which my uncle has) is quick but not massively so, sounds epic though.
One downside is some of the trim is hard to obtain now, bonnets, bumpers, wings but to be honest, at 2 grand if you are needing that lot its a write off anyway.
We looked at MG ZT's before buying an ST200 
The ZT does represent great value for money, but the ST200 was even better. Yes the design is more dated overall, but it's a sharper drive (granted my only drive in a ZT was about 8 years ago, but it was brand new at the time). The ZT does feel a more polished product in terms of interior finish etc, but the Mondeo feels more solid mechanically and each time a ZT drive the other way, I always think "yup, bought the right car!" The ST200 just feels a bit more special, probably because it's fairly rare I guess. Basically the Mondy does feel older, but not so much that it ruins the car. It's not nice to drive for an older car, it's just nice to drive full stop. Only things that let the side down are feeble brakes (but quite a few DIY upgrades available to improve them) and the fuel economy is pretty poor. My V6 Alfa 156 was noticably better on fuel, and quicker. I've seen ST24's average 30mpg, but for some reason the 200 just can't hit that unless it's on a run and mine is in great mechanical shape too, so I know it's not poorly.
Either way, a great way to spend £1500.
The ZT does represent great value for money, but the ST200 was even better. Yes the design is more dated overall, but it's a sharper drive (granted my only drive in a ZT was about 8 years ago, but it was brand new at the time). The ZT does feel a more polished product in terms of interior finish etc, but the Mondeo feels more solid mechanically and each time a ZT drive the other way, I always think "yup, bought the right car!" The ST200 just feels a bit more special, probably because it's fairly rare I guess. Basically the Mondy does feel older, but not so much that it ruins the car. It's not nice to drive for an older car, it's just nice to drive full stop. Only things that let the side down are feeble brakes (but quite a few DIY upgrades available to improve them) and the fuel economy is pretty poor. My V6 Alfa 156 was noticably better on fuel, and quicker. I've seen ST24's average 30mpg, but for some reason the 200 just can't hit that unless it's on a run and mine is in great mechanical shape too, so I know it's not poorly.
Either way, a great way to spend £1500.
Munter said:
I looked at a 180 Auto. It'd only done 35,000 miles. And looked like a lovely car. But the seat bolster had worn through. Seems they "all do that" after a bit of research. But I walked away thinking it'd been clocked....
Depends on the material - mine had the vinyl / cloth seats (which dealers call "full leather" when its not) and after 85k it was fine. I bought some alcantara / leather ones from a ZT which had done 65k and it was pretty worn...rb5230 said:
musclecarmad said:
get one great value for money cars
but surely so are all the cars i suggested in my op. could even get an accord type-r in that budget which is tempting.the atrs are great but they could be cheaper to run..
i was going to suggest this but i also think the Z**S** is a good bet. zs is nearer to an atr. if you like the atr then the z**T** is quite different.
It depends what sort of car the OP wants - the ZS is probably quicker (despite having an older & sloppier chassis) round a track with a V6 because of the weight - but if you want a Mondeo-sized car, then the ZT it is.
£3k will get you top-spec 190 with *all* the toys - the £400 road tax band + prejudice against MG Rover has made their price plummet. Don't expect biblical performance (it's a heavy car and 190 BHP isn't earth-shattering) but it's a capable chassis and a very nice place to be.
£3k will get you top-spec 190 with *all* the toys - the £400 road tax band + prejudice against MG Rover has made their price plummet. Don't expect biblical performance (it's a heavy car and 190 BHP isn't earth-shattering) but it's a capable chassis and a very nice place to be.
Jakg said:
It depends what sort of car the OP wants - the ZS is probably quicker (despite having an older & sloppier chassis) round a track with a V6 because of the weight - but if you want a Mondeo-sized car, then the ZT it is.
well exactly. i wasn;t saying there was anything wrong with the zt. but seeing as he suggested the ATR the zs is nearer to that (well it's between the two).Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff