What car? Thread. Alfa 156 JTD, Saab 9-3 TiD or MG ZT CDTi
Discussion
Hey folks,
Sorry to post another what car thread but I'm really stuck with a choice over these 3. A bit of background for you. I've got a new job and get a £5.5K per annum car allowance. The only restriction is that is has to have 4+ seats. No restriction on age, fuel type etc etc.
Being a petrol head I have a MK1 Mx-5 and a MKII Golf GTI track car, neither of which I wish to part with so this new car will be a third vehicle. I want to maximise the cash I can pocket so I'm looking at spending £3K (£3.5K max) for one of the above with 100K miles on the clock (and saloon as frankly all 3 look horrid as wagons. The reason for shortlisting these 3 is they fall into the right price bracket, are diesel, are not too run of the mill, are not an Audi and have sufficient towing capacity to lug the Golf on a trailer.
Which would you choose and why? Any horror stories? Any stories of years of driving bliss?
Cheers,
Nick
Sorry to post another what car thread but I'm really stuck with a choice over these 3. A bit of background for you. I've got a new job and get a £5.5K per annum car allowance. The only restriction is that is has to have 4+ seats. No restriction on age, fuel type etc etc.
Being a petrol head I have a MK1 Mx-5 and a MKII Golf GTI track car, neither of which I wish to part with so this new car will be a third vehicle. I want to maximise the cash I can pocket so I'm looking at spending £3K (£3.5K max) for one of the above with 100K miles on the clock (and saloon as frankly all 3 look horrid as wagons. The reason for shortlisting these 3 is they fall into the right price bracket, are diesel, are not too run of the mill, are not an Audi and have sufficient towing capacity to lug the Golf on a trailer.
Which would you choose and why? Any horror stories? Any stories of years of driving bliss?
Cheers,
Nick
Some of the posts re Audis are the exact reasons I don't want one. They don't have superior build quality or reliability than other brands. I'm a VAG nut (of the old school stuff) and know plenty of people with Audis, also 3 of the people I work with drive Audis (Two A3's and an A5). I get to sit in them and hear about them all the time. They seem to spend a lot of time at the dealers and the interior plastics are pretty ropey in places. Because of the "Audi bore" effect they comand a huge premium over their competitors, even when you get down to the £3K 100K miles point. Sadly, for a brand I used to adore, they have become the new BMW and seemingly owned by people obsessed with status and telling you as often as possible they drive an Audi. No thanks.
So I've settled on the ZT. Now to get shopping and find one!
Thanks for all the comment son here, it's always good to hear from owners on their experiences. No car is perfect but it just seems the Zt offers the best spec, build and steer for the kind of money I have to spend.
Nick
So I've settled on the ZT. Now to get shopping and find one!
Thanks for all the comment son here, it's always good to hear from owners on their experiences. No car is perfect but it just seems the Zt offers the best spec, build and steer for the kind of money I have to spend.
Nick
I have considered the 75 but every example I look at makes me want to hurl, the interiors are just horrid. While functionally it's fine, I can't cope with all the cream and wood, especially on the steering wheel (Weird as I love the wooden wheel in my MX5). The MG version just seems much less 'in your face' and as I'm likely to be doing 20K miles+ a year in it I'd prefer my eyes not to be utterly offended every time I got in it.
No offence to 75 owners, but I just can't face that kind of interior at aged 34. Maybe in 20 years I'll be happier with it. lol.
nick
No offence to 75 owners, but I just can't face that kind of interior at aged 34. Maybe in 20 years I'll be happier with it. lol.
nick
Cheers! Looking forward to being able to pick up my soap without a surprise.Mr Scruff said:
I'm in exactly the same situation OP, though I've also added the Volvo S60 to my list and I hadn't thought of the ZT.
Is the lower output ZT best avoided then, the 116bhp version? I know they're going to be slower than evolution but I need a family hack and I've got a Mk2 Golf and a motorbike for my kicks.
As above, exactly the same egine and running gear. MG even offered a factory remap for these cars to bring it inline with the more powerful ones.Is the lower output ZT best avoided then, the 116bhp version? I know they're going to be slower than evolution but I need a family hack and I've got a Mk2 Golf and a motorbike for my kicks.
Nick
mig25_foxbat2003 said:
Loving the "MG engines are crap innit" comments! I know you've already picked, but some really good info here (the whole site is epic, you can spend hours on it) if you're interested.
http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/2011/07/13/tested-...
Thanks for that, not seen that artcile before (Used ARO a fair but in the past as I've woned a few BL motors). That was a good lunchtime read.http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/2011/07/13/tested-...
Nick
IMG_3863.jpg by Nicholas R Horne, on Flickr
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IMG_3902.jpg by Nicholas R Horne, on Flickr
Well chuffed. Does the job as a daily superbly. Wafts along, returns good MPG, comfy as hell inside, plenty of toys and actually handles the twisties really well.
Nick
So I thought after 2 days I better write up a proper appraisal of the new beast.
I'm well impressed with it. The quality of finish is not quite up with the VAG output of the same vintage with regards to plastic quality. The upper stuff and leather is all soft touch and really nice, all the cup holders and cubby holes feel good when shut but when you open them, although they are well damped you can feel the plastic behind it all is a bit flimsy. That said, it wears it's mileage and it's age much better than my Dad's old Boras, nothing looks worn out or gone shiny despite the 9 years and 111K. The only real wear shows on the seats where the alcantara has ruffled up somewhat. The doors, boot and bonnet all shut with a germanic thunk as well and there is not one single rattle or squeak from the interior. The seats are really comfortable, supportive and keep you planted when you chuck it about. The driving position is also excellent and the interior space is well thought out and HUGE!
Driving it is an eye opening experience as it is rather a large beast, biggest car I have ever owned including the old VW T25 van. Out on the road it's 135bhp is not a lot when it's hauling around 1500kgs of car but the torque is enough to make reasonable progress. By modern standards for a 2.0 diesel it's quite slow but it is very refined and surprisingly quite (Which reminds mine, road and engine noise in the cabin is almost non existent). Gear shift feels a little vague compared to the mx5 but that's hardly surprising. The steering is really sharp and there is surprisng amounts of feedback when pushing on, but feels stable and planted at speed on the motorway. This leads me nicely onto the suspension and handling. This is where I am most impressed. It rides undulations brilliantly and while it does feel 'sporty' and a little stiff it's not harsh or crashy. When throwing through a series of tight bends it feels nimble, well planted and like it wants you to push a bit harder, it's handling is really impressive for it's size and weight. Then when you're cruising along the motorway it'll happily waft along in the fast lane at speed quitely and sedately with the minimum of fuss.
When I decided to buy one of these it was because they are cheap and ticked all the boxes for what I need from a daily for work. I've been genuinely surprised at how good a car it is to drive and how well screwed together it is. It seems a shame that MGR's demise came at a time when it was building probably the best car it ever had. Having driven Passats and Golfs of a similar age, I have to say I would choose one of these over the equivalent VAG offering even if money was no object. It's that good!
The only downside is the constant ribbing about MGR going bust and the inevitable Head gasket comments. A small price to pay.
Nick
I'm well impressed with it. The quality of finish is not quite up with the VAG output of the same vintage with regards to plastic quality. The upper stuff and leather is all soft touch and really nice, all the cup holders and cubby holes feel good when shut but when you open them, although they are well damped you can feel the plastic behind it all is a bit flimsy. That said, it wears it's mileage and it's age much better than my Dad's old Boras, nothing looks worn out or gone shiny despite the 9 years and 111K. The only real wear shows on the seats where the alcantara has ruffled up somewhat. The doors, boot and bonnet all shut with a germanic thunk as well and there is not one single rattle or squeak from the interior. The seats are really comfortable, supportive and keep you planted when you chuck it about. The driving position is also excellent and the interior space is well thought out and HUGE!
Driving it is an eye opening experience as it is rather a large beast, biggest car I have ever owned including the old VW T25 van. Out on the road it's 135bhp is not a lot when it's hauling around 1500kgs of car but the torque is enough to make reasonable progress. By modern standards for a 2.0 diesel it's quite slow but it is very refined and surprisingly quite (Which reminds mine, road and engine noise in the cabin is almost non existent). Gear shift feels a little vague compared to the mx5 but that's hardly surprising. The steering is really sharp and there is surprisng amounts of feedback when pushing on, but feels stable and planted at speed on the motorway. This leads me nicely onto the suspension and handling. This is where I am most impressed. It rides undulations brilliantly and while it does feel 'sporty' and a little stiff it's not harsh or crashy. When throwing through a series of tight bends it feels nimble, well planted and like it wants you to push a bit harder, it's handling is really impressive for it's size and weight. Then when you're cruising along the motorway it'll happily waft along in the fast lane at speed quitely and sedately with the minimum of fuss.
When I decided to buy one of these it was because they are cheap and ticked all the boxes for what I need from a daily for work. I've been genuinely surprised at how good a car it is to drive and how well screwed together it is. It seems a shame that MGR's demise came at a time when it was building probably the best car it ever had. Having driven Passats and Golfs of a similar age, I have to say I would choose one of these over the equivalent VAG offering even if money was no object. It's that good!
The only downside is the constant ribbing about MGR going bust and the inevitable Head gasket comments. A small price to pay.
Nick
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