MG ZS 120+ - aka "The Learning Experience"

[Smitters]

Well, time for an end of term report sort of thing as the sun sets on MG ZS ownership. I think the first thing to say is that the MGs of this era, especially with the 1.8K are an absolute bargain. If you wanted a very cheap track hack and found one without rust, I would heartily recommend it. Cheap to work on, run (more on this in a sec) and insure, they are the epitome of bargain motoring in a package that not only looks decent, but actually drives well.



So, first, the nasty bit. Money.

The car set me back £600. This was probably £100-200 too much, but there you go. Plus this one had green LEDs and was a Brands Hatch Edition. This "special edition" status caused quite a lot of hate from the MG aficionados who refused to accept it, despite the very prominent badge. Many failed to see the tongue in cheek-ness. I also bought it a week before my second son was born. My missus is a saint. Plus, at that stage, I could outrun her.

So cool:


So unique:



£600 - a car
£200 - insurance
£100 - tax - car was SORNed a fair bit

I took a road legal race car policy with REIS, which meant I could modify it in any way I liked without issue, but critically, I had no windscreen cover. This meant I was pretty annoyed when a week into ownership I pulled the gearknob off, but the momentum smashed my head into the rear-view mirror and cracked the screen. Quotes from local glass-fitters ranged from £120 up to silly, so not that far off an excess payment anyway. Since it wasn't an MOT fail though, I left it.

Sub-total so far, £900.

I had established an order of work, consisting of:

1) Check for rust. If all's well, sort the basics and move to;
2) Replace the headgasket, belts and associated bits to make it mechanically sound. If all starts without a bang, move to;
3) Consumables like tyres, brakes etc.
4) Rag it on track.

I was willing to bin it at any stage, if either I'd found some terminal rust that was hidden from my appallingly brief pre-purchase inspection, or done something dumb and grenaded the engine. Only once I had to running did I commit to things like tyres and so on.

So, I bought:

Many Bilt Hamber and Hammerite products and several wire wheels of death for the drill.
Many parts from Mat at MGRDS - MG Rover Discount Spares - well recommended

And then did stuff like this...


and then this.


I spoke about there being a sweet spot of power and speed, well below the likes of today's hot hatches. I still stand by that, but a cheap head came up with 135 cams on it, so scope-creep commenced.

Some spannering got an engine partially stripped, inspected, buggered about with and reassembled...

There were some nerves... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krOKi6y4LPU

Success! BlackCircles, Eurocarparts and RimmerBros got some more money, then it was a case of sorting some basics, finding some unexpected issues and resolving those (imperial bolt ratllegunned into a brake part anyone?) and going out for some fun...

I went here:


And did this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsH_kHXYkpE

And then I went to Abingdon twice too.

All in, I bought £1200 of parts. Big ticket items were:

£300 - Tyres
£120 - Head
£95 - Goodridge Hoses

But in reality, it was death by a thousand cuts, discs, pads, fluids, filters, the head gasket kit and belts, a few tools, about a gallon of WD40 for releasing stuck bolts. That sort of thing. Buying things from EuroCarParts on bank holidays makes a big difference. If you're not getting stuff at least half price, it's worth waiting about 48 hours for the next spurious reason for a big sale.

All in, I reckon I was into it for £2,120 (and then another £10 for advertising). Only about £200 of this was unexpected costs. There were a few running issues, but I enjoyed the process of diagnosis and repair as much as the rebuild.

But, as is often the case once a project ends, she had to go. I had for some reason decided a turbocharged French hot hatch was a brilliant plan, so space and £££ were required. But, mainly space, since you can't buy a hot hatch like that for under a grand. In reality, there was nothing stopping me running around doing cheap trackdays for another year or two, but it would have needed bushes, then some coilovers, then some stickier tyres and then I'd be in it for £4k, and I'd still sold it for less than £1000, so the only sensible thing was to buy a Megane. Obviously.

I polished the old turd up, wrote a comprehensive ad, sat back and waited for a knowledgeable petrolhead to spot the value and take my hand off. And about six weeks later and upteen different adverts (Autotrader Free, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Sales groups locally and an MG Buy/Sell/Swap group) plus a window ad while it was parked on the road all I had to show for it was a smashed wing mirror and a line of footprints over the car where some local scrotes had decided to have some fun. The police were disinterested, so a £15 eBay mirror and another wash to remove the evidence (Nike size 9's...) and it was ready for the first committed buyer after a string of vaguely interested chancers.

It comes up really well with some polish and wax.






Full luxury garage reveal. Also, it was going to piss down between washing it and selling it and I was fked if I was losing about four hours of work.


A deposit was paid, a price pre-agreed, a trip was made, some horses escaped on the M23 which made it a very long trip for him indeed, and the shiny blue stter was gone. It sold for £700. In my eyes, and quite possibly the new owner's too, a bargain, but there simply isn't the market for a higher miles MG ZS at over a grand, unless you find a real enthusiast and for some reason, they all want the 180. When you can pick up a ten year old Focus for the same money, you're not selling it to someone as a runaround either, so however I feel, I reckon it was about market value. Though interestingly, I auctioned it on eBay with a £600 reserve and it only got to £410. Cheapskates.

Over the 12 months, I spent £1,430 and I did 1000 miles. So £1.43 a mile then. Or, to put it another way, around here, a decent garage costs £60/hour. So if I can save 24 hours of work in the next few years by doing my own basics - oil, filters etc. and just use garages for complex jobs and MOTs, the skills I've learnt will pay me back. We've got four cars in the house, so that's really just couple of services each.

I have absolutely loved, and at times hated, the thing, but the feeling of lapping Silverstone in a car I took apart and rebuilt myself is one that will live with me a long time. I'm over the moon that there were no major issues I caused, meaning I did things mostly right and I've learned so much, not just about that car specifically, but also about how to approach jobs. Reading the Haynes Book of Lies is all well and good, but often they suggest (re)moving parts that you just don't need to. A bit of thinking, a cup of tea (in a Bad Obsession Motorsport mug, obvs) and a measured approach will see you right nine times out of ten. I only had to buy a few specialist tools - a camwheel locker, a big socket for the crankbolt and some female torx sockets. Otherwise, assuming you've got a torque wrench (mine's from Lidl, other high end tool suppliers are available), you're away.

I have definitely been inspired by the Reader's Cars section, plus watching Mighty Car Mods, The Skid Factory and of course Project Binky. The realisation it's just nuts and bolts, not witchcraft (except electrics - that's complete witchcraft) has been enough to give me the confidence to crack on. Try it. You might like it. Cheers for reading.

The next chapter... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Smitters]

A somewhat ignominious end for the MG. I've been waiting for the MOT anniversary to see how it fared, but it was never tested and the registration is no longer being accepted on the DVLA checker. I think this probably means it met its end and has been broken for parts. It's certainly worth more in parts than whole, but even so, I can't help feeling a bit sad. I may even have taken it back.

HV04TNN, I miss you. And even sadder, my son, now nearly six, still says it's his favourite car ever.

[Smitters]

MJ85 said:

Personalised plate assigned ?

I'd hope so, but I'm not sure why you would on such a sheddy car and the purchaser didn't seem the type, whatever that is.