Tell me about those MG ZRs
Discussion
I am currently looking for a small and affordable car to see me through the next 18 months or so. Iv seen quite a few of these MG's around the £1000-£1700 price point with low miles and in decent condition. I would prefer the 1.8 160 version but I could still live with the 1.4 or diesel one if they are any good.
I am aware of the HG faults but does it affect all engine sizes?
What mpg do people achieve in real life?
What are they like to live with day to day?
Any advice On these things would be welcome.
I am aware of the HG faults but does it affect all engine sizes?
What mpg do people achieve in real life?
What are they like to live with day to day?
Any advice On these things would be welcome.
irob said:
I am currently looking for a small and affordable car to see me through the next 18 months or so. Iv seen quite a few of these MG's around the £1000-£1700 price point with low miles and in decent condition. I would prefer the 1.8 160 version but I could still live with the 1.4 or diesel one if they are any good.
I am aware of the HG faults but does it affect all engine sizes?
What mpg do people achieve in real life?
What are they like to live with day to day?
Any advice On these things would be welcome.
Overall very good cars, although the very last ones might have suffered more QC issues than earlier ones. I also believe the last of the line headlights are difficult/pricey to replace should you need too.I am aware of the HG faults but does it affect all engine sizes?
What mpg do people achieve in real life?
What are they like to live with day to day?
Any advice On these things would be welcome.
They are a good handling capable car, K-Series engines are a sweet motor, just read up on HG issues and remember fixing a HG cost similar to doing a cambelt and HG failure should not mean the engine is written off.
The 1.4 goes well but is a world apart from the VVC engine which is a screamer and quite rapid. 1.1 and 1.4 tend to be less prone to HG failures compared to 1.6 and 1.8 versions.
If you are wanting a hot hatch maybe take a look at the Rover BRM200. It uses the same VVC engine but has a LSD, close ratio gearbox and better suspension than the ZR160's.
Loved my 160, I would buy another in a heartbeat.
With regards to the H/G if your handy it will take you a weekend and cost £130inc skimming to change.
I got about 300miles to a tank with usual driving, 350 with effort.
I remember doing lots of research about 4-5years ago, and for the price nothing could compare. I paid £3,500 for mine with 23,000 miles@4years old
0-60 in 7.4, 131mph, 1090kg and 37.6mpg
Fond memories. I want another now.
With regards to the H/G if your handy it will take you a weekend and cost £130inc skimming to change.
I got about 300miles to a tank with usual driving, 350 with effort.
I remember doing lots of research about 4-5years ago, and for the price nothing could compare. I paid £3,500 for mine with 23,000 miles@4years old
0-60 in 7.4, 131mph, 1090kg and 37.6mpg
Fond memories. I want another now.
irob said:
I am aware of the HG faults but does it affect all engine sizes?
All I4 K-series engines have a higher than average chance of head-gasket failure but the 1.4 and 1.6 aren't massively higher than average. The age of the engine also makes a difference, the engines seem to have got much worse around the time that BMW took over MGR. The head gasket going is not a major problem though - it's pretty easy and cheap to fix and with the right components and treatment should not go a second time. All in all, I think the ZR is a decent little car - better handling than the huge majority of its contemporaries, but with questionable assembly quality and rather old-fashioned packaging.
Oooo don't get me started about my throttle cable.300bhp/ton said:
If you are wanting a hot hatch maybe take a look at the Rover BRM200. It uses the same VVC engine but has a LSD, close ratio gearbox and better suspension than the ZR160's.
Worth checking the insurance though. I was looking at these for a while but gave up when I got a few quotes which seemed very high for what they were. Not sure why - rarity maybe?300bhp/ton said:
Overall very good cars, although the very last ones might have suffered more QC issues than earlier ones. I also believe the last of the line headlights are difficult/pricey to replace should you need too.
They are a good handling capable car, K-Series engines are a sweet motor, just read up on HG issues and remember fixing a HG cost similar to doing a cambelt and HG failure should not mean the engine is written off.
The 1.4 goes well but is a world apart from the VVC engine which is a screamer and quite rapid. 1.1 and 1.4 tend to be less prone to HG failures compared to 1.6 and 1.8 versions.
If you are wanting a hot hatch maybe take a look at the Rover BRM200. It uses the same VVC engine but has a LSD, close ratio gearbox and better suspension than the ZR160's.
The little 200 BRM's must be becoming quite collectable now I would have thought, especially if they're in good condition. I quite fancy buying one actually!They are a good handling capable car, K-Series engines are a sweet motor, just read up on HG issues and remember fixing a HG cost similar to doing a cambelt and HG failure should not mean the engine is written off.
The 1.4 goes well but is a world apart from the VVC engine which is a screamer and quite rapid. 1.1 and 1.4 tend to be less prone to HG failures compared to 1.6 and 1.8 versions.
If you are wanting a hot hatch maybe take a look at the Rover BRM200. It uses the same VVC engine but has a LSD, close ratio gearbox and better suspension than the ZR160's.
I owned a 1.6 ZS hatchback for 2 years. HG failure is just something to budget for, other than that it was perfectly reliable, started every morning and took me 20K miles in my ownership. I only really do town driving or back roads (hooning!) and it averaged 30-35mpg in that time depending on how much hoonage I did on the tank.
HG replacement was £300 at my local garage. There are many issues a car can have that have much bigger bills than that.
HG replacement was £300 at my local garage. There are many issues a car can have that have much bigger bills than that.
I don't fancy the dog dick red seats in those BRM rovers. They seem a little thin on the ground too.
I'm more than happy to bomb around in a more main stream MG. it's not as if these are my dream cars, it's just a cost excersise to get to something better, quicker.
Was going to ask about the ZS. Is it just the same car with a boot? Or is there some MG secret and it's far superior in every way?
On a slightly 'what car' topic. Can I fit a roof rack to any of these cars? I will need to carry 2 muddy bikes most weekends.
I'm more than happy to bomb around in a more main stream MG. it's not as if these are my dream cars, it's just a cost excersise to get to something better, quicker.
Was going to ask about the ZS. Is it just the same car with a boot? Or is there some MG secret and it's far superior in every way?
On a slightly 'what car' topic. Can I fit a roof rack to any of these cars? I will need to carry 2 muddy bikes most weekends.
irob said:
Was going to ask about the ZS. Is it just the same car with a boot? Or is there some MG secret and it's far superior in every way?
Neither really, it's a completely different car (based on the Rover 45 rather than the Rover 25). The Rover 45 was, frankly, complete rubbish to drive, but what the MG chassis engineers managed to do with the ZS is little short of a miracle - it's one of the most fun hot-hatches I've ever driven. It doesn't feel quite as nimble as the ZR, but it gets closer than it has any right to, given its underpinnings and the KV6 is a glorious little engine.
irob said:
I don't fancy the dog dick red seats in those BRM rovers. They seem a little thin on the ground too.
I'm more than happy to bomb around in a more main stream MG. it's not as if these are my dream cars, it's just a cost excersise to get to something better, quicker.
Was going to ask about the ZS. Is it just the same car with a boot? Or is there some MG secret and it's far superior in every way?
On a slightly 'what car' topic. Can I fit a roof rack to any of these cars? I will need to carry 2 muddy bikes most weekends.
I like the interior of the BRM, certainly a cut above any other hatch in this sector. They are rare, only 700 or so in total.I'm more than happy to bomb around in a more main stream MG. it's not as if these are my dream cars, it's just a cost excersise to get to something better, quicker.
Was going to ask about the ZS. Is it just the same car with a boot? Or is there some MG secret and it's far superior in every way?
On a slightly 'what car' topic. Can I fit a roof rack to any of these cars? I will need to carry 2 muddy bikes most weekends.
ZS is a completely different car and platform. It's a bit bigger and uses double wishbone suspension all round. The 180 has the 2.5KV6 in and is very nice and very capable. Although the ZR is maybe slightly more fun.
The ZS is effectively a slightly larger version of the ZR and available in hatch or saloon.
They also had the 2.5 V6 motor fitted unlike the ZR's. (I've had both Rover 200/25/ZR and the 400/45/ZS in the past).
I've just bought a top spec Rover Streetwise (a 200/25/ZR model) with the 1.4 engine with a view to using it for road rallying, but seeing as its only done 5200miles from new it might be a shame to. Itll make a fun spare car i reckon. I'm picking it up on Saturday - bought through the magic of eBay for the princely sum of £720!!
I hope you find something you like.
They also had the 2.5 V6 motor fitted unlike the ZR's. (I've had both Rover 200/25/ZR and the 400/45/ZS in the past).
I've just bought a top spec Rover Streetwise (a 200/25/ZR model) with the 1.4 engine with a view to using it for road rallying, but seeing as its only done 5200miles from new it might be a shame to. Itll make a fun spare car i reckon. I'm picking it up on Saturday - bought through the magic of eBay for the princely sum of £720!!
I hope you find something you like.
I have a BRM tucked away in storage but when I was using it, about four years ago, I easily got mid to high 30s mpg. Its a quick rather than fast car but handling is good, its rare, I love the colour scheme and interior (although the seats are a bit slippery) and it sounds great. You can get one in good condition these days for around £1000 to £1500 which I think is very cheap.
I also have its bigger brother, an end of line MG ZS 180 which is also a very underrated car. Again, you can get a decent evo version with sensible miles for £2000 ish.
I also have its bigger brother, an end of line MG ZS 180 which is also a very underrated car. Again, you can get a decent evo version with sensible miles for £2000 ish.
E-B said:
The ZS is effectively a slightly larger version of the ZR and available in hatch or saloon.
Nope the ZS is a completely different car and apart from a few engines and the PG1 gearbox shares very little with the ZR.The ZR/25/200 is Rover in-house development of the R8 Rover 200 platform. The ZS/45/400 is more of a badge engineered Honda Domani/Civic.
I've got a '99 Rover 214 (pretty much the same car as the ZR underneath the bodykit). I seem to get around 350-400 miles a tank, which I think works out at about 35-40mpg (not sure).
As for the HG issues, yes they do go if it isn't looked after, but sometimes they do just let go anyway. The lower engine sizes seem to be less prone to it. Mine hasn't gone, but it does use a little coolant every now and then. Just keep an eye on the levels and it should be fine.
They're not too unreliable, only repair I've had done was a new downpipe (was blowing a bit). Common problems include leaky sunroofs (the seal on mine is taped up, sunroof itself still works though), speeds 1 and 2 packing up on the blower (mine has this, it's a relatively simple repair job) and rear wash/wipe not spraying (the pipe breaks in the join between the bootlid and the car body). Try mg-rover.org, the ZR/25/200 section is very helpful.
Good little cars, I like mine and it's taken all the abuse a new driver could throw at it. Although I am looking at a replacement for when my first year of NCB comes through.
As for the HG issues, yes they do go if it isn't looked after, but sometimes they do just let go anyway. The lower engine sizes seem to be less prone to it. Mine hasn't gone, but it does use a little coolant every now and then. Just keep an eye on the levels and it should be fine.
They're not too unreliable, only repair I've had done was a new downpipe (was blowing a bit). Common problems include leaky sunroofs (the seal on mine is taped up, sunroof itself still works though), speeds 1 and 2 packing up on the blower (mine has this, it's a relatively simple repair job) and rear wash/wipe not spraying (the pipe breaks in the join between the bootlid and the car body). Try mg-rover.org, the ZR/25/200 section is very helpful.
Good little cars, I like mine and it's taken all the abuse a new driver could throw at it. Although I am looking at a replacement for when my first year of NCB comes through.
Edited by TheVole on Thursday 27th September 15:37
300bhp/ton said:
E-B said:
The ZS is effectively a slightly larger version of the ZR and available in hatch or saloon.
Nope the ZS is a completely different car and apart from a few engines and the PG1 gearbox shares very little with the ZR.The ZR/25/200 is Rover in-house development of the R8 Rover 200 platform. The ZS/45/400 is more of a badge engineered Honda Domani/Civic.
hairykrishna said:
Worth checking the insurance though. I was looking at these for a while but gave up when I got a few quotes which seemed very high for what they were. Not sure why - rarity maybe?
When I brought mine about 6 years ago I was told the insurance wad high on ZRs as some of the imobiliser codes were leaked and you could unlock any car on the leaked list with ease. Probably total crap but that's what the high ranking naval officer told me when I phoned for insurance. They wanted me to fit a tracker!Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff