re would you buy a mg zs

Alfagtamini

hi
i have a 05 leon tdi ,but i now have a work van so i no longer need a diesel. i have fancied a zs for years. would you buy one?

i was thinking of the facelift 04 on models saloon. they come in 1.4.1.6 and 1.8 i think. what engines the best and whats the least likely to get the dreaded hgf.

what money should i pay?

any more weak points?

sorry if this has been covered before as the search feature said mg and zs words are too short


thanks
paul

milltown

paulryanmini wrote: »

whats the least likely to get the dreaded hgf.

One that already has it.

I thought blown head gaskets were a given on them. Worked with a guy years ago that went through so many head gaskets on his Metro that we joked he should put the head back on with wing nuts for handiness sake.

Alfagtamini

ha ha i was hoping they wouldn't be that bad my own mechanic said there is a new hg out that should prevent it from reoccurring. i have driven vintage mini's for years and i cant see how the hg fails if the coolant levels are checked weekly and the car watched for overheating.

2 Espressi

The only MG I'd even consider would be the full fat, V8 RWD one based on the 75.
There are kits available to replace the plastic dowels and other weak spots in the head, the Lotus lads will be able to tell you all about that (S1 and early S2s Elises have 1.8 K series).

MetzgerMeister

I used have an MG ZR a few years ago and I can say it was a cracking little thing. Never had any engine trouble at all.

I was thinking about buying a ZS so I took one for a test drive and just forgot about it. It was the 2.5ltr V6, 180bhp. To me, that's a waste of an engine. 180bhp from a 2.5 V6? No thanks. It drank petrol like no man's business.

From what I've heard about the V8, it's not worth the expense. It has the engine from the new Ford Mustang but de-tuned. Not much performance and again, drinks petrol.

I'd say if you want a ZS, either go for the 1.4 or 1.6. The 1.6 might be better since it would be able to pull the car better than the 1.4.

I have to say though, they do look smashing, especially with the big wing taken off the boot and the little lip spoiler left on.

Not much choice over here really, of the 1.4, 1.6 & 1.8 I'd go for the 1.6. However I think the L series diesel is really the one to go for, you probably won't get one over here though. Checking the coolant levels weekly and watching the temp needle will eliminate approx 80% of k series HG failure.

Alfagtamini

thanks for your replies
trying to find one over here is hard and when they do they ask serious money for them.

i found a black 1.4 2004 zs 22,000 miles . must be clocked ! 3,800e good deal bad deal?

MetzgerMeister

The ZS seems to have a bit of a cult following haha last time I looked on carzone they had around 12 of them for sale. Now there's only 2 and they're the pre-facelift model.

Paul, take a look around the car to see if this milage corresponds with the wear and tear i.e. how worn is the steering wheel and seats, what condition are the tyres/alloys in, is there any play in the steering and what's the overall condition of the paintwork, interior and carpets. Also look for signs of tampering with the dashboard and look around the engine bay for parts with part numbers written on them and any overspray. This can tell you that it's been crashed/tampered with. A service history booklet would be a very good thing to ask for to check out the milage also.

Have a good, close look at the paintwork and make sure all of it is as you would expect it to be.

I'd say you could get that price down to at least €3300 with a bit of haggling.

paulryanmini

paulryanmini wrote: »

i found a black 1.4 2004 zs 22,000 miles . must be clocked ! 3,800e good deal bad deal?

A 2004 should have the Ford derived gearbox rather than the R65 one, the R65 used to wear and failure was not too rare.

Alfagtamini

thanks alot for all your replies. im going to go see it on Friday as ill be in Dublin working and the car is in tallaght. i still have my yoke to sell on but i hope that wont be too hard. ill let ye know how i get on. for some reason i like English cars had 3 minis and a couple of rovers they have a charm about them i think:D

Pay particular attention to the coolant, make sure it is clean and bright looking. Idle should be about 850rpm when warm and completely smooth. They are not a bad car at all and you won't regret buying a good one

Is it a facelift model or the up to 2004 model ? The facelift model is a much much nicer car imo (and yours too from your OP), I'll be off to England over the next 12 months or so to get a 2004/2005 diesel ZS me thinks.

pburns

Is the Leon MkI or MkII?

In either case the the ZS is based on the ancient 45 nee Rover 400 and sounds like a backward step to me.

I toyed with idea of getting a ZT a few years back but the ZS just seems an abomination to me - old and creaky and based on a long forgotten Rover that wasn't even class competitive back in it's day (which was 15 years back).

pburns

pburns wrote: »

Is the Leon MkI or MkII?

In either case the the ZS is based on the ancient 45 nee Rover 400 and sounds like a backward step to me.

I toyed with idea of getting a ZT a few years back but the ZS just seems an abomination to me - old and creaky and based on a long forgotten Rover that wasn't even class competitive back in it's day (which was 15 years back).

Shows what you know, the K series engine in 1.4 and 1.6 form is a fantastic unit, the power and torques it develops are still way ahead of much of the modern offerings. The ZS is fantastic in the handling department, a ZS would be superior to a similar engined Leon in most areas. The dash is very dated though, a Leon is hardly class leading with the dash and instruments though.

Also the class competitive comment you made is false, the R8 Rover was a hugely better car than the Escort, Astra of the time and was a huge seller in the UK. The HHR was not class competitive as they priced it to compete with Mondeos and Vestras.

Cosmo K

RoverJames wrote: »

Shows what you know, the K series engine in 1.4 and 1.6 form is a fantastic unit, the power and torques it develops are still way ahead of much of the modern offerings. The ZS is fantastic in the handling department, a ZS would be superior to a similar engined Leon in most areas. The dash is very dated though, a Leon is hardly class leading with the dash and instruments though.

Also the class competitive comment you made is false, the R8 Rover was a hugely better car than the Escort, Astra of the time and was a huge seller in the UK. The HHR was not class competitive as they priced it to compete with Mondeos and Vestras.

Did you work for Rover's marketing department?

Alfagtamini

its a mark 1 i have. its just too boring for me but a great car! i know the zs has its flaws but so did the 156 jtd i had last year its the price you have to pay to have a car that stands out and is different to every other person on the road. i was toying with getting a diesel zt but it will have to be taxed as a 2.0 litre and im not doing the miles for one anymore.

oh incase anyone is interested i cracked off a deal on a 03 tf red for 3000e at a dealer in limerick (caseys ennis rd). needs a bit of tying up outside. i decided it wasn't for me not enough rooom for me gf and dog:(

was also considering going to uk but they fetch good money there and vrt office want 1200e on a 05 zt 1.6 or 1600e on a 05 zt diesel .

i prefer the facelift big time not a fan of the pre facelift.

any more comments suggestions or does anyone know anyone who would swap a leon for there zs?

2 Espressi

I doubt it, but the username would indicate he's a fan!

K Series can be fantastic,great power in a light package, and they can also blow a headgasket ...

Cosmo K

Cosmo K wrote: »

Did you work for Rover's marketing department?

Nope, would have been good at it though

IrishRover

Cosmo, I totally understand why you are cynical about RoverJames's impartiality, and no doubt you will be about mine, considering my username. Hopefully you will be able to see that I am able to think objectively about the topic when you read what I have to say though (I'm not just a blinkered fanboy).

It's true that the 1.4 litre Rover K series engine is a powerful engine for its size - it develops 105 BHP (PS), which is even today considered to be a high figure per cylinder capacity. The fact that this engine is old now, yet still technologically modern, merely proves how modern it was compared to its class rivals of the late 80s and 90s.

While the fuel injected K series engine in the Rover 200 of the early 90s had a lightweight aluminium block and a cylinder head with 16 valves and twin camshafts (DOHC), the engines in competing models of Ford Escorts used the infamously bad CVH engines with carburettors and pushrods and rockers. There was literally decades between the technologies involved - so much so that it wasn't until the 2000s that their competitors like Ford/Opel/VW and others started to use engines with similar technology. This is why the Rover K series engine is still modern even though it is about 20 years old now.

However, all that aside, I absolutely do not see the point in buying a model that has a bodykit or some other kind of styling that makes it look like it's supposed to be a fast car but in fact isn't. The 1.4 litre MG ZS doesn't exist in England and for the very good reason that it's supposed to be a sports car, and sports cars are supposed to be fast. A 1.4 ZS will only be "not be very slow" compared to every other car on the road. The word "nippy" will probably be used to describe its performance by enthusiastic owners :pac:

I guess a lot of people come close to deciding to fulfill their dreams about buying a proper sports car but then wimp out because they suddenly feel all rational and concerned about things like fuel consumption and road tax. As a general rule, I would say that there is absolutely no point in deciding to buy a sports car but then compromising on the engine because of some nod to being sensible. Either do it or don't. No half measures. There are no half measures. You either buy a sports car or you don't. If you want the V6 or the V8 or the turbo but then suddenly deviate and buy the more sensible 1.6 or 1.8 because you feel a pang of guilt or fear at the last minute, then in my opinion you have put an even greater distance between you and the dream of owning a sports car.

The 1.6 ZS is quite pointless and the 1.4 is just utterly pointless - such a compromise that the very essence of what it is has been removed. Buy the V6 ZS180 or don't bother. I wasn't aware that the V8 was available in the ZS but if it is, then that's what I'd want. I heard it in a ZT pace car and it sounded bloody fantastic. It sounds so cliche to say that it sounded like the roaring of a Spitfire - but that's what it seemed like!

Alfagtamini

IrishRover wrote: »

Cosmo, I totally understand why you are cynical about RoverJames's impartiality, and no doubt you will be about mine, considering my username. Hopefully you will be able to see that I am able to think objectively about the topic when you read what I have to say though (I'm not just a blinkered fanboy).

It's true that the 1.4 litre Rover K series engine is a powerful engine for its size - it develops 105 BHP (PS), which is even today considered to be a high figure per cylinder capacity. The fact that this engine is old now, yet still technologically modern, merely proves how modern it was compared to its class rivals of the late 80s and 90s.

While the fuel injected K series engine in the Rover 200 of the early 90s had a lightweight aluminium block and a cylinder head with 16 valves and twin camshafts (DOHC), the engines in competing models of Ford Escorts used the infamously bad CVH engines with carburettors and pushrods and rockers. There was literally decades between the technologies involved - so much so that it wasn't until the 2000s that their competitors like Ford/Opel/VW and others started to use engines with similar technology. This is why the Rover K series engine is still modern even though it is about 20 years old now.

However, all that aside, I absolutely do not see the point in buying a model that has a bodykit or some other kind of styling that makes it look like it's supposed to be a fast car but in fact isn't. The 1.4 litre MG ZS doesn't exist in England and for the very good reason that it's supposed to be a sports car, and sports cars are supposed to be fast. A 1.4 ZS will only be "not be very slow" compared to every other car on the road. The word "nippy" will probably be used to describe its performance by enthusiastic owners :pac:

I guess a lot of people come close to deciding to fulfill their dreams about buying a proper sports car but then wimp out because they suddenly feel all rational and concerned about things like fuel consumption and road tax. As a general rule, I would say that there is absolutely no point in deciding to buy a sports car but then compromising on the engine because of some nod to being sensible. Either do it or don't. No half measures. There are no half measures. You either buy a sports car or you don't. If you want the V6 or the V8 or the turbo but then suddenly deviate and buy the more sensible 1.6 or 1.8 because you feel a pang of guilt or fear at the last minute, then in my opinion you have put an even greater distance between you and the dream of owning a sports car.

The 1.6 ZS is quite pointless and the 1.4 is just utterly pointless - such a compromise that the very essence of what it is has been removed. Buy the V6 ZS180 or don't bother. I wasn't aware that the V8 was available in the ZS but if it is, then that's what I'd want. I heard it in a ZT pace car and it sounded bloody fantastic. It sounds so cliche to say that it sounded like the roaring of a Spitfire - but that's what it seemed like!

irishrover to a point your right id love nothing more than a v6 or v8. the gf is only learning to drive so quinn direct said its a no no. and a v6 only producing 180hp is pittyful i think. i had a 1380cc a series in my mini giving out 105hp.

the 1.4 or the 1.6 will do us for now and i hope in the next few years i can get a bigger engine but until then i have to keep engine size down.

Hello Colin Nice post.

IrishRover

Ah hello James! Would you believe, I only copped now that it was yourself - despite the username! :pac: I suppose it's because I'm just used to seeing you on UK forums and for some reason don't expect to see the same people on Irish forums too - I don't know why!

Well Paul, I understand the position you (or your girlfriend) are in, and I know it might sound like I was being harsh or elitist, so thanks for posting a decent reply. I do think though that if a sports car is what is wanted, but there are practical limitations on engine size such like insurance company refusing to insure, then it is too much of a compromise to choose instead a 1.4 or 1.6 in what is supposed to be a sports car.

If she's only starting out driving though, I think it's reasonable that there are restrictions placed on what a novice driver can be insured on. I think she would be better to get something else to learn in and get experience and a no claims bonus and then in a few years time see what options are open to her. If an entertaining drive is what she's looking for, then maybe something like your mini sounds like it might suit her well - unless she's going to need the car for long commutes.

Alfagtamini

thanks irishrover

these are the limits imposed on my policy with quinn due to the gf having a permit:

has to be under 115hp
cannot be rwd

she does not care what we drive but i do and we cant afford 2 cars. i had to sell the alfa as the hp was too high so i think a 1.4 or 1.6 zs will be fine for the time being.

one more q

its a 04 im looking at so its due a t/b water pump etc what should i budget for this to knock off asking price

Shouldn't cost more than €300/€350. It's been 5 years or so since I got one done, 'twas €250 back then from a local garage. The K series is easy to work on.

Sqaull20

The 1.4 in the ZS is grand, brother has one and it will do 0-60 in about 10 secs and overtaking is fine if its in 3rd or 4th gear when doing 60mph.Its alot quicker than similar sized 1.4 focus's, lancer's, almera's etc

My advice would be go to the uk and pick out the diesel.They develop 115bhp, have loads of torque for easy overtaking and are very very good on fuel, plus you can tune them up to 150bhp if you want a bit more kick later on and you dont have to worry about head gaskets and all that with the diesel.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1424641.htm