MG ZT CDTi stuff.

Toyotafanboi

moving on from these posts http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=89940633&postcount=1849 i said i'd consolidate all my **** to one thread.

went to view it this morning. was a little bit untidy and needs a good clean etc. no bother there.

there was a bit of water in the spare wheel well, what would be the cause of this?

the car was ticking over on my arrival which isn't great, but sure. the temp gauge hasn't risen yet so it hadn't been on long. there was a power pack in front of it and he said the battery was flat, but i'm sure that's the oldest trick in the book.

i took it out the road and it drove nice, it went nice and cleanly up through the revs and up through the gears, it didn't feel very powerful, but maybe they aren't that quick? (coming from the glanza 140bhp in 900kg's) it idled fine and there was no major smoke under hard acceleration.

the bonnet didn't open on the test drive, which is common on the ZT but when i got it back they opened it in the yard for me, naturally it would be repaired before sale but i didn't get to remove the dipstick to check for spitting oil.

maybe a little rattle from the front suspension somewhere but other than that i can't find much fault. it's got 95,000 miles and NCT'd for another 6 months.

i done a cartell report on it. unsurprisingly it was a UK import, but surprising the mileage (just 95k) is genuine! no finance owed, never recorded as written off, 4 previous owners. the only weirdness is it went a year without NCT in 2012 but was tested in 2013 and it hasn't been taxed at all since 2012.

given light of all that, if you're still reading, what would your thoughts be? there was a good bit of price leverage, it would be bought for closer to 2k than 3k. thanks

ba_barabus

Leaky boot is either a failed seal or a block breather behind the bumper. Neither a big job and both common.

The clutch will give no warning of impending doom, it'll just go.

The mileage I've said my peace on already. I don't care what the report says.

The failed bonnet cable is common but a pain in the arse to do. Make sure it's done and not a bodge.

The power is probably due to it being a 115bhp model which is what it showed up as when I looked at insurance quotes a few years back.

Toyotafanboi

cheers, its a 135bhp model according to the paperwork. someone had also written under the bonnet "timing belt 07/2011" in tip-ex, which doesn't inspire confidence seeing as it's a chain driven engine.

fully serviced and just had the water pump changed, 4 new (budget) tyres. so undecided. i think deep down i know it'd be crazy...

but really if i were to buy an a4 or passat etc it's like to be every bit as problematic, just hiding behind brand marketing and irish fanboi-ism that leads you to believe they are bulletproof when they really aren't.

sure if you stayed away from it BA, it's probably a reliable yoke :P

Supergurrier

Sounds straight for the money. Maybe see if you can get it up on a ramp before pulling the trigger on it to check what exact suspension woes lie unseen and check the condition of the subframe/chassis.

Still for just over 2k it sounds about right and they are a good enough looking car in that colour(V8 one is still an outside runner for next car)

ba_barabus

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

cheers, its a 135bhp model according to the paperwork. someone had also written under the bonnet "timing belt 07/2011" in tip-ex, which doesn't inspire confidence seeing as it's a chain driven engine.

fully serviced and just had the water pump changed, 4 new (budget) tyres. so undecided. i think deep down i know it'd be crazy...

but really if i were to buy an a4 or passat etc it's like to be every bit as problematic, just hiding behind brand marketing and irish fanboi-ism that leads you to believe they are bulletproof when they really aren't.

sure if you stayed away from it BA, it's probably a reliable yoke :P

They're easy enough to remap and get more power out of the engine but be warned the boxes sometimes don't react well to it. All in all I love them but I'd be hesitant with that one. Tbh I'd prefer one to an A4 but they are an older car underneath.

Toyotafanboi

ah yeah i'd have no real interest in remapping it etc, just was expecting a little more torque or something, it was smooth consistent power, it just didn't have much get up and go in it if you know what i mean.

are the clutch faults very common? i read on another forum the clutch biting low to the floor was a bad thing, something which i would have considered good, as opposed to the clutch not biting until the pedal was almost released.

might sleep on it.

Kaiser D

What kind of warranty did he offer on it?

Toyotafanboi

Kaiser D wrote: »

What kind of warranty did he offer on it?

here's the clincher. if i was to pay close to the asking, he'd cover if for a month, but if i pay 2500, i get none. which is fair if a bit mad, he's only a small time dealer, small margins on a cheap old car like that.

but my thinking is if i take it for 2500 i have 500 surplus encase something goes wrong and if nothing goes wrong, im money up.

Kaiser D

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

here's the clincher. if i was to pay close to the asking, he'd cover if for a month, but if i pay 2500, i get none. which is fair if a bit mad, he's only a small time dealer, small margins on a cheap old car like that.

but my thinking is if i take it for 2500 i have 500 surplus encase something goes wrong and if nothing goes wrong, im money up.

There are a few cheaper ones on donedeal at the moment.

Probably best have a look at a few then, he's not really giving loads of reasons to jump at his straight away. Its not like it'll fly out the door either.

Toyotafanboi

well, there are 6 on donedeal, one is petrol (no thanks), one is €6k (too dear) and one is in armagh (too far), which leaves 3, 2 of which are different adverts for the same car, so there aren't really that many :P :pac:

as you say though, it probably won't be a quick seller. think i'm going to go back later, check for the posotive crankcase pressure problem, listen to see if the in tank fuel pump is working and if both are in order go for it.

Kaiser D

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

well, there are 6 on donedeal, one is petrol (no thanks), one is €6k (too dear) and one is in armagh (too far), which leaves 3, 2 of which are different adverts for the same car, so there aren't really that many :P :pac:

as you say though, it probably won't be a quick seller. think i'm going to go back later, check for the posotive crankcase pressure problem, listen to see if the in tank fuel pump is working and if both are in order go for it.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/cheap-cdti-taxed-nctd/6720193

I really like this one, though its a bit of a journey over to Galway to see it.
Mileage is only a tad higher, and (imo) its a nicer colour.

Supergurrier

Kaiser D wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/cheap-cdti-taxed-nctd/6720193

I really like this one, though its a bit of a journey over to Galway to see it.
Mileage is only a tad higher, and (imo) its a nicer colour.

Nice car if you got it for 1500.

+ You get to be within 10 miles of me

Toyotafanboi

Not saying the grey one isn't nice. just might be utter madness to travel from wexford to galway to view a car the same year, engine, mileage, spec and price as one ten minutes out the road. that said, they grey is a lot more sensible a colour on it, it gives it a far more mature, less ASBO look. i think i'm going to go for it anyway.

sure look 2500 on the car, 200 for 3 months tax, 100 for a pcv and a gallon of oil and it's on the road. what's the worst that cold happen? needs a clutch kit or a fuel pump? €5 /600 worst case if one of them goes. that's ok. i'l enjoy cleaning it and tidying up its niggly faults.

jackofalltrades

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

there was a bit of water in the spare wheel well, what would be the cause of this?

This happened on my 75, the seal between the rear light cluster and the body was gone. Bit of silicone sealant sorted it out

i took it out the road and it drove nice, it went nice and cleanly up through the revs and up through the gears, it didn't feel very powerful, but maybe they aren't that quick? (coming from the glanza 140bhp in 900kg's) it idled fine and there was no major smoke under hard acceleration.

Removing the EGR will make it a bit more livelier between the 1700-2000 rpm band.
Also replacing the intercooler seals made a slight difference on mine.

Check the in-tank fuel pump is working as well.

Clutch if it's the same as the 75, is a DMF and is expensive to replace.