Is it worth it to go for a MG these days?

Colin G.

So I saw this ad with a 2005 MG ZS 105 for sale. The price is 2100 Euro and for this money the car looks stunning to me. Is it a reliable car? Are the MG's decent cars or is it going to be a hassle for me with this particular one?

Toyotafanboi

People will tell you all sorts, and i'l tell you mine :pac: i've owned a 03 1.4 for a year or two.

in fairness, the ZR does come with a fair few niggly faults. they are prone to rust, there are a few electrical issues like the blower motor resistor and an issue with wear on the wiring loom to the tailgate but they are both inexpensive fixes and not even that time consuming if you are a competent diy-er.

the dreaded "head gasket"... is an issue i guess. apparently the gaskets fitted to facelifted cars (like your 05 should be) are more robust, but you still sometimes hear of trouble. i'd still keep an eye to it. it's about €600 to get it repaired properly with good parts.

it has to be said, they look great and they drive really nice, even the 1.4. they have a great spec with sunroof, half leather, 6 disc changer, body kit etc, i wouldn't hesitate to buy one, it's a great alternative to a golf/ focus/ corolla type thing.

have you got a link to the car you are looking at?

darragh o meara

I've been looking at a few Mg Zt touring recently and apart from a few niggly issues, they seem a decent car. I don't know though how easy getting genuine parts would be or even specialised dealer level diagnostics.

arthur daly

K series engine more than likely,as said they all give head trouble.
If you go look at it open oil filler cap and water bottle look for a mayo looking slime before and after a test drive(make sure it has oil and water too)
They are pretty nippy little motor,good mpg.
Gearboxes are also a issue with these and won't take hardship

bazz26

€2100 seems a lot for a nearly 10 year old MG ZS.

Colin G.

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

People will tell you all sorts, and i'l tell you mine :pac: i've owned a 03 1.4 for a year or two.

in fairness, the ZR does come with a fair few niggly faults. they are prone to rust, there are a few electrical issues like the blower motor resistor and an issue with wear on the wiring loom to the tailgate but they are both inexpensive fixes and not even that time consuming if you are a competent diy-er.

the dreaded "head gasket"... is an issue i guess. apparently the gaskets fitted to facelifted cars (like your 05 should be) are more robust, but you still sometimes hear of trouble. i'd still keep an eye to it. it's about €600 to get it repaired properly with good parts.

it has to be said, they look great and they drive really nice, even the 1.4. they have a great spec with sunroof, half leather, 6 disc changer, body kit etc, i wouldn't hesitate to buy one, it's a great alternative to a golf/ focus/ corolla type thing.

have you got a link to the car you are looking at?

Yes. Www.cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mg-spotless/7775562

Toyotafanboi

looks like a well maintained example. near miraculous that it made it to that mileage with the driver seat in such good shape (they are very prone to wear). obviously you can-not say for sure but at that kind of mileage you could surmise that the head gasket has already gone and been replaced or isn't going to go.

colm_mcm

Could be 124000 km? Its not a uk import

barneyrubble46

personally I would avoid the mg like the ebola virus. They are a load of crap

ba_barabus

colm_mcm wrote: »

Could be 124000 km? Its not a uk import

I'd say that 124k KM's.

It's certainly not a UK car as they never got the ZS in 1.4.

colm_mcm

They got actual engines

I'm a fan of the ZS tbh. They're a refreshing change from modern heavy cars - they're essentially a 90s car with lairy paint, big wheels and a relatively new reg number.

Colin G.

colm_mcm wrote: »

They got actual engines

I'm a fan of the ZS tbh. They're a refreshing change from modern heavy cars - they're essentially a 90s car with lairy paint, big wheels and a relatively new reg number.

So then what should I do? I like this car but also think about a Focus

Toyotafanboi

Colin G. wrote: »

So then what should I do? I like this car but also think about a Focus

do a motorcheck on it, go view it (get a mechanic if you're unsure) and if you like it, go for it. that one is a good example. it's a much more fun/ interesting car than the focus.

JohnBoy26

Colin G. wrote: »

So then what should I do? I like this car but also think about a Focus

Get a focus and save yourself from a headache, or if your heart is set on a ZS drop back a few years and get the Honda equivalent, even though it will be older it will still be a far superior built car.

The MG ZS is a nice looking car and with a tuned version of Honda class leading double wishbone suspension it is one of the best handling fwd cars in that class. That's were the good ends though. They have temperamental electrics and the k series engine can give it's problems, especially where the hg is concerned.

Also they can suffer from other little niggles that the honda version doesn't seem to suffer from. Things such as loose trim, the carpet coming loose in places, door handles breaking etc. They can suffer from severe corrosion by the boot hinges on the hatchback models and they can rust badly too on the front drains. Honda's version doesn't seem fair nowhere near as badly in this regard.

BnB

I had a 02 one of them with the 1.8 L engine.

Head Gasket went twice and was on the way out for the 3rd time when the fuel pump went and I just abandoned it

But I still loved it

PN14

I've at ZT diesel and couldn't recommend it more. Its nice to have something thats not that common and I find it very good to drive.
I've no experience of the ZS but there are excellent MG forums on the web from the UK. I'm a member of the 75&zt club and they are excellent anything you need to know you'll find out and they have fixes solutions etc to most common problems. There are similar forums for the ZS.
That ZS does look like a smashing car and well looked after from the pictures. It there is a service history to back up what the car looks like then I wouldn't think twice about it.
Parts are no issue for my ZT at least. There are a few parts available from couple of places in the north all suspension bits shocks and the like on next day delivery.
The only major issue would be body parts or panels especially on facelift cars like my ZT as they weren't that may produced before Rover/MG went belly up.