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MG ZR ZS ZT Technical - How many owners here?

How many Z owners are there now on this BBS? & what model do you have?


Kelvin
Kelvin

Anthracite ZS180

S.
Steve H

Trophy Blue ZR120

P.
Pete

Trophy Blue ZS 180 5 Door

R.
Richard

Pete,

> Trophy Blue ZR120

That wasn't yours I saw parked in the Royston Tesco's car park the other day, was it?

S.
Steve H

Anthracite ZT-T+ 190
tony

Solar red ZT 190+
Stewart

Steve

ZR 120+

No it wasn't. Might be in Tescos Stevenage though. Misses tells me its not mine. its hers! - in which case it might have been in Royston - she likes the scenic routes - or is something else going on? Please keep me informed.

P.
Pete

Trophy Blue ZS180 saloon, currently resting in body shop with large Nissan shaped dent!
Climber

Compa
Kieren Gibson

doh! not sure what happend there. Company owned ZS180 5dr in Tropy blue, which I get to thrash every once in a while.
Cheers

Kieren
Kieren Gibson

Am thinking of importing a LHD ZS 120+ from Belgium as they will not be bringing it to France.
Wanted a 5 door as its easier to park & load but they say they have only selected the 4 door,as it looks better.Do you agree?
(They will also have the 2 litre Diesel but I suppose the British never buy it ?)
Also,I must find somewhere (or have made),an MGA type grille both to cover the chicken wire inlet and because for me that is as important as the Octagon badge.Can anyone suggest where I could get one
please?
andrew

Andrew, FRANCE

I prefer the appearance of the 4-door ZS180.

you state: (They will also have the 2 litre Diesel but I suppose the British never buy it ?)

You maybe wrong here. Contrary to what you may have been told, there is a good proportion of Diesel cars on Brit roads. If the diesel Z-car is a good one - for a diesel, the word will get around and i feel certain that more will be sold.

John
John McFeely

Diesel in France is very cheap compared to the UK, combined with the better fuel economy, it's understandable why the French buy so many diesel cars.

In the UK diesel is usually around the same price as Unleaded, sometimes diesel costs more at a few garages. Combined with the fact that there isn't much difference in fuel economy and performance of a diesel turbo as opposed to an car of the similar performance (not engine size) which runs on unleaded, I can't see the point? Other people might say I'm mis-guided here, but that's my view!

Alex

P.S. I've a Platinum Silver ZS180 4 door with a spoiler I still think is a bit too big
Alex Rogers

NO MG YET (MAY BE).
MEGA

Anthracite ZS120+
Phil Palmer

Trophy Blue ZS180 saloon
MGF 75le Black
Nik & Anita

Let us not forget the Steptronic Option
Does anyone have this on their car,or have tried it on a Demo ?
andrew

MGF Trophy
Rover 75 2.5 Con SE

next ZT385
Jerry Flint

Solar Red
ZS180

M
Mike

Looks like we already have a healthy community here. As soon as I am settled with the new car how about a meet?
I know its not the best time of year, but what the hell!! :-)

Kelvin
Trophy Blue
ZS 180
Kelvin

No Z car yet but I do have the plates :
X10 MGX
X20 MGS
X3 MGR

When I decide which car to buy I will have two plates surplus to requirements. For further details see my web site for price etc
http://freespace.virgin.net/martin.woods/index.htm

Martin
4MGF
Martin Woods

zr160 trophy blue.
joe caruana

Just another word on Turbo Diesels for Alex.
It seems that the best, like the 150 HP units in the latest Golf TDI & BMW 320D(but certainly not those in the current Rovers), have superior overtaking times eg 60-80 mph to the petrol versions.I would think this is more important to British motorists ,faced with speed cameras & overcrowded roads, than other aspects of performance like top speed.[I can often cruise at 100 mph on long & quiet 4 lane roads which would be hard to find in Britain.]
andrew

Kelvin,
Good idea, we'll be there.
Nik & Anita

t/blue zs180 saloon
next zt260?
kevin

Hi,

I made a small gallery of my ZS180 in Solar Red if
anyones interested in taking a look.

http://www.aatechnosoft.com/car/

Mike
Mike

Nice selection of pix Mike, I see you have the rear headrests. Does this restrict rearward vision even more, remembering that with the Xtreme spoiler, vision is already restricted?

Kelvin.
Kelvin

I have a Solar Red ZS120+ as a company car. Great all rounder. I would be very much up for a 'meet'. I can get to pretty much anywhere in the South fairly easily. Others?
If others are willing to help - I would happily get involved in organising something.

David
David Lacey

Mike, Crawley

Enjoyed your pics - nice car. Not seen a red ZS180 in the flesh yet but it looks the business in your pics. I believe it's one of those cars which will look good in any colour.
John McFeely

Hi Kelvin,

I just added another couple of pics that might answer
your question about rear head rests restricting rear vision.

The simple answer is yes, they do but not by a great deal. I'm quite tall 6'4" so perhaps others may suffer more.

In defense of the rear spoiler the only thing it restricts is seeing the faces of nice girls driving behind you, (OK) but I'm always aware of vehicles behind. With regards to parking, I actually find it helps me to gauge the length of the vehicle, as the boot section of the 4 door is deceivingly long. (not sure about the hatch)

Mike
MIke

ZR160 - trophy blue
rob

I've Got it!! WOW :-)
160 ish miles on first afternoon of ownership, mostly on the A1, but some twisty bits on the A57. Off to the local MG natter tonite to show it off.

Kelvin (with big grin)
Kelvin

Trophy Blue ZS180 sal.

Kelvin, the grin will remain!

Rog
Roger Parker

Q. What owners manual / service record booklets did you get in your folder in the glovebox? Mine are all Rover 45! Surely they printed up some MG ones?????

Kelvin
Kelvin

Rover 45 items with MG branded covers.

Rog
Roger Parker

Kelvin

Be careful where you park it ;0)
Climber

Climber

I'm always careful where I park.
Supermaket car parks are the worst.
But I, unlike others, dont fight over the space nearest the door, but park in the furthest space away. Hopefully no one will park next to me! :-)
Kelvin

Hey Kelvin, I thought I was the only one to use that good idea. Also, as I spend much of my time behind a desk or steering wheel, the extra few yards to walk with the loaded trolley provides beneficial exercise as a bi-product...... :)
John McFeely

Does not alway work though John, I parked in a large store car park in yorkshire, well away from anything. I came back to find a camper van parked up so close along side I could not get in the drivers door!!
Tens of empty spaces around me and they did that???

Kelvin
Kelvin

4 door zs 180
trophy blue
fat wing !
roy

Solar Red ZR+ 120. 660 miles and getting better and better!
(Maestro turbo too. 78,000 miles and still more fun every drive)

I.
Ian R

ZT-T 190 + in Trophy Blue. Totally brilliant...
MGF 1.8i in Racing Green. A few rattles, but the missus loves it.
Dave D.

ZS120+
(+ leather gearstick/wheel, front and side trims)
5 door
Trophy Blue
Brett Laniosh

ZX 385 in Platinum Silver
(not yet available for general sale-except perhaps to heretics like Mega, but he wouldn't want to pay the price !)
alex

Took some pix of my ZS, here are the first two scans, I was using up a film in compact camera, will take some better ones with on the Nikon 35mm soon!

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kelvin.fagan/bluebird/zs1.jpg


http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kelvin.fagan/bluebird/zs2.jpg

Kelvin
Kelvin

How long have you all had to wait for delivery?.What was your supplying dealer like(mines a WA****)did they offer good money for your p/x,especially if you traded a Rover.I was offered such crap money for my 99T 216sli that i just could'nt afford an MGZR120plus so i bought the next best thing,a used 99V 200 BRM,does that count as an MG?It would have been an MG if BMW let Rover get on with it!
Kevin Davis

JUST A SMALL ZR BUT OH SO HAPPY
L4PKO

Kevin..

because I bought a demonstrator I waited less than a week from seeing it to collecting it.

I was given a measly 2k for my 620 which had been on the forecourt for 4.5k just 5 months ago! But the ZS was only £13495 with 4k miles on clock. I lost money on the 620, but had to have the MG

Dealer was Gordon Lamb, in Sheffield.
Car in good condition, seemed a friendly bunch!

Kelvin
Kelvin

Kelvin,
I sold my 620ti 18 months ago,i bought it 2 years b4 that and it cost £7995, i got £2175 for it at auction with 124000 miles showing.2 Months later i saw it for sale at a car 'supermarket'showing 78000 miles!and it was up for £4995,bastards!.I notified VMC (Vehicle Mileage Check)as well as confronting the salesman,when i told him i was the previous owner and 45000 miles were missing he sh** himself,never saw the ti again after that!.I hope that the MG's hold their value better than previous Rover products whatever the mileage!
Kevin Davis

Kevin, Kelvin,

Few if any production cars "hold" much of their value in this country simply because they are over priced new in the first place. This applies to most makes, none are immune from this here or anywhere for that matter. Even allowing for the fact that most new car purchases here are company financed in some way, usually taking advantage of wider discount margins denied the private buyer. Within a year or so most have lost huge chunks of their original list ( not discounted) price. The company car market will continue to work against most private car buyers in the UK as long as they, the private buyers, are prepared to pay " high residual" prices for used ones thus further subsidising their discounted cast off company cars. This high residual value myth generated in this country is simply a means of screwing more dough out of the punters. The experiences quoted in the thread above are not unusual and are probably more widespread than anyone really knows. It's not just those in the Motor Trade that do such things. A colleague bought his very high mileage company car at a price he thought good value ( high mileage = lower value but he would not listen ) and asked me .. "John you know about cars, I want to knock a few thousand of my clock, use it for a while and then sell it on". I did not help him. Later I saw the same car on a garage forecourt with a third of the original mileage on the clock. Who clocked this car - the dealer or just as likely, the guy who traded it in for a newer car?

Never ceases to amaze me when I hear of a colleague or someone tell me what a good price he got his used car for and then tells me that it's done over 100,000 miles. That may have possibly been clocked too so who knows the true mileage. Hey, they're mostly motorway miles so that does not count. People believe this stuff and the cars get sold and bought. As long as these aspects play a part in the new-used car sales cycle here, I cant see there being much change ever to the benefit of the private car buyer. High prices have always ruled in the UK .. OK.

Dont believe me? What happened when our big supermarkets wanted to sell Levis at a reasonable discount price recently? That is just the tip of the iceburg. Nuff said ..... Or, have I got it all wrong?

Must close on a more cheerful note. Saw another anthracite ZT on my way to work today - "cracking car grommit" .... My son saw a red one locally yesterday ...:) Hope these are the harbingers of an upturn in the fortunes of MG-R. If any company is due a change of fortune, that one is.
John McFeely

Do all the MG buyers on this thread agree with John and think their cars are overpriced?.If so why have you gone ahead and bought one?.How long do you intend to keep the car and are you worried about depreciation?.
Kevin Davis

Current range I dont think is overpriced when compared to what else is on offer.

Worried about depreciation a little, I have a very long finace plan. I hope to have it for many years!

Has anyone else noticed what their MG commision number is? My ZS is No.578

Kelvin
Kelvin

Whenever I've bought a new car privately, as opposed to a new ones via my employer company car, just like Kelvin plans to do, I've kept it for many years so the depreciation factor does not really come into it. Then maybe sell it privately, except for our MG Metro which we kept for 16 years as a family runabout thus drove it to it's last resting place - a local breakers. Selling privately means you can always negotiate the best discount on the new one because no part exchange is involved. Do a deal during the poorer sales periods in the year and very fine discounts are often available then. Never understood why so many just had to pay top whack for the dubious honour of a new reg car on every August 1st.

Kelvin,

I've been considering a 600ti for some time now. Yours looked a tidy example so I may have been tempted if I'd known. Had I known, you could have sold it to me for a few quid more than the px allowance - I'd been happy with that - then you could have tried your luck twisting the sales guy's arm for a better discount because no part exchange was involved. That way you win on both swings and roundabouts. Too late now but others would do well to ask around when they plan to do a deal with a car like that. However, at £13495, you at least won on the swings! Remember DelBoy's words: "Rodders ...He who dares WINS"! .... :o)

Kevin,

Our MG Zeds are no more expensive than most other similar cars in their class. In fact most of the Z-cars look really good value in comparison. Still I wonder what they actually change hands for when company deal (? bulk) purchases are made. No, my point was that all new car prices here are too high full stop. Unlike many other countries, that's why just about every car manufacturer and his wife queues up to sell their cars to the Brits. Investing in Britain? If only it was as simple as that. No, the "Build/design R and D" them where it's cheapest, sell them where it's dearest plays it's part here. If not, why do so many go through all that euro - import - web site - delay - sometimes aggro buying malarkey to get their dream car from mainland Europe. TO SAVE PAYING OVER THE ODDS HERE ... simple as that.

One final point well worth remembering. If you can get say a discount on a new car of £1000, that final total should be reduced by £1175 because of the added Value Added Tax (VAT) that applies to that £1000. If a dealer offers you a simple straight £1000 discount on a new car, he is actually only offering you 100/117.5 (=£852) of that £1000 because that £1000 figure includes about £148 VAT. That 1000/1175 fraction applies to all figures.
John McFeely

John.

When looking at 600ti's beware of gearbox problems!! I would not have sold it privately to you, the gearbox was not 100%.

Kelvin
Kelvin

Hi Kelvin

ZR 120+

Commission no. 5234

registered October

Cheers

Pete
Pete

Thanks Kelvin - you're a star!
John McFeely

And you shout at me for slagging Rover build!
Mega

MeGa

Rover Ti's develop 200 bhp, in the days when 200bhp was serious power (still is), therefore gearbox failures can be expected!

Also, MGR has moved on since those "Q" cars were developed and this is a "Z" car Forum. So go and buy the Ford and stop trying to wind people up.

Which Ford is it by the way?

JF
Jerry Flint

I had trouble with the gearbox on my 620ti,the diff bearings fell to pieces,mind you it had done 100000 miles!.The same thing happened on my 220GSI and that had only done 44000 miles!.
Kevin Davis

Yes Jerry they did and i have driven one. Its a pity that they didn't know too much about how to place that much power down on the road!
Mega

I haven't driven a 620 ti, so you are one up on me. However, all that power through FWD and turbo charged = problems for amatuer drivers unless you add ECU's to control the car.

Mitsi & Scoobies have 300 bhp+ in serious versions but add a mix of AWD and electronics to sort it all out.

The ZS180 has v.good motor and a great chassis to explore the drivers limits!

Well, which Ford did u order then?
Jerry Flint

A Bloody Anglia?
V.Andenplas

Hey Van

I reckon a Ford Pop?

R & a HP
Rock & A Hardplace

MEGA; (and Kevin later)

Are you not in bed yet? Naughty boy.

I thought those gearboxes were of Honda origin. Usually very good. The similar ones fitted to Montego and Maestro Turbos appear of bullet proof construction and perfectly capable of handling much more bhp outputs when extra power seekers modify their cars.

Maybe it's the LSD element or diff which causes problems on these later models. Be interested to know what to look for as I'm considering one of these for a project.

Kevin,

That 420GSi, do you know for sure that that 44,000 miles was genuine? I drove a turbo one of these as a company supplied car for a while back in the early 90s and what a little Q car it was too! At first glance just another run of the mill little ol' no account Rover. WRONG in shovels (make that spades). Great stuff!

John.
John McFeely

John

I know very little of the gearbox origins. However, I do have a mate who is on is second TI. The first did have a replacement gearbox and his source - somewhere near Heathrow mentioned that it was a common problem!

His second (later model {T-plate}) has been fine!

Jerry
Jerry Flint

The PG1 series gearboxes can take far more power and torque than standard cars give. However it is not just the engine power that is the problem. The 200PS version of the 800 was delayed until 1995 because there was a worry over the capacity of the gearbox. Now this was in this chassis and not the 200400. The reason for the difference is simple and is vehicle weight. The 600 and the 800 weigh about the same and the 200/400 about 300kgs lighter. This means that excess power is spun away in wheelspin in the lighter car and so acts as a relief valve. The heavier cars induce better traction and the extra weight also requires more effort to accelerate, hence greater transmission loading.

For the introduction of the 200PS 600 and 800 the gearbox was uprated from 200 to 220Nm rating. Quite exactly what the details of this rating is and under what circumstances I don't know. In addition some other internal changes were made to the Torsen diff.

Of note is the fact that I have seen diff bearings wear on a box on my old Turbo but that an earlier (Honda) made version of the same box with 75k miles before fitting was added and covered another 30k miles with the uprated T16 power and as far as I know is still fitted. The difference I think is in the use of steel bearing cages for the main bearings rather than quieter running nylon. Much the same situation that isa shown between Cooper S and Metro gearboxes.

Rog
Roger Parker

John,
Yes it was a genuine 44000 miles,full history.I reckon with cars like the above the driving may be a little more aggressive,wheelspinning etc,shortening the life of the gearbox.A more tenaciously driven car will probably wear better.
Kevin Davis

Trophy Blue
ZS 180

And very big grin
Neal Gascoine

I have had my ZS for just one week now, and driving it just gets better and better. It is so sure footed (is that a correct term?) my driving confidence is at a new high. I recall by first Monty turbo, with less that 30k on the clock, was pretty nifty thru the roundabouts, but since driving the ZS I had forgotten what fun driving a car was. My 600 was fast, but straighline speed and lots of BHP does not mean a car is fun to drive.

The lights for night driving on the ZS are amazing, again a factor which assists confidence when other wise I might have struggled to see where I was going!

MGR may as well scrap all their other paint colours as everyone I talk to about the car says what a beautiful colour the blue is!

I want to give my car a name, I've sort have named her 'Bluebird' but think I like the name 'Bluetiful' better :-)


Kelvin
Kelvin

Kelvin,

You romantic you! "Bluetiful" indeed! Have to agree about the appearance of the ZS180 in Trophy Blue: as they say dahn the east end, a real tasty looking motah! Your enthusiasm for the car certainly shines through too! As you get to know the car better you may find you enjoy it even more.

Have to disagree about scrapping the other colours though. The ZT looks the beesneese in both Red and Anthracite whilst yellow suits the ZR. All the Z-cars I've seen in silver so far look good too.

As much as I like the ZS180 in Blue, the ZT190 in Red with big mother alloys is spectacular to my eyes! Almost a "must have" for me ... :o)) I can wait...

John.
John McFeely

John your right about the red for the ZT, I did mean just for the ZS!

Kelvin and Bluetiful :-)
Kelvin

ZR 160 TROPHY BLUE
kevin blades

ive got a trophy blue ZS180
great car and pulls like a train but at 6ft3 i have to have the seat all the way back :o(
gazza
Gazza

Have just returned from giving a work collegue a ride in the ZS180. One of his first comments was 'these seats are comfortable' ! He was impressed with the all round performance and feel of the car. I think he drives a Rover 400 (early model) so his familiarity with Rover meant he felt very at home, and I think I have wetted his appettite to think about changing his car!! :-)

Kelvin
Kelvin

Earlier in this thread I did ask about what handbook people had been supplied with. Mine was for a Rover 45, but the supplying dealer, after I made a request, has sent me a Pukka ZS owners handbook/service record.

My thanks to Gordon Lambs in Sheffield.

Kelvin.
Kelvin

Hi,

Vehicle roll call:-

1932 MG M-Type
1967 MGB
2001 ZS 180 5dr (Trophy Blue)
1969 998 Mk 2 Mini Cooper
1991 Rover 216GTi TC
2000 Freelander 1.8Xi 3dr Hardback
1995 300TDi Landrover 90 CSW

Had the ZS since 24th Sept. Sold MGF VVC to get it. Love it to bits. Some minor niggles but great dealer (Shires Taunton)have sorted them. Just changed to Mobil 1 (0-40) fully synthetic oil and the Z goes like stink now (2,000 miles)

Regards
Pilky
Pilky

This thread was discussed between 16/11/2001 and 06/12/2001

MG ZR ZS ZT Technical index

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