MG ZR....Any good?

lukewhiting · 19 March 2013, 19:48

Looking into getting a MG ZR but was worried about obviously MG not being around anymore & if something went wrong and parts were needed, how easy would it be able to get hold of them & would they be more expensive than usual?
Trents scapyard near me is usually good for getting the odd part but cant souly rely on that.

Also anyone whos ever owned an MG or has one now....how relieable are they? Obviously dont want to buy someting thats gunna keep breaking on me

Thanks for any help!

Jizm · 19 March 2013, 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by lukewhiting

Looking into getting a MG ZR but was worried about obviously MG not being around anymore & if something went wrong and parts were needed, how easy would it be able to get hold of them & would they be more expensive than usual?
Trents scapyard near me is usually good for getting the odd part but cant souly rely on that.

Also anyone whos ever owned an MG or has one now....how relieable are they? Obviously dont want to buy someting thats gunna keep breaking on me

Thanks for any help!

It's a rover.
Nuff said.....

matt h · 19 March 2013, 19:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by lukewhiting

Looking into getting a MG ZR but was worried about obviously MG not being around anymore & if something went wrong and parts were needed, how easy would it be able to get hold of them & would they be more expensive than usual?
Trents scapyard near me is usually good for getting the odd part but cant souly rely on that.

Also anyone whos ever owned an MG or has one now....how relieable are they? Obviously dont want to buy someting thats gunna keep breaking on me

Thanks for any help!

That statement and Rover go together very well! German or Jap way to go

A1an · 19 March 2013, 19:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jizm

It's a rover.
Nuff said.....

Don't be too hard on them, they actually weren't a bad wee car pound for pound.

Parts are ten a penny and relatively cheap too.

With regards to reliability...... It's a lottery, I've known £30k BMW's destroy their internals and I've seen Astras with 150k on the clock and hardly had a spanner near them all their lives.

You pays your money, you take your chances.

yam man · 19 March 2013, 20:21

The rover k series engines seem to like popping head gaskets

Leapy · 19 March 2013, 20:35

They're no longer in business. There may be a clue there

shoestring · 19 March 2013, 20:52

I'm not a fan but as A1an says i don't think they're all that bad, Headgasket failure has always been an issue but there was a revised gasket triple layer from memory which seemed to work so I'd check if thats been done if not and it fails its approx £500 to put right. Sunroof's also leak via the glass panel, if the seal looks a bit wavey or lifting waters got underneath it and started to eat the metal edge that the seal bonds to. Parts No longer available and £120 to put right. Regards AL

thestig1973 · 19 March 2013, 22:45

Buy a cheap car, get breakdown repair cover from the AA, it'll cost around £9 a month and covers head gaskets and most parts and labour costs.
Like any insurance it Doesn't cover everything, but it's worth considering

lukewhiting · 19 March 2013, 23:59

It was either this or a Renualt megane. Think the Renualts the better option now

Nos4r2 · 20 March 2013, 00:25

Renault is never a better option!

Tim M · 20 March 2013, 00:40

Good friend of mine had an 04 MG something or other until a few weeks ago. He's a mechanical sort, so did most of the work him self. However, he eventually worked out he would save money buying a brand new Fiesta on finance when he looked at what he'd spent on parts over the last couple of years (was doing 20k miles a year). I personally found the seats horrendously uncomfortable even on very short journeys. I also remember an afternoon we spent trying to get the bonnet open. The bonnet catch stopped working - a known fault on this model - was so well known even the factory knew so they had installed an emergency hatch in the wheel arch so you could poke your arm in and try and retrieve the disconnected cable, give it a pull and open the bonnet.

matt h · 20 March 2013, 08:58

Renault is equally as bad My mate had a 04 megane. it had to go to the autions in the end. it basically never went. multiple issues!

lukewhiting · 20 March 2013, 11:34

So my third option of a 2.0 ford fiesta st (the 2004-2007ish model) is looking like the favourite!

Nos4r2 · 20 March 2013, 11:41

Erm... have you checked the price of insurance for the cars you're looking at?

mitchc · 20 March 2013, 12:26

Cheap very underrated car is the 1.7l Ford Puma.
They are 125hp but can be upped to 150 quite easily.

Although based on the Fiesta, it's a very different drive. It's my every day hack and puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Still gives 40mpg even if I drive like I stole it
I believe it was sport car of the year in 2000....

Just another cheap option for you

lukewhiting · 20 March 2013, 15:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Erm... have you checked the price of insurance for the cars you're looking at?

The megane & mg were £700 for me , not got round to checking the fiesta yet