Car For A 21 Year Old - MG ZR?

DAnDan

DAnDan

DAnDan

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Basically I'm thinking of replacing my 106 that I've had since my 17th birthday, as I'll be on placement this year doing about 15k miles to work, and would like something a little nicer/newer as I'll have some extra money to spend on it.

I'm currently thinking of a car for about £2k, and quite like the look of the ZR. So what's all your opinions on them? Decent or to be avoided?

Also if any of you have any suggestions I'm all ears :).
 
I like the zr looks sporty.
206? I had a nice one that granted was only 1200 cc I think, but it was black with spoiler, lexus lights & alloy wheels, (all as standard) but was still cheap to run.
 
I think what sort of experience you get depends heavily on what engine you choose. They came with a 1.4 engine that doesn't nearly have enough performance to match the '15 year old Rover 200 that just ramraided the ripspeed department of Halfords' looks. I imagine that the diesel variants and the 'normal' 1.8 tell a similar story.

The zr160 actually puts down half impressive numbers and going by the passenger rides I've had in one the handling isn't too bad, but I cannot see why you'd be considering one when this sort of budget easily buys a 172 Cilo.
 
Joshy said:
I think what sort of experience you get depends heavily on what engine you choose. They came with a 1.4 engine that doesn't nearly have enough performance to match the '15 year old Rover 200 that just ramraided the ripspeed department of Halfords' looks. I imagine that the diesel variants and the 'normal' 1.8 tell a similar story.

The zr160 actually puts down half impressive numbers and going by the passenger rides I've had in one the handling isn't too bad, but I cannot see why you'd be considering one when this sort of budget easily buys a 172 Cilo.
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I was looking at the 1.4 probably, I'll take a look at the Clios though, should be worth a check at least.
 
DAnDan said:
I was looking at the 1.4 probably, I'll take a look at the Clios though, should be worth a check at least.
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I've got a 1.4 as my first car, loved the look of it so i went and got one.
the interior build quality is pretty crap, a few rattles ect.
i've had no engine problems with it and it's an 03 plate car. changed tires and breaks but that's to be expected on any car really. really nice car to drive and if you've got a bit of time to find what's making a noise inside the you can make it really nice car tbh.
 
Brief summary:

ZR 1.4: 105bhp, not that quick but quick enough. Build quality lacking.
ZR 1.8: 120bhp, pretty quick and a lot more fun than the 1.4. Build quality still lacking.
ZR 1.8 VVC: 160bhp, surprisingly quick and the fun factor hides some of the build issues. Lift of oversteer can be scary.
ZR TD: Sounds like a tractor, but for £200 it can be taken to about 155bhp which makes it surprisingly quick. Diesel engine makes EVERYTHING rattle though. :D

I had a Fiesta as a first car, and I'd much rather have had a ZR after I drove a 1.4. Anything else will be out of reach insurance wise.

Edit: For £2k and at 21, look at an MG ZS. Much better built, better choice of engines (2.5 V6 in this range) and all cheaper than a ZR on average.
I have a ZS TD, which has been upped from the standard 101bhp to about 160. It's no BMW, but it's a cracking motor to drive for sub £2k.
 
Got 1.4 myself, Mk2 though. Kept an eye on the fluids every week and apart from a small oil leak, i've not had any mechanical issues with it. So far :o

As has been said, the interior build quality is pretty awful. Rattles everywhere. Having a sub in the boot really hasn't helped that in the slightest however.

Exterior build quality isn't much better mainly the spoiler (foam underneath it which keeps popping out).

The engine still does make me smile, full stainless steel catback exhaust to give it a bit more of a noise, nippy enough for me and brilliant handling for what it is. The only issue is the 30mpg average i'm getting out of it :D

What i've replaced in 18 months:
Drivers window regulator (Only major thing, but didn't stop me using the car)
General consumables (Tyres/Brakes/Wipers/Bulbs)

In general, if you like the look of them, i'd highly recommend one, just make sure you go over the car first to make sure there's no obvious issues. Take it out for a drive and take note of any knocks over rough roads at slow speeds.
 
I had a 2002 diesel ZR. The interior was a bit dated but I didn't have any serious build quality issues. I enjoyed the drive, heavier steering and firmer suspension made it much better than the rover 25 I had before it. It also picked up speed well and as someone has already mentioned the diesel can be fairly easily tuned. Mpg on both the petrol and diesel are suprisingly good if you take it easy.

Head gasket failure can be common on some of the earlier petrol versions. My 25 never suffered from it but there are plenty of people who have. I would also watch out for rust around the sunroof if you look at a car with one.

I thought it was a great car for the money. If you are doing a lot of motorway miles you might want to look at something a bit bigger though.
 
I had a mate that had a ZR, went to sleep one night leaving it locked on his driveway. He woke up to it in a ball of flames... apparently an electrical fault set the thing on fire. Not that this makes it a bad car but probably worth getting the electrics checked over I would say.
 
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