Bah, you all knew I'd have to jump into this.
They have a few problems that hampers performance, VIS something I think. Hard to fix as parts are uncommon. I'd love to drive one, I've got a ZS 1.6.
Which parts are uncommon? The only things you have trouble sourcing are the Mk2 body panels, and for a grand it's going to be a Mk1.
Common issues:
- Clutch hydraulics ropey. Someone on the owners club does a full kit to replace the lot with a superior system, I think it's about £160.
- VIS motors in the inlet manifold can fail, but 10 mins and a soldering iron will fix them. Alternatively, refurbed motors are quite cheap, at about £30 and really easy to find.
- Inlet manifold swirl flaps can work loose, but they won't actually break off and cause damage. You'll just have a rattly manifold, as my ZT 190 with the same engine had. Saying that, it did have 130k on the clock.
- Make sure the cambelts have been changed. They need doing at 6 years or 90k, whichever comes first. This can cost £450 to have done!
...and that's it. For the most part, they're very reliable.
Common misnomers:
- The head gasket is NOT prone to failing on the V6.
- You CAN still get every part off the shelf, or eBay failing that, save a very small number of exceptions. Rimmer Bros specialise in MG Rover parts, and their online catalogue makes ordering the correct part painless and quick.
- Handling will be poor as it is FWD. Tiff Needell described the ZS180 as the best front-wheel drive car he'd ever driven.
I've just sold my ZS TD (remapped and with many other mods, making it near-ZS180 quick) and I do miss it - the handling was brilliant, and it cost me bugger all to run.
