MG zr??

Bettyboop

I am looking for a Mitsubishi colt but almost all have very high mileage
so I came across an 2002 MG for €5400 which looks great and has all the extras
abs, climate control etc. But why so cheap?? I know they don't make them anymore but are the parts hard to find??I goggled a few reviews of the MG and all looks fine.
Any help appreciated as I am seriously interested in this car.
Thanks:)

smash

not very reliable... and I didn't know they even came with cruise control

alias no.9

They have a bad rep for reliability, blowing head gaskets in particular. The bad rep existed when MG Rover were still in production and residuals were always poor, since the company went bust, the arse has fallen out completely. The k-series engine is an excellent performer with ~100bhp from a 1.4 since the early 1990's, other makes are only catching up now. The downside was that it was designed to run on the minimum amount of oil and water which can turn slight overheating into a catostrophic event. Parts will not be a problem for many years.

If you can haggle with them and get it down to about €5k or even less (haggle hard, there's no market for these) then it's worth considering but get a mechanic to look over it, a compression check would be money well spent.

Bettyboop

steve06 wrote:

not very reliable... and I didn't know they even came with cruise control

Sorry climate control;)
Central Locking, CD Player, Electric Windows, NCT, ABS Brakes, Airbag, Alarm, Alloy Wheels, Electric Mirrors, Fog Lamps, Immobiliser, Leather Upholstery, Power Steering, Sunroof, Rear Spoiler, Half Leather, Sports Seats, Climate Control, Metallic Paintl

Bettyboop

alias no.9 wrote:

They have a bad rep for reliability, blowing head gaskets in particular. The bad rep existed when MG Rover were still in production and residuals were always poor, since the company went bust, the arse has fallen out completely. The k-series engine is an excellent performer with ~100bhp from a 1.4 since the early 1990's, other makes are only catching up now. The downside was that it was designed to run on the minimum amount of oil and water which can turn slight overheating into a catostrophic event. Parts will not be a problem for many years.

If you can haggle with them and get it down to about €5k or even less (haggle hard, there's no market for these) then it's worth considering but get a mechanic to look over it, a compression check would be money well spent.

I will be getting an AA man to check it Someone told me the suspension can be a problem too
Thanks for the advise.

fletch

My mate has one and has been back to the garage 11 times in a year with all manner of serious and not so serious faults. In saying that it has to be one of the best handling cars I've driven.

bazz26

€5,400 sounds a bit expensive for a 5 year old one imo. I would expect to pay less than €5k for it to be honest. These cars are hard to sell these days so it is really a buyer's market with them.

As others have said the K Series engines are prone to head gasket failure due to a design flaw. The engine coolant level needs to be monitored quite vigerously to try to avoid overheating.

When buying you really are at the mercy of the how the previous owner looked after them. I would definately look for one with a proper service history including receipts for any repairs.

smash

one other thing.... get the AA guy to check the engine managment light... these things have a life of their own on the ZR so a lot of people just disconnect them or remove the bulb. I had one for a while that I bought to sell on and it took the mechanic ages to try and find out why the bulb was flashing and then one day it just stopped by itself! pain in the ass of a car.

Bettyboop

steve06 wrote:

one other thing.... get the AA guy to check the engine managment light... these things have a life of their own on the ZR so a lot of people just disconnect them or remove the bulb. I had one for a while that I bought to sell on and it took the mechanic ages to try and find out why the bulb was flashing and then one day it just stopped by itself! pain in the ass of a car.

Thanks for all the replies.Much appreciated will have to think again on buying
an MG me thinks:eek: :eek:
Need something a bit more reliable.;)

Fey!

The biggest problem with these engines was between the steering wheel and the seat; those who bought them never checked the water on them, which caused the engines to overheat and head gaskets to go. At the end of the day, if the owner can't be bothered to check the water level, who's to say that they didn't treat the rest of the car any differently?

All that said, a couple of my friends have had the ZRs and ZSs, with no huge problems. I seriously looked at one myself, but the insurance was cheaper on the 520!!!

At the end of the day, you have to remember on here that you get all of the "internet professionals" whose information isn't always going to be accurate. No matter what you buy, get it checked over by the likes of the AA, and if you buy off a garage make sure that you have a decent warranty.

NOTE: "MG/Rover are rubbish" is brought to you by the same people who bring you "Alfas are crap", "BMW drivers are all ignorant", "Mercs are for oldies", etc, etc, etc.