206 or ZR 105

leonliang

Hi Guys,

I am getting a small car for my girlfriend(her first car). But I am struggle in between a 00' 206 and 02' MG ZR 105. I have to say both of them are very nice, but I am not sure which one is the winner in terms of Insurance, Security, Reliability etc.

Appriciate your advice, Thanks

smcgiff

What size engine is the Pug? Seem like two very different cars to me.

Owen

MG ZR will suffer from depreciation, we've seen a few in the forecourt over the years, and they don't fare too well.

bazz26

The MG also suffers from the common problem of head gasket failure on the K Series engine, if the fluids are not regularly topped up. Cabin is very 1990s and safety rating is not particularly good. Good bit of poke from the 105bhp 1.4 litre engine though.

The driving position in the 206 can be a bit awkward and some of the electrics can be a bit dodgy in them but overall they are a good car. Good driver too but make sure it is the 1.4 litre at least. The 1.1 litre is feeble.

I would go with the 206.

smcgiff

Looks like the smallest ZR is the 1.6i with 110 BHP and a 0-60 of 9.0s.

The speediest 206 is the 1.6 16V SE 5d (DAC+CC) which is also a 110 BHP and can do the 0-60 in 9.3s.

So, while the slowest ZR will be a hoot, make sure you get a decent 206 if performance is a factor.

leonliang

The 206 is 1.1L and the MG is 1.4L.

It seems that MG (Rover) got a very bad reputation.

Owen

I shall now, attempt to sum up this thread with one image :

mondeo

The only thing that would put me off the MG is the rediculous rate of head gasket issues as mentioned. Theres an uprated land rover headgasket that supposedly resolves the problem. I like the look of the ZR your on about, they are quite quick for the 1.4, has an DOHC engine aswell....
If you pushed me up against a wall and made me choose between a standard 206 and a ZR I would buy the ZR. You should get one very cheap these days. The 206 I'm sure will hold it's value better due to the girly love affair they have.

woodseb

as a drivers car the ZR is great and looks good too, however the reliability issue is a bugbear. I just my 02 ZR recently and it never gave me an ounce of trouble but took a fair hit on depreciation. If you do get one, give it a very good once over and haggle hard (no need to pay over 5k) and you might get a very good car that will last a few years yet.

smcgiff

My bad, I was looking at the wrong MG. The ZR 1.4 has a 0-60 of 10s.

Whereas the 1.1 pug Zzzzz Will it even get to 60?

smcgiff

ned78 wrote: »

I shall now, attempt to sum up this thread with one image :

So harsh! My first car was a rover 414i. She served me well.

colm_mcm

Harsh depreciation means you can get ZR's for small money as long as the seller is living in the real world.

L-M

As Bazz26 already mentioned, be very careful over those head gaskets.. Can be very costly, especially for first time driver... Stick with the 206, she'll surely find another girl friend to buy it off her when she's done... They're a popular car...

colm_mcm

At least you know what to look out for on the MG. Peugeot 206's give problems too, just more randomly.

mondeo

colm_mcm wrote: »

Harsh depreciation means you can get ZR's for small money as long as the seller is living in the real world.

Ye theres still loads of young lads trying to sell these for way too much dosh...... It's comical.

L-M

If the head is done, and it's been looked after, they're a nice car... It's not that because they're Mg they should be sold for a tenner... They still hold some value...(nothing more than 4k:p)