MG ZR, Good Or Bad Car?

Typewriter

I just want to know ur opinions on this lads.

I was thinking of getting a MG ZR or a Rover 25 in the next few months (but maybe not a 25 after seeing that thread about the head gasket).

So should I bother?

Mailman

Keep clear of ZR. They were almost entirely bought by lunatics.
25 is essentially the same car with softer suspension.
Find a clean 25 which needs a headgasket and after it's fixed properly you'll have a reliable little car for small money.

Saab Ed

Mailman wrote: »

Keep clear of ZR. They were almost entirely bought by lunatics.
25 is essentially the same car with softer suspension.
Find a clean 25 which needs a headgasket and after it's fixed properly you'll have a reliable little car for small money.

+1

Junk . End of.

Ferris

girlfriends mother has a ZR and the gf has a 214, both are fine with no head gasket woes - yet - but this is probably because they drive them very easily. The problem is that they have a small coolant capacity and expansion tank so any loss can lead them to overheat. Also they need to be rev'ed hard to go well and that does the engine no good. Also they have a short ratio gearbox that means the engine is doing 3-3.5k revs at 70mph which I think is a bit high.

I think the ZR is a nice little car, it goes well for a 1.4, looks well and can be gotten for pittance. Buy one cheap and put money aside for the gasket job. If you get one a coolant flush would be a good idea too.

Typewriter

Are they really that bad when it comes to problems with the head gasket? I was under the impression that it was only a problem with k series engines that are greater than 1.4L.

I really like the look of them and they are a descent sized hatchback with lots of mod-cons as standard.

Do post 2004 (new look) models have the same problems as pre 2004? (post 2004 is what im after).

Edit: I drive from Waterford to Wexford town every weekday, that's a lot of yearly mileage and most ZR's seem to have very low mileage.

Ferris

green_jesus wrote: »

Are they really that bad when it comes to problems with the head gasket? I was under the impression that it was only a problem with k series engines that are greater than 1.4L.

I really like the look of them and they are a descent sized hatchback with lots of mod-cons as standard.

Do post 2004 (new look) models have the same problems as pre 2004? (post 2004 is what im after).

Edit: I drive from Waterford to Wexford town every weekday, that's a lot of yearly mileage and most ZR's seem to have very low mileage.

If they are driven hard and the coolant neglected then yes they do blow heads. Also like I said the gearing is short so I do not think that they are the best option for long daily commutes at 70mph as they're noisy, uneconomical, and it puts strain again on the gasket.

If you're doing high mileage maybe a fabia VRS would suit better, its quicker, more economical and the engines are pretty reliable, if a little rough.

carchaeologist

Sack of scrap..you can buy much better these days.They are not really MGs anyway..more badge engineered old civics and not with honda build quality..The design of these goes back to the mid 90s.

Mailman

25/ZR is a Rover design with MG-Rover running gear. No Honda involvement in the 25/ZR.
As I said before the 25 is the one to go for, not the ZR. Streetwise is another good option but there are few of them around.

L1011

Mailman wrote: »

25/ZR is a Rover design with MG-Rover running gear. No Honda involvement in the 25/ZR.
As I said before the 25 is the one to go for, not the ZR. Streetwise is another good option but there are few of them around.

The 200 that the 25 is based on/actually was before the MGRover divestment from BMW was designed with enough looking over the shoulder in to Honda's copybook though; albeit with no Honda made parts.