Why did you get a zed? [Archive] - theMGZS.co.uk

Nor

27-02-09, 12:47 AM

I'd always liked Rovers. Had 3 and all seemed to have pretty powerful engines compared to other cars in their class. When my last 420 (http://smartreg.co.uk/hosted/mecar.jpg) was giving up the ghost I looked about for something that was a bit quicker and could be had reasonably. Had never heard of the ZS 180 until I started looking around on Parkers etc. Had intended to get a MK1, but just by chance I got offered a MKII which was due to arrive at a garage. Was a bargain at the time. 18 months old with 9k miles.

carmadbaker

27-02-09, 06:27 AM

i envied my friends black 180 when he used to pi55 past me up bluebell hill at full throttle , as you can imagine....sounded absolutely amazing every single time!!!
I had a new mini which i did like! being 18 with 1 years NCB it was cheap to insure and run...but HUGELY unreliable and really badly built. So when my mate walked into the office and shouted to me "FANCY A BLACK V6 ZS?!?!" i nearly shot in my pants :D Bye bye mini! and hello to £210 tax and £2000 insurance premium :( but hey.....don't regret a single dam thing!! :D:D:D

Craig

27-02-09, 06:35 AM

Around 5 years ago, I was looking to chop my Zafira in for something sporty. I was originally looking for a zs mk1 but ended up going for a zr120, which I loved and kept for 3 years. As much as I loved the ZR, I wanted more power and better handling so I had to have a 180. After much searching and a train trip to Carlisle I got mine.

The only way I will change is if I find a nice cheap MK2 180. Cant see anything else with the same smiles for anything like the same money.

stamford

27-02-09, 07:11 AM

Mine was driven by a few factors as I always liked them since they were first released but were impractical for a family of 5 and the wife was not driving at that time. However when she did pass her test and we then subsequently moved house I was in a position to evaluate the next ride! I was looking at the ZT-T but they were out of my price range, the ZS did not have enough room for the three girls.

We bought a new Picasso, perfect for the growing family and when the wife stole it from me I was then forced to find another car, after a few failed attempts to get her to drive anything but the Picasso I ended up with a V6 Calibra. No issues for a 2+2 as we still had the egg ;) Then one day I thought of the ZS and never looked back, found a good example and 4 years later still happy :D

I will be keeping this one and maybe add a mk2 to the stable one day as I like them that much. You can keep all the other cars out there.

stevelou5

27-02-09, 07:15 AM

Wanted something that you didn't see all the time on the road (still have only seen about 3 since I bought mine 6 months ago)

Wanted a bigger car after my C2 VTS! (don't think I could have went from a smaller car lol)

Then I seen the Zed on auto trader...looks amazing and its a "proper car" good size and looks amazing....drives well and looks amazing....think you get the picture....lol.

:-)

Gazza

27-02-09, 09:31 AM

I first bought a ZR160 new in 2002 and owned that for 3 years, i got involved in the online MG/Rover community and went to a few meets and got on really well with all the people i met.

Then i decided i wanted something faster so i wanted an EVO6 Tommi Makinen after looking around at 4 different evo's and not finding any i liked.

On a whim i bought an Audi TT, i enjoyed 18 months of posing but i got tired of how hardit wasto park as you couldn't see the front back or sides plus the fact i was putting in £55 every 8 days. So it was getting expensive to run as i'd just bought a house at the time.

I was looking for a fast diesel that looked nice, Golf's needed a lot of work to make them stand out, Leon FR's were too expensive, 3door Astra's were way out of my price range i wasnevergonna buy a pugafter they pulled out of Cov.

So i was looking at ZR's and ZS's,then i found my first mk2 ZS with the 180 kit on and 30 days later i had an accident. I was determined to have another ZS so i had to wait another month to find a 180 kitted diesel.

Bobdope2002

27-02-09, 10:18 AM

id been driving a 414 about for about a year until it decided to spew its gearbox all over the road i really cbb to replace it so looked into buying something a bit newer and quicker

i then stumbled across a ZS120+ in anthracite for a absolute steal so i bought that which i woend for 2 years wish id never sold it tbh was a real nice car much better than my MK2

I then come into a little bit of money and bought the mk2 really because i had cash burning a hole in my pocket tbh wish id saved it for a rainy day such as now

tb steve

27-02-09, 10:19 AM

well i did'nt know what car i was after i had 15k to spend as the wrx got writen off only had that for 3 months payed 17k for that
so i thought i would have a look at and a tester i have a brand new zs looked a ctr didnt like where the gear knob was and i was going to test drive a 2.2 vtec accord but the zs got there first so i had that

Bobdope2002

27-02-09, 10:22 AM

the accord is a very nice car i had one as a pool car once very quick too

john180

27-02-09, 10:44 AM

Well my first MGR was a ZR105+ had to have one as i loved the look of them - had a test drive in one that came up local to me and bought it there and then. 6Months later i discovered insurance on a 120+ wasnt much different to I changed to one of those. 2 and a half years later i had some more no claims and after dreaming of a ZS from day 1 i took a test drive in one and ended up picking that up the following week.

All great looking and handling cars for the money. Nothing elses touches then for value for money.

TjP

27-02-09, 11:04 AM

Well, after a year drivin around in my little 110bhp 1.5l Suzuki I decided I really wanted something bigger. So my criteria was a saloon with either a V6 or a turbo... I looked at pretty much every car that does 0-60 in around 7sec, and eventually went for the ZS because of the way it looks, drives and of course because its amazing value for money!

I dont think you'll get any other 04/54 plate car with a 2.5l V6 for the price of a ZS. Certainly not one that drives as well as a Zed, anyway.

tb steve

27-02-09, 11:14 AM

the accord is a very nice car i had one as a pool car once very quick too

i never did drive it as i drove the zs first so i just went for that silly but good choise tho :)

peterzs

27-02-09, 11:30 AM

Ive had MG Midgets and MGB's but got fed up with the rust bug eating them away. I started looking at the MGF but as the bones dont bend as well as they used to, decided on a bigger MG. To be honest I didnt really know much about the new MG's apart from having a ZT V8 on a weeks trail from Rover, found that the ride was too hard but went like stink. The wife and I both said the same after driving it about half a mile, lets take it back. After a week though I loved the power and the handling, fuel went through it pretty quick. I looked on Autotrader and saw this nice yellow ZS 54 plate diesel, I thought the 180 would be a bit thirsty and the smaller engines were prone to HGF so I went for my first ever derv.

Put a deposit on it and travelled up to Chatham drove it around and loved it.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

RalphG

27-02-09, 01:41 PM

The reason I bought my first ZS was that the cam belt tensioner on the MGF that I was driving at the time failed. The F had done around 159,000 miles and had had the cam belt changed for the second time 3 months earlier. The tensioner failed 2 days prior to the anniversary of me buying the car.

I was quoted a minimum of £1500 to repair the engine, but it might have been as high as £3000. Alternatively, I could have had a new engine for £3,200 plus fitting. I decided to trade the F in for one of the cars that the garage had in stock. There was a choice of a Trophy Blue ZS120+ Stepspeed or a Le Mans (Lemon) Green ZS180. I got insurance quotes for both cars - the ZS180 was over £100 a year cheaper. Since my petrol was also being paid for by the company I worked for, there was no choice - it had to be the ZS180.

afcbadam

27-02-09, 04:14 PM

weagie

27-02-09, 04:39 PM

Totaly by luck. needed a new motor and walked passed the zed and took a few steps backwards leaving the missus looking at something else. Never seen one up close before and nearly bit the dealers arm off for the keys.

Southside_ZS

27-02-09, 05:01 PM

I've always been a fan of MG-R ever since i was a kid. I had about 7 family members that worked at Longbridge and all had MG-R company cars. I can still remember when my Grandad first had his H reg Rover metro as a company car when it was brand new. I was only 5., and when my uncle brought round his 75 the week they came out. I remember sitting in it and it feeling like i was in a Rolls Royce.

I always said i'd own a Rover and always said through my childhood i wanted to work at Longbridge but just my luck they went under just after i'd finished all my college courses. :(

I've only been driving 5 years and i've owned i think 16 MG-R's

1 X 200 wedge hatch 214 sei
2 X 200 wedge cabriolet 216 and 2.0 turbo
1 X 200 wedge coupe 216
1 X 400 wedge tourer 2.0 turbo
1 X 400 wedge saloon 420 Gsi Turbo
3 X ZR's all 1.4's
3 X ZS's all 1.8's 2 mk2's 1 mk1
1 X Streetwise 1.4
1 X 25 1.4
1 X 25 Commerce 2.0TD
1 X ZT 1.8

Dan1971

27-02-09, 08:13 PM

I was looking at the ZT-T but they were out of my price range, the ZS did not have enough room for the three girls. .......
You can keep all the other cars out there.

Even if someone had a really nice ZT-T :hmm:

I had a TF and the Mrs a Scenic. The Scenic brike down, and with 2 kids, the TF was great but not practical at this stage of my life.

I was passing a garage which had the ZS. I was offered £500 to change. Deal done.

markyzs180

27-02-09, 08:43 PM

Cos the Mrs wanted one!!! We have always had an estate/bus for the kids/dogs so our 2nd car is always a 'fun' one!! We'd had an iggy blue mk2 zr which we loved but it was only the 1.4 and a bit underpowered, anyhows after a few different motors she said 'have you seen the mk2 zs with the bodykits, they look the biz!' to be honest I hadn't and was looking at zr160's and scooby sportwagons then I saw a mk2 hatch in iggy blue whizz past me (turned out to be Sheddist) and that was it, all out for a 180! John180 beat me to his black one, then my brother phoned me at work one night to say a blue one had just appeared on the trader so I rang it, the bloke was gobsmacked as he had only put it on 10 minutes before and it was 11:30pm when I called him! I went up to York 3 days later with the cash and having already transferred it onto my insurance took it for a quick spin and that was it, I bought it!

Maxfly

27-02-09, 09:05 PM

When the zed range was first announced an press pics shown i knew i wanted a zr straight away when i could afford it, had always liked the shape of the 200/25 and the zed range added the styke i liked. Then i split up wi my fiancee and money i had put past for a house for us was burning a hole in my pocket so went shopping:) i wanted the 120 as i had a 1.4 car at the time and the 160 would be a killer on my insurance an out of my price range. picked up my new 120 on 8th Dec 2002 and loved it for the 5 yr an 1 day i had her, still miss my wee zr

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/Maxfly/HillsandMGs009.jpg

i had test drove a zs 120 when going for my zr 120 an knew they were a cracking car to drive so wheni was starting to think of a change i was looking at the facelift zs's, mainly as the looks had been freshened up so much and the bodykit added the 'bulk' i thought they needed, didn't think i could afford the 180 so was looking at the derv as i already had a zr 120 an the zs 120 carried more weight and i didn't want a drop in performance, but wi the help of evil craig saying that fuel consumption etc wasn't that bad i decided on the 180 and after a bit of searching i found my black ane in dundee which with the help of sammy i got and took a couple of treks down from ness to test drive then pick it up on 9th Dec 2007. My zs just seems to get better and better ro me the now, probably cos i have got the daft wee nigles sorted that the previous owner hadn't got sorted or had caused. the handling is fantastic and the sound........phenomanal, had the window down listening to the noise bounce of the central reservation as i put the foot down on my way home from work earlier. yet it is so comfortable, could probably drive for hundreds an hundreds of miles and still feel at ease :)

ian zs180

27-02-09, 10:53 PM

i had a vectra that says it all :laugh: . well i wanted a zr 160 to be honest i,ve always liked the zr i,ve never owned a mgr car before always had fords and vauxhall before ,but when the zed range was released i just loved the zr anyway late 2006 i decided i would have one when i was looking at my local dealer i came across the zs180 mk2 and just thought wow that looks awsome the kit just looked the dogs danglies and the rest was history my mind was made up i got the zs back in feb 2007 i just love it loads of power ,great handling and i still get the same buzz from it as i did the first day i got it

stripey

28-02-09, 07:18 AM

I started my driving life in a hand me down Rover 420 GSI with 139,000 on the clock 7 years ago and then had the opportunity and finance to change - tried the ZS120 and really liked it but couldn't afford the insurance so ended up with a Ford Focus 1.8 - loved that car and the handling (had traction control as well).

Eventually decided there was no point having 2 decent cars (wife had a Focus estate) so sold my Focus and went for a 1.1 Punto from a friend, then had the offer of a 1.3 Accent Coupe for a steal as a friend emigrated. Anyhow did well financially out of the deals and kept the Accent for 2 1/2 years until such time as my testosterone levels had plummeted and I needed a revival.

TBH my first choice was a Focus ST170 but at the top of my price range - on thinking again I remembered how much I enjoyed the 420GSI and ZS120 I started looking at ZS180's and got a bargain Mk1 with 58,000 for £2,900 a year and a half ago - haven't looked back.

I really enjoy the Zed and won't get rid til it's dead...

SimonMGZS

28-02-09, 08:59 AM

when i first saw the zed's come out in 2001 in the papers and i thought to myself i want one of those so i had a look at my finances to see if i could afford to buy one and at the time i couldn't :cry: and then in 2002 one of my local dealers was doind a deal on them £1k deposit and 0% apr over three years with one years free insurance on the zs120 so i off i go and do all the paperwork and the car gets delivered so i go and have a look at it and so we go back to the showroom and the sales man tells me there is a problem the insurance would not give me the free insurance due to the three points on my licence so the deal fell through on that car. the good news is still to come

so i decided to get the one i really wanted and get my own insurance so i put in a order for the zs180 in solar red and the car was delivered and i have never looked back and when the mk2's were made and when i first saw that at brands hatch in 2004 and i thought to myself i have definately got to have one of those so i waited for 2005 to come and i placed my order for one in january 2005 and again never looked back and i maybe looking to buy my old zs 180 back off a friend of mine who i sold it too in 2006.

mattie007

01-03-09, 11:55 AM

Always loved them from the moment I saw the BTCC advert in one of the big papers.
Its showed a TB saloon and a reflection underneath of the BTCC car!
Went to a few BTCC events and wanted one straight away!
That was in 2001, but finally got one in 2006! Worth the wait!

arwilson80

02-03-09, 10:54 AM

Price to buy, Reliability, Looks, and to a certain extent running costs.

RichZS180

02-03-09, 10:57 AM

I fell in love with the ZS180 the very first time i saw one and vowed to have one at some point in my life.

My older sis had a ZR160 which she handed me the keys but for me it was always the ZS180. My mates used to take the p**s out of me for wanting a tarted up 'Rover' with a body kit and big wheels! I told em where to go anyway. Had a punto HGT at the time but as with it being a Fiat things started going wrong and i got shot of rather quickly. Saw a 2002 ZS180 with 47k on the clock for 3k and traded in the punto.

Had it just over 7 months now and still loving it! Its like nothing i've ever driven and it handles so good!

p_b82

02-03-09, 08:22 PM

Why did i get a ZS.. well it was easy...

1) i crashed my first car and as punishement my parents "helped" me by loaning me the money only if i bought something they thought would be a sensible car. A 1.8 non turbo pug 205 - a wopping 58bhp when new...

kept that on the road for 2 years and had had enough, for my 21st birthday my parents had bought me a track day experience and thruxton and i drove a 180, and got a ride in the touring car.

I was considering a leon derv up until then, but after that it was game over. I went to the local dealer to my parents in March 2004, told the i wanted a mk1 ZS hatch diesel (the mk2 about to b released but not out yet)...
asked what was in stock and what he could find, and he made a couple of phone calls and informed me an ex demo with 14K miles could be mine..

Put a deposit down without seeing it, and 2 weeks later it arrived, checked it out took it for a spin, and once some money had cleared bought it, on my birthday it has sat on my drive ever since will be 5 years in a months time. In fact i drove off with it before the cheques had even cleared!

I would have loved to have got the 180 but i was 22 and could not justify (or afford) the insurance as i was still at uni, keep thinking about buying a 180 as well, but keep failing to justify it to the GF.

I do not know what i will ever do if it was written off, there is no other car that i can think of that i would rather drive.

Jem

03-03-09, 11:41 AM

Well some old git pulled out and drove in the side of my 414 so it was time to get another car beause it was beyond economical repair,I wasn't happy at all because i had only got got the car back because i had the head gasket go on the engine,I was so mad because it cost me alot to get it fixed,Anyway i thought i would get a better faster car than the 414 i knew someone was selling his i had driven it before and allways liked driving it i fell in love with it so it had to be mine.