Had the same one for nearly 8 years, thats got to say something!

The economy won't be great if you have a heavy foot, but I got over 400 miles out of a tank a few times driving from Edinburgh to Sheffield

It seems to get more economical the faster you go, because that was at a steady 85mph!

A fine car, great all rounder and a joy to drive in any mood. It'll put a smile on your face even when you feel down :D

Thats the kind of car im after then! Something that will put a smile on my face at any time! I really dont like all the boring modern cars with no character.

Well i will definatly be considering a nice clean one. I'll probably go for the 120 but i would really like a 180 so might just bite the bullet!

They seem to vary in price quite a lot on auto-trader. I've seen lots as low as 750 pounds right up into the thousands. Now i know paying more does not necessarily mean your getting a better car (from experiance!) so what kind of figure should i be looking at for a nice clean one with average mileage?

I owned a ZS 120+ (new shape with kit) for about 15 months which is the longest i've ever owned a car.

Here is what I would say about it:

- comfort: very comfy seats as standard, build quality isn't great so loud at motorway speeds, suspension setup as standard is spot on - perfect balance between sporty and comfort

- practicality: huge boot (this was a hatch) and when you fold the rear seats down you can take almost anything anywhere! 4/5 doors so easy access, very little room for people sitting in the back though especially if tall people in the front.

- performance: 120 1.8 engine is fine, definately don't go any smaller or else you will struggle up hills with people in the car, it is by NO means quick but it gets about and is just fine

- reliability/maintanence: fairly reliable, had a few small things and HGF over the period I had it. Small things very easy to fix yourself - very DIY-friendly cars and loads of parts available from scrappies. HGF is a ****** but still only £350-ish to fix so not that big a deal. Easy to maintain and keep going.

- economy: averaged about 36mpg in my 120, insurance cheap, road tax is ok and as I said cheap car to run and maintain. also you will barely see any depreciation which is always nice as they are not far off their residual value by now!


My advice: go for it! Get a 120, best balance of performance to economy but if you can afford the 180 easily enough then go for that, definately a no brainer. Make sure you get a mk2 with the full 180 kit (big spoiler, vents in wings, flared arches, etc - looks fantastic), I would probably go for a saloon but hatch may be more practical.

They really are great cars and you simply will not find a better car for the money.

Yea, you definatly get lots for your money it seems. I think i like the look of the saloon a little bit more. I'm going to save a little more money and see what i can find. Not going to rush into anything though, i'll wait for the right one to come along.

well i feel with all the praise for the petrols i should stand in the corner for the derv side of things ;)

When standard mine only hiccuped once when a one-off clutch failure sprung not bad for 65K.... for motorway schlepping and b-road blasts i dont think there is a better compromise out there than a derv ZS.

should you feel the factory power levels are not quite up to scratch there are a few cheap ways to bump power up by a nice %, and the same with the torque too... unless you are like me and try to turn it into a 180 derv, there are very few reliability issues with some careful mods...

I probably average around 450 miles to a tank (or 45mpg as i never let the tank get empty) but have seem over 600 with some careful use of the right foot.

even with mine tuned i get 45mpg day in day out at normal driving... and i dont hang around on the motorway either!

My car has been described a few ways before 'I thought i was going to be run over by an intercity 125, then i realised it was just you coming up the road' and my recent favourite ' your car is like a windsor chair with an ASBO'

Yes i know they will never scream like a 4 pot K or howl like a KV6, but i know i am laughing all the way to the bank.... (well i was till I threw silly money at it :laugh:)

Thanks for all the replies, will be test driving one soon hopefully. p_b82^^ What engine are you getting those mpg figures on?

Also forgot to ask a question which rozzr touched on about parts. You mentioned you get cheap parts from scrappys which is all good, but are there parts made new still?

yes you can still get most parts made by different manufactures minus the mk2 bodykit and the 180 radiators are quite a rare find too

It'll be a 'slightly modified' 2.0 L series diesel..

In comparison my derv (engine standard except BMC CDA & decat) has been getting an average of 54mpg on my A-road blast to work.

Even managed to get 58.9 on my run to Chester and back at the weekend! :evil:

637miles to £60 of diesel can't be bad!! :D