Hello All- New Boy Here!
 

Hi Everyone
Some of you may know me as Rabett_Rover from the 75 and ZT Club. I am looking at a ZS for my 1st car as I turn 17 in the new year. I would like a MK2ZS a 110 or 120? Anyone got any advice on what to look for and what models are best ect.
Cheers Lewis

Hi and welcome

My advice as a father myself and a former driving instructor would be to get a Rover 111 (or late mk3 metro) until you have a licence and a bit of experience and then look for a decent 110 saloon.

Id get insurance quotes 1st off cant be cheap for a 120 at 17!

:hi: to our world. Best get some quotes to give you an indication of what lies ahead. Pays to be a girl when getting quotes! My daughters have gotten quotes for 120's and 180's, I was shocked at how much cheaper they were compared to similar aged lads.

Firstly welcome to the site .... :wave:

I recognise your username from the 75 ZT site, I used to have a Bittersweet ZT-T, now gone back to a Mk1 180 saloon.

As a new driver I reckon that aside from perhaps a ZR 105, the ZS 110 is the only car for you if your heart is set on an MG. Good for you ! I won't be talking you out of one. Personally, and talkingcars speaks from experience, :bow: , but I'd be more inclined to have something just a little bigger and safer as a first car than a Metro or Rover 1 series...and as a Dad, I'd be likely to encourage my boys into driving slightly bigger safer cars.

Have a look at Stephen's .... I think he's considering selling up. People with more mechanical knowledge than me on here will come in later, but as with all K series rover engines you have to look for early signs of HGF. Look for a good spec car, and if you can afford a Mk2 with updated dash and more modern exterior looks with the 180 kit you'll not go far wrong. :thumbsup:

Rightly so would you say Mick?? :thumbsdown::laugh:

Welcome to the site, make sure you have a decent test drive in what ever car you choose and get something that feels right for you.

Check for service history and ask if its been involved in any crash repair work.

:hi::hi::wave::wave:

Thanks for all your replys. Well I don't really like metros- they just don't seem very safe! We have a 75, ZR and ZT-T and I like the ZR. However a ZS MK2 Saloon with 11 Spoke, the big boot Spoiler and the Body kit really do it for me. Would I be right it saying the ZS 110 has a 1.6 engine?

110 is a 1.6 indeed. Have you gotten any quotes as yet? Not sure if they are loaded for a kitted mk2 these days as the parts are becoming hard to source. Check to see what cost differences there are between the 110 and 120, they may be closer than you think.

Yer 110 is 1.6 and 120 is 1.8, Never know you may find a 1.4 but not many of them about! Not even sure if the mk2 had a 1.4 but the mk1 certainly did

What model is the 1.4 ZS?

Welcome matey, glad to see another Essex guy here.

Think the 1.4s were built for Ireland but some got sold in UK when MGR went bust and the administrators were selling anything that rolled on its own wheels

:wacko: god help us!

What sort of parts are difficult to source? I know with 75's and ZT's its just the dealer fit accessories. Must have a look on the insurance sites

Mainly the 180 bodykit parts, rear wheel arch spats are non-existent but most likely most items now. I'm sure those that have been there can confirm their status.

I know what the administrators were doing :D someone in the 75 club that works at Austin Garages had a ZT-T test car come into them for a service. Complete with Fly by wire throttle and ECU cut off switch- Guess what sold by administrators

105 I guess same as the zr.

Based on a MG ZS 110

Quinn direct was the cheapest at £637.01
the next cheapest was £3,198.69 from Budget.

Woh! just a slight difference!

that quote from Quinn is phenominal!

Ok so my policy has a few mods added to it, but it was £570 this year, and i have just had to send my license off for the photocard renewal!

Thats a great quote I paid £800+ last year for my 120 and I was 22 few mods but even so. I never understand insurance comps, rang up on sat to insure the 180 for a day just swap the cars over, was told I could dispite it being on file that had done it a week previous!

Theres a guy on xpf with one of the 1.4 zs talking about getting the 180 might be worth a pm, http://forums.xpowerforums.com/member.php?u=9788 Not sure if it would be much cheaper on insurance not sure the insurance group for the 1.4 and 1.6

Would you mind copying the advert across as I am not a member on X Power forums and can't access it.
Cheers Lewis

Thats all that was said, commented on an advert for a 180, Its in Ireland but not sure where you are maybe too far!

Might be a bit far for me. I do now have more of an idea what I want though. A MK2 ZS 110 Saloon with if possible The arch kit, bit spoiler and 11 Spoke alloys. In any colour except Starlight Silver, Firefrost or a Monogram colour would be my 1st choice.

Hi mate, welcome!

Have you considered a diesel? They are 105 or 115 (get the 115 obviously!). Great fuel economy and don't think to bad on insurance, quite hard to find a clean well priced example I'd imagine though, but worth a look.

The good think about a ZS, apart from inlet manifold on the V6 and head gasket issues on the K's, the issues you may come across are easy to fix and not to expensive. It would be ideal to use any potential issues as haggling points when buying the car.

Look for:

> Leaky boot. Check under the carpet in the spare wheel well for any water or signs of water. Haggle on price if spotted, if it leaks then get some clear silicone for about a fiver and just smear it round the rubber seal corner with your finger so it fills the gap. Done!

> Heater blower 1 + 2 not working. This is like a 69p fix if you get a resisitor and do some soldering your self, or you could get one from a scrapper, or buy a kit off someone that I think has them on the MG-R forums. Takes about 10 minutes to fix. But could get you a bit knocked off the price of the car. Very common, but an easy fix.

> Seat bolster wear. The drivers side in particular WILL have wear on the leather part of the seat. I picked up a pair of front seat covers for 30 or 40 quid.

> Obviously, head gasket failure- check oil filler cap and dipstick to make sure the oil is the right colour and not a milky "mayo".

> Check rear door handles- are they stiff? Haggle, and if you buy the car, you will need to take off the door card (not hard) and shove some WD40 or something in the handle mechanism.

> Check for rear bumper sag on the mk 2's. Easy fix if you have the tools, cheapish fix I guess if you don't.

> Check coolant is nice and clear with no bits in.

> Check for metallic sounding rattling from the doors when driving round corners- this is just the metal connecting rod from the door hand to the latch mechanism. Can knock off money and get a roll of flashing tape or something and line the area of contact on the door so it won't rattle anymore. This has happened to a few people.

> Sometimes the female seatbelt connector rubs against the leather of the seat making it squeak. Flashing tape on the contact area will fix.

And obviously, as it's your first car take someone with some car know how. Check things like brake pads, tyres, ask how old the exhaust is, look for panel gaps, check for leaks etc etc.

I guess that's all you need to know... if going for a 110 or 120, you will either get say, a 110, or a 110+. The + means it has aircon and leccy windows and fogs. Optional extras that apply to the non + and + are things like sunroof, 180 body kit etc.

If you go for a 110 or 120, you can get a 180 body kit on it which is what you said you liked. Mark 2's need some undersealing as this was a casualty of project drive by MGR. Also I believe the mark 2's alarm sender unit needs modification as water can get in there.

If the alloys have kerbing, you can get touch up paint off ebay for £8 or so- easy to touch up yourself, worth knowing.

Hope this helps!

Some good tips there steve

Hey mate, check the for sale section im thinking of selling my ZS 1.6 110+ With extreme spoiler and 11 spoke alloys. Doesnt have the bodykit though, but imo it doesnt need it. Has a few added extras too!

Stephen

I wouldn't mind a diesel or a 110. I know it sounds daft but I am more intrested in colour and spec. The good thing is I have plenty of time to look for the right car. As I don't start driving until November 2010.

Sounds like stephen iirc hes had 2-3 cars before he will be driving!! I didnt get my first car till a yr after I passed, even then was because a guy owed me some money so gave me his car instead! :laugh:

Personally, if you can find a good condition diesel then I'd go for that. More reliable engine and much better fuel economy. If you've got time to look, then this might be ideal. Not daft at all to be converned with colour and spec! Just don't buy one that's the right appearance and has all the toys if it looks sub par. Unless you're loaded at 17, the last thing you want doing is buying a shoddy car that needs work doing. Most ZS owners look after their cars in fairness, but still be careful. We've seen a couple of horrific bodykits on cars for sale, so there are still a couple of chavs here and there straying from ZR's and buying ZS's!

It looks really nice mate
I am not in a position to purchase anything until the summer I am afraid but I would be intrested come the time.
Cheers Lewis
PS Are you Montegocountryman on the 75 site?

Yeah i am :)

No longer a Montego Countryman Owner though. Will need to get it changed to "Stephen"

If you PM a Mod they should be able to do it mate

hi there and welcome :)

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