mk 2 120 info
 

As you know the 180 is having to be sold but having a look round for something else and everything looks and feels pedestrian so I have decided to go for a MK2 120 but having never owned one or even looked into specs etc I was wondering if you guys could point out the usual issues that they have...
I know that there is the hgf issue but as Ritchy say's its about 2 hours.. so half a day for me lol but I'm also looking to mod it a bit so exhaust and lower it.. am I correct in thinking that civic coilovers work or is that just the mk1's?
cheers guys

Most issues are similiar to the V6 bud. Obviously as you have noted check the HG and anything associated with the cooling system - stat, rad etc. I am sure you can still get the Xpower lowering springs for the 120 and all 4 pot K series if you don't want the expense of coilovers:)

Pg1 box on them to right... means a sheddist kit again, best get on the waiting list haha.
Ahhh balls that means that if I go for the one im looking at I have to change my sig to... found one with fsh, 50k and full 180 kit for 1800... just gotta shift mine first unless him being a autotrader 'dealer' means he will take mine as px

sounds good, hopefully he would offer you a decent price for the trade in~:)

hope so lol

the 120 does not have the same issue with the hydraulics as the 180....

i think it is due to the different bellhouse mounting for the slave - and probably a lower pressure clutch as it has less torque in the 1.8.....

really.. ohh snap! thats one less issue. I read something somewhere about saggy bumpers and rusting barckets but I can remember where... anyone know the deal with those?

The saggy rear bumper is a mk2 thing, but the fix is simple and cheap.

Plenty of scope for modding a 120....... VVC.... or turbo ..... your ingenuity and wallet are the only limits..... how about a turbo'd VVC

i think you will enjoy the 120, i know there not the v6 but they have a lovely sound and they still feel quick. there seems to be a few out there, pity i think im going to have to sell mine, Sid is great but going to have to get an auto!! :unsure:
good luck with traders, they are usually very tight on what they offer for any car never mind MG's. hope work is keeping you busy and happy hunting.

lol nice idea but at the min I'm mainly just looking to do a few small mods just to make it sound better more than anything.. not up for massive power or I would be keeping the 180 and the more modding I did would ****** the whole 'better mpg' thing im after haha

he's not a proper trader so hopefully he wont try and bend me over to much lol... got 5 mins free this arvo so chilling out.

good luck, so whats the one you have seen like then, dont give too many etails so no-one beats u too it!!

its a MK2 xpg 120 with the full 180 kit... inc alloys, she looks nice on 50k and with a full service history

Id take it out for a drive mate see what you make of the 120, it will feel slow compared to the 180 and needs to be reved to get power out of it.

As for exhaust Id go for just a cat back, I decatted mine and fitted vvc inlet and exhaust manifolds but im sure it just pulled more fuel through it. Used to pop lots and set of car alarms as I passed though :laugh:

No vis issues or clutch issues like the KV6 which is a bonus. Although I dont think theres that much in the fuel. Maybe Ive just got a heavy foot but I could get 20-25mpg out of the 120!!

I dont believe the hg is a big risk Ive had 4 K-series based cars only one that had issues was the KV6 when I first got it. :unsure:

heavy foot my lad, :laugh: 30mpg and thats all short, 38 ish longer routs.

I was gonna say.. christ I get 21-25 out of the 180 that would not make it worth it... but 34-38 sounds better.

Id just go cat back as do blame the decat and manis, for reduced back pressure and an increase in fuel pouring through.

But certianly remember calculating getting 24mpg. Before anyone says I double and tripple checked it as I was shocked too.

head gasket is one of those things that can just happen, believe its more age related than mileage, look at the colour of the coolant and make sure its clean, if its dirty then get him to take a chunk off the price and stick it aside, id say the head gasket is far less of an issue on the k series than the timing belts are on the v6, if that lates guy is near you he could probably even come out and do it in your works car park id imagine not a very hard job.
mk2 is obviosly when the cutbacks started really hitting back, so look for things like the fuel tank, make sure there is no deep rust on it, would expect a certain amount of surface rust though, and the filler neck, pull the cap off and make sure it isnt rusty where the seal goes, this is because they dont have the splash guard...probably not as much of an issue down south as up here, make sure all the electrics work, the mk2 has an scu, which tbh isnt a common thing on the zs to go more on the zr, to every 20 zr's there maybe only one zs because where it sits, but still make sure the hazards, heated rear screen, front fogs are working
door handles probably know as the same with all zs's can be brittle so go round pull them all make sure they arent hanging off
heater resistor make sure setting 1 and 2 are working on the blowers(unless it has climate control)
look at the condition of the radiator, make sure the bottom isnt corroded espiecially where the fan bolts on, theyre at that age now where they can be a bit rotton
exhaust heat shield, they ususally break at the bottom bolt, not a major issue and they dont tend to rattle but its another thing to knock him down on
make sure all the windows go up and down nicely(your checking the regulators)
ull the boot carpet up make sure the spare wheel well is dry, saloon can be prone to water leaks, usually the seams next to the light, or through the bumper clips, again not a big issue to fix but another knock down in price
front exhaust flexi is very short on the mk2's so the outer sheith is prone to splitting, doesnt usually blow but again another knock down, also look at the backbox next to the wheel look for corrosion

thats just a list of things tbh they arent that bad just giving you things to check, i think theyre great cars for the money and theres very little that i work on that i would replace my car with given the choice

Don't do it ....

You sell your 180 for ?1000
You buy a 120 for ?1800 - then spend ?200 on mods you are about ?1000 down.


A 180 does 25 to the gallon
A 120 does 35 to the gallon

10,000 miles is 400 gallons in the 180 - or 285 gallons in the 120

A gallon of fuel at 1.35 a litre is ?6.10 a gallon.

400 gallons at ?6.10 = ?2440
285 gallons at ?6.10 = ?1738

So - in doing 10,000 miles in a 120 instead of a 180 - you will save roughly - ?700 You'll save a bit on tax and a bit on insurance.

Taking into consideration the 180 grin factor - I don't see the value/savings in doing what you are doing if you are going to add money to your car for a 120.

Run what you have got. But hey - just my opinion. ;)

I am with Dan. my mate doesnt get anything like 35 mpg, 30 tops

My 180 is 21-25 mpg.. im getting 220 miles to a tank because of the traffic at parts of my journey, last year a covered 23'000 miles so if you take a middle fuel price of 132.9 which means a tank is ?70 soooo
23000 / 220 = 104.5 tanks
104.5 x 70 = ?7315 approx

The 120 would be ?4181 approx so I have a saving of ?3134 approx so even with the 1k off for the extra on the car its still worth it mainly because of the mileage im doing and thats without the tax and insurance saving.

I think you talking yourself into a 120.... and I think you fuel cost projections are optimistic.....I hope you dont jump from the frying pan into a slow burning fire matey :huh:

Clearly you've made your mind up and being honest 23K a year in a V6 is a huge expense so I understand why you'd want to change, but I think you need to look at a diesel mate to be honest, not a 120. I think you're estimations for what you'll get from a 120 is a bit optimistic.

I really wanna keep the 180 and I mean really wanna keep the 180 but I cant keep putting ?70 in the tank every 4-5 days and save up to move closer.. its a real shoite

?4181 divided by 104.5 gallons is an estimation of just over 40 to the gallon. No way. Not on a stop start route mate. You're way off.

Thats the other choice but does a derv work out cheaper over the year with the extra you have to pay on fuel... I couldn't even begin to work out the values

Nah ... not right cancel ....

sorry dude i did the working out on the phone for the 120 at 35mpg... it came out at 59 tanks.. ish

Can get 50+ mpg out of a derv if its not been played around with too much.

Would expect 40+ if slightly tuned and being driven so that it brings a smile to your face!!!

Was going to do a mpg check after driving up to Birmingham, filled up the other day and forgot all about it. Doh!!!!!!!!!!

Have to top it up and start again.

This is my first derv and I think its great. Only things after 3 years of ownership have been, rear disks and pads, when a caliper stuck on and a new battery to replace the o/e one.

Did do the big service when I bought it, all fluids, belts, front pads and disks, all filters etc.

:smile1::smile1::smile1:

Not being funny but a derv will be a much better investment. Lets face if parts are only getting hard to find and the value of 120 will only drop. Whereas with the constant rise in petrol prices the diesels are becoming a much more attractive option. They will hold their price better and will be much easier to sell as not many with the mk2 kits about.

i get fairly good mpg, depends where your driving, going down to blackpool at the speed limit + 10% i got 43mpg out my 110, depends on your driving style, where your driving ect

A mk2 derv would be nice... ohhhh I dont bloody know its all just gash haha

Done a few sums based on 23000miles with petrol at ?1.37 and diesel ?1.43 (averages from petrolprices.com)

180 - 25mpg - 920 Gallons - ?5729.89
120 - 30mpg - 767 Gallons - ?4774.91 - Saving ?954.98 (?1637.11 If you can squeeze 35mpg out of it)
115 - 45mpg - 511 Gallons - ?3322.69 - Saving ?2407.21 (?2739.47 If you can make 50mpg)

If your after saving money and plan to keep it for a while the extra cost of the diesel would soon pay for itself.

The 115 cuts your fuel bill by 42% :yikes: Im tempted to get one myself now!

No idea why people are geting mid 20mpg in a 120.

I drove very very hard for a full tanks worth and got 27mpg, don't think I could get it any lower. For people getting 25mpg on a normal drive id suggest a service!

will keep my eyes peeled... cant even begin to think about a derv etc till I sell the 180, cheers the figures and help guys

Defo go for a derv m8, you won't be disappointed... It cuts fuel costs so much you will soon realize you actually got the car for free. At least you wont have to pay 4900 quid for yours lol :wall:

one thing to say, is is it worth considering a mutlicar type policy and getting a tiny little diesel for the thrash to and from work until you move...
if yo ucan leave the 180 layed up at the work car park sorned it could be even cheaper, but then you dont get to drive it unless you take out day insurance etc (or near where you live if you have driveway...)

the cost of selling up to re-buy will always make you loose money imo:

I can see how the fuel prices are killing you with your mileage, but as soon as you move, that becomes more irrelevant doesn't it, and what sort of time frame are you looking at? 1 year, 2 years?

45mpg from the derv is a sensible estimate, but with a little patience, 50-60 is very possible even in my tuned one... as to go at 50mph you hardly need any throttle :laugh:

45mpg from the derv is a sensible estimate, but with a little patience, 50-60 is very possible even in my tuned one... as to go at 50mph you hardly need any throttle :laugh:[/QUOTE]

True... true... :closedeyes:

I'm with Dan on this one.... I just don't think the savings are worth your time, especially if you're modding it.