Ignore him - he's always drunk....;)

Very decent looking Mk1 in blue listed recently on the bay of E with low miles.

Honestly though £1500 should get you a very nice example and refreshing to hear someone after a blue one.

Good luck with the hunt and welcome to the site.

Interesting. So should a post 2002 MK1 be avoided?[/QUOTE]

in a word no.i have a 2004 mk2 and its build quality is as good as any mk1project drive seemed to me to be a bit hit and miss.my mk2 doesnt seeem to have been missed out for all the "extras" the mk1 cars had.

i agree with daytona,yellow is the new black.no. .im not drunk,yet anyway

yeah get a yellow one they are normally cheaper.

I have no issues with the build quality of my mk2 its as good as the Vectra sri I had what was on a 51 plate . So my advice would be look around there will be good clean mk1 and mk2 out there

Yellow is the way forward best colour on the zs except monogram colours and white

I'm not saying "dont buy a post 2002 car".

As somebody who has owned various ZS's of varying age, I speak from experience when I say the earlier ones as a general rule feel more solid.

For example I have had to replace the fuel tank on our 53 plate due leaking caused by lack of protection I've also had to get some welding done in the usual place just behind the front wheels underneath. Compare that with my 2001 built 180 which has done the same mileage, looks almost as good underneath as the day it left the factory.

The 2001 also has much less wind noise, more solid door handles etc.

As others have said, that doesn't mean all post 2002 cars are falling to bits, likewise it doesn't mean there are no 2001 dogs.

The best thing is to remember that it is a buyers market out there and to try as many different cars as you can. You may not even notice a difference between the different model years and aiming for a 2001 car will reduce your choice somewhat.

If it was me and I wanted a mint mk1, I would bide my time until an early nice low mileage, 1 owner car with full service history comes along. They do pop up every so often and just stand out from the usual dregs which seem to be all over ebay and gumtree these days.

£1500 is the top end of the market for a mk1 so make sure you get a top end car :)

in a word no.i have a 2004 mk2 and its build quality is as good as any mk1project drive seemed to me to be a bit hit and miss.my mk2 doesnt seeem to have been missed out for all the "extras" the mk1 cars had.[/QUOTE]

a would disagree there grimmy,ive had to change a lot of things on my mk2,where as the 2 mk1s ive owned have felt better been more equipped,i would jump at the chance to own a 2001 zs if im honest.

Thanks for all the replies I appreciate it. It's great to know £1,500 is enough to get a good example.

I think Yellow is a last resort for me to be honest, my heart is set on Trophy Blue or the very unlikely chance a Biomorphic ZS180 comes up.