Thanks for the info guys - that's really helpful! I thought it was odd that there would be rest on somthing only six years old... seams really weird! I'm a little concerned now, because now I've looked at some other ZS rear ends it's clear that the boot has been replaced (which I was told) but I'm guesing that most of the work was not done with genuine MG parts or the badge layout would be the same as the other MGs I see driving around? And I was told that the accident was with the rear of the car so it seams strange for a lot of panels to have been replaced (although I guess it could have been relatively minor damage that required work).
I suppose that as long as the chasis and engine are okay it shouldn't matter... just frustrating as I have a four hour drive to go look at it
I'm going via London to bring a friend who's a professional mechanic. He's got the gadgets to read how deep the paint is, he can use that to see which panels have been replaced (or painted at least!) though I'm starting to worry that should wait a bit longer till something a bit more guaranteed turns up in my price range... though for under £2k I reckon it must be a bit of a bargain even if it has had a lot of work! So difficult to tell...