I have just reached 40 and am wondering if I am having a mid-life crisis.
As some of you may know from my previous posts, I had decided to buy a year old Honda Accord diesel for my next car, but I now realise I have a problem. I have become obsessed about buying an MG ZT, the old shape with twin headlamps on each side, in trophy blue with the big spoiler. I think they just look stunning and there is nothing else like them on the road. I have driven the 2.5 V6 - what a great engine, all that sound and power above 3k revs!! And there seem to be good examples out there for ~£6k, which is half what I was expecting to pay for the Accord.
Am I crazy? My head says go for the Accord, but my heart says the ZT. I'm also thinking that, if I don't do this soon, there won't be any left, whereas I can always go and buy an Accord.
If I go for the ZT, I have a number of concerns :
a) Parts - how real is the problem of parts supply? Are there any parts which are just not available, and which if I didn't find, could take my car off the road?
b) Which engine should I go for? Attracted by the better fuel efficiency of the 1.8T, but I believe these engines have the higher chance of head gasket failure. Is this right? Is the 2.5 V6 the better engine, or does it also suffer from head gasket failure?
c) How reliable should the old shape be? What's the quality like? Do they suffer from squeaks and rattles? Should I opt for the new shape car if this would be more reliable?
d) What's a realistic mpg for the 2.5 V6 if I drive with a fairly light foot? Also, how much are the tyres and how long do they last?
e) When should the cambelt be changed and how much does this cost?
I accept that the running costs of the MG are likely to be higher than those of the Accord, but the depreciation (and initial outlay) should be less. Is the old shape car likely to be a future classic?
Finally, does anyone know of an MG specialist in the Wokingham, Berkshire area who I could get in contact with?
Sorry for all these questions, but I should be grateful for any advice.
Regards
Primera Man
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i always thought a mid life crisis happened at 50 when you had been married for 25 years plus and you realised the wife was ugly and the local barmaid was gorgeous
anyway back to the dilemma
dont do it
see that was easy
buy an old mg for £3000 if you really want to have a pipe and slippers
the mg is a great looking car but its yesterdays car, i certainly wouldnt want one if my job depended on it when a boring honda will do the job with turnkey efficency
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I had one and it was without doubt one of the best cars I've ever owned. No squeaks or rattles and very well put together. I'd avoid the 1.8 and go for the lovely 2.5 (no headgasket problems) or the BMW sources diesel. A lot of the interior parts were the same as those fitted to the 5 series BMW. The only problem I had was a failed pump in the fuel tank. It's a very common problem and likely to have been already repaired (easily done and not expensive).
I understand there is no problem with parts for the old shape, it's the facelift that has parts issues on body panels. The early facelifts also suffered cost-cutting as MG-Rover hit financial problems. They lack soundproofing and the quality of materials was reduced. Whenever I see one, I still think they've got great road presence. Make sure you get one with the upgraded leather/alcantara seats, the comfiest seats I've ever sat in.
The current low prices mean you get an awful lot of car for your money.
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primera man
Don't. There are Rover parts issues already - and it's not going to get better.
That's why they're going for pennies. Not necessarily total breakdown parts; but annoying things like doorhandles.
The V6 is no better than the 1.8 for reliability.
The only one worth buying is the 260. At least the mechanicals are Ford.
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I dont think your crazy, they are very good cars.
a) Parts are easily available, rimmer bros in lincolnsire can get parts for these within a day or two.
b) 2.5 v6. avoid the 1.8 k series if you can, the 2.5 pulls the car along a lot better
c)They are, surprising to some people, very reliable cars, watch out for clutch failure though. The release bearing is on the end of the hydraulic clutch and can leak, which can be a costly expense. Go for the old shape, looks better IMO.
d) dont know about mpg, sorry cant comment.
e) Cambelt change on a v6 is 90,000 miles or 6 years. Its about a 10 hr job for someone whos done one before, there are 3 belts, so would imagine this could be costly.
You'd be better off finding a specialist before you buy one, i'd say go for it.
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Do it! Do it! Do it!
You know you want to ;-)
Seriously, I've had no problems with my MG (a TF) despite what the doomongers said when I bought it, parts are not really that serious a problem, yes screwloose is right, if you break a piece of trim it may be more difficult to replace, but not impossible.
Check out www.mg-rover.org if you want some advice and tips from people who actually own the car you're looking to buy, there's a pretty helpful atmosphere on the board and most of the guys try to help each other out where needed.
I think they look stunning BTW, yesterday's car or not.
Blue
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if you're looking for a zt then it seems to me you're not adverse to a bit of risk, so get the magazines etc and sit down to find 3 or four and go and have a look/ drive. if a few are bad drives then surely that points to a general fault with the whole make but if they drive how you like then write the cheque.
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Honda = successful, held in high esteem, traditionally very reliable, no real engine problems, will most likely never break down and last forever. Very helpful dealer network and easily accessible parts will make ownership a hassle-free experience.
Rover = went bust because they couldn't make a decent car. Awful HG problems on the K-series, possible difficulties sourcing parts in the future. No dealer network.
Don't really need to advise you any further surely?
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Have your mid life crisis.
(I bought a 1967 Lotus Elan and sold after 2 years for what I bought it).
But a mid life crisis should not allow a stoopid decision.
Anyone who buys a Rover is stoooopid.
madf
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Primera- I actually owned a ZT for two years with no problems. I suspect many that are knocking the ZT have never got nearer than passing one in the street. There is absolutely no comparison between the 2.5 V6 and the 1.8 re head gasket issues. If your still in doubt get a diesel, which is a BMW unit.
Should say the handling is fantastic as well.
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midlife crisis
a couple of questions?
how many years since you owned one?
how old was it when purchased?
what was mileage when you got it?
what was mileage when you sold it?
did you use a franchised dealer for servicing?
where would you take it now?
as i said they are a stonking looker but they are yesterdays car,go down the block and see who is buying these cars with 100,000 miles plus on them and see who is actually bidding
as regards passing one in the street i would rather pass one in the line of cars at the sale,so much less effort than walking the streets ;-0
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What do these cars do better than the Mondeo ST220, which I feel would be faster, more reliable, better handling, more modern, etc?
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Listen to screwloose & bell boy. Dont go down the rover route!. parts are an issue! & new problems are developing on the v6 engine as it ages regardless of milage one issue being an oil problem with flooding the manifold & IAC valve & there is no mod for it other than fitting a Rv8 oil breather chamber & it only reduces the problem. Keys & imobilisers are becoming an issue & only people with dedicated T4 rover equipment can help you on that front.
They suffer with inlet manifold power valve faults as well & it bundles to get fixed.I could go on But there aint enough room to list. Doc
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I find that I can get my TF serviced to a higher standard than dealers would have done at a Rover specialists in Stockton, yes it's about 20 miles away, but seeing as nothing much goes wrong with it I don't have cause to visit them often. :-)
If you check out X-part's website they will point you in the direction of a local approved MGR service centre.
If you're scared of potential bills, take out a mechanical insurance, mine costs about £20 per month and it covers most major failures including head gaskets etc. I haven't had cause to claim on it yet though and seeing as the TF is laid up for the winter in y garage I think I'll transfer it to the Mondeo.
Blue
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The ZT is a great car and a great drive. As advised try a few out. the KV6 is a great engine and v. reliable, with the BMW diesel very good for economy and torque. If you want to speak with a specialist for more info then many owners recommend www.lates600.com - a friendly team with a wealth of knowledge on the car who always seem happy to answer emails and discuss any aspects with all owners.
ps many of the people who knock these cars have never come closer than walking past a forecourt and are usually those who follow the utterances of Clarkson et al slavishly. As with all knockers best taken with a large dose of salt ;)
Regards
R40
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"ps many of the people who knock these cars have never come closer than walking past a forecourt and are usually those who follow the utterances of Clarkson et al slavishly. As with all knockers best taken with a large dose of salt ;) "
Thank you, I work with them 5 days a week so I think I might of learned a little about them by now! The ZT is a great looking car but so are many others & there are also a lot of more reliable cars out there. All cars go wrong at some stage but some go wrong more than others & if rover were that good why arn't they a market leader by now? I wouldn't take my advice or the wealth of experience from screwloose & bell boy with a pinch of salt as we arn't the type to be influenced by Clarkson but by years of experience in the trade.
Doc
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Thanks for all the replies.
I remember from having a Rover before just how much they seem to divide opinion. Some people say they're great, others wouldn't go near with a bargepole. I seem to be getting the same reaction to the ZT.
I think the appeal is that they seem to have more character than more modern cars. Also, I guess I am a little jaded by my experiences with the Honda to date. The Accord is clearly a very good car, but the main dealers don't seem to be interested in selling me a car. (I know, most of you would say don't use a main dealer, but, if I'm spending £10k+, I would want to).
While I accept the ZT would be a risk, it would also be a lot cheaper.
And you might think this is silly, but I do love the colour range of the ZT, while recent Accords for sale all seem to be silver, black or grey. The ZT makes a statement (not sure what) whereas the Accord doesn't.
I will need to think further about what to do. SWMBO is having difficulty, because she wants me to buy a risk-free car (so the Accord) but also not spend much money (so the ZT)!
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The ZT is very well engineered and I would be surprised if you have any more problems than an Accord - providing the 1.8 isnt sat under the bonnet. Many of the suspension parts, interior trim, anciliaries under the bonnet are BMW, mainly 3 series.
I traded in my 75 last year with 225,000 miles on the clock and it was in excellent condition - very few problems throughout all of those miles and it was still tight and rattle free. The main expense was a replacement clutch that fell outside normal servicing.
I looked at a new shape ZT to replace it with and they did seem a little less well built than the twin headlamp models - however that could just have been the couple that I looked at.
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I can't comment directly on the MG ZT, but I did have a Rover 75 for a week as a rental car 3 years ago, so shortly before the company went belly up. I spend a lot of my life driving rental cars but what for me stood out about the Rover (and probably the reason why I can actually remember it) was the ride quality. Cars these days have such firm suspension setups that you think they've been fitted with square wheels. The Rover actually absorbed bumps and I found it a very relaxing vehicle to drive in the manner of an older Mercedes in the days before Mercedes-Benz tried to make their products drive like BMWs.
It was a 1.8T Automatic and I found the engine characteristics also well matched to the automatic transmission with plenty of low end pick up. All this managed to distract from the fact that the fit and finish was less than perfect, the dashboard was an acquired taste and the footwell was very cramped for my size 12s, a problem I normally only experience in french cars. I can't remember about fuel economy but it was probably rubbish, most cars are in my tender care;-)
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