I have had two ZS180s, one a saloon, one a
hatchback; one Mk1, one Mk2; one LHD, one RHD; even a blue one and a red one!
Here are my thoughts:
1) I love my car, although I by no means push it to its limits. It is excellent everyday transport which also has huge reserves of power.
These other points aren't to put you off, they're so you know what you're doing if you're thinking of getting one.
2) The second-hand price of ZS180s has plummeted like a stone over the last few years. This means you may now pick up a bargain and depreciation will no longer be able to hit your pocket in the same way. However, beware - you could also get a badly-treated one
and a ZS180 can be a bundle of obligations for costs waiting to happen.
3) Be aware of the 90k miles/6 year cambelt change service:
a dealership reportedly might quote four figures, though a good independent will be far cheaper for this long and fiddly labour-intensive job. Specialist tools and knowledge are required.
Used car adverts may seek to disguise the fact that the cambelts have not been
changed (e.g. by referring to other belts such as that for the aircon which
have been changed).
4) Clutch
The OE Clutch of the ZS has been described as
“some straws and some yoghurt pots held together with sellotape”.
By me.
It can give great service for tens of thousands of miles.
It can also fail with no warning on a stressfully-trafficked suburban street on a sunny summer Saturday.
At the time of writing, the solution is simple: sheddist.
Sheddist is a member of more than one MG forum.
Sheddist’s clutch kit is cheaper than OE but designed to be “fit and forget”. I
wish I had fitted it before I had to get out and push my ZS to the side of the
road TBH. Forget that! Fit Sheddist’s kit!
5) Catch Tank
(this bit is stuff I’ve heard but have no reason to doubt - I have fitted a catch tank to my car).
There is a feature on the ZS180 that, when you put your foot down, there is a “turbo-like” boost due to VIS variable valve magic. There is a big boost at about 3000rpm.
The VIS motors that enable this can be affected by oil trickling back through them, which can ruin them. (Read elsewhere how to spot shot VIS motors) A mod to stop this happening is a catch tank. You can get them on ebay.
6) Parts
Generally, normal parts are not an issue.
Look around for links like http://www.xpartautoservicecentre.com ,
www.roverbreakers.com and www.rimmerbrothers.co.uk . Yes, spats is an issue but
only for the Mk2 bodykit.
In 2007 new headlamp protectors were available, delivered to the x-part dealer in a couple of days, for my Mk2 which was not a huge-volume model and the take-up of headlamp protectors is probably very low!
7) Alternatives
Look around at what's available for your budget before you take the plunge. Now the 180s are getting cheap, the sort of driving style and general care they will have had may have nosedived in certain situations. Think about the faces you expect to be driving R-reg BMWs (if you can see them under the baseball caps and hoodies). Be careful out there.
8 ) Body Style
Consider which style you want and why - what are the alternatives? I've had both saloon and hatch. The saloon is 6" longer (178" compared to 172") and can come with various spoilers, including an Extreme one whose design was allegedly nicked off Ferrari and built on Deeside on the Airbus production line...
9) Costs
The 180 is not cheap to run.
Look into insurance.
you'll be lucky to see 30mpg IMHO, and it may be more like 25mpg...
Road tax is due to go up to £430pa (227g CO2/km) though the rise has been postponed. Beware also for congestion charge or resident parking...
10) Oh yes, I forgot to say the 180 is a brilliant car and get one!
hatchback; one Mk1, one Mk2; one LHD, one RHD; even a blue one and a red one!
Here are my thoughts:
1) I love my car, although I by no means push it to its limits. It is excellent everyday transport which also has huge reserves of power.
These other points aren't to put you off, they're so you know what you're doing if you're thinking of getting one.
2) The second-hand price of ZS180s has plummeted like a stone over the last few years. This means you may now pick up a bargain and depreciation will no longer be able to hit your pocket in the same way. However, beware - you could also get a badly-treated one
and a ZS180 can be a bundle of obligations for costs waiting to happen.
3) Be aware of the 90k miles/6 year cambelt change service:
a dealership reportedly might quote four figures, though a good independent will be far cheaper for this long and fiddly labour-intensive job. Specialist tools and knowledge are required.
Used car adverts may seek to disguise the fact that the cambelts have not been
changed (e.g. by referring to other belts such as that for the aircon which
have been changed).
4) Clutch
The OE Clutch of the ZS has been described as
“some straws and some yoghurt pots held together with sellotape”.
By me.
It can give great service for tens of thousands of miles.
It can also fail with no warning on a stressfully-trafficked suburban street on a sunny summer Saturday.
At the time of writing, the solution is simple: sheddist.
Sheddist is a member of more than one MG forum.
Sheddist’s clutch kit is cheaper than OE but designed to be “fit and forget”. I
wish I had fitted it before I had to get out and push my ZS to the side of the
road TBH. Forget that! Fit Sheddist’s kit!
5) Catch Tank
(this bit is stuff I’ve heard but have no reason to doubt - I have fitted a catch tank to my car).
There is a feature on the ZS180 that, when you put your foot down, there is a “turbo-like” boost due to VIS variable valve magic. There is a big boost at about 3000rpm.
The VIS motors that enable this can be affected by oil trickling back through them, which can ruin them. (Read elsewhere how to spot shot VIS motors) A mod to stop this happening is a catch tank. You can get them on ebay.
6) Parts
Generally, normal parts are not an issue.
Look around for links like http://www.xpartautoservicecentre.com ,
www.roverbreakers.com and www.rimmerbrothers.co.uk . Yes, spats is an issue but
only for the Mk2 bodykit.
In 2007 new headlamp protectors were available, delivered to the x-part dealer in a couple of days, for my Mk2 which was not a huge-volume model and the take-up of headlamp protectors is probably very low!
7) Alternatives
Look around at what's available for your budget before you take the plunge. Now the 180s are getting cheap, the sort of driving style and general care they will have had may have nosedived in certain situations. Think about the faces you expect to be driving R-reg BMWs (if you can see them under the baseball caps and hoodies). Be careful out there.
8 ) Body Style
Consider which style you want and why - what are the alternatives? I've had both saloon and hatch. The saloon is 6" longer (178" compared to 172") and can come with various spoilers, including an Extreme one whose design was allegedly nicked off Ferrari and built on Deeside on the Airbus production line...
9) Costs
The 180 is not cheap to run.
Look into insurance.
you'll be lucky to see 30mpg IMHO, and it may be more like 25mpg...
Road tax is due to go up to £430pa (227g CO2/km) though the rise has been postponed. Beware also for congestion charge or resident parking...
10) Oh yes, I forgot to say the 180 is a brilliant car and get one!
