155V6's New Eyesore

[155V6]

I've been looking for a backup car for a while now,the MG Express needs an engine,the Volvo needs various things for an MOT,& the  Puma needs a few small things looking at.

I started looking at Jag X-Type Estates,but they all seem to be fairly rusty now.I was looking at Rover 25s & MG ZRs,but anything usable seemed to be out of my small budget.

Then I found this on Gumtree 

 

 

It's a facelift ZR 105,advertised as MOT'd until the end of December,but tatty & temperature gauge not working.It was only an hour away from work,so I finished early & went & had a look.1st impressions weren't great,it was filthy,paint coming off the tailgate,& various bits missing/hanging off   .I had a quick drive & it was a lot better than it looked,so ended up buying it for £250.

I went & picked it up today,drove it back 35 miles & it's not too bad.

 

Bad points-

 

                 Tatty all over,front bumper broken,rear bumper wonky,missing front 

                 foglight cover,no rear wiper arm,passenger mirror taped up

 

                Temperature gauge not working

 

                Heater only blowing lukewarm,I'm hoping this will be the thermostat,the 

                bottom hose wasn't very warm when I got back

 

Good points-

              MOT history is pretty good,no mention of rust 

 

               Actually drives quite well,it's only showing about 71,000 miles

 

              No signs of HGF,no mayo & it didn't use any coolant

 

The plan is to use it this week & see what happens,then give it a bit of a tidy next weekend 

[Split_Pin]

Ooft.

 

Since I commented somewhere that these are getting scarce I have now started to see more of them. Nice wee things indeed.

[Skut]

I like your eyesore very much. Trophy innit mistah. The facelift made them much less messy looking than the mk1. When I bought mine i thought the temperature gauge was broken but it mostly never got hot enough to register. They only start registering on the gauge when they hit about 55-60 degrees. With a jammed open stat it'll never reach that except in traffic and the heater will be shite.

[clayts450]

I have a sniffy disregard for the facelift MG/Rovers - they just don't cut it aesthetically for me at all. And it seems the later the reg, the worse they became, until the last ones were parts bin specials with all sorts chucked at them.

 

However, it's a Rover/MG so still gets the thumbs up from me, especially at that price - well boughted.

 

The temp gauge should take no more than 5 mins or so to settle neatly at just under halfway where it will stay forever. Wise words are don't thrash the car (and keep it below 3K revs) until the needle is sat there, and you'll be fine*.

 

Potential cambelt roulette - 6 years or 60K miles - don't spose you got lucky with proof of that ?

 

Parts for these are easily found on Facefart selling groups like:

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/118152902300899/

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/375063915971885/

[155V6]

I have a sniffy disregard for the facelift MG/Rovers - they just don't cut it aesthetically for me at all. And it seems the later the reg, the worse they became, until the last ones were parts bin specials with all sorts chucked at them.

 

However, it's a Rover/MG so still gets the thumbs up from me, especially at that price - well boughted.

 

The temp gauge should take no more than 5 mins or so to settle neatly at just under halfway where it will stay forever. Wise words are don't thrash the car (and keep it below 3K revs) until the needle is sat there, and you'll be fine*.

 

Potential cambelt roulette - 6 years or 60K miles - don't spose you got lucky with proof of that ?

 

Parts for these are easily found on Facefart selling groups like:

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/118152902300899/

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/375063915971885/

I prefer the earlier ones too 

 

I've had my Express for 11 years,I know what the temperature gauge should be doing,this one doesn't do anything 

 

As for the cambelt,no idea.I'll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks,then maybe throw some money at it.

[Rusty_Rocket]

3dr ZR still looks good to me, especially on the 17" alloys. However, I'm exceedingly un-cool so my opinion may not be very relevant

[Jim Bell]

ZRs / 25s are great little cars.  I've not tried a 1.4 but the 1.8 VVCs are epic. Good buy man!

[Skut]

Certainly the facelift ones have shiter electrics and less sound deadening. They do have cheaper insurance though. The Pektron SCU gives better security than the older 5AS cars.

[wuvvum]

Facelift cars handle better too.

[155V6]

ZRs / 25s are great little cars.  I've not tried a 1.4 but the 1.8 VVCs are epic. Good buy man!

VVCs are indeed epic.Especially when they are in a van that people expect to have a diesel engine 

[lesapandre]

At that money you can't really go wrong. Nice distinctive number too XXY.

[Isaac Hunt]

Well bought. I've got a 2003 Mk1 1.4 ZR+ that I tool around in. We've had it five years, bought for my lad.

 

Shortly after it came our way, engine started to make a funny noise, I diagnosed cambelt tensioner. Turned out it had had a new tensioner and it had been pit on wrong, close shave. I put a new belt, water pump and tensioner on it.

 

Then the CRB let go. I could have chucked a good used unit it as I had one to hand. But I chucked a complete clutch at it.

 

Then it failed the MOT on CV Gaiters (strange as they were fine four months earlier when I did the clutch) and I put two new tyres on it.

 

Then my lad decides he wants a diff car and gets one. I keep the MG whilst we make sure the new car is OK. Then he blows the gearbox up in the new car. So I lend him the MGZR back. He was working away, it was summer, and he was up and down the M4. Keep it to a sensible speed I said, but nah, he's keeping up with a mate in a Bee Em and lunches the HG. To be fair, the HG was rotten, a MLS job that had rusted through. So off with the head, cleaned it up and threw a stud elastomer gasket at it. Used the old stretch bolts and didn't even drain the oil. Checked the head with a straight edge, feels gauges and torch, seemed OK.

 

That was 50k miles ago. Other than brake pads and a couple,of oil and Filter changes, not touched it mechanically. Stopped the seat for some half leathers cos they were in good condition in the scrapyard. Changed the headlining for a mint one, because it was in a car down the scrapyard.

 

The paint is hanging off one side of the car as it had had a repair, I wou,d say not long before we acquired it. Looks a proper mess it does, poor thing.

 

It's got an ace sounding boom and burble back box.

 

I enjoy driving it