Cars of Crackers

[Six-cylinder]

Well chosen, look out for speed cameras, I nearly got caught when I had a ZT-T 190. 

[Crackers]

I'm home and the MG did a sterling job. I'll write a bit more tomorrow, for now it's a cup of tea and bed 😴

Thanks @Schaefft nice to meet you! 

[BorniteIdentity]

They are such, such pretty cars.  The saloons will forever be my favourite but the estates are handsome too.  Not actually that helpful when compared to a Volvo 240 or Mercedes W123 but very attractive things.

If I ever get myself organised and have the perfect fleet, a 'forever' 75 would be a very good place to start.  I think they're brilliant, and the 2.5 190 is a cracking little engine.

Enjoy!

[Crackers]

3 minutes ago, BorniteIdentity said:

The saloons will forever be my favourite but the estates are handsome too. 

I agree - I think the ZT saloon has a fantastic stance that has aged really well. Especially on (whisper it) lower suspension. Look at this...

Be still my beating heart.... 

However, the GREEN on this estate is pretty much the whole reason I bought it, as I've never had a green car. 

[Schaefft]

Glad you made it home alright, certainly a long day!

[Crackers]

Right, we're a few days in with the Green. Time for some thoughts.

Had a lovely day Tuesday collecting it. A nice train journey (rare) up to Newcastle, 7hrs door-to-door. Car collected, filled up and swapped my Bluetooth head unit in - happy days.

Heading south it didn't put a foot wrong. It's a lovely place to sit, the interior is quiet, and there's not a single squeak, rattle or bang from anywhere in the car. For a 23-year old Brummie car, that's very impressive. Better than my BMW. 

26.6 mpg was the average economy on the drive home - not great. Most of that was cruising at 75mph with cruise control on - only hit about 10 mins of traffic in the entire journey, it was one of the easiest drives I've ever had. 75mph equates to 3400rpm, which is quite high for a big comfy car, but the engine is whisper quiet up there and smooth as silk so unless you look at the tacho, you wouldn't know. 

Fuel gauge seems to be totally Inop - it started the day at 3/4 tank, gradually sank to zero and hasn't moved since. Oh well. 

Bodywork wise, it's a bit of a shed to be honest - quite a few dings and marks in it, it's certainly showing its age. I'm hoping to have time to get it washed and then splash some polish over it - the paint is very swirly and I think a little bit of car and attention would having it looking significantly smarter for minimal outlay. Obviously it won't hide the chips and few deeper scratches but if it can re-awaken the lovely colour I'll be happy. 

I've not looked underneath it properly yet, but looking at the MOT history I am expecting a fair bit of surface rust but hopefully nothing worrying or structural. Will report back when the ground isn't soaking wet so I can roll around on it. 

Mechanically, it seems absolutely spot on. The tracking is straight, the gearbox and clutch are nice, it pulls well enough (OK, it's only 190bhp so it'll never be a fast car but the torque from 3-5k rpm is lovely), sounds nice albeit very muted, and the suspension is incredible. MG got it so right - it's firm, but soaks up bumps so much better than my BMW, and doesn't crash or bounce over anything. Several times I've braced myself for hitting the bump stops like my BMW seems to, and it just wafts over big humps like they're not there. The body control is superb, and still very comfy. It's genuiely very impressive and probably the highlight of the car for me. 

Issues-wise, there's the fuel gauge, a misted headlight (they're pretty rubbish as-is, so that won't be helping), and a slightly droopy headliner that seems to affect every Rover product over the last 40 years. At idle, I think the new exhaust section is slightly catching the body or subframe near the back of the car, but I haven't located it yet. 

It won't be a long term keeper, as I'm planning to buy a house soon, and have also seen a couple of non-automotive things I want to buy, which this will need to go to fund. However, for now as a WBOD and "the only one in the work car park", it's a nice old bus. It's getting used for a friend's house move this weekend as the boot is enormous - I just hope he gives me some fuel money!

Anyone who wanted it the first time round - I'll probably be selling it in the new year. Keep an eye out, or if you want it right now as-is, drop me a message. 

[Split_Pin]

Doesn't sound much wrong with it as far as old 75/ZTs go! Yours has the same suspension package as my 75 Contemporary and they are a lovely smooth drive. 

They have stood up well to corrosion but most that haven't been cherished are rotten by now, mine was no exception. Even still, they're not like an X-type so are always fixable!

Interiors can fall to bits, especially where fabric has been glued to it. My door cards look like the arse of an old pair of jeans now 😂

[High Jetter]

Check the rear arms, they like to dissolve.

[Schaefft]

Yeah, wish Ive had more time to give this thing a polish. I'm not sure if the previous owner cared much about the cosmetics but knowing what most cars in this country look like at 23 it's held up pretty well aside that one scratch along the rear quarter (naturally touched up poorly).

About the suspension: I'm surprised you rate it higher than the BMW, it's the firmest suspension you could get on these and I was a bit surprised how firm it is for this type of car, hence getting the MG comfort springs for it. Just goes to show that it's all relative and dependent on what you are used to.

And yes, giving it some corrosion protection will be vital for its survival. Most have rusted out 10 years ago, it's only still around because it hasn't been exposed to salt as long as most of them. Now would be the time to wire brush and cover it in zinc primer.

[Crackers]

38 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

My door cards look like the arse of an old pair of jeans now

I don't want to tempt fate now it's going to get some regular use, but the headliner is the only saggy bit - I was shocked to find the door fabric is still fully attached! 

11 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

About the suspension: I'm surprised you rate it higher than the BMW, it's the firmest suspension you could get on these

I like a firm-ish but supple ride, which is exactly what this ZT has. The 330i feels like a sloppy sack in comparison - possibly because done higher miles and lived in London for a good chunk of it's life, but also I think it's from the early era of runflats when all the German manufacturers were getting criticised for a crashy ride in the sportier models.

The BMW has a tendency to feel like it bottoms out in a few big dips around here, I took the MG through one of them at 60mph and it absorbed it perfectly while also keeping 100% body control. 

Genuinely, the MG is so impressive in that regard. 

[Crackers]

And as if it was destined to happen. It's broken. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

5 minutes ago, Crackers said:

It's broken. 

It may not be much help but .....

Can you use a Rover 75/ZT Haynes Manual?

One here going begging for a new owner. 

[SiC]

You have terrible luck with cars. 

Don't buy a BMW as they're not very reliab... Oh wait it's your most reliable modern car you've owned.

Okay then don't buy a classic, especially an old British classic because they aren't .... Oh your P6 3500 was pretty reliable.

 

Maybe you need to buy something known for absolutely awful reliability like a Maserati and it'll make it your most reliable car ever?

[Fumbler]

23 minutes ago, Crackers said:

And as if it was destined to happen. It's broken. 

Baws. Seems you're having as much luck with vehicles as I am. Here's hoping it's an easy fix.

[Crackers]

Triumph - broken

Jag - broken

MG - broken

BMW - working. 

The worst thing I ever did was sell that Saab. 😕

[SiC]

1 minute ago, Crackers said:

The worst thing I ever did was sell that Saab. 😕

That delay broken and probably would have  broken on you by now though 

 

 

[Crackers]

1 minute ago, SiC said:

That delay broken and probably would have  broken on you by now though 

 

 

Oh yeah undoubtedly but if I'd not bought the Jag I could afford a decent, working car by now. 

[Split_Pin]

Do you know what's up with it?

[Crackers]

2 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Do you know what's up with it?

Looks like all the water has come out. I don't know where from yet. 

[Split_Pin]

Aw man that sucks ass big time 😞

Hopefully its just the thermostat in the vee or something.

[Crackers]

12 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Aw man that sucks ass big time 😞

Hopefully its just the thermostat in the vee or something.

Hopefully it is something simple but I have absolutely nothing with me as the car was emptied to help out with a house move so absolutely no chance of getting myself going again. Recovery on the way, maybe. 

Every December I have a breakdown. I should hang the keys up. 

[Crackers]

Well it's a sort of part self-sacrificing, part self-saviour of a breakdown. 

One thing, all the water has indeed gone away for a reason as yet undiscovered. So it'd have kettled itself eventually, if it hasn't already. 

However! 

The reason it actually cut out, is there's a significant fuel leak spraying heavily on the front of the engine, near to the hot bits, so also it'd have eventually gone up in a ball of flames. 

It's done neither of those - well I hope it's not kettled anyway - so although it's getting towed home, it hopefully won't be a major concern. 

I, however, have had enough of sitting behind the wheel of dead cars at the roadside awaiting recovery! 

[Split_Pin]

Kv6s are not really renowned for 'the inevitable', you might be OK there.

[Crackers]

Another photo for the album eh... 

Here commences the relay. Place your bets what time I'll be home. 

[Six-cylinder]

The electric fan on my 75 2.5 V6 touring gave up and the temp gauge said normal, normal, normal, top of the red before I could take any action. The point is while it got hot it did not blow a head gasket and I just replaced the fan and all was well.

[richardmorris]

Go Continental - French or Italian. Can’t be any worse.

[Matty]

7 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Go Continental - French or Italian. Can’t be any worse.

Just mend it. Its a unknown quantity of a certain age that hasnt seen much love for years. Cant be any worse.

[Six-cylinder]

4 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Go Continental - French or Italian. Can’t be any worse.

Umm!

[Split_Pin]

The only thing is coolant wise that crap out on KV6s are water pumps and thermostats. The former runs off the timing belts but since those were changed by a respected MGR mechanic, you could tentatively discount that as the culprit. I bet its just a coolant pipe or something else daft like that.

[Crackers]

17 hours later and 1 night at Cobham services later, I'm home and the car is off to be looked at a by a local garage over Christmas. 

I hate cars.