WTB: MGZR TD

[RSR92]

Hello all,

I need to get something more practical, without parting with my 'F'

Ive seen a few ZRs going for under £250 near me which seems very promising but all seem to be petrol, I want a TD as I do a lot of driving to Scotland and Cornwall from Gloucestershire so the better MPG would certainly be a boon!

Does anyone know of any around in this price range? A little bit of work required is okay, I've become fairly familiar with the K series while working on the F, but preferably nothing too strenuous as really I'm looking for a reliable little runner for those days when I need more boot space or seats than the F provides

Thanks to all!

[ZSx]

We found that if driven correctly the ZR105 would get nearly Diesel levels of MPG long distance and surpass the Diesel MPG in and around town driving (Diesels hate traffic, stop starting, small petrol is better in this instance).

Couple that with the cheaper fuel of a petrol and cheaper maintenance... You might be hard pushed to beat ZR105 economy with a Diesel.

Also note the Diesel L series is completely different to the K series lumps.

Another thing to note is that the L series diesels command a premium and you will be unlikely to find a decent-ish one for under £500... although they do exist every now and then.

I would be more tempted with a Rover 218SLD or 418SLD if I were looking at another diesel, we used to get over 600 miles out of our 218SLD a few years back (for reference thats Portsmouth to helensburgh, with running around fuel when there, in one tank). Never got anywhere near that with our Rover45 or ZS Diesels...

Another thing to consider is the fact the gov want rid of all diesels, with scrappage schemes and other schemes targeting the diesel motorist to move to "cleaner" petrol (or Electric) models.

[bigmac]

i bought a zr td 115 last november--in the expectation of lower fuel costs compared to my zs 180. i get about 45 mpg--but longest run i do is about 10 miles. its got a real kick of acceleration from 3-4000 rpm.

surprisingly--the insurance was higher than the zs 180.

[colintf]

Watch for the metal oil pipe at bottom of engine on the TD ZR/ ZS they corrode resulting in a pinhole and a loss of oil if not caught in time

[David Dixon]

I had a ZR TD and Rover 600 a with the same TD engine. The engine is quite heavy thus front tyre wear is high.

[talkingcars]

As Sam said, the L series diesel is completely different to the K series petrol, I had one once in a Maestro and opening the bonnet scared me.

[RSR92]

Thanks for all of the responses! I've been really busy of late so have been reading posts but not replying so I'll try cover it all here;

ZSx - thank you for your comprehensive explanation, and you are of course right about the premium they command; a 1.4 ZR seems to be much easier to pick up at bargain prices and as my main concern is fuel efficiency to and from work plus a bit of extra room a ZR 105 would do just fine although I will look into the rover models you have suggested as well, I didn't know they did a diesel 200 series so definitely worth a look, thank you

Big Mac - great information on the fuel efficiency thank you, but that is odd on the insurance front so I'll have to run a few quotes and include that when I'm seeing what's going to be cheapest for me!

David and Colin; thanks for the heads up, both good bits of information that I will certainly look out for/bare in mind

Finally TC/James, I'm sure it would look a lot different to the K series but I've worked on a few turbo diesels in the last (albeit slightly more modern, mainly 2004 VAG engines) and am sure I could figure it out along with some online help!

All in all I'm not sure what to do but I'm keeping my eyes peeled for any bargain MGs and making a decision on a case by case basis, ultimately I may decide to just sink the money into the F to improve the driving experience further, she's great on motorway drives but I need to sort a few driver convenience issues out such as my speakers and blower resistor pack!

[colintf]

Don't rule out a diesel ZT
I ran a diesel ZS for best part of 10 years before jumping to a diesel ZT
It's so much more refined, nearly as economical I get high 40's+ on the motorway
The much bigger boot is also very handy

[ZSx]

I may decide to just sink the money into the F to improve the driving experience further, she's great on motorway drives but I need to sort a few driver convenience issues out such as my speakers and blower resistor pack!

Resistor pack is an easy fix with multiple places to get the resistors And I've just done the speakers on my F... If you need a hand just shout.

Don't rule out a diesel ZT
I ran a diesel ZS for best part of 10 years before jumping to a diesel ZT
It's so much more refined, nearly as economical I get high 40's+ on the motorway
The much bigger boot is also very handy

I've had a 75 CDT Tourer and a ZTT CDTi before now, I found them to be really really expensive when things go wrong and both had worse fuel economy than my ZS180... Mind you that is the heavy Estate versions

If you do look at the ZT Diesels, ensure you check out the Crankcase breather filter (as this is rarely changed as a service item and causes major issues) and put some Viton O rings in the intercooler pipes ... Two things that make a world of difference to the car

[RSR92]

Resistor pack is an easy fix with multiple places to get the resistors

I've had a 75 CDT Tourer and a ZTT CDTi before now, I found them to be really really expensive when things go wrong and both had worse fuel economy than my ZS180... Mind you that is the heavy Estate versions

If you do look at the ZT Diesels, ensure you check out the Crankcase breather filter (as this is rarely changed as a service item and causes major issues) and put some Viton O rings in the intercooler pipes ... Two things that make a world of difference to the car

I have the resistors it's the soldering iron I need to buy next I think I may do my Cat first then the resistor pack as I rarely need it any lower than 2 anyway! It's just a tad annoying knowing it's broken :p

As for the tips thanks very much I'll definitely be referring back here and a diesel ZT may well be worth a shout!

I should be okay with the speakers just need to get the adaptor rings and the actual speakers so looking about £80-90 overall I think for some decent 4x6's, some 6.5s for the front and the adaptors

[RSR92]

Don't rule out a diesel ZT
I ran a diesel ZS for best part of 10 years before jumping to a diesel ZT
It's so much more refined, nearly as economical I get high 40's+ on the motorway
The much bigger boot is also very handy

I certainly won't that's great info to have and I am considering the ZS/ZTs as well, but I'm such a lazy Parker I don't know if I could be dealing with reversing all that car! That longest thing I've ever owned was a 99 Astra (I know terrible, terrible boring car - if it makes you disrespect me less I did blow it up on the M5, apparently do 90 in a 1.6 Astra for long enough and that's what happens)