Newbie, seeking honest buying advice.

[Funky]

Hello all,

My names Rich I've currently got 2 cars. Ive got my pride and joy a GEN7 Celica T sport and I've also got my little daily driver. Now I'm looking to change my daily for something a bit more comfortable and long distance orientated. I've always liked the ZT more so the MK2 which I feel looks a little more grown up and matured. But the real question is which engine to get! I've done lots of research and for my needs it really can be broken down into 2. The 1.8 120 and the 2.0 CDTi. The appeal of the 120 is the lower tax and insurance and the pace of the car doesn't have to be lightening fast but enough to be confortable and not struggle going up hills. The CDTi appeals because again the low tax and insurance plus the extra torque always makes like easier to drive! Now I'm no stranger to diesels and am aware they can just be as expensive and unreliable, injectors, MAF, EGR, DPF, etcc etcccc.

Now I can easily find a 1.8 with low mileage and all major work completed HG, cambelt etccc

But the diesel tends to be a little more expensive and will have around 90k on the clock. Again am aware 90k on a diesel isn't anything to be concerned about.

So my question is! If you were buying a mg zt mk2 as a second car as a nice easy comfortable cruiser. Would you punt for the 120 or spend the extra and go for the diesel. I'm not intrested in the other variants due to the running costs. They would be more than my celica haha

Any help would be greatly appreciated, looking forward to being more active on the forum

[suzublu]

See if you can find a 1.8 turbo, best engine of the bunch Oh,& welcome

[klarzy]

personally I would buy the CDT diesel and have the 160 BHP remap... it works wonders for most...

look up 160 on the forum for lots more info

[klarzy]

Originally Posted by suzublu

See if you can find a 1.8 turbo, best engine of the bunch Oh,& welcome

and there are lost of posts about replacing head gaskets too.

[suzublu]

Read this... http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=75282

[Funky]

Thanks for the welcome and advice so far

I would consider tuning the CDTi for some more useable power. Which would be another benefit to owning it.

The 1.8T I couldn't justify. The tax is a lot more expensive and I couldn't justify the reduction in mpg. That's why the humble 120 seemed an option.

[clf]

Honest, yes, but not unbiased lol.

I have the CDTi mk2 ZT, and no experience of the petrol variants. As a long distance cruiser it is superb, and compared to my previous petrol cars, for long distance driving, as you said, the torque makes for an easier and more relaxed drive.

Mine is an auto, and avoid it, if tax is a concern! The manuals have their issues with clutches, so look for one that has had it done recently along with slave cylinder if you can. There is plenty of advice through this forum, if you look using the search facility. No DPF though . MPG figures, if low can be a cheap simple fix. Thermostat failure normally. The genuine stat installation is hugely expensive unless doing it yourself, and time consuming. Fitting the renault 5 stat inline, takes all of 15 minutes to half an hour, with my own economy going from mid 20's to high 30's in minutes!!!


But there are people who swear by the 1.8 (I would suggest the turbo with you having the Celica).

Whatever you were to decide on, you can be sure of help and support via this forum. I have been here just 5 months or so, and gained so much confidence on my car, that I have now started working on my car again, rather than taking it to someone else!

Have a quick read through the HOW TO SECTION and see what kind of common issues people have, and how easy it is to sort them

[Funky]

Originally Posted by suzublu

Read this... http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=75282

I've gone through that in detail

Looking for some owners independent advice on there experiences and suggestions.

[Jay]

Richard.

I bought my Diesel 2.0 CDTi in March 2010 at 40yrs old. All my previous cars had been petrel engines and I had never really considered a diesel. I find it very responsive and shifts when it hits about 30mph and the turbo kicks in. I am now looking at the 160 remap.

My slave cylinder went at about 80,000 but fixed for about £350 (common fault). I cannot mess around checking coolant levels etc like you would have to with the 1.8

It had no Fuel Burning Heater due to 'Project Drive' (look it up) but can be retro fitted as all the wiring is in place. You just need the FBH and the fuel pump. The earlier ones will have them already in place.

If you have the funds look at the Contemporary SE CDTi 75 with the sports handling pack. A cross between the 75 and the ZT. Comfort and good handling. Part of the sports pack was the 17" Meteor alloys as a base point of recognising one. It also has the ZT bucket seats full black leather. If on a budget a 2.0 CDT with a remap would also be fun.

Only gripe is it does take a little while to heat up in the winter even with the FBH as opposed to the petrol 1.8 but manual and remote switches can be fitted to turn the FBH on without unlocking the car so it can warm its self up whilst you are having your breakfast.

I just had to get used to the gearbox and gear change for the diesel having coming from petrol but with practice can change gears as fast as my previous cars when needed. As said Manual is cheaper than Automatic.

Tax £175 (now £180 I think) for the year and insurance for me was only £80 more than my old 1.4 petrol Ford fiesta.

All that car with a good MPG depending how you drive. My best is 37mpg urban and 47mpg on a run.


Well that's my experience for what it is worth.

[victorgte]

Totally happy with my 1.8T. As much as 44mpg on a run with a light foot. About 36 on average with mixed driving. Now that I have spent time talking to members and doing bits and pieces it runs great and for an outlay of just £500 its the bargain of the year.