Which one to buy

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I've been looking for a new car because im getting bored of my 1.2 punto after having it for a year. After searching around i've see 2 cars i really like.

The first is a Seat Leon 1.6SE which i've taken a quick test drive in and it felt very stable and nice to drive. The other that i've seen is an MG ZR 1.8 VVC 160 3dr. I havn't been able to test drive this yet.

Both are on an 03 plate with under 20000 miles but im in 2 minds of which to choose. So given the choice which one would you guys pick? Obviously im not just going to buy it straight out from this result but i know people here have good knowledge on cars so im interested to hear what people have to say.
 
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Can't comment on the Leon but had a ZR for a while once. What sort of driving do you do? The ZR was quite good fun on B roads etc but was murder on the motorway long journeys etc....
 
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ajgoodfellow said:
I'd pick the MG. Faster, better to drive, better handling car

Great fun.

Watch the insurance on the 160 though - it's likely to be rather expensive. I'd also look at the 1.8 120+ as it's still quick but a lot cheaper to insure

I've checked out the insurance on both and its affordable, the insurance is more on the MG but the price of the car is lower than the Leon so it evens its self out.


nelsby said:
Can't comment on the Leon but had a ZR for a while once. What sort of driving do you do? The ZR was quite good fun on B roads etc but was murder on the motorway long journeys etc....

It's quite even the roads i go on, an even mixture of motorways, a roads, b roads, and town driving, so nothing really specific.
 
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I'd probably go for the leon out of those two. There's just something about the image of the ZR I don't like but of course that's just personal preference. It was good fun on the B roads tho.....
 
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nelsby said:
Can't comment on the Leon but had a ZR for a while once. What sort of driving do you do? The ZR was quite good fun on B roads etc but was murder on the motorway long journeys etc....

When you mention murder on motorway journeys do you mean as in comfort of the ride/seating position?
 
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Yes and noise but it's understandable considering the type of car it is. May also be worth mentioning that I'm quite tall which didnt help. Thinking back the one I was given was I think the 1.4 so I'd expect the 1.8 to have a bit more breath on the motorways.
 
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LinkZ said:
I've been looking for a new car because im getting bored of my 1.2 punto after having it for a year. After searching around i've see 2 cars i really like.

The first is a Seat Leon 1.6SE which i've taken a quick test drive in and it felt very stable and nice to drive. The other that i've seen is an MG ZR 1.8 VVC 160 3dr. I havn't been able to test drive this yet.

Both are on an 03 plate with under 20000 miles but im in 2 minds of which to choose. So given the choice which one would you guys pick? Obviously im not just going to buy it straight out from this result but i know people here have good knowledge on cars so im interested to hear what people have to say.

Both cars are totally different ends of the scale tbh. The MG is a hot ish hatch which consumes head gaskets like a mo fo. Serioulsy the engine can be very problematic. The Leon is a family hatch with pootling around town performance.

Neither are great cars. The MG ZR is poorly built and not comfortable on long journeys or on the motorway. Its fast when driven hard and handles well but is pap.

How much are these cars?
 
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OK, yes the head gasket thing. Just be sensible and don't rag it when cold and it's fine. They were uprated circa 2002 anyway

As said though, they're different cars. The MG is a fun hot hatch, the Leon is a comfortable hatchback

The seats in the MG are superb and the driving position is rather good. They are very noisy when up to speed though. Ignore the rubbish people keep saying about them being poorly built - I have a 2002 52 model with 40,000 miles and everything works. It has no gaps between the panels or any rattles (my 30k Astra was full of them). The dash is nicely made with soft touch materials, a far cry from the rubbish I was seeing in the latest Yaris, Fiesta, et al
 
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The Leon is £8000 and the MG ZR is £7200, and i'm getting approximatly £3500 part-ex on my car which makes it affordable. So £8000 would be the maximum on my budget. I've only had my lisence for 2 years with 1 years no claims so i don't want something to hefty on the insurance. I can get the MG insured for £1500 and that's the most i can go to with that.

EDIT: What's it like trying to get parts for the MG incase something goes wrong?, also how well will it keep its price a few years down the line when it comes to selling it?
 
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LinkZ said:
The Leon is £8000 and the MG ZR is £7200, and i'm getting approximatly £3500 part-ex on my car which makes it affordable. So £8000 would be the maximum on my budget. I've only had my lisence for 2 years with 1 years no claims so i don't want something to hefty on the insurance. I can get the MG insured for £1500 and that's the most i can go to with that.

Hoooowwww much :O

Way over priced. £5999 was the price of an 04 ZR 160 (face lift) with 15k miles on the clock at my local vauxhall (ex mg) dealers at the weekend. Please look harder.

8k gets you a Seat Toledo V5 (170 BHP) with 15-20k on the clock if you like seats. Or even a Leon Cupra

This money buys a nice clio 172/182 with low mileage if a hot hatch is your game.

Please reconsider.
 
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mrk1@1 said:
Hoooowwww much :O

Way over priced. £5999 was the price of an 04 ZR 160 (face lift) with 15k miles on the clock at my local vauxhall (ex mg) dealers at the weekend. Please look harder.

8k gets you a Seat Toledo V5 (170 BHP) with 15-20k on the clock if you like seats. Or even a Leon Cupra

This money buys a nice clio 172/182 with low mileage if a hot hatch is your game.

Please reconsider.

I'm more than open to suggetions of alternatives which is why i came here, especially as i don't have too much knowledge on cars so you saying that its overpriced has helped me as i wouldn't of realised. :)
 
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LinkZ said:
I'm more than open to suggetions of alternatives which is why i came here, especially as i don't have too much knowledge on cars so you saying that its overpriced has helped me as i wouldn't of realised. :)

What do you want from a car?

Do you want performance?
Economy?
Low mileage?
Newish?
Comfort?
Image?
Security of a main dealer warranty etc?
etc etc?

If you want a hot hatch then I would say 8k on a clio 172 possibly a 182 if you can find one would be the best bet.

You could also look at a MG ZS 180 (based on the rover 400/45) 8k can get you a facelift one with low mileage.

There are loads of cars you could look at and are best to have a search on autotrader. Search within 100-200 miles to get a good idea of pricing. Also always go with the lowest price as your guideline, unless there is a reason for it like damage etc.

To check the values you can always use www.whatcar.co.uk and www.parkers.co.uk. If you find a car a few of us on here can give you a trade price and let you know if its a good buy.
 
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ajgoodfellow said:
The MG ZS is actually pretty good - don't be put off by the fact that it's based on the 45

The 180 has a nice 2.5l V6 too

I looked at a few before I got my Civic Vti. They are good value as well. 5-6k gets you a lwo mileage older one. 8k will get you a nice 180.

Best of the MG range for value, the ZT 190 is a better built car but more expensive.
 
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mrk1@1 said:
What do you want from a car?

Do you want performance?
Economy?
Low mileage?
Newish?
Comfort?
Image?
Security of a main dealer warranty etc?
etc etc?

If you want a hot hatch then I would say 8k on a clio 172 possibly a 182 if you can find one would be the best bet.

You could also look at a MG ZS 180 (based on the rover 400/45) 8k can get you a facelift one with low mileage.

There are loads of cars you could look at and are best to have a search on autotrader. Search within 100-200 miles to get a good idea of pricing. Also always go with the lowest price as your guideline, unless there is a reason for it like damage etc.

To check the values you can always use www.whatcar.co.uk and www.parkers.co.uk. If you find a car a few of us on here can give you a trade price and let you know if its a good buy.

I think i have just been diving into this head on without really thinking things through about exactly what I want. My problem is i see something and i want it now without even considering anything else.

Ok well to sum it up i'd like a newish car (01 onwards preferably) which is comfortable to drive and also has some good power in it. The main reason for switching my car is i'm fed up with pooteling along in a 1.2, i want something that has a bit of grunt in it. Econemy isn't too much of a worry to me really neither is the physical size of the car. Manufacturers warrenty would be a nice addition and lowish milage (20k) would be ideal too.

EDIT: also as mentioned before i've been driving for 2 years and have 1 years no claims so nothing too expensive on insurance if possible.

I know Mondeos are rather popular here so i must disappoint a few people by saying that i dont like the look of them so please don't suggest any :p

I'm off to take a look at an astra 1.8i SRi now so i'll be back later on this evening.
 
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Just my 2p here. You could do a lot worse than the MG ZR but you could also do a lot better. Xpart (Catepillar) now stock 97% of all parts for all MGs, that and the fact that production is about to restart at Longbridge means things are not really an issue any more.

There is also a new initiative from XPart to stop insurance companies going "...meh! Write off tbh..."

They have to inform XPart first to see what parts are available.

Other suggestions for your bracket

MK4 Astra SRi 2.2 (SRi Turbo or even GSi are possible now at this budget)
Clio
Focus
Golf Mk4
Seat Leon
 
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