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"A state" wagon. You should do this more often. It seems like it turned out well. The v6 one sounded decent in the video clip. Cheapest MG in the country, sight unseen. Will it make it x kilometers? Leave the nice shirts at home. Would make a fun video to do it at least once. Ooh, I can feel the anxiety and excitement now. Maybe bring Number 27 along?
I bought a Mustang I think they removed the warning lights....it had over 5k of problems (which I declined to have fixed), thankfully I traded it for a 98 Sentra someone wanted to sell for $2500....that car has been reliable and gone thousands of miles since. They wanted the Mustang for racing so they did not care about the problems.
If I every visit the UK for more than a layover, you are gonna have to let me borrow that MG. Wish we got any of those 3in America. Maybe when I move from America to Sweden in a few years, I will buy a cheap ZR as a project car (pre-facelift...they look so much better).
LOL James thanks for the mention and I do apologise for putting us both through that!! It certainly was the worst challenge I've ever taken on with the 75ZT's I specialise in. One reason it was here for a year is that every job on it took twice as long as normal because of the previous bodge monkeys, so it ended up being worked on between all the other projects here and inbetween the day jobs owners travel here for which I do while they wait. I suspect I saw it through rose tinted specs initially and the MOT items didn’t seem that bad. A lot of things had been bodged like for example a brand new ABS sensor on the rear had been fitted. Great I thought and then began to waste another hour or so tracing a ABS line fault according to T4 diagnostics. I then decided to remove said new sensor only to find the new sensor bit in the hub had been hacksawn off because the bodger couldn't get the old piece out he though it would cure the fault just by sticking the lead through the hole ........I kid you not 😅 What a racket on the way to the MOT. 3 wheel bearings were very loud ⚠️ But we got it through with a clean sheet except for an orange bulb which wasn't orange enough (a pet hate of my tester 🙄) Then because we were 30% into the project it was kind of a point of no return then and I would then send 5 jobs a week to James which needed attention (prices given) and Jayem kept saying Go Ahead !! And the list got longer & longer until I ran out of steam ! I said to Jayem just come and fetch it, use it and see if you want phase 2 next year. Entertaining vid and channel BTW keep up the good work. Jules
Thank you for your effort and diligence to keep these cars on the road, good sir. I think that has to be said. It's also been enlightening to read up on some additional details behind the work you've done on this specific car!
Sorry to hear abour your experience James. It is rather unfortunate this sort of people ruin the Facebook owner groups hopefully the car proves to be better thereafter.
I browse Facebook car ads as bit of a twisted hobby. I love all the ones that read like 'just a few minor things, I have all the parts, I just haven't put them on...' - well why not. You've bought the parts, you know what's wrong, you're so close to the finish line. A sea of empty promises.
75 owner checking in - thanks for saving another one. So many of these get scrapped for apparently small issues. Jules is a legend in the 75/ZT world, so you are fortunate to have him fixing it.
The line "I have saved this car from being scrapped" is used quite liberally among automotive TH-camrs, but James has genuinely saved this car. From the photos and damage, someone has been absolutely ragging on this thing, basically beating it to death and then conning someone out of some money for it. Most people would have just cut their losses and scrapped it, so James has actually saved it and kept it on the road. It was never my favourite MG, but it is such a rare sight today. Presumably James if now looking for a TF in the classified to get the MG Full House... I initially thought this was going to be an update on the ZS, it's been a very long time since it was even mentioned.
Sorry Facebook marketplace lived up to it's reputation for you, it's truly awful what scams and dishonesty people try to get away with. But with that being said I am absolutely delighted that you've bought a 75/ZT to complete your collection and have pulled one back from the brink! These are such good cars, criminally underrated and overlooked! I'm living my dream of owning and restoring Rovers vicariously through you. The exotica is great, but it's this side of the channel that I truly adore and look forward to the most. I hope your bond for this car continues to grow and the old hector gets some more love to really make it shine like the flagship it is. Thanks James, this made my day.
Bad story, but I had worse. I had a BMW Z4 "J4 UKP" (private plate too). Let a "friend" of mine look after it. I went away on holiday. Came back to find the car had been put in a garage in Hull, sold to somebody. He said he knew nothing about it. I reported to police and DVLA. They said they can't help. Tried to trace the location of the car. Nobody could do anything as the V5 was left in the glove box by me. To this day I have never been able to resolve the issue. Lost 10,000 quid. Pissed off is not even close.
Just wanted to mention: there was one step you missed which could have saved you some of the surprises which you encountered: I also bought a car a few years back sight unseen, whilst sitting on a beach in Dubai. Home is London for me and the car was in Wales. The car was a MK3 Golf GTI 16v Anniversary edition, the rare of the rare of UK supplied Mk3 golf’s, and this one was purportedly fully restored and in amazing condition. The step you missed was to arrange a mobile vehicle PPI, which I got done for little over £150, and I got a full report sent to me via email the next day. It wasn’t as comprehensive as taking to a specialist for a complete review, but it did take a few hours and included a test drive and photos. They confirmed to me that this was the best Mk3 golf they had ever seen and the seller was being honest with his description. In your case they would have mentioned the battery situation, possibly the rust, and many other items which were a bit iffy. So there is that little step which is the next best thing to viewing the car yourself, get a mobile pre purchase inspection done! Hope this helps
I would have just paid via PayPal, and inspected it myself when going to pick it up in person. If it turns out to be a total dog, at least you can claim your money back through PayPal and not have to shell out an extra £150 for a third party inspection.
There’s a lot to be said for owning a car that you can happily lend to anyone and not worry about it….. I used to own a Hyundai Lantra estate which was my tip car, dog wagon, hay bale carrier and I never had to worry about it….. it cost me £250, I used it for three years, it sailed through its MOT each year and I sold it again for £250 👍
Thats my type of motoring, cheap and cheerful! I've had some stinkers over the years but none of them ever let me down, cheap as chips to buy, run and maintain.
We had a Fiesta ST150 where the former keeper has filled the space over the error lights with black silicone. This was over the EML and ABS lights, what fun it was correcting all that...
This mirrors my experience with my £1,200 Rover 75 Tourer CDTI purchase. Trip to Jules for a look over resulting in about another £1,200 in essential repairs. Last summer put another £2.5k or so into it and fully rebuilt the suspension, sill rust repair, new brake pipes and a load of other parts replacements at home on the driveway. People will wince but a German car of similar vintage (these are almost literally FWD E46) will likely be just as near death and won’t provide the driving experience that these almost uniquely offer. Keep up the MG Rover content, it’s great to get these cars some exposure and unravel the pub bore myths!
Embarrassing story? Probably. But embarrassing car? Absolutely not! I love the ZT and I think it's a great car regardless of the price. It looks superb, both as a saloon and estate, and as mk1 and mk2. It's a shame that they were treated so badly for so long, that there's very few truly good examples left on the roads now, but I'm happy this one was saved from certain death.
I love the story. I'm impressed with how you stayed calm with an unscrupulous seller, it will come back to bite him, I'm sure I'm new to your TH-cam sight, but I'm hooked. Great job
Nice to see another old car being saved from the scrapheap. I had 2 x ZR's as first and second cars, a 105 and a 120 and despite everything either not working in the first place, or breaking soon after, I really enjoyed my time with them. Unfortunately, seem to be chalked up as a 'modern classic' now so can't be found for that sort of money anymore but will never forget the fun I had with them!
I ran a 75 saloon with the BMW diesel engine. Used it as a commuter into Canary Wharf car until someone idiot rear ended me. Absolutely fabulous car, it had a webastro diesel heater with a timer so I could set it to come on in the Winter before I climbed aboard and it was already defrosted and toasty warm and that was a lot nicer than a windscreen heater. Always thought the design was nicer than the Jag S or X class of same era. Very underrated, shame BMW didn't keep going with the brand as it could have got interesting.
I worked at Longbridge from 1990 until the very end, lots of happy memories here… I remember shipping the 75 line up to Birmingham after ripping the R50 mini line out. Thanks for the great video…
I’m the complete opposite of the thief you bought the car from. I spent thousands on making a car perfect and trouble free for years. I remain in contact with anyone I’ve sold a car to, and remain there for technical advice. They also then want to purchase any other projects of mine! I’d rather lose money on a car then cheat anyone; I value honesty and integrity more than money.
I remember my Mum having a Silver 2002 ZR 160, I loved that thing when I was younger, got written off in a crash over a decade ago, still would like to experience one again.
I owned a ZT-T. Absolutely loved it. It was the best car I've ever owned. I loved it so much I ran it for 12 years, and the only reason I sold it was because it was becoming increasingly difficult to get parts. It was a petrol 2.5 V6 190+, fully loaded with options (apart from the traction control option). I bought it when it was 3 years old and it turned out I was the second owner, the first owner being an MG Rover director. Anyway, they were fantastic cars and I hope you appreciate yours as much as I did.
I'm somewhat experienced with cars and working on them since I do everything. Granted, I almost exclusively owned Audis with the exception of a RCZ THP200, a BMW 535i E39, a Touareg R5 and GMC V10. But over all 28 cars I've bought, owned, repaired, serviced and driven, one thing cristalyzed out: I'd rather buy the cheapest, best base car and invest money to fix everything than to buy the same car for much more and need to be doing still 20-50% of the repairs. At least that way I know that everything is fixed and I had my fingers on to know what can become defective. Most recently a Q7 4.2FSI from 2006. 5000€ for the car, 5500€ in repairs. But there is none in the market for 10.000 with all things done and fixed like in mine. To be exact there is none with all the chains done, some of the controlunits in the right side trunk, sunroof drains, bootlid motors, servopump and alternator as well as all the oils in the differentials, gearbox and transfer case. Even at 20.000€ you don't have a car serviced that well So still the better deal. And a beautiful, great sounding car with lovely interiour and great handling. Although by far the newest car I ever bought and most likely every will buy.
Greetings from Memexico! Yeah, Facebook’s marketplace is a meme among car enthusiasts here and in the USA as well. Most people selling don’t know what they have or are out of their minds on pricing.
Bravo James on saving this old thing! There’s something about taking a total piece of smeg and saving it by spending far too much money on it (far more than it’s worth infact) and ending up with something that is still a bit of a smegger but very much usable! This is exactly what’s happened to me and my £350 Golf Estate that I am now over £3500 into and I’ve stopped counting the figures on now! Don’t regret a thing though.
lol , James tale about his mum & sister .... i've had a Fabia Estate for about 10 years , for the last 3 years it has been a spare / loaner / run to the council tip / DIY centre / Garden centre vehicle ... it's now so tatty people won't even borrow it to do a tip run
In 2008(ISH) when I was a mere 28 year old I bought the ZS180 hatch in anthracite....I only owned it for 2-3 years, but to this day it's still my favourite car that I owned. It was so good in fact that my older brother bought at the same time the ZT-T 160 in the exact same colour as your one. I remember that one fondly as I went with him to buy it and had the pleasure of driving it back some 150ish miles. Lovely cars.... Criminally underrated by the ignorant and badge snobs.
Good to see these old, broken & unloved cars beeing saved. Did the same with my 300 euro Saab 9000 cse and 500 euro Saab 9-5. Both really needed some tlc (and parts), but been daily driving both of them for over 3 years now. 😄
This sort of story really annoys me. There are many people who are financially struggling, living paycheck-to-paycheck and desperately need cheap transport (we've all been there). A £500 runaround, especially an estate, would be perfect for those folks. However, imagine then finding out that your £500 car is actually a £3000 car, else it won't pass the MOT and you can't take your kids to school, or take your mum to the shops, or help a friend move house. It's such a shame.
No, it annoys me that someone falsely advertises and sells a car that they clearly knew needed a lot more work than they let on. It's the dishonesty, not the car. @@ajworks5958
@@ajworks5958 Not being advertised as needing that amount of money spent on it is more of the problem. 'Runs, drives, should pass an MOT' isn't sitting without a battery, vandalized instrument cluster to remove warning lights, etc.
I had a ZTT diesel from nearly new. Unfortunately it was the low power version, but great fun and super comfortable. What it lacked in outright pace, it made up for with really really nice handling....
James I rather like the looks of this car, despite the funky looking grille. Never seen one here in the US. I admit I am partial to wagons (or is is estate or touring cars). Sorry you were had by that FB scalliwag! But nothing to be ashamed of here. Rescuing an otherwise usable car is always worth the effort. Cheers and happy motoring!
Loved my old zt. Mine was a base 115hp diesel but I recall driving back from St Austell after buying it thinking it had way more punch. Found out later it had been superchipped to about 160hp which was a real bonus. They also handle much better than you think. If a decent example turned up I'd definitely have another.
Brilliant cars. Had a 24 hour test drive back in 2002, I got 50m in a straight line before I knew nothing else would compare. The handling utterly brilliant. They will even oversteer without crazy provoking the chassis is that well balanced. I'd have another in a flash, a 190 though. Prefer this 1st gen rather than the face lift, and Trophy blue ❤
75 owner here, nice to hear you bought one Jay, need any help give me a shout but you've got the legend himself Jules helping so I might be surplus to requirements!
What a story, really well told. I laughed out loud several times! “I will end this with a little humorous story” James all of it was hilarious, great content as ever, best regards, Ben.
Ah that's interesting...! I too bought a ZTT in the same colour, mine was a petrol V6 but it turned out the car was a dog with the engine built out of two different V6 units. Made getting a cambelt / waterpump a total disaster. I really like these ZTs, especially with the diesel engine. Good buy, nice to see a humble car here!
Hi Jay, I really enjoyed this video. Although the whole Rover thing was a financial disaster for UK taxpayers, this particular model was, for me, the pick of the bunch. A very attractive (and uniquely English-looking) car I think. Thank you.
Check the boost pressure... I had mine up to 21psi... Factory spec is about 19... Mine had gone down to about 14 psi due to a degraded wastegate spring so I fitted a ball and spring valve. Remapped at 21psi it pulled like a BMW 320... Ie like it should. Great car 😊
Interesting video - and quite entertaining and honest (unlike the seller). I had an interesting experience once trying to buy a Ford Focus - got to the location, car parked on the street, tried calling at the flat of the 'owner', they had never heard of him or the car, he turned up about 5 minutes later (had just parked up the road, I think, and seen us looking at the car). He claimed, once the interior had a 'refresh' everything with the car would be fine... I sat in the car - Seats torn and very worn, almost no rubber left on the pedals, gearbox completely floppy, and all sorts of broken trim - I got out and noticed a sticker from the local car auction still in the window - said 'no thanks' and walked away...
Always liked the ZT, I nearly bought one once but the mileage put me off, sadly the car you bought was just an unloved workhorse. Keep it and do a bit to it now and then to get it back to tip-top order.
Just bought a trophy yellow ZR 105 for £520, was reassured by watching your video on one. Not bad to say I'm 16. Although it does need more work than the seller said
James, I quite like that car! Crazy story to get to where you are, but so great that the MG shares a drive with the Ferraris…..absolutely why I love this channel.
I hate bodgery , we have all been deceived at one point or another , when buying a car . I'm glad you got it back up to a good standard and saved it though 👍👍👍👍. Buckled wheels on a long car journey can drive you to insanity lol.
I will never get over the UKs throwaway car culture. I like to watch High Peak Autos. And with him and you I cant help but see how much the UK as a society loves to waste cars. They get scrapped when they still have life in them. But the biggest thing is how little value cars hold! Your story just made me think how much more expensive a car like this would be here in the US. Cars worth only a few grand there are almost 10k here in the US. Even after adjusting the currency to dollars. My mind is just always blown away with how affordable yalls cars are. I guess you have more sneaky costs though.
We have high fuel costs, insurance and annual car taxes (linked to CO2 and for newer cars purchase price also). Salty winter roads also shorten the lifespan of cars compared with warmer / dryer countries and US states
A lot of things that would be ignored in cars in the USA would result in an MOT fail (MOT is the annual road worthiness test) in the UK and need to be fixed before it is useful. With the cost of labour, and a reducing pool of people with the skills / space to do the work themselves, this renders cars not worth repairing. Add to this that the risk of such a failure (even if it hasn't happened) reduces the value of a 2nd hand car, which makes the value of one with such a failure worth even less so less financially worthwhile to fix.
Great James! Then you can hang out with Jack from nr.27 with his 75! And I absolutely don’t find this embarrassing at all. What’s wrong with a proud MG Rover product? I have a car you might find interesting, only I am Dutch and the car is therefore in The Netherlands. It’s the Rover 200 BRM, the forerunner of the ZR cars. With all red leather glory and turned aluminum glitter! Mine is one of the 350 LHD, and one of the 77 original Dutch supplied. In very good condition and I love it! Hope to see more on the progress on the MG’s in your fleet.
I've got a ZT-T diesel with the remap, absolutely love it and wouldn't get rid of it. 190k on the clock. Will go anywhere. Annual trip to Inverness is always a good drive.
I Related and felt to this video so much, Jay you keep buying shit know one likes to make your self happy and only you haha. This video is what being an enthusiast is truly about and I feel like this video hits you right in the feels as it basically explains what passion really is. love the channel keep up the good work.
Jules is a good egg so at the very least you can trust the work he has done is bob-on. The luke-warm heater is probably down the to the thermostat on its last legs, it is a bit of a pain to replace. Steering vibration could be anything from rear engine mount, shonky tyres or one (or both!) of the driveshafts, seeing as you've got new boots and a mount then you can guess what you will be looking at next. And join the owners club, it's free.
'My name's James, and I have a problem...' (I don't mean it - I love your videos on cheaper cars, especially ones you own. I do notice that your 3rd MG has WTF on it's reg. plate, however.)
Honestly, with all the work you've done, you could probably now sell this for near what you've spent on it in total. But it's not that that matters. It's the fact you've given it a new lease of life😊. I used to love seeing these on the road and now I hardly see any 😢. Thanks for this one, it's been awesome to see I'm not the only one who makes compulsive decisions on buying cars like this 🤣.
@@graemetaylor629My winter car is a 406 V6 Coupe and any major repair on that will not increase it's value... So I could chop it in for say a 5 year old Golf GTI maybe? But what would the yearly depreciation be..?
you have no idea how happy it makes me to know that you have had , so to speak, the wool pulled over your eyes, but please don't think that I am taking any sadistic pleasure from your experience. The reason that I am pleased is that, it is good to know that even someone with the wealth of knowledge that you have within the "car game" has been taken in by some shifty, unscrupulous turd! The world of FB has become an absolute minefield of dodgy car sales. Any how, another great video and if it is any consolation, I too like the MG of this era...koko...😉
Hey James, if you fancy adding another ZS to your fleet - I’ve just finished freshening up a cracking little ‘03 ZS 1.8 with just over 56,000 miles on it…and it comes with a new (advisory free) MOT!
I always thought you were a cultured, educated chap, but now I KNOW you are: highlighting the difference between "trains" and "locomotives" (at 3 mins) proves it beyond any doubt!
Inevitably, some will describe this as 'a great car for doing the tip run in'. How often do you people go to the tip that you need a car specifically for this?
@@JayEmmOnCarsYup, it's about once or twice a year for me, at the most. Congrats on spending £3,000 on a £1,500 car. 😛 Could be worse... could be your BX... (Time for a garage update? Go on, keep us amused.)
I once carried 300kg of gravel in a Porsche Cayman, with my now ex-GF in the passenger seat and all the other bits needed to build a garden path. Given that, I feel like "a great car for doing the tip run in" has 7 more words than it needs, since it's essentially the same sentence as "a car" 😆
I still have my ZT 190 sat in my back garden. Nocturne Blue, 198,000 miles. Parked up as i changed jobs and needed a diesel for the 80 mile daily commute. Great cars. I loved driving mine.
I think if you and Gordon Murray were in the same room together your shirts would explode like an EV. We both need a Bert Kreischer moment in terms of our health judging by your older b roll
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give the drivers window some silicone spray. the rubbers just dry out. if not its the mech.
The story about your sister saying "no thanks!" 😂
"A state" wagon. You should do this more often. It seems like it turned out well. The v6 one sounded decent in the video clip.
Cheapest MG in the country, sight unseen. Will it make it x kilometers? Leave the nice shirts at home. Would make a fun video to do it at least once. Ooh, I can feel the anxiety and excitement now. Maybe bring Number 27 along?
I bought a Mustang I think they removed the warning lights....it had over 5k of problems (which I declined to have fixed), thankfully I traded it for a 98 Sentra someone wanted to sell for $2500....that car has been reliable and gone thousands of miles since. They wanted the Mustang for racing so they did not care about the problems.
If I every visit the UK for more than a layover, you are gonna have to let me borrow that MG. Wish we got any of those 3in America. Maybe when I move from America to Sweden in a few years, I will buy a cheap ZR as a project car (pre-facelift...they look so much better).
LOL James thanks for the mention and I do apologise for putting us both through that!!
It certainly was the worst challenge I've ever taken on with the 75ZT's I specialise in.
One reason it was here for a year is that every job on it took twice as long as normal because of the previous bodge monkeys, so it ended up being worked on between all the other projects here and inbetween the day jobs owners travel here for which I do while they wait.
I suspect I saw it through rose tinted specs initially and the MOT items didn’t seem that bad.
A lot of things had been bodged like for example a brand new ABS sensor on the rear had been fitted.
Great I thought and then began to waste another hour or so tracing a ABS line fault according to T4 diagnostics.
I then decided to remove said new sensor only to find the new sensor bit in the hub had been hacksawn off because the bodger couldn't get the old piece out he though it would cure the fault just by sticking the lead through the hole ........I kid you not 😅
What a racket on the way to the MOT.
3 wheel bearings were very loud ⚠️
But we got it through with a clean sheet except for an orange bulb which wasn't orange enough (a pet hate of my tester 🙄)
Then because we were 30% into the project it was kind of a point of no return then and I would then send 5 jobs a week to James which needed attention (prices given) and Jayem kept saying Go Ahead !!
And the list got longer & longer until I ran out of steam !
I said to Jayem just come and fetch it, use it and see if you want phase 2 next year.
Entertaining vid and channel BTW keep up the good work.
Jules
Thank you for your effort and diligence to keep these cars on the road, good sir. I think that has to be said. It's also been enlightening to read up on some additional details behind the work you've done on this specific car!
Jules is an absolute legend in 75 and zt circles -from 400 miles away helped keep my 75 on the road.
He gets satisfaction out of putting a machine back into good order and saving it from the scrapper, hats off to both of you.
Lol, doesn't sound fun
Sir I appreciate your work and integrity. Wish you were new Zealand based. Then I would happily own another one of these. Cheers
Sorry to hear abour your experience James. It is rather unfortunate this sort of people ruin the Facebook owner groups hopefully the car proves to be better thereafter.
On the plus side it made for a great story - I was enthralled throughout.
Never mind
I browse Facebook car ads as bit of a twisted hobby. I love all the ones that read like 'just a few minor things, I have all the parts, I just haven't put them on...' - well why not. You've bought the parts, you know what's wrong, you're so close to the finish line. A sea of empty promises.
@@MattExzy “east fix, part supplied” 😂😂
75 owner checking in - thanks for saving another one. So many of these get scrapped for apparently small issues. Jules is a legend in the 75/ZT world, so you are fortunate to have him fixing it.
Congratulations James if your wearing that shirt for a bet ,you've won mate.
He's probably wearing it because he lost a bet :)
The car might be bad but the shirt beats it!
Yes I usually like or at least respect his shirts, but this one looks like it was inspired by the hair of a Saiyan
@GetOffMyLog it has an uncanny resemblance to a shower curtain my aunt had in her holiday bungalow in the early 80's.
Standing there talking about the worst purchase he's ever made... 😂🙈
Embarrassed by the car yet not by that shirt? James, you're a true enigma! Love your channel - keep up the great work.
Shallow attention seeker is more accurate.
The line "I have saved this car from being scrapped" is used quite liberally among automotive TH-camrs, but James has genuinely saved this car. From the photos and damage, someone has been absolutely ragging on this thing, basically beating it to death and then conning someone out of some money for it. Most people would have just cut their losses and scrapped it, so James has actually saved it and kept it on the road. It was never my favourite MG, but it is such a rare sight today.
Presumably James if now looking for a TF in the classified to get the MG Full House...
I initially thought this was going to be an update on the ZS, it's been a very long time since it was even mentioned.
Yeah no F40 was ever in danger of the scrapman
@@JayEmmOnCarsTalk to your new mate Boaty about buying Melanie Mingebag the MG TF !
Definitely a punishment from God; one cannot have this many MG Rover products!
I reckon so
Damn I hate when the first comment spoils the reveal
@@BRAINFxck10why would you read the comments first?
Once you have rover/mg bug you never own one you got have at least 4 I’m currently doing up rover BRM but also have streetwise and two ZRs
Sorry Facebook marketplace lived up to it's reputation for you, it's truly awful what scams and dishonesty people try to get away with. But with that being said I am absolutely delighted that you've bought a 75/ZT to complete your collection and have pulled one back from the brink! These are such good cars, criminally underrated and overlooked! I'm living my dream of owning and restoring Rovers vicariously through you. The exotica is great, but it's this side of the channel that I truly adore and look forward to the most. I hope your bond for this car continues to grow and the old hector gets some more love to really make it shine like the flagship it is. Thanks James, this made my day.
Bad story, but I had worse. I had a BMW Z4 "J4 UKP" (private plate too). Let a "friend" of mine look after it. I went away on holiday. Came back to find the car had been put in a garage in Hull, sold to somebody. He said he knew nothing about it. I reported to police and DVLA. They said they can't help. Tried to trace the location of the car. Nobody could do anything as the V5 was left in the glove box by me. To this day I have never been able to resolve the issue. Lost 10,000 quid. Pissed off is not even close.
That's horrific. Why the hell the police can't (won't) do anything is beyond me.
Guessing he is no longer a "friend"? What an awful story.
This is one of those where its eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth . . . .
The V5 even says on it it's not proof of ownership. Sounds like you could sue whoever's driving it.
Police said the V5 was legally transferred to another person, but they won't identify who it is.
@@tomriley5790
Just wanted to mention: there was one step you missed which could have saved you some of the surprises which you encountered: I also bought a car a few years back sight unseen, whilst sitting on a beach in Dubai. Home is London for me and the car was in Wales. The car was a MK3 Golf GTI 16v Anniversary edition, the rare of the rare of UK supplied Mk3 golf’s, and this one was purportedly fully restored and in amazing condition.
The step you missed was to arrange a mobile vehicle PPI, which I got done for little over £150, and I got a full report sent to me via email the next day. It wasn’t as comprehensive as taking to a specialist for a complete review, but it did take a few hours and included a test drive and photos. They confirmed to me that this was the best Mk3 golf they had ever seen and the seller was being honest with his description. In your case they would have mentioned the battery situation, possibly the rust, and many other items which were a bit iffy.
So there is that little step which is the next best thing to viewing the car yourself, get a mobile pre purchase inspection done!
Hope this helps
Who did you use for the mobile PPI?
The one step he missed was to not buy a car off of Fakebook 😅
I would have just paid via PayPal, and inspected it myself when going to pick it up in person. If it turns out to be a total dog, at least you can claim your money back through PayPal and not have to shell out an extra £150 for a third party inspection.
Usually not a fan of JayEmm, but this piece on his MG really changed my opinion on his channel. Great subject, well delivered and concise.
Thanks Joseph
There’s a lot to be said for owning a car that you can happily lend to anyone and not worry about it….. I used to own a Hyundai Lantra estate which was my tip car, dog wagon, hay bale carrier and I never had to worry about it….. it cost me £250, I used it for three years, it sailed through its MOT each year and I sold it again for £250 👍
That's the theory
Yeah, I agree. I owned a Y reg Cavalier back in the day that got passed around between friends & family.
Thats my type of motoring, cheap and cheerful! I've had some stinkers over the years but none of them ever let me down, cheap as chips to buy, run and maintain.
Not really, there's not anything of worth to say.
Your registration plate says it all😬
We had a Fiesta ST150 where the former keeper has filled the space over the error lights with black silicone. This was over the EML and ABS lights, what fun it was correcting all that...
wow. car buying never ceases to amuse me.
This mirrors my experience with my £1,200 Rover 75 Tourer CDTI purchase.
Trip to Jules for a look over resulting in about another £1,200 in essential repairs.
Last summer put another £2.5k or so into it and fully rebuilt the suspension, sill rust repair, new brake pipes and a load of other parts replacements at home on the driveway.
People will wince but a German car of similar vintage (these are almost literally FWD E46) will likely be just as near death and won’t provide the driving experience that these almost uniquely offer.
Keep up the MG Rover content, it’s great to get these cars some exposure and unravel the pub bore myths!
Embarrassing story? Probably. But embarrassing car? Absolutely not! I love the ZT and I think it's a great car regardless of the price. It looks superb, both as a saloon and estate, and as mk1 and mk2. It's a shame that they were treated so badly for so long, that there's very few truly good examples left on the roads now, but I'm happy this one was saved from certain death.
No it's not. It's a rover with big wheels - literally the opposite of cool.
Same here. A great looking car.
I love the story. I'm impressed with how you stayed calm with an unscrupulous seller, it will come back to bite him, I'm sure
I'm new to your TH-cam sight, but I'm hooked.
Great job
Welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video :)
Love your attitude focusing on the fact that you brought this nice little motor back from the brink of scrapdom, well done JayEmm.
Exactly, another one saved. Hoovie style.
I want one!
Exactly. Glass half full and all that!
Lesson learned there James. In my experience when a seller says they’ve been offered such and such scrap value, it generally means the cars scrap.
Nice to see another old car being saved from the scrapheap. I had 2 x ZR's as first and second cars, a 105 and a 120 and despite everything either not working in the first place, or breaking soon after, I really enjoyed my time with them. Unfortunately, seem to be chalked up as a 'modern classic' now so can't be found for that sort of money anymore but will never forget the fun I had with them!
There's a few cheap ones lurking on Facebook but they're really showing their age now
I ran a 75 saloon with the BMW diesel engine. Used it as a commuter into Canary Wharf car until someone idiot rear ended me. Absolutely fabulous car, it had a webastro diesel heater with a timer so I could set it to come on in the Winter before I climbed aboard and it was already defrosted and toasty warm and that was a lot nicer than a windscreen heater. Always thought the design was nicer than the Jag S or X class of same era. Very underrated, shame BMW didn't keep going with the brand as it could have got interesting.
I worked at Longbridge from 1990 until the very end, lots of happy memories here… I remember shipping the 75 line up to Birmingham after ripping the R50 mini line out. Thanks for the great video…
Congrats on the much more relatable car purchase. I'd love to see more content such as road trips on this cheap, fun, and practical little thing!
The number plate alone is worth 500£ 😅. Love it ...
But yes, that guy should be in prison for fraud...
Or maybe given a £500 'massage'...with a cricket bat...
I’m the complete opposite of the thief you bought the car from. I spent thousands on making a car perfect and trouble free for years. I remain in contact with anyone I’ve sold a car to, and remain there for technical advice. They also then want to purchase any other projects of mine! I’d rather lose money on a car then cheat anyone; I value honesty and integrity more than money.
No issues here, move along please…..lovely thing once sorted.Good on you JM and God help you! 😮
I remember my Mum having a Silver 2002 ZR 160, I loved that thing when I was younger, got written off in a crash over a decade ago, still would like to experience one again.
I owned a ZT-T. Absolutely loved it. It was the best car I've ever owned. I loved it so much I ran it for 12 years, and the only reason I sold it was because it was becoming increasingly difficult to get parts. It was a petrol 2.5 V6 190+, fully loaded with options (apart from the traction control option). I bought it when it was 3 years old and it turned out I was the second owner, the first owner being an MG Rover director. Anyway, they were fantastic cars and I hope you appreciate yours as much as I did.
I'm somewhat experienced with cars and working on them since I do everything. Granted, I almost exclusively owned Audis with the exception of a RCZ THP200, a BMW 535i E39, a Touareg R5 and GMC V10.
But over all 28 cars I've bought, owned, repaired, serviced and driven, one thing cristalyzed out: I'd rather buy the cheapest, best base car and invest money to fix everything than to buy the same car for much more and need to be doing still 20-50% of the repairs. At least that way I know that everything is fixed and I had my fingers on to know what can become defective. Most recently a Q7 4.2FSI from 2006. 5000€ for the car, 5500€ in repairs. But there is none in the market for 10.000 with all things done and fixed like in mine. To be exact there is none with all the chains done, some of the controlunits in the right side trunk, sunroof drains, bootlid motors, servopump and alternator as well as all the oils in the differentials, gearbox and transfer case. Even at 20.000€ you don't have a car serviced that well
So still the better deal. And a beautiful, great sounding car with lovely interiour and great handling. Although by far the newest car I ever bought and most likely every will buy.
Your sister is the smart one Jay, loved the story of the purchase!
I love that you named and shamed. Keep up the great work.
You made me laugh about your sister declining the offer to borrow it James
😂
Possibly the most sensible car you’ve bought for a while! 😉🤣 Well done for taking it on and getting it up to snuff!
Greetings from Memexico! Yeah, Facebook’s marketplace is a meme among car enthusiasts here and in the USA as well. Most people selling don’t know what they have or are out of their minds on pricing.
At your expense , sorry, but I really enjoyed that. Thanks for bravely sharing!!!
Bravo James on saving this old thing!
There’s something about taking a total piece of smeg and saving it by spending far too much money on it (far more than it’s worth infact) and ending up with something that is still a bit of a smegger but very much usable!
This is exactly what’s happened to me and my £350 Golf Estate that I am now over £3500 into and I’ve stopped counting the figures on now!
Don’t regret a thing though.
lol , James tale about his mum & sister .... i've had a Fabia Estate for about 10 years , for the last 3 years it has been a spare / loaner / run to the council tip / DIY centre / Garden centre vehicle ... it's now so tatty people won't even borrow it to do a tip run
In 2008(ISH) when I was a mere 28 year old I bought the ZS180 hatch in anthracite....I only owned it for 2-3 years, but to this day it's still my favourite car that I owned.
It was so good in fact that my older brother bought at the same time the ZT-T 160 in the exact same colour as your one. I remember that one fondly as I went with him to buy it and had the pleasure of driving it back some 150ish miles.
Lovely cars.... Criminally underrated by the ignorant and badge snobs.
Good to see these old, broken & unloved cars beeing saved.
Did the same with my 300 euro Saab 9000 cse and 500 euro Saab 9-5.
Both really needed some tlc (and parts), but been daily driving both of them for over 3 years now. 😄
This sort of story really annoys me. There are many people who are financially struggling, living paycheck-to-paycheck and desperately need cheap transport (we've all been there). A £500 runaround, especially an estate, would be perfect for those folks. However, imagine then finding out that your £500 car is actually a £3000 car, else it won't pass the MOT and you can't take your kids to school, or take your mum to the shops, or help a friend move house. It's such a shame.
It annoys you that a £500 car needs money spent on it. It’s always pretty much a punt…
No, it annoys me that someone falsely advertises and sells a car that they clearly knew needed a lot more work than they let on. It's the dishonesty, not the car. @@ajworks5958
@@ajworks5958 Not being advertised as needing that amount of money spent on it is more of the problem. 'Runs, drives, should pass an MOT' isn't sitting without a battery, vandalized instrument cluster to remove warning lights, etc.
Sorry about your experience, James, however, your pain is our gain in this case as I found this video incredibly funny and entertaining.
Cheers!
I had a ZTT diesel from nearly new. Unfortunately it was the low power version, but great fun and super comfortable. What it lacked in outright pace, it made up for with really really nice handling....
James I rather like the looks of this car, despite the funky looking grille. Never seen one here in the US. I admit I am partial to wagons (or is is estate or touring cars). Sorry you were had by that FB scalliwag! But nothing to be ashamed of here. Rescuing an otherwise usable car is always worth the effort. Cheers and happy motoring!
Loved my old zt. Mine was a base 115hp diesel but I recall driving back from St Austell after buying it thinking it had way more punch. Found out later it had been superchipped to about 160hp which was a real bonus. They also handle much better than you think. If a decent example turned up I'd definitely have another.
Your reconstruction of the dialogue with the seller was hilarious! Glad however another one has been saved as they are a great design.
There are currently 2 Steven Jones in the 75 sales/swap/wanted group on Facebook, not sure one of them is the one who ripped you off.
Brilliant cars. Had a 24 hour test drive back in 2002, I got 50m in a straight line before I knew nothing else would compare. The handling utterly brilliant. They will even oversteer without crazy provoking the chassis is that well balanced. I'd have another in a flash, a 190 though. Prefer this 1st gen rather than the face lift, and Trophy blue ❤
75 owner here, nice to hear you bought one Jay, need any help give me a shout but you've got the legend himself Jules helping so I might be surplus to requirements!
Hi James; well that gave me cause to smile. It has to be said that you took it all far better than I would have.
What a story, really well told. I laughed out loud several times! “I will end this with a little humorous story” James all of it was hilarious, great content as ever, best regards, Ben.
A fantastic few years for outright random and outrageous car launches...Rover/MG certainly went down swinging!
Ah that's interesting...! I too bought a ZTT in the same colour, mine was a petrol V6 but it turned out the car was a dog with the engine built out of two different V6 units. Made getting a cambelt / waterpump a total disaster. I really like these ZTs, especially with the diesel engine. Good buy, nice to see a humble car here!
my friend has a collection of about 6 - 7 rovers, including a prototype 75. very cool.
Almost skipped this one James .., but was a good watch and a laugh and a reminder of a couple of similar car purchases many years ago 😅
Some of us knew you had this for a while. We just didn’t want to embarrass you by letting everyone else know. Well, the cats out the bag now. 😂
And it's never going back in
Shirt, gesticulation, and banger-related anecdotes all reaching new and seriously impressive levels. Bravo!
Cowboys are still everywhere in the used car market, what a surprise hey James.
The story😂pure gold. Love how you still get enjoyment out of such cars whilst having access to all the heavy hitters!
Hi Jay, I really enjoyed this video. Although the whole Rover thing was a financial disaster for UK taxpayers, this particular model was, for me, the pick of the bunch. A very attractive (and uniquely English-looking) car I think. Thank you.
Check the boost pressure... I had mine up to 21psi... Factory spec is about 19... Mine had gone down to about 14 psi due to a degraded wastegate spring so I fitted a ball and spring valve. Remapped at 21psi it pulled like a BMW 320... Ie like it should. Great car 😊
Anyone else finding the number plate hilarious given the context? 🤣
Ha! Yes, well caught!
Interesting video - and quite entertaining and honest (unlike the seller).
I had an interesting experience once trying to buy a Ford Focus - got to the location, car parked on the street, tried calling at the flat of the 'owner', they had never heard of him or the car, he turned up about 5 minutes later (had just parked up the road, I think, and seen us looking at the car). He claimed, once the interior had a 'refresh' everything with the car would be fine... I sat in the car - Seats torn and very worn, almost no rubber left on the pedals, gearbox completely floppy, and all sorts of broken trim - I got out and noticed a sticker from the local car auction still in the window - said 'no thanks' and walked away...
Always liked the ZT, I nearly bought one once but the mileage put me off, sadly the car you bought was just an unloved workhorse. Keep it and do a bit to it now and then to get it back to tip-top order.
I'm convinced you started this channel purely to fund your shirt addiction. So much better than a sweatshirt with a logo on it. 😁
Deception on so many levels, name and shame away. Do love the colouring though :D
Just bought a trophy yellow ZR 105 for £520, was reassured by watching your video on one. Not bad to say I'm 16. Although it does need more work than the seller said
James, I quite like that car! Crazy story to get to where you are, but so great that the MG shares a drive with the Ferraris…..absolutely why I love this channel.
If it's any consolation, when I pulled up to deliver some food to you the other day the first thing I said to myself was that's a cool MG
I hate bodgery , we have all been deceived at one point or another , when buying a car .
I'm glad you got it back up to a good standard and saved it though 👍👍👍👍.
Buckled wheels on a long car journey can drive you to insanity lol.
I will never get over the UKs throwaway car culture. I like to watch High Peak Autos. And with him and you I cant help but see how much the UK as a society loves to waste cars. They get scrapped when they still have life in them. But the biggest thing is how little value cars hold!
Your story just made me think how much more expensive a car like this would be here in the US. Cars worth only a few grand there are almost 10k here in the US. Even after adjusting the currency to dollars.
My mind is just always blown away with how affordable yalls cars are.
I guess you have more sneaky costs though.
We have high fuel costs, insurance and annual car taxes (linked to CO2 and for newer cars purchase price also). Salty winter roads also shorten the lifespan of cars compared with warmer / dryer countries and US states
A lot of things that would be ignored in cars in the USA would result in an MOT fail (MOT is the annual road worthiness test) in the UK and need to be fixed before it is useful. With the cost of labour, and a reducing pool of people with the skills / space to do the work themselves, this renders cars not worth repairing. Add to this that the risk of such a failure (even if it hasn't happened) reduces the value of a 2nd hand car, which makes the value of one with such a failure worth even less so less financially worthwhile to fix.
Same for me here in Canada, prices here are even higher than the US too
Great James! Then you can hang out with Jack from nr.27 with his 75!
And I absolutely don’t find this embarrassing at all. What’s wrong with a proud MG Rover product? I have a car you might find interesting, only I am Dutch and the car is therefore in The Netherlands.
It’s the Rover 200 BRM, the forerunner of the ZR cars. With all red leather glory and turned aluminum glitter!
Mine is one of the 350 LHD, and one of the 77 original Dutch supplied. In very good condition and I love it!
Hope to see more on the progress on the MG’s in your fleet.
I've got a ZT-T diesel with the remap, absolutely love it and wouldn't get rid of it. 190k on the clock. Will go anywhere. Annual trip to Inverness is always a good drive.
I've got a 2004 ztt diesel with remap ....it will spin the wheels in second if I'm not careful !
I Related and felt to this video so much, Jay you keep buying shit know one likes to make your self happy and only you haha.
This video is what being an enthusiast is truly about and I feel like this video hits you right in the feels as it basically explains what passion really is.
love the channel keep up the good work.
Jules is a good egg so at the very least you can trust the work he has done is bob-on. The luke-warm heater is probably down the to the thermostat on its last legs, it is a bit of a pain to replace. Steering vibration could be anything from rear engine mount, shonky tyres or one (or both!) of the driveshafts, seeing as you've got new boots and a mount then you can guess what you will be looking at next. And join the owners club, it's free.
Agreed, Jules is indeed a good egg and got my 75 running perfectly, along with good humour and is also rather handy on a fiddle!
The one that set the record at Bonneville is one of my favorite cars ever.
Love your videos Jay. The plate says it all 🙈
Doesn't it just
I had to rewind to make sure I read that plate correctly. Perfect for the backstory on Mr Jones.
'My name's James, and I have a problem...'
(I don't mean it - I love your videos on cheaper cars, especially ones you own. I do notice that your 3rd MG has WTF on it's reg. plate, however.)
Seems like a great tip run car to me, wouldn't mind a ZT myself (though I much prefer the looks of the ZS).
Yep perfect dog wagon. If only I had dogs
@@JayEmmOnCars Haha, maybe now is the time 😂
One of your best video's.
MG sales here pretty stopped at the MGB. Lol
I look forward to seeing more of her.
I think Jack at #27 is gonna be jealous.
Honestly, with all the work you've done, you could probably now sell this for near what you've spent on it in total. But it's not that that matters. It's the fact you've given it a new lease of life😊. I used to love seeing these on the road and now I hardly see any 😢. Thanks for this one, it's been awesome to see I'm not the only one who makes compulsive decisions on buying cars like this 🤣.
there's no way he will recoup that outlay
Graeme's right. If I sold it I would be happy with a grand
@@graemetaylor629My winter car is a 406 V6 Coupe and any major repair on that will not increase it's value... So I could chop it in for say a 5 year old Golf GTI maybe? But what would the yearly depreciation be..?
My first car was a Ford Escort Mk1. I would rock that MG.
Kudos for keeping it alive and kicking.
Another cracking shirt Jay 👍
Very honest and realistic. Well done and good luck with new purchase
James you must be the only person in the world that owns a few ferrari"s and a Rover
Equal number of Ferrari and MG
I was hoping it was the V8, but well done for persevering! If that's your worst deal, you are doing well!
Not as embarrassing as that shirt 😮
Surely you can find the previous owner from the V5C?
Aww come on he’s living his best 90’s Duran Duran concert attire life 🤣😆
There were several pieces of old V5 in the car - I had to apply for a new one!
I don't think you get a V5 with a shirt.
Awesome video 👏🏼 I own 2 MK1 ZS’s & it’s great to see people appreciating them. Love your enthusiasm for them
Love cars with a WTF plate that makes sense lol
I love this story! I can't stop laughing lol
Sorry! As it wasn't a lot of money I'm sure the content will make it worth it.
Thanks for sharing!
you have no idea how happy it makes me to know that you have had , so to speak, the wool pulled over your eyes, but please don't think that I am taking any sadistic pleasure from your experience. The reason that I am pleased is that, it is good to know that even someone with the wealth of knowledge that you have within the "car game" has been taken in by some shifty, unscrupulous turd! The world of FB has become an absolute minefield of dodgy car sales. Any how, another great video and if it is any consolation, I too like the MG of this era...koko...😉
He has no knowledge of the car game.
Hey James, if you fancy adding another ZS to your fleet - I’ve just finished freshening up a cracking little ‘03 ZS 1.8 with just over 56,000 miles on it…and it comes with a new (advisory free) MOT!
The number plate! 😂😂
I always thought you were a cultured, educated chap, but now I KNOW you are: highlighting the difference between "trains" and "locomotives" (at 3 mins) proves it beyond any doubt!
Lawrie probably drilled it into him over time!
Inevitably, some will describe this as 'a great car for doing the tip run in'. How often do you people go to the tip that you need a car specifically for this?
Never that often. Ever.
@@JayEmmOnCarsYup, it's about once or twice a year for me, at the most.
Congrats on spending £3,000 on a £1,500 car. 😛
Could be worse... could be your BX...
(Time for a garage update? Go on, keep us amused.)
I once carried 300kg of gravel in a Porsche Cayman, with my now ex-GF in the passenger seat and all the other bits needed to build a garden path. Given that, I feel like "a great car for doing the tip run in" has 7 more words than it needs, since it's essentially the same sentence as "a car" 😆
You'll be surprised I recently had 500kg of car batteries in the back of my smax.
I still have my ZT 190 sat in my back garden. Nocturne Blue, 198,000 miles. Parked up as i changed jobs and needed a diesel for the 80 mile daily commute.
Great cars. I loved driving mine.
I think if you and Gordon Murray were in the same room together your shirts would explode like an EV. We both need a Bert Kreischer moment in terms of our health judging by your older b roll
Not a fan of MGs but James makes it worth watching - Bravo and fun to watch. Well played that man!
WTF on the number plate makes that car
Haha, brilliant. Loved every miniute of listening to that. So flad i discovered your channel. Glad you managed to save this one.