Let’s go Jonny, you are killing me with all the cheap cars you are coming across, you have just motivated me to find the cheapest of the cheapest and save them from the scrap yard ❤ keep it up mate.
I must of had a unicorn one. I had a 52 plate 1.8. I did a 100k in it before I sold it never missed a beat. I did service every 6000 miles and did a coolant flush every year. Loved that car. Used to put other cars to shame round the country lanes. I’ve just got a 180 saloon on a 05 plate. These things will always put a smile on my face. Never getting rid of this one.
Personally I'd not use a multi layer steel head gasket on a K-series engine again, I prefer a quality elastomer gasket with the steel dowels, pair that with a new thermostat, water pump and radiator and it'll last. And before anyone tries to question this I've probably replaced close to 100 head gaskets on K-series and the only ones I've EVER had fail a second time were 2 with the MLS gaskets. I'd say a new thermostat and radiator at the same time as replacing the head gasket are the most overlooked items
If the head gasket hasn’t gone on that car it’s a miracle! Even if it’s been done they only last year, one missed service and coolant change and pop it’s gone again. Great find at £200! I used to make a killing on these 10 years ago and there fun cars to drive.
As a viewer from the United States, I am constantly amazed at how inexpensive vehicles in the UK are. A 20-year-old Hyundai or KIA with 200k miles or more is worth at least $1,500 to $2,000 and a vehicle the same age condition and mileage;as this one would easily bring $4,500 to $5,000!
As we drive RHD cars the European union citizens aren’t interested in coming over unlike a Frenchman for example, who might not see a problem hopping over the border and buying a LHD Spanish car. We as a nation also tend to like to be seen to be doing well, and this along with lots of fleet / company cars means that our market is saturated with cars. Compared to other countries the cost of living and owning a vehicle isn’t too high also and cars to suit any budget are readily accessible.
I always wanted a blue zs180 saloon, my brother had a lovely one years ago, only had 45000 miles on it plus the evo style rear wing. He only wanted £2k, unfortunately I didn’t have the money at the time. The zt 190 was another nice car especially in that flip matalic paint.
Youv'e done it again johnny, youv'e found another hidden Gem, I love this model MG, I think it's a really practical future classic. This is another example of a real opportunity for some one to get into classic car ownership without an extortionate price tag. If you prepare this car with your normal famous attention to detail, then some lucky buyer will have a very useable motor, which in all probability will go up in value, as opposed to down, particularly if they keep it in well maintained condition. I look forward to the end result. Keep up the good work.
Following, I've got an identical one down to the sagging headlining and door cards. It's a great drive on a twisty B road but gets a bit uncomfortable on a longer drive, so I'll use something else for that. Handy for tip runs too so i can keep the modern car clean! It needed welding just behind the front wheels which i believe is common other than that its great and reliable. Considering these were once a standard family sized car it now seams tiny in traffic surrounded by huge SUVs
My sister in law has one in trophy blue with fifty odd thousand on the clock, shes had it from nearly new and apart from the upgrade to the gasket its been ultra reliable.
Looking forward to this one, head gasket fails can be caused by the inlet manifold gasket leaking internally so theres no visible coolant leak til its all gone, im sure theres a upgraded coolant bottle for them too with a low level sensor built in
I agree, I drove a lot of these when they were new and the although the V6 was certainly no slouch it never felt "right" to me, the Diesel 420's,45's and ZS's were good, 50 mpg, really reliable and they pulled like a train
Great find jonny! I had a mg zr 1.4 when I was in my early 20s, it was faultless for 10k miles. All i did was an oil and oil filter change, went through the next mot with no advisories. The most common issues on the k series engines are head gaskets, other than that they're solid engines! I would love to have ago in the mg zr 160
@JohnnyGetsCash I was looking at them on Autotrader after watching your video. They're around £8k upwards now. I think your ZS could be worth around £2.5k to £3k, after having a quick look yesterday.
@@JohnnyGetsCash no problem mate within reason i do think you should if you can upgrade the zs head gasket wise anyway i know there a mid 90s honda but they were a great car pity the k series killed rover that 1.8 engine was in the freelander so a landrover upgrade gasket would do it
HG is a tough one, my friend that ironically worked in a Vauxhall dealer had one for 230k and the HG never went, he was convinced some were just right from the factory and if it hadn’t gone after 10yrs leave we’ll alone, but I know where your coming from wanting to change it, I also think your probably well known enough now to get your own stamp and do the service yourself, I’d be just as happy with your stamp and a TH-cam vid to back it up that the stamp from a run of the mill garage.
There is definitely a part of me that feels i should let sleeping dogs lie, but id be gutted if i didn't do the HG and it went on the new owner so i think id better play it safe!
If only I could find another cheap ZS. I wish i could I stupidly parted with my last one a couple of years back regretted ever since. Really nice car nice MG find they are a fantastic car the K series are brilliant engines HKF were only due to MGRover fitting cheap parts. The 120 are great. I preferred mine over my XR3i
They say that “you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”. I fully believe you will reverse that and make this a real gem. Let the work begin and I’ll sure be following along with the journey.
Check for rust underneath around the floor pans and cills. Keep an eye on any water loss and mayo forming. Bushes can go on the wishbones. Electric gremlins with windows. Standard rover headlining falling off and door cards. They r a great car underneath wen looked after
Hi Johnny , great video, well done in getting this at this price , Mg zs etc are now usually command high prices now in a clean condition, regards mark
Cheers Mark! Hopefully this one will sit well at the upper end of the quality scale once complete. I’m really keen on it and think it ticks so many boxes for any potential new owner!
Video idea, comprehensive rust treatment? I would be very interested to hear all of your thoughts on rust, when to treat or leave, what kinds of treatments for different levels of rust, fav products, overall philosophy on the subject. You seem to be an expert
Unfortunately for me I have indeed had more than my fair share of experience in dealing with rust! Maybe I should do some content related to the nightmare crusty stuff!
I will be honest I never really liked this generation of MG's as I was always a fan of the MG B GT and only seen these as a rebadged Rover 75 but as time went on I grew to like these more and more and now id love to own one of these. Seem really cheap to, just been looking and can pick one of these up for around £1500 and I think that's mad. Looking forward to the videos on this one :)
No worries! The next Chop To stage top car is here and work is underway and that video will be released as soon as it’s ready for sale (which will be very soon!)
@@JohnnyGetsCash definately, as like you said you have no history with the vehicle so getting that done and a major service with invoice should hopefully get you a better profit 👍
@@Cheezy83 actually I’m going to have to add an update on that point in the next video…the previous owner actually came through with a stack of service receipts yesterday! What a guy!
No, the earlier shape Rover 216 was also a Honda Concerto, but that was a Rover badged as a Honda, although certain engines were Honda made, so more reliable, but more expensive for parts.
Not sure in Johnny's case, but certain allowances are made to road test the car for work related to obtaining an MOT if you're in the car trade. However I thought it was limited to a employees of an actual MOT test station/garage. Alternatively, he could well have been driving to and from an MOT (as he did with the Focus) to see what's wrong with it first, which anyone can do.
Thanks for watching! Boiler house is correct - that driving footage was filmed on the way to a pre-booked MOT, which is the legal requirement to drive a car with no current MOT on the road 👍
Constructive criticism always welcome so thank you. I also can’t stand overly repetitive TH-cam videos so if my content is coming across as such I will do all I can to improve it and address that 👍
Check out some of my other videos for details on how i find these cars, but in a nutshell, i buy a lot of cars through various wanted ads that i pay to run and that is where this MG came from.
Let’s go Jonny, you are killing me with all the cheap cars you are coming across, you have just motivated me to find the cheapest of the cheapest and save them from the scrap yard ❤ keep it up mate.
That’s the attitude! I just keep my ear to the ground and my hands on the grind stone every day and these little beauties do occasionally pop-up!
I must of had a unicorn one. I had a 52 plate 1.8. I did a 100k in it before I sold it never missed a beat. I did service every 6000 miles and did a coolant flush every year. Loved that car. Used to put other cars to shame round the country lanes. I’ve just got a 180 saloon on a 05 plate. These things will always put a smile on my face. Never getting rid of this one.
They really do deliver a lot more than most people expect! Lovely thing!
Personally I'd not use a multi layer steel head gasket on a K-series engine again, I prefer a quality elastomer gasket with the steel dowels, pair that with a new thermostat, water pump and radiator and it'll last. And before anyone tries to question this I've probably replaced close to 100 head gaskets on K-series and the only ones I've EVER had fail a second time were 2 with the MLS gaskets. I'd say a new thermostat and radiator at the same time as replacing the head gasket are the most overlooked items
Cheers Jason, this is exactly what I meant by the power of the viewers collective knowledge!
@@JohnnyGetsCashYou're welcome my friend 😊
Jason Evans, fancy doing one more head gasket? Rover 45…..🙃
If the head gasket hasn’t gone on that car it’s a miracle! Even if it’s been done they only last year, one missed service and coolant change and pop it’s gone again. Great find at £200! I used to make a killing on these 10 years ago and there fun cars to drive.
I think I’m going to go down the route of the upgraded head gasket kit so the new owner has maximum peace of mind!
As a viewer from the United States, I am constantly amazed at how inexpensive vehicles in the UK are.
A 20-year-old Hyundai or KIA with 200k miles or more is worth at least $1,500 to $2,000 and a vehicle the same age condition and mileage;as this one would easily bring $4,500 to $5,000!
I’m probably not the best example as I buy cars at particularly low prices (as I’m in the trade and keep my ear to the ground 24/7)!
As we drive RHD cars the European union citizens aren’t interested in coming over unlike a Frenchman for example, who might not see a problem hopping over the border and buying a LHD Spanish car. We as a nation also tend to like to be seen to be doing well, and this along with lots of fleet / company cars means that our market is saturated with cars. Compared to other countries the cost of living and owning a vehicle isn’t too high also and cars to suit any budget are readily accessible.
I always wanted a blue zs180 saloon, my brother had a lovely one years ago, only had 45000 miles on it plus the evo style rear wing. He only wanted £2k, unfortunately I didn’t have the money at the time. The zt 190 was another nice car especially in that flip matalic paint.
There is a monogram ZT for sale on eBay or marketplace at the moment!
Youv'e done it again johnny, youv'e found another hidden Gem, I love this model MG, I think it's a really practical future classic. This is another example of a real opportunity for some one to get into classic car ownership without an extortionate price tag. If you prepare this car with your normal famous attention to detail, then some lucky buyer will have a very useable motor, which in all probability will go up in value, as opposed to down, particularly if they keep it in well maintained condition. I look forward to the end result. Keep up the good work.
Amazing video! Funnily enough I bought an identical looking one yesterday with 96k miles on the clock! These cars have a soul & character ❤
They’re excellent cars, genuinely!
Following, I've got an identical one down to the sagging headlining and door cards. It's a great drive on a twisty B road but gets a bit uncomfortable on a longer drive, so I'll use something else for that. Handy for tip runs too so i can keep the modern car clean!
It needed welding just behind the front wheels which i believe is common other than that its great and reliable. Considering these were once a standard family sized car it now seams tiny in traffic surrounded by huge SUVs
That's awesome! I agree - these feel really small in modern traffic!
My sister in law has one in trophy blue with fifty odd thousand on the clock, shes had it from nearly new and apart from the upgrade to the gasket its been ultra reliable.
That’s encouraging to hear. I’ll go for the upgraded gasket kit!
Looking forward to this one, head gasket fails can be caused by the inlet manifold gasket leaking internally so theres no visible coolant leak til its all gone, im sure theres a upgraded coolant bottle for them too with a low level sensor built in
Great info, thanks for that!
I think the 1.8l fits this car better then the v6 as it makes the front end too heavy.
Can't wait to see the next episode in this series.
It definitely feels like the K series is peppy enough for such a light car! Looking forward to bringing this one back to its best!
I agree, I drove a lot of these when they were new and the although the V6 was certainly no slouch it never felt "right" to me, the Diesel 420's,45's and ZS's were good, 50 mpg, really reliable and they pulled like a train
Thanks Johnny , I have a set door cards for your car . Regards mark
Hi Mark, that’s awesome! Do you have an Instagram account I can contact you through?
Great find jonny! I had a mg zr 1.4 when I was in my early 20s, it was faultless for 10k miles. All i did was an oil and oil filter change, went through the next mot with no advisories. The most common issues on the k series engines are head gaskets, other than that they're solid engines! I would love to have ago in the mg zr 160
This one has got some real potential! I’d like to get my hands on a ZTT 260 (v8) at some point, just because I think they’re proper interesting cars!
@JohnnyGetsCash I was looking at them on Autotrader after watching your video. They're around £8k upwards now. I think your ZS could be worth around £2.5k to £3k, after having a quick look yesterday.
These can rust around the windscreen aperture,particularly along the bottom under the scuttle panel.
Thank you. I’ll add that to the checklist 👍
This is better then wheeler dealers we need a zt next mate
What a huge compliment! Thank you! If you like this you should check out my other videos too! Cheers
@@JohnnyGetsCash iv been watching your vids for a while now mate
@@noelcahill6707 Awesome! Pleased to have you on board!
@@JohnnyGetsCash no problem mate within reason i do think you should if you can upgrade the zs head gasket wise anyway i know there a mid 90s honda but they were a great car pity the k series killed rover that 1.8 engine was in the freelander so a landrover upgrade gasket would do it
HG is a tough one, my friend that ironically worked in a Vauxhall dealer had one for 230k and the HG never went, he was convinced some were just right from the factory and if it hadn’t gone after 10yrs leave we’ll alone, but I know where your coming from wanting to change it, I also think your probably well known enough now to get your own stamp and do the service yourself, I’d be just as happy with your stamp and a TH-cam vid to back it up that the stamp from a run of the mill garage.
There is definitely a part of me that feels i should let sleeping dogs lie, but id be gutted if i didn't do the HG and it went on the new owner so i think id better play it safe!
@@JohnnyGetsCash yeah the difference between keeping a car for yourself and preparing it for sale I suppose 👍🏻
If only I could find another cheap ZS. I wish i could I stupidly parted with my last one a couple of years back regretted ever since. Really nice car nice MG find they are a fantastic car the K series are brilliant engines HKF were only due to MGRover fitting cheap parts. The 120 are great. I preferred mine over my XR3i
It’s another situation where I know that if I make this one the best example possible I’ll want to keep it for myself 😂
They say that “you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”. I fully believe you will reverse that and make this a real gem. Let the work begin and I’ll sure be following along with the journey.
I believe I can make this one an absolute beauty, it certainly deserves the refresh!
Looking forward to this MG journey 😁
All the way to the TOP!
Check for rust underneath around the floor pans and cills. Keep an eye on any water loss and mayo forming. Bushes can go on the wishbones. Electric gremlins with windows. Standard rover headlining falling off and door cards. They r a great car underneath wen looked after
Thank you - all very useful info!
Hi Johnny , great video, well done in getting this at this price , Mg zs etc are now usually command high prices now in a clean condition, regards mark
Cheers Mark! Hopefully this one will sit well at the upper end of the quality scale once complete. I’m really keen on it and think it ticks so many boxes for any potential new owner!
Video idea, comprehensive rust treatment? I would be very interested to hear all of your thoughts on rust, when to treat or leave, what kinds of treatments for different levels of rust, fav products, overall philosophy on the subject. You seem to be an expert
Unfortunately for me I have indeed had more than my fair share of experience in dealing with rust! Maybe I should do some content related to the nightmare crusty stuff!
I used to have one of these, albeit a facelifted version and by some considerable distance it was the lowest quality car I have ever owned.
Oh no! I’m actually quite charmed by this things basic / old school nature!
Facelifted ones were poorer quality,
thanks to MG Rovers ‘Project Drive’ 😒
@@casualagent7250 I don't think the bar was ever very high.
I've been looking at the monogram paint MGs lately. They're going to be rarer than unicorn 💩 soon
I’d love any mono MG but the thought of body repair / paint matching makes me sweat!
Not sure about the Car but still great how you prep each Car hope you make some money on this MGZF
I think if I can make this one the best version of itself, it’ll make a great investment/ fun car for someone!
Another awesome video Sir 🫡
Thank you for watching!
I will be honest I never really liked this generation of MG's as I was always a fan of the MG B GT and only seen these as a rebadged Rover 75 but as time went on I grew to like these more and more and now id love to own one of these. Seem really cheap to, just been looking and can pick one of these up for around £1500 and I think that's mad.
Looking forward to the videos on this one :)
*Rover 45
@boilerhousegarage yep my bad I was thinking ZT for some reason 🤣
Honestly you need to drive one (if you haven’t already). Such a fun, connected car to drive (and practical / collectible too)!
Upgrade the head gasket in her iv a 02 saloon where you can upgrade and bullet proof the car do its worth it
Definitely a worthy job - I want this one to be right for the next owner
I'm looking forward to the videos on this MG.
Also not to rush, but have you found the next chop to the top car? I love that series. :-)
I recall him saying he has and is in the process of creating the content for it
No worries! The next Chop To stage top car is here and work is underway and that video will be released as soon as it’s ready for sale (which will be very soon!)
I don't think the scrappage scheme would be responsible for any MG of that era being off the road!
😂 You might have a point there...
Another hiden gem were are you finding theses old cars 😁😁😁
All over the place! I’m checking ads constantly, word of mouth, paid advertisements, lots of irons in the fire all the time and 7 days a week on it!
Check the mot history, lots of good information to be found 👍
A great point. I already check everything that I buy because as you say, it’s a very useful tool!
Headgasket failure on the k-series engines
I think I’m going to have to factor in an HG replacement/ upgrade regardless of what else I do!
@@JohnnyGetsCash definately, as like you said you have no history with the vehicle so getting that done and a major service with invoice should hopefully get you a better profit 👍
@@Cheezy83 actually I’m going to have to add an update on that point in the next video…the previous owner actually came through with a stack of service receipts yesterday! What a guy!
@@JohnnyGetsCash Brilliant, What a star he is! Looking forward to this series and what a car it is
@@Cheezy83 Cheers! Yeh I’m already keen on this one!
Is this a Honda rebadge?
I’m not sure about this exact model but Honda and Rover did have a partnership back in the day
It does look fairly Honda Accord-ish, but I've no idea if they share an physical parts.
Civic based
No it's a Rover 45 that's basically sponsored by Halfords. K series engine so are renowned for head gasket trouble.
No, the earlier shape Rover 216 was also a Honda Concerto, but that was a Rover badged as a Honda, although certain engines were Honda made, so more reliable, but more expensive for parts.
Hello from Thailand🇹🇭 Chinese MG?
Thanks for watching! This generation of MG were still produced in Britain! 👍
British MG 🏴
With some Japanese help 🙃
Wanna see subaru stuff please
I really need to showcase my Scooby, a faithful, fast and fun daily all round!
How are you able to drive the car on the road if it hasn’t got a MOT certificate?
yeah, my thoughts exactly. Isn't it illegal?
Not sure in Johnny's case, but certain allowances are made to road test the car for work related to obtaining an MOT if you're in the car trade. However I thought it was limited to a employees of an actual MOT test station/garage. Alternatively, he could well have been driving to and from an MOT (as he did with the Focus) to see what's wrong with it first, which anyone can do.
@@boilerhousegarage Perhaps Johnny will enlighten us.
Thanks for watching! Boiler house is correct - that driving footage was filmed on the way to a pre-booked MOT, which is the legal requirement to drive a car with no current MOT on the road 👍
I thought that also, good man, rules are made to broken I say
Constructive feedback - way too much rambling and repeating yourself. This vid could’ve been half as long and way more watchable.
Constructive criticism always welcome so thank you. I also can’t stand overly repetitive TH-cam videos so if my content is coming across as such I will do all I can to improve it and address that 👍
Emmmmmm lot of car for £200 with the milage just makes me wonder where do you find them 🤔🤔🤔
Check out some of my other videos for details on how i find these cars, but in a nutshell, i buy a lot of cars through various wanted ads that i pay to run and that is where this MG came from.
Lovely colour