Hello from an excitable new V8 Owner

[Italianstallion]

Just thought I'd pop on to say hello, and introduce myself.

After two days of weighing up my options, I took the plunge and bought the V8 that you may have seen knocking around on auto-trader.

A bit about me then, I'm nearly 30, and have only been driving for 9 months, so in buying this car, many will think I'm mad, I know I am :). However I have a stable average salary, don't smoke at all or drink (much), so weighing up the pros, cons, and costs, I've budgeted that I can afford this car, (well I'm optimistic I can, but fools rush in). I'm only doing around 200 miles a month, so hopefully fuel won't be such a massive hit, but the insurance is going to be the big hitter, as so far the cheapest quote I've found is £1100 due to the above.

I'll be selling my current ZT CDTI basically to fund this dream machine.

The issues that came with the car are:

1) Their no service history, car is a stolen repossession, but I've gone to great lengths to check that every-thing is completely clear before I purchased car. Car was sold on, at auction with all cleared to the dealer from which I bought the car.

2) I have been advised by the dealer that the car had to be broken into when it was originally recovered and has only one basic (non remote key) which was recut, so will need to get this sorted a bit later down the line.

3) The left front passenger door is apparently deadlocked accordingly to dealer. Messenger has advised me that he thinks its probably not deadlocked and can be sorted pretty cheaply. Hope so.

4) Needs MOT, Tax, Re-registration with DVLA. Engine was spotless when I viewed it. :)

5) Plastic electric seat facia on drivers seat is loose but in tact.

6) One or two scratches to front right bumper but overall the rest of body work is tidy. Theirs a wee bit of kerbing on the alloys but nothing that I would be considered an eye sore.

I'm hoping that everything else is fine, found the clutch a little stiffer then my CDTI, but it still had plenty of play so may have been changed. I don't think its on its way out, but couldn't be sure.

Well I'm hoping that with the support of the good people here, I will get the advice I need to feel at ease with my new machine, as I get aquatinted with its wonders and blunders, and I hope to solve the issues it may presently have with your help.

I know I've taken a risk, but from owning my diesel for nearly a year, and from getting to know some of the good folks at the ZT 75 forum, who's help has been invaluable, I'm feeling positive about my decision, and hopeful that I won't regret my actions.

Nice to meet everyone,

Italianstallion

[AndyG]

Welcome :)

[kcv]

Welcome along. Hope that the unknown pedigree of the car presents no future problems

[Martin]

Good to hear from you, You don't say were abouts you live this could be useful in recommending garages etc, you are now officially one of a few good luck. Martin

[Bainzi]

Welcome,

The clutch on the V8 is quite stiff normally, It may just be down to to you not being used to it. Let us know where you are and if one of us is near you we could have a look.

Regards

Nigel

[JohnB]

Welcome along, I'm sure you will get all the help and encouragement you need here.

[stevemiller]

Welcome in and from what you have shown you are not going to be shy asking. I hope the car lives up to you expectations.
All it takes to put a smile on ones face when you are in this small club is a turn of the key. Keep turning!!!

Steve.

[Tim]

Welcome aboard Fraser, don't forget the questionnaire ;) open up the rest of the site.

Any assistance is at your finger tips. Imagine the help you have had so far on the 75&ZT club and add ownership knowledge to that and you have no worries at all. :D

[Tim]

Questionnaire received. :hug Better get reading. :D

[ksilver]

Hi, sounds like you've taken on a bit of work, but there's some good people on here that should be able to help get everything sorted :drive

[Blue Flash]

Hi Fraser and welcome oodles of help available just a case of "paging the Oracle" now or asking :).

[dobbo]

Congrats on the purchase, lot of car for £3500 I'd say!

With re-registering with DVLA, does that mean it will be a Q plate?

[ColinE]

Well done and welcome!

[Italianstallion]

Thanks for the warm welcome, I'm based in Leeds.

In theory I could insure, pay and collect the car tomorrow, however I need to find out if it has any MOT remaining, it definitely needs tax which I believe the dealer can sort if I ask him, as this is usually part of their services?

Got the message from Tim that my car is 075 so was the 75th off the production line on the 3rd November 2003. 75 made me smile, seems very fitting!!! :)

[Zeb]

Welcome aboard Fraser! You have a lot of rare and wonderful car for not much money at all....you also have perhaps the highest mileage of any V8 registered on this site...but don't let that worry you in the slightest...:D

[greeners]

Fraser welcome along, If the door is deadlocked, try a battery rest, and it should release it. Make sure you allow the satnav to shut down before you do though
________
Volcano Vaporizer Review (http://vaporizer.org/)

[Italianstallion]

Welcome aboard Fraser! You have a lot of rare and wonderful car for not much money at all....you also have perhaps the highest mileage of any V8 registered on this site...but don't let that worry you in the slightest...:D

Thanks Zeb, perhaps mine is a good runner. I'm actually taking the milage as a good omen.

I remember reading a fascinating story about a truck which had done over million miles. British Petroleum purchased the truck to investigate how it had managed to cover such massive millage. They discovered that the truck was in constant use 24/7 making deliveries up and down the country on a 24 non stop schedule. BP's analysis of the vehicle found that it was able to do such incredible millage due to engine being in constant use, and the vehicle had been properly service.

Here's hoping the car I bought is good for another 100k.

[Tim]

If you contact Lates (75&ZT club) he can get hold of a replacement keys

[Italianstallion]

Fraser welcome along, If the door is deadlocked, try a battery rest, and it should release it. Make sure you allow the satnav to shut down before you do though

Thanks greeners, you actually inspired me towards the 260, via the 75 ZT forum, watching how determined you were to finally get yours, despite all the set backs along the way.

[Italianstallion]

If you contact Lates (75&ZT club) he can get hold of a replacement keys

I will do that, I've heard it a big cost, so with the purchase of the car and the costs to legally get it on the road, I'll have to wait until next months pay cheque before I can look at getting some of the issues sorted. I wish I could find out if it had any MOT left.

[greeners]

I will do that, I've heard it a big cost, so with the purchase of the car and the costs to legally get it on the road, I'll have to wait until next months pay cheque before I can look at getting some of the issues sorted. I wish I could find out if it had any MOT left.


get the V5C document reference number and with that you can check it on line.


here you go (http://www.motinfo.gov.uk/)
________
Jaguar aj-v6 engine history (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Jaguar_AJ-V6_engine)

[tonybubble]

I will do that, I've heard it a big cost, so with the purchase of the car and the costs to legally get it on the road, I'll have to wait until next months pay cheque before I can look at getting some of the issues sorted. I wish I could find out if it had any MOT left.
Hello Fraser, You can check on the VOSA website, if you provide the V5 Reference Number.
Wishing you all the best with the next 100,000 miles. (I have a ZTT 190 with 161K on the clock).

[ColinE]

Hope you get it all sorted soon

[Italianstallion]

Hope you get it all sorted soon

I've just had a thought of something important I overlooked :shock I forgot to check whether it had a locking wheel nut. Oh well fingers crossed.

[AndyG]

........ locking wheel nut .............

or Locked ;)

[ColinE]

Several threads on here on locking wheel nuts (including one from me) several of us have had seized McGard wheel nuts and had to resort to extreme methods to remove them, as a result a few of us have binned them

[Herman]

Thanks for the warm welcome, I'm based in Leeds.

In theory I could insure, pay and collect the car tomorrow, however I need to find out if it has any MOT remaining, it definitely needs tax which I believe the dealer can sort if I ask him, as this is usually part of their services?

Got the message from Tim that my car is 075 so was the 75th off the production line on the 3rd November 2003. 75 made me smile, seems very fitting!!! :)

Welcome and enjoy the 260. I got 076 so found the older sister it seems.
MG apparently used key#12 a lot for the nuts so you can always find one.

[ColinE]

Welcome and enjoy the 260. I got 076 so found the older sister it seems.
MG apparently used key#12 a lot for the nuts so you can always find one.

May be me but thought the #12 was for the R75 bolts and not the McGard bolts used on the 260 - I stand ready to be corrected though :~

[Italianstallion]

Well in need some advice. Seller is saying he has no V5 for the vehicle, and is telling me that it could take a while before one comes through. I obviously need to tax the car as well, but can't do this without a V5, so in a bit of dilemma about what to do really. Car also needs an MOT. I wanted to pick the car up today, and get it on the road, as I can arrange insurance and MOT myself, but the tax is the issue.

Any advice on what I should do, as I was so hoping to get on the road this weekend!!! The seller is looking at possibility of dropping the vehicle off for me, but if thats the case how long would I have to wait for a V5?

[Italianstallion]

Well I've phoned DVLA, and they've confirmed I can't tax the car immediately as theirs no V5 or V5C, and the vehicle is still registered in the previous owners name.

They've advised me I need to apply for a new V5 by filling in a V62 and sending through to DVLA with £25 cheque. Then it will then take up to 30 days, and then a new V5 should be issued. TBH I'm not too fused about waiting, as long as a new V5 is guaranteed, it will give me time to sort the issues. I'll keep my diesel for 30 days and when new V5 come through, I'm on the road.

As long as the dealer will deliver I'm happy with this. Only concern is if theirs any dispute over owner ship, but I phoned the original auctioneers which is a very large national Francise, and they went through everything confirming the I could by the car, and be 100% legal owner.

[Tim]

It looks like there was a V5 very recently as your tax is only due from the end of this month. I would get a bit heavy with the seller. V5's about three weeks but as long as you have documents confirming your ownership you should be able to insure. Get the seller to MOT it.

Get to the previous owner as well. Looked through my records and the car is new to the Two-Sixties.

The vehicle details for OE53 HGG are:

Date of Liability 01 03 2010
Date of First Registration 11 12 2003
Year of Manufacture 2003
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 4600CC
CO2 Emissions 314g/Km
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Licence Due to Expire
Vehicle Colour BLUE
Vehicle Type Approval M1

Vehicle Excise Duty Rate for vehicle
6 Months Rate £118.25
12 Months Rate £215.00

[V8 Novi]

Hello and welcome from 077!

Bet you're impressed with the amount of help, advice and encouragement on here. And you haven't even scratched the surface yet. Great isn't it?

Enjoy the car!

[Martin]

Hi Fraser
With regards to your insurance mine asked me to get a full diagnostic report on the alarm system before they made the cover permanent cost about £40 -£50 (direct line) I have heard about a few others but hopefully you will miss it. I have had mine about 5 months and still Smiling :D:D:D

Martin

[Italianstallion]

It looks like there was a V5 very recently as your tax is only due from the end of this month. I would get a bit heavy with the seller. V5's about three weeks but as long as you have documents confirming your ownership you should be able to insure. Get the seller to MOT it.

Get to the previous owner as well. Looked through my records and the car is new to the Two-Sixties.

The vehicle details for OE53 HGG are:

Date of Liability 01 03 2010
Date of First Registration 11 12 2003
Year of Manufacture 2003
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 4600CC
CO2 Emissions 314g/Km
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Licence Due to Expire
Vehicle Colour BLUE
Vehicle Type Approval M1

Vehicle Excise Duty Rate for vehicle
6 Months Rate £118.25
12 Months Rate £215.00

Yeah Dealer found the tax disc, car is taxed until 28th Feb, but I don't want to insure it if I can't drive it away after this date, as its only 8 days away.

The dealer explained that a V5 has recently been sought from the auctioneer SMA, who would be forwarding it to him and he would pass this on to me, and had documentation to this effect. I told him I'd already been in contact with the auctioneer regarding the HPI and legitimacy of the vehicle, and I would chase them up about V5 as myself.

I'm not so concerned about the V5 but the car is still showing as having a stolen marker on his Experian HPI (which gives me some cause for concern). When I spoke to the auctioneer on Friday the auctioneer assured me they had fully notified the relevant bodies to have all adverse markers taken off HPI PNC etc, which I thought would have been done by now. The dealer also showed me the HPI of another vehicle in the same situation, he then showed me another HPI for the same vehicle which was fully cleared 3 days later, so I'm hoping that its a simple case of things going through the motions in relation to my new 260.

Can't get in touch with the auctioneer until monday now which is frustrating, but when I spoke to them on Friday they assured that all would be sorted on this day, and they would sent me written confirmation of clearance on the monday, from the finance company. The auctioneer is a national chain (SMA), and I was confident from speaking with them that all was legit, they were very professional, and took full liability for getting the markers off and dealing my situation. They explained the reason why my new car was perfectly fine to be purchased. They also mentioned that the car would not have been able to pass through the auctions if it was indeed stolen, or had outstanding finance on it.

Taking all things into consideration and looking at the company as a National Franchise, and the fact that the dealership was quite big, I have some peace of mind that all will be well.

Back to the car then. We'll the wheel locking nut was there. The car was in different position and I noticed a few more scratches on rear end, but I think with a bit of tcut and touchup, things will come out fairly well. The car must have been re-sprayed at some point, its that pearleasant green colour which reflects purple tints (fast and furious type stuff lol).

One other thing I noticed was that the drivers door, didn't clunk in its usual manor, it sounded hollow / rattley and the door facia looked loose, perhaps done when they replaced the window, but I hope this isn't a biggie to sort.

Going to have to give the car a really good inspection. The HPI check is showing the car as having quite a few owners.

Well no turning back now, its paid for and its being dropped off in about 20 mins. Why do I have a sinking feeling that this was perhaps a bad decision, its the old saying theres are reason things are so cheap. We'll see!!! I'll keep you posted.

[Italianstallion]

Further to the above would their be any kind person who's local on this site, who could potentially come and give the car a one over. It would be a big help.

[ColinE]

Bet you're impressed with the amount of help, advice and encouragement on here. And you haven't even scratched the surface yet. Great isn't it?

Enjoy the car!


Still impresses me and I've owned mine for getting on 2 years now

[grbrown]

Still impresses me and I've owned mine for getting on 2 years now

Had mine from new. Don't worry, you'll get used to it.... ;)

[Italianstallion]

The car has now been delivered and is sat on my drive :)

I'm very excited to finally have the car, its now mine, but I'm not going to be able to drive it just yet, due to the tax / v5 issue mentioned earlier (only has 8 days tax, and no V5 to re tax it). The bloke who dropped the car off was the actual business owner as apposed to the sales man, and it was the first time I got to speak with him. He explained that it normally takes a few weeks for the papers to come through with the car from the auctioneers, the car has a history and that needs to be dealt with before things can be forwarded on.


The left passengers door does not open (not sure if its deadlocked but it doesn't open). I'm not to sure what I can do in relation to this issue.

The milage counter is showing exactly 99999, so the fact its one mile off 100k makes me a bit suspicious. Can the milage been fixed on this car, or am I just being paranoid?

The electric seats works fine but as mentioned the plastic control panel on the drivers side has come loose. It looks like someone has tried to get at the electrics at some point, and there seems to be a plastic clip that locks into the seat which has been snapped, but not completely broken. Perhaps some super glue would do the trick, but will probably need a longer term solution? This is the single biggest eyesore for me, as it stands out.

The plastic trims next to driver and passenger side doors are missing, (pretty minor on the scale of things). I could take the ones off my diesel, but this might effect its sale price. Also one of the seats has the back holder missing, the other doesn't so guessing its been removed. Not a massive issue again.


Other then that everything else seems fine. Be great to get it checked by someone who's familiar with the car though, I wish messenger wasn't so far away!!!

[greeners]

Try the battery reset to open the door.......if it's super locked, then the BCU should release it.

Look closely at the mileage reading, is it 99999 or 999999 ?

If it's the latter, then the instrument pack is probably stuffed and you'll need a new IPK and a test book session to code it.
________
VAPORIZER GUIDE (http://howtomakeavaporizer.info/)

[greeners]

Post some pictures up of the damaged bits, I may be able to sort some of them...

BigRuss from the 75 club has a T4 and is not a million miles from you. Les at SMC trading has new IPK's if required.
________
Vaporizer volcano (http://volcanovaporizer.net/)

[Italianstallion]

Yes your right its 999999. Perhaps the seller mistook it for being nearly 100,000 miles and listed it as such. Could this be incredibly lucky and the cars actually got lower milage, the engine looks new. I'll send big russ a pm.

How do I do a battery reset?

[Keith]

As Dave said if it is 999999 then the cluster is buggered and you will require a brand new one

999999 is normally the symptoms of some Muppet using a a battery booster or an alternator failure, for some reason when the electronics get zapped it is the cluster that shows the first signs. I do lots of cluster replacements for this fault or OBC upgrades all the local garages have my number, I did a CDT only a last Thursday after the AA killed the guys cluster!

Does the passenger door make any attempt to unlock when using the button by the handbrake? if not then yes it is probably superlocked and that means you will probably have to destroy the door card to get at the lock.

if you can start the car you must have the correct key blade and imobiliser chip that means if you buy a key from Ebay with a barcode then you can make a complete key out of the two and the fob can be coded onn T4 to your car to operate the remote locking

I would also get all previous keys deleted
Previous owner should also be contacted and asked for the second key.

[Italianstallion]

As Dave said if it is 999999 then the cluster is buggered and you will require a brand new one

999999 is normally the symptoms of some Muppet using a a battery booster or an alternator failure, for some reason when the electronics get zapped it is the cluster that shows the first signs. I do lots of cluster replacements for this fault or OBC upgrades all the local garages have my number, I did a CDT only a last Thursday after the AA killed the guys cluster!

Does the passenger door make any attempt to unlock when using the button by the handbrake? if not then yes it is probably superlocked and that means you will probably have to destroy the door card to get at the lock.

if you can start the car you must have the correct key blade and imobiliser chip that means if you buy a key from Ebay with a barcode then you can make a complete key out of the two and the fob can be coded onn T4 to your car to operate the remote locking

I would also get all previous keys deleted
Previous owner should also be contacted and asked for the second key.

How much am I looking at for a new cluster???

Yes the passenger door attempts to unlock, i.e. the door knobs (if thats the correct terminology) do move up and down as the central locking operations, but the door does not open from pulling either the inside or the outside handle. The back left passenger door on the same side is really stiff to open, but it does open with a bit of added effort.

Not sure how to go about getting the remote key fob business. It may be hard to trace the last owner, car was a finance repossession and sold at auction. Finance is cleared so no worries there, and I was told by the seller today that Finance company should forward any additional information, which may or may not include the vehicles original keys. Really not sure on this though and will be making enquires on Monday with the auctioneers.

I'm also thinking what you said in regards to someone having keys for the car, perhaps I need a steering wheel disc lock.

[colintf]

Hi Fraser and welcome.

I hope that you get it all sorted out soon!

:cool:

[greeners]

Fraser

MKI V8 Instrument Pack (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MG-ZT-V8-Instrument-Pack-with-message-centre-A12_W0QQitemZ200411192455QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Car sParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item2ea9701c87#ht _1082wt_762)

I'm assuming your car has a message centre already.......Indicator stalk will have a button in the end if you have.
________
BEST VAPORIZERS (http://vaporizer.org/)

[Keith]

A brand new cluster is silly money from X part, Rimmers etc. SMC on Ebay can sell you one at a much better price.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MG-ZT-V8-Instrument-Pack-with-message-centre-A12_W0QQitemZ200411192455QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Car sParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item2ea9701c87

I think the car will fail the MOT if the milometer is faulty so you need to establish if the 99999 is the actual mileage or a fault!

Do your homework on your key, proper ones each have three parts, blade, mobiliser chip and remote fob for your car to run you need blade and imobiliser chip, if the chip is missing then somebody has done something nasty to the cars security system and you may have extreme problems insuring it without the oem system working as they ask the question on the forms

Here's an idea, you have a standard CDT, do you have two keys and if so do you have the bar codes in the owners manual for those keys then one can be coded to your car, ideal as a temp measure

[Italianstallion]

A brand new cluster is silly money from X part, Rimmers etc. SMC on Ebay can sell you one at a much better price.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MG-ZT-V8-Instrument-Pack-with-message-centre-A12_W0QQitemZ200411192455QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Car sParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item2ea9701c87

I think the car will fail the MOT if the milometer is faulty so you need to establish if the 99999 is the actual mileage or a fault!

Do your homework on your key, proper ones each have three parts, blade, mobiliser chip and remote fob for your car to run you need blade and imobiliser chip, if the chip is missing then somebody has done something nasty to the cars security system and you may have extreme problems insuring it without the oem system working as they ask the question on the forms

Here's an idea, you have a standard CDT, do you have two keys and if so do you have the bar codes in the owners manual for those keys then one can be coded to your car, ideal as a temp measure

Milage is definitely a fault, is more like 9999999. Seems like only option maybe to do as you say Keith. I'll check if I can MOT the car with the present 9's situation. Be nice to know the actual milage though, I'm hoping much lower now.

Well the battery reset hack didn't seem to work? I might not have left it long enough though, does it have to be 30 mins exactly?

[Italianstallion]

Just an update.

I've been in touch with Bigruss from the 75 ZT forum, and he's going to give me a hand with the IPK issue when he's feeling better. He'll check the car with his T4 for any other faults, and install the IPK for me. I'll get in touch with Les from SMC if he has any V8 IPKs in stock. Messengers sending me a lock in the post, and stocktake is coming round at some-point to help me fix it.

By the time I have these two problems sorted, I'll probably have a V5, and be in a position to tax, mot, and insure the car. Hope to be on the road in a couple of weeks. TBH I didn't factor in the repair costs into the purchase, so next months pay can't come soon enough. At least I own the car.

I'll keep you posted when I have some further news, and post some pics of the car soom.

Thanks for your help so far. Italianstallion

[AndyG]

Good Luck ;)

[colintf]

as Andy says, good luck!!

:cool:

[X13#18]

Yes your right its 999999. Perhaps the seller mistook it for being nearly 100,000 miles and listed it as such. Could this be incredibly lucky and the cars actually got lower milage, the engine looks new. I'll send big russ a pm.

How do I do a battery reset?

Welcome!

One good point is that a back up milage is stored on the Light switch ECU, so you will be able to find out the true milage. Also, the true milage will be programed to the new replacement instrument pack....

[Italianstallion]

Well, I've had the official finance clearance, and spoke to the Met who have removed the marker from PNC, so car is fully showing clear on HPI. I finally feel relaxed that this car is now mine, and there no remaining issues with ownership.

Hope to get the door issue fixed on Wednesday, and the T4 done as soon as Bigruss is well enough. Auctioneer confirmed the new V5 was ordered as soon as the car came into his possession so it should be arriving soon. Will possibly be on the road in the next two weeks, if all goes to plan. Awaiting one final insurance quote. Peter Best couldn't do me a competitive rate, neither could Adrian Flux, so I'm going to have to chance insurance with a big compulsory excess to make owning the car manageable.

Funny but when I tell people who I know that I've gone and bought a ZT with a 4.6 V8 they look at me as if I'm absolutely mad. Their probably right in some respects, but it seems that people are obsessed with fuel prices and high mpg!!! I'll wait and see how much of a dent the car makes in my wallet before admitting they are right. Would be nice to get 300 miles out of a brim to brim, but not sure I'll even get that.

[kcv]

300 miles brim to brim may be possible but I bet you wouldn't get any pleasure from the driving experience getting it. :(
It's not what the 260 was built for and I'm sure not what any of us buy them for.

[Italianstallion]

300 miles brim to brim may be possible but I bet you wouldn't get any pleasure from the driving experience getting it. :(
It's not what the 260 was built for and I'm sure not what any of us buy them for.

Haha your right. It certainly won't be possible with my lead foot.

[re-tread]

Hi Fraser and welcome.

Was this the car I went to look at down at Harris in Wakefield? When I went the weekend before last the car was in for the new screen so didn't have a chance to look at it. I asked the dealer about the colour and he said it was blue but the ad said pearl green. He obviously didn't look at what he was buying. I was going to pop back later but never got round to it.:o

I get a regular 300 miles plus from a tank but only when I'm doing motorway mileage. It drops to about 250 on the shorter stuff. Had it sub 200 but I was pushing it a bit :ash

[Flying Silver]

Haha your right. It certainly won't be possible with my lead foot.


On motarway runs we get upto a 'sensible' 300ish. One had 335, but was getting rather nervous before the garage came along!

otherwise, normal spirited driving is more like 250ish max!!

[Ajay]

In the first year of owning the 260 i managed to average 23mpg with a worst of 18.9 a best of just over the 28 mark and over 25mpg on 10 seperate occations. Yes, I used to keep records of such things as fuel consumption back then:o but the £££££ got me depressed so i gave it up for the good of my health. Now just drive the car :D

However, back to the mpg thingy. Did 13076 miles in the first year so the got a good idea of what the fuel consumption was like:rolleyes:. Motorway driving is boring at the best of times and the only way to make it intersting is to flex the right foot but that can have bad side effects so,

...motorways are boring to drive:( Plod along at a legal speed, munching the miles and you can turn in a good fuel figure. I got the 28mpg on a day trip to Newcastle uponTyne. From Reading that's a round trip of some 580 miles; 25mpg there and 28 on the return.

The contrast to that is the track day i did the other weekend at goodwood. Round trip including track time of 201 miles (84 at the track) with an overall 17.95 mpg ;) but about 12 to 13 mpg on the track:D

Bottom line? Keep to the legal limit on the motorway and assuming you don't get stuck in slow/stationary traffic, you should get 300 miles from a tank no problem ..... just keep an eye on that gauge and what your right foot is doing:~

P.S. I only do 5000 miles a year now and don't keep a record of the fuel consumption.

[Italianstallion]

Hi Fraser and welcome.

Was this the car I went to look at down at Harris in Wakefield? When I went the weekend before last the car was in for the new screen so didn't have a chance to look at it. I asked the dealer about the colour and he said it was blue but the ad said pearl green. He obviously didn't look at what he was buying. I was going to pop back later but never got round to it.:o

I get a regular 300 miles plus from a tank but only when I'm doing motorway mileage. It drops to about 250 on the shorter stuff. Had it sub 200 but I was pushing it a bit :ash

Yes this was the car I purchased, and it is definitely Pearl green. TBH the dealer was quite helpful, they like to buy cars cheap and sell em on quickly so its not sat on the forecourt.

[Italianstallion]

In the first year of owning the 260 i managed to average 23mpg with a worst of 18.9 a best of just over the 28 mark and over 25mpg on 10 seperate occations. Yes, I used to keep records of such things as fuel consumption back then:o but the £££££ got me depressed so i gave it up for the good of my health. Now just drive the car :D

However, back to the mpg thingy. Did 13076 miles in the first year so the got a good idea of what the fuel consumption was like:rolleyes:. Motorway driving is boring at the best of times and the only way to make it intersting is to flex the right foot but that can have bad side effects so,

...motorways are boring to drive:( Plod along at a legal speed, munching the miles and you can turn in a good fuel figure. I got the 28mpg on a day trip to Newcastle uponTyne. From Reading that's a round trip of some 580 miles; 25mpg there and 28 on the return.

The contrast to that is the track day i did the other weekend at goodwood. Round trip including track time of 201 miles (84 at the track) with an overall 17.95 mpg ;) but about 12 to 13 mpg on the track:D

Bottom line? Keep to the legal limit on the motorway and assuming you don't get stuck in slow/stationary traffic, you should get 300 miles from a tank no problem ..... just keep an eye on that gauge and what your right foot is doing:~

P.S. I only do 5000 miles a year now and don't keep a record of the fuel consumption.

Thanks. When you say legal limit, I assume sticking to 70mph all the way? I must say last time I took a long trip to Scotland in my Diesel I drove at 80 quite a lot of time, but in this that'll worsen the fuel consumption drastically right?

[Malcolmr]

Welcome from Downunder Fraser and good luck with the fuel consumption. I get about 250 to the tank in my ZT-T260 but at a miserable $A1.30 to the litre (that's about 3.25 of your quid per gallon at the current exchange rate) who's counting. And it's a whole lot better than my old MGSA which barely manages 15 mpg - and that's flat out at 60 mph! Life's too short to worry about such trifles...

[Martin]

Thanks. When you say legal limit, I assume sticking to 70mph all the way? I must say last time I took a long trip to Scotland in my Diesel I drove at 80 quite a lot of time, but in this that'll worsen the fuel consumption drastically right?

I've found mine is happy at between 2400 and 2600 rpm everything seems settled and I can tend to relax the right foot abit and the gauge wont shift too quickly...................well.............:D

I think it's 30MPH per 1000rpm in 5th

[Keith]

Thanks. When you say legal limit, I assume sticking to 70mph all the way? I must say last time I took a long trip to Scotland in my Diesel I drove at 80 quite a lot of time, but in this that'll worsen the fuel consumption drastically right?

Bare in mind speedo in the 260 is quite accurate

In your CDT an indicated 80 is only just over 70 hence why you never got pulled over and the MPG seemed so good :)

in the 260 it is only a couple of MPH out well is in mine any way so you are more likely to get stopped and MPG definitely not so good!

[ColinE]

I should think I got about 10 MPG on run back from Peter Wayte this afternoon - but then again it was a lot of fun

[Ajay]

Thanks. When you say legal limit, I assume sticking to 70mph all the way? I must say last time I took a long trip to Scotland in my Diesel I drove at 80 quite a lot of time, but in this that'll worsen the fuel consumption drastically right?

The fuel consumption's even better if you sit at 50 to 60 and with the number and length of the roadworks on our motorways that's not too difficult. If you sit at 80 you'll probably be in the low 20's in MPG terms.

[Italianstallion]

Here's my link to the 75 / ZT forum thread, which has some pics of my new car for those who are interested.

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=54789