Should I(t) stay or should I(t) go. (In the words of The Clash)

[Merl]

Well my thoughts as someone after buying one is to keep it, most of the faults you have worked through and as an ex car salesman I have seen so many ppl trade in their cars for something else only to have the new car have more problems and spend even more money on than what they were and the person who brought their car have no problems with it.

I cant really think of another car like the 260 you can get for that sort of money unless u want to spend double for a Monaro.... or get a left hand drive US Car that will be a nightmare for parts at times....

I currently run a 75 cdt thats running at about 165-170bhp and I am in 2 minds about running it as a second car or sell it once I have the 260 as the extra money I will spend on insurance, tax servicing etc will pay for fuel and repairs for the 260.. Unless you went for true bangernomics and get a little 1ltr or 1.5d or something but even then a car is a car and it can be just as expensive with problems...

With the LPG you are effectivly getting 30-40mpg which the way I drive my 75 is not much less (41mpg) but that depends what the government do with LPG as its due for an announcment I think soon from what I have been told....

Martin

[lowey260]

Im also a HGV driver and mine is also used as my daily drive leaving home at 4am most mornings. I have owned mine approx 18 months and have put nearly 22000 miles on it in that time. I get an average 21-22mpg and have managed 29mpg on a motorway run so 15mpg seems pretty awful. Tyres wise I have had the fronts on since buying the car and believe I will get 25k out of the fronts, is that a record?? Rears I have got between 8k-10k before having to replace. Touch would starts first time every time and has never let me down so I think you have just been unlucky. Its entrely up to you at the end of the day but to take such a loss if it were me I would keep running it until as you say you would have to scrap it.

[stevemiller]

I intend to keep this car until I am no longer fit to drive. This my son hopes will tie in with his new driving licence in the not to distant future, hopefully not he is 13. I am coming up on 1 year of ownership and 8k of mileage,touch wood no problems as such maybe you have been very unlucky.

I know that when a car gives problems its hard to not think about a change and I would think there are some folks out there who would pay slighty more than 5k but right now not many but yours would be one of the few up for sale. In a few years there will only be exotica brands with a V8 as Ford/GM are to replace there V8 models with V6 models. I see the time coming when this sorted 4 door will be the most reasonable way to the ever diminishing V8 club, so prices will harden.

If you have another car in mind put the car up for sale and see what offers are out there. If they are none keep the car, at least you tried.

Wish you all the best whatever you do.

Steve.

[ian.sandom]

Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement. I feel much better now.
I too only do very short runs, probably why I only get about 15mpg. I never have problems with the screen clearing infact its the best car I have had for that. I have never got more than 20MPG even on a couple of 80 -85 mph dual carriageway trips to Alnwick. 29 mpg is fantastic are you sure someone isn't filling it up for you when parked? I have considered the second car option as well but I think taxing and insuring two cars and then being faced with the choice of which one to use would be another dilemma.
I had my rear wheel alignment checked and adjusted at 5000 miles when the first set wore out and it made no difference. They wear quite evenly although the inside is very slightly worse. Have tried several different makes of tyres too. Still get 5000 out of cheapo Federals so I use them now at £70 rather than Contis at £130+.
I take the point about being unlucky but it's the parts situation that bothers me. Although several people have said that the parts are available they are not "off the shelf" like a more mainstream car's would be.
I test drove a Focus ST today, nearly as nice to drive, exhaust note under power sounds great, acceleration etc and with the parts and service backup. Still haven't made my mind up though.

[Stu C]

My 260 is my only car so short, long, any trips it has to do. Another lorry driver here and mine does some short trips too, usualy when i want an extra 10 minutes in bed....2am is so early

I think from owning Mg-Rover cars since i started driving has taught me that with the rough comes the smooth. You fix one problem and another arrives and you think what the hell am i doing? Well, once its all sorted you have the satisfaction of knowing its fixed.

One of my big moments of "i f-ing want to get shot of this car" was my trusty 620SDi. Had to have the clutch replaced, then not a few months later the box went. And then the slave cylinder. Cost a fair bit, but as i needed the car for long distance stuff for travelling between uni and home, i knew once it was all sorted it would be great. Yep, another 100,000 miles great without a hitch.

When i bought my 260, i was really panicked by reading the problems with the cars. BUT, ask yourself why, apart from the fun/social side, do we go on the forums like this? To search for advice and help on problems, so the more info on here the better.

My car is pants on fuel consumption round town i can get 15mpg, but thats because i dont drive like a lunatic, but enthusiasticaly, i.e when i see a gap to overtake i down a gear and go as i love the roar of the car!. But when i want, or my wallet dictates i sit at a nice 70, proper gear changes at islands etc.. and even with my cams i can get a nice 25mpg which my V6 ZT would only manage tops 30mpg.

Sounds like your on a downer because the problems have all come to a head, its a confusing time as you start looking at other cars etc.. and think well what if?...

If those problems are fixed, i shouldnt see a reason why you cant rely on it going to work, in fact thats the best time to go

Chin up, go for a nice long drive on a favorite bit of road, crank the tunes up and see why you love the car

Edit- Ian/Lowey who do you drive for?

[lowey260]

Currently drive for city-link just off J10 M6 Black country route, Inter-depot parcel delivery. Previously car-delivery thats where I 1st got to drive the 260 as I loaded them onto the truck. Always said I would own one, one day. Probably drove a few belonging to members on here as well!!

[Stu C]

Currently drive for city-link just off J10 M6 Black country route, Inter-depot parcel delivery. Previously car-delivery thats where I 1st got to drive the 260 as I loaded them onto the truck. Always said I would own one, one day. Probably drove a few belonging to members on here as well!!

Ah right probably seen you then when im going down the M6 myself in a morning, hauling tractor wheels (i drive for Arcese)

Thats got to be one of the best bits of being on the transporters though having a drive of some of the nice cars

[havoc1]

Interesting you mention a Focus ST, my wife has one and it is insanely quick. But, for me, the ZT is far more special and quirky and I love the q-carness of it, there is something hilariously wonderful about the fact that it looks like any other ZT from the front, but is anything but ordinary. It is cracking me up at work too, everyone now knows when I leave or arrive. Just today I had one colleague (who has no interest in cars) say to me, his face lit up, "It sounds like a NASCAR!" Another colleague offered to show me where second gear was, as I like to let the V8 be heard as a I arrive Not that this helps your decision making process any, I realise. Although I would suggest that if you can get a Focus ST cheap enough, it probably would give you less hassle than your ZT. Those quirks and that uniqueness are not such a laugh when you are totally dependent on the car. Oh, and the Focus is pretty bad on petrol too - 22mpg is our average. But it's almost as much fun as burning through fuel with a V8

[stevemiller]

No need to remove the st being faster there are a lot faster cars out there but few with the same amount of spunk as our american friends would say. Can I say that in these times, oh as I've said before **** them all.

Steve.

[havoc1]

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