If you're dad's looking at a 78 MGB then I would hope he did some research on them.
It's not that they are unreliable ... although I wouldn't make it a reliability number #1 ... all English sports from the 60's/70's can be highly unreliable. That's not why we buy them though ... these are fun classics, and half the fun is the work!
Now as long as he knows he will have to put some coin into the car at some point, and there's a possibilty of it being out of commission for some 6 weeks while you wait for stuff ... then it shouldn't really matter.
Personally I'm looking at getting an 88-93 Lotus Turbo Esprit in the near future ... again British sports ... LOTS of TLC will be needed.
One more thing ... British sports are made to be driven. Don't let it sit too much, also make sure you have a fire extinguisher in case the smoke escapes from the Lucas parts
