Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests got a shot at a MG- is it worth it?

Talked to my dad today and he is very seriously looking at a late 70's MG (can't remember exact date, but I think 78). it has some aesthetic blemishes, nothing too major, about what you would expect for a 30 year old car, new paint would probally need to happen eventually but not too soon, some interior tears, a few rust spots but nothing too major. It started right up and runs a little rough but is ok there, he wasn't able to take it for a test drive yet but will before buying obviously. The only thing holding me back from saying go for it is i have heard these are the most unrelaible cars ever made. Is the reiablility really that bad? I know that it is not good but anyone out there own one that can say for sure? Anyone know what to look for before buying this? It has 48,000 miles on it. No clue about maintenance, but it was a Florida car then trailered up to International Falls, MN a while ago. the asking price is $1500. So with this low of a price and considering it drives decent, is it worth it? Are we going to be working on it after every time we drive it to fix it, or is it more reiable than that? So far we have had 2 '53 Chevy 3100 pickup, one still in our posession that we rebiult the engine, front end and tons of other stuff so we knows what were doing, but this will be a typical hobby car, and driven probally daily once it is running good in the summer. So once its running good, is it worth it, or are they waaaay too much constant maintenance? thanks.

My dad regularly says his '91 Miata reminds him strongly of his old MGB and his Sunbeam Tiger (both owned in the late 70s/early 80s), with the only exception that this one actually runs. If you're looking for a little roadster this is what I'd recommend, unless you're looking for a rare auto like the Midget or T-series. One of my friends has a '54 MG-TF and it's in beautiful condition, but its idiosyncrasies and special parts make it a bugger to maintain - I still haven't seen it on the road yet.

I know we sell the hell out of parts for them! I like the pre 74 chrome bumper models better, but thats my personnal opinion.

www.victoriabritish.com

Catalogs are free, so take one with you to see how much $$ you might end up spending on it before you buy.

Main problem is unreliable wiring, common on those old British cars. They are light with a small amount of power I hear they are fun to drive. Throw one of these on there and give unsuspecting Mustangs and Camaros a run(on the track of course) for their $$.

Might as well pickup (pun intended) a catalog for that 53 3100 also at our sister company www.lmctruck.com

Well , if there's anyone on the boards that can answer any question you have about MG's , it would be ME . I restore 'em for a living , so I've literally had my hands on hundreds of 'em .

Big question : Is it an MGB , or a Midget ??
I hope for your sake that it's an MGB , as the later Midgets aren't all they're cracked-up to be . If it's truly a 78 , it's an MGB , as Midgets were only made till '76 . There's a BIG difference between the two as far as what to look for and reliability , that's why it's a VERY important question .

I hate to disagree with Eric , but the wiring isn't that bad on MG's ... it's PEOPLE that are the problem . If you can get one that someone hasn't hacked , spliced , stripped , tapped & jacked with the wiring you'll do fine . Seriously , the wiring isn't anything to be scared of . It's simple & easy to fix correctly . When there's a wiring problem , look for dirty connectors - that's the main issue we see . People don't give MG's the credit they deserve . They CAN be reliable little cars . We have many customers that put loads of miles on their cars without issue .

Lemme know what year the car is & whether it's a Midget or MGB & I'll let you know what to look for & what to expect out of it . I'd rather take the time to educate you than to have you buy a bad car .

**EDIT** Almost forgot - don't waste your hard-earned wampum on that supercharger . The real world gains aren't worth the money spent & reliability issues involved . On a later (read:rubber-bumpered) MGB , you'll be MUCH better off doing some back-dating , like going back to the dual carbs like the earlier cars had (don't waste your $$ on the down-draught Weber carb) along with the proper dual-downpipe exhaust manifold , giving the engine an earlier-spec camshaft and throwing on a free-flow exhaust . Those are gains that you will greatly appreciate . We've done it more times than I can count , and ALL customers are happy with the difference .

Heck , I might as well throw in a shameless plug too - www.carriagecraft.com . It's needing an update (we're busy fixing MG's) , but that's our website .

ok, thanks alot guys. I will get back to you on exactly what model and all Buddy, but a huge thanks for your help already. As for the catalog, it will probally be ordered as soon as we get the car, and we have at least 3 of the LMC truck catalogs laying around already!! thanks again guys, and I'll let you know how things pan out here.

You may want to look up (PM) Baco in the New England Area. He's owned a few MGs since I've known him on these boards. Eventually he got rid of them all, but I'm sure he'll know a thing or 2.

- Zack

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