My Dad is offering me his MGF. Its 1997 vintage with only 23000 miles. Has been garaged since new, serviced every year (about every 3000 miles) and had the timing belts done a couple of years ago.
Hes offering it me for £4000. Is this a fair price??
Will spend most of its time in the garage and will be used mainly for weekends as a bit of a fun!
Beleive only thing that it needs is two front tyres and thats it.
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chnage the antifreeze to OAT at once and check water levels rleigiously and you will be the proud possessor of a "sports" car made by a failing company.. nmot as good as its rivals and hopelessly outclassed in the reliability and fun stakes,
If it's not a VVC I'd forget it. ( basically an unreliable underdesigned badly built inferior car )
And £4000 seems about right for the low mileage.. but why anyone in their sane minds would buy one rather an MX5 I don't know..
If it's BRG, OK because it will appeal to those who remeber MG when it won races in the 1930s. Otherwise it's a nondescipt sportcar which does not live up to its description..
All imo and I expect to be flamed:-)
madf
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Bit of a change from the 75 isn't it?
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Adam
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will be an addition to the 75!! dont think i could get away with crushing customers in the boot of the mgf :-)
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I would have thought 4 grand was an extortionate amount but a look on Autotrader suggest otherwise.
Not what I'd have but by far the cheapest one for what it is on the AT.
If you want it, go for it!
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Adam
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The main thing with this car is you know it's history and background. You could probably get one cheaper but it would have much higher mileage and you wouldn't know anything about it. If you fancy it and have the cash go for it.
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only thing a bit concerned about is the head gasket going..would just be my luck that its been fine for 8 yrs and as soon as I get it, will be in need of replacement..
Will it cost more that replacing HG on a 1.4 K series??
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I didn't realise it was a 1.4.
Will that be quick enough?
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Adam
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From the way i read it he is asking if replacing the HG on the MG will be more expensive than doing it on a 1.4 K series in another car such as a rover 200. In which case no it should cost roughly the same, although due to the rear engine configuration being quite a tight engine bay the labour cost may be higher as it will take longer to do.
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Not all K-series are 1.4 Adam
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Steve
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Sorry - I read it as,
"Will it cost more that? - Replacing a head gasket on a K Series?"
rather than
"Will it cost more than replacing a head gasket on a K series?"
Sorry.
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Adam
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I understand if the HG goes on a 1.8 and you don't attend to it in time, you get water in the oil big time = dead engine. = ££££S
And only competent garages used to the MGF can seem to bleed the cooling system - which means HG problems if it is not done properly.
I read the MG TF forums briefly. Worth a read to see what problems others incur.
madf
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I gather from a chap who owns one,there is a modified thermostat/housing and pressure relief valve built in. which apparently cures the thermostat failure along with the hotspots problem in the cylinder head,only problem is the cost around £200.I gather he found this out through one of the kit car mags,I dont know any more than that but someone else may do
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Steve
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As bh says, it's a car you know from new. If you like it, and can afford it go for it :-) You could buy another one which could just as easily go wrong tomorrow.
I loved it when my dad worked, as I could buy his ex-fleet cars at 3 yrs old, full service and totally known history.
Graham.
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sorry didnt word it too well...i did mean will a 1.8 cost the same as a 1.4 to repair....can stomach £400 but dont fancy paying 2 or 3 times that if the inevitable did happen any time soon
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I think it would be a good buy since you know the history. Just keep an eye on that coolant level every week. Also replace the header tank cap - often overlooked.
Another modification is to replace the steel coolant pipes running from the front radiator to the engine with stainless steel ones.
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>>Another modification is to replace the steel coolant pipes running from the front radiator to the engine with stainless steel ones.
I think these were done as they started to corrode and leak water a couple of years ago.
Seem to remember reading somewhere to look at the plastic inlet pipe??? if it is one colour it can perish and the more recent ones were ok. does anyone know what I shoud be looking for?
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'Orrible little cars - rubbery to drive and unreliable. When I see one I always feel a bit sorry for the owner - not in a nasty sort of way, but so many folks have had their fingures burnt with these cars. HGF costs around £750 to fix - if there is no 'consequential' damage.
There are so many better things to spend your money on. An MX5 is a good buy, moreover £4k will get you a '96 Mitsubishi FTO which is fun to drive and mega-relaible, not to mention the superb looks (trim is a bit fragile though).
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If it's BRG, OK because it will appeal to those who remeber MG when it won races in the 1930s. >>
Are you saying they never made a good car after the war?
Because I quite like the TC from the 1940s! After that however...
Good luck with the MGF, I'd agree that a known car is worth having if you want a good example of that model. But I'd look around to see what else your budget would get you in a similar market.
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"Are you saying they never made a good car after the war?"
The MG A was up to speed for its time and won races. The B was a heavier and not much faster version of the A: heavy steering, poor accleration and horrible to park in town.
Almost all postwar sales were based on a haze of romanticism based on earlier sporting victories (see Jaguar) totally unjustified by the current products.
All my opinion and 1000s of MGB enthusiasts will think (sorry KNOW) I am wrong:-)
madf
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JD Power Survey 2005
123 out of 124
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Buy it, enjoy it, that's what I would do.
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You could get a lot of Barchetta for 4k. Absolutely no bias on my part, of course...
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Funny - if the MGB was so poor how there are thousands of people out there that still own one?
If the 'F' was so bad why did it sell so well?
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Many people still own, run and enjoy MGBs, as others do with Morris 1000s, Marinas etc. It means that the people who do run them like them. As with all vehicles, there is choice. It makes them either good or bad depending upon that choice and the owner's perception.
I think the modern market for sports cars is different to the MGB days. Generally the average sports car then did go better than the average saloon car. Nowadays the difference isn't quite so marked. In general it is possible to buy something like an MGF or an MX5 and expect to treat it as a normal saloon, ie long service intervals etc. Again, only a perception, but most modern sports cars don't seem to be driven in such a "sporty" manner, for whatever reason. They seem to be more a "fashion accesory".
The F has a reputation for being somewhat fragile. How much of this is deserved I honestly don't know. With the information on its faults now widely known, one with a known history, maintained in the light of current knowledge, should be ok.
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If it's not a VVC I'd forget it. ( basically an unreliable underdesigned badly built inferior car )
All imo and I expect to be flamed:-) madf
Unfortunately a fairly accurate summing up of the vehicle, I would say.
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Agree with PU. Buy it, enjoy it. I got one as a company car not long after the launch. Enjoyed it immensely. Subsequently - after a few years in the wilderness driving proper cars - I returned to the fold and bought a secondhand one. Thought I'd keep it 6 months but 4yrs and 85K miles later, I still have it. By choice, obviously.
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It's as broad as it's long isn't it?
If it's your Dad's car it's coming out of your inheritance isn't it?
Personally I wouldn't touch with a very long barge pole. I think the thread should have been headed :- MGF - goodbye.
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>>If it's your Dad's car it's coming out of your inheritance isn't it?
Not really, hes replacing it with a TVR Chimaera which after looking at it, I wish I had another 10K spare!
Still thinking about it although managed to knock him down by £100 quid and get 12months tax and MOT...wonder if he will come up with a personal finace package???
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Beleive only thing that it needs is two front tyres and thats it.
Ideally, MGF front tyres should last more than 23000 miles. I replaced mine more than 40k ago and they still have some way to go. Check the ride height as you might need the hydragas suspension checked out. Pumping it up is cheap, replacing it less so.
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>>Ideally, MGF front tyres should last more than 23000 miles. I replaced mine more than 40k ago and they still have some way to go. Check the ride height as you might need the hydragas suspension checked out. Pumping it up is cheap, replacing it less so.
Thanks for that advice. Have checked this with my Dad and he has just had the suspension pumped last month up to correct height...hasnt been done since new so was due to be done. Rover dealer did say this is why the tyres had worn on the inside as originally he thought tracking was out.
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