Looking to buy an MGF

Capt Doufos · 5 May 2006 at 14:08

TBH for <£2k thats pretty good. That would only buy you a very early Mk1 MX5. A 1990-1993 car isnt everyones cup of tea.

austinpowers · 5 May 2006 at 17:32

The MGF isn't a terrible car, i've driven the vvc powered model many a time, reasonably quick and handled ok. I did find it quite boring though and didn't feel that stable at triple figure speeds..

I've not driven a MX-5 so can't comment at all on what they're like, but the general opinion is that it's a good car.

The_Dark_Side · 5 May 2006 at 18:14

bad car.
build quality varies from vehicle to vehicle so much you wouldn't believe.
take a watering can with you and spray the roof and if you're lucky it won't leak.

they're cheap for a reason.

Pigeon · 6 May 2006 at 12:33

The_Dark_Side said:
bad car.
build quality varies from vehicle to vehicle so much you wouldn't believe.
take a watering can with you and spray the roof and if you're lucky it won't leak.

they're cheap for a reason.

bad car maybe, but cars are a matter of taste, i can take out and like my car but someone else (my dad) will hate it totallly!

can't argue with the build quality as it does vary, it's a question of getting one you are happy with !

The hood is one thing the definitly got right on the car, it's sturdy, water tight and the clamps are strong, the MX5 I had a ride in last night the hood was really fragile!!

£2000 though for a not ancient convertible that you will be able to sell on for at least the same money if it is awful would be stupid to pass up.

The_Dark_Side · 6 May 2006 at 12:40

Pigeon said:
bad car maybe, but cars are a matter of taste, i can take out and like my car but someone else (my dad) will hate it totallly!

all things being equal you're dead right.
however all things aren't equal and some cars are acknowledged to be "worse" than others.

Pigeon said:
The hood is one thing the definitly got right on the car, it's sturdy, water tight and the clamps are strong, the MX5 I had a ride in last night the hood was really fragile!!

i've seen more MGF's with leaky roofs than without.

Pigeon said:
£2000 though for a not ancient convertible that you will be able to sell on for at least the same money if it is awful would be stupid to pass up.

rovers can be tricky to price up, what with the uncertainty the public feels towards them (unfounded incidentally but we are talking about the public here).

NightShadow · 6 May 2006 at 14:54

Well i've decided to take note of a lot of the bad ad good said about it and had another look today, the rust that i mentioned is not really rust just slight bubbling on the lip where someones put the jack on wrong. Both the hard top and soft top are in very good nick and it really seems all held together well. As its had a new engine in (she recons less than 2000 miles ago as it hasnt been used except for MOT'ing since she moved to London) i think that it shold all be OK engine wise, tho I will be taking much care with water and oil levels, and I never thrash any car when it's cold (unlike some people i know

).

Also managed to haggle the price down a bit to £1900. Its' Taxed till december but the MOT is due in June but the last time it was used (before it was spruced up for selling this is) was to take it for an MOT so I doubt it would fail on anything, all the tyres are more or less brand new and it feels good on the road tho its quite a firm ride

. I can't wait till Monday when i can get a bankers draft and sort the insurance and pick it up

NS

The_Dark_Side · 6 May 2006 at 14:55

if it's had a new engine, find out exactly what "new engine" means.
if it's a proper replacement there should be a warranty with it.
ask.

NightShadow · 6 May 2006 at 15:36

The_Dark_Side said:
if it's had a new engine, find out exactly what "new engine" means.
if it's a proper replacement there should be a warranty with it.
ask.

Well i had a quick glance and could see things like sump etc was a VERY long list of parts and totalled up to £2700 so it's quite promising!

happytechie · 8 May 2006 at 10:32

you'll enjoy it mate. if you're looking to get it serviced I can heartily recomend motobuild in egham. Graham's a top bloke and REALLY knows his stuff when it comes to MGs and K series blocks

H

Firestar_3x · 8 May 2006 at 10:47

NickXX said:
Test drive an MGF/TF. Test drive an MX5. You will buy the MX5.

Had 7k to spend 5 weeks ago, tested several MGTF's / MR2's & MX-5's, i ran away from the MG pondered over the MR2 but ended up with an MX-5....

Says it all kiddys no better person to answer than someone who has been in the situation.

agw_01 · 8 May 2006 at 10:58

happytechie said:
you'll enjoy it mate. if you're looking to get it serviced I can heartily recomend motobuild in egham. Graham's a top bloke and REALLY knows his stuff when it comes to MGs and K series blocks

H

You are joking aren't you!?!?!!

MotoBuild? :eek:

I would never recommend either MotoBuild or RSM to anybody!

Dogbreath · 8 May 2006 at 11:32

Firestar_3x said:
Had 7k to spend 5 weeks ago, tested several MGTF's / MR2's & MX-5's, i ran away from the MG pondered over the MR2 but ended up with an MX-5....

Says it all kiddys no better person to answer than someone who has been in the situation.

That only says that you happened to prefer the MX5 :confused:

Firestar_3x · 8 May 2006 at 11:58

Dogbreath said:
That only says that you happened to prefer the MX5

Yes and?

I tested them all and the MX was the best car, i've no fanboyism towards a badge the MX simply 'IS' the best car out of the bunch its not a maybe its 'Fact', if the MG was better i would have spent my money on that but its not so i didn't, perhaps he will prefer the MG because it looks slightly better, but thats besides the point looks are subjective to the person i'm talking about which is the best car to drive / live with / own / run / chuck down a back road, if he likes the MG or MR2 ir won't be for the right reasons.

Dogbreath · 8 May 2006 at 12:19

Firestar_3x said:
Yes and?

I tested them all and the MX was the best car,

Again, in YOUR opinion. Opinions are, by their very nature subjective. I'm not saying you are wrong, but other people may think the MR2 is the better car, or maybe even the MGTF, it totaly depends on their expectations and priorities.

happytechie · 8 May 2006 at 13:43

agw_01 said:
You are joking aren't you!?!?!!

MotoBuild?

I would never recommend either MotoBuild or RSM to anybody!

nope I'm not joking and I don't know which motobuild you are talking about but this one is a small buisness run by a MG nutter who does bare metal restorations on classic MGs and has lot's of experience race prepping K series lumps.

He's a really nice guy, has serviced my MG for me since I've had it and I've had no problems with it in that time. Servicing is quick and cheep and any extra work is done well. I got good advice about air induction and brake and suspension upgrades and I'm about to phone him to book my F in for it's 60K service as well :eek:

His son runs another company called motobuild in London as well, I think they specialise in bolt on plastic tat.

no idea who RSM are mind you

HT

Pigeon · 8 May 2006 at 15:39

It's the one in London that I got told to avoid with the 'tro. Can't speak for anyone really as I never got any work done.

NickXX · 8 May 2006 at 17:57

Pigeon said:
bad car maybe, but cars are a matter of taste, i can take out and like my car but someone else (my dad) will hate it totallly!

can't argue with the build quality as it does vary, it's a question of getting one you are happy with !

The hood is one thing the definitly got right on the car, it's sturdy, water tight and the clamps are strong, the MX5 I had a ride in last night the hood was really fragile!!

£2000 though for a not ancient convertible that you will be able to sell on for at least the same money if it is awful would be stupid to pass up.

The build quality is shocking - the one I borrowed was 6 months old. It was rattly and cheap feeling/looking - not something I expected from a mainstream manufacturer in the 21st century. it felt older than my Dad's 10 yr old toyota which he had at the time. Ride quality was harsh, the cabin was shockingly noisy at any speed with the roof up. The zip around the plastic rear window had also broken, and was waiting for the entire roof to be replaced.

Other than that you couldn't argue with the build quality... unless of course your had a go in the MX5.

Koncordski · 8 May 2006 at 18:09

This thread cracks me up, even the people who own one or drive one a lot say its a bad car. The posts above start with, "Its rubbish to say this car is bad, but....."

They then go on to list things that need changing or checking every 6 months in order to avoid disaster. None of which you need to do on an MX-5. If it's such a good car then why all the checks?

Crap seats, poor driving position, nasty dated interior. Buy it, use it for the summer and then get rid pronto!

tom_nieto · 8 May 2006 at 20:27

Glad to hear there's a good place in Egham for MGs, that's just down the road from me.

For £1900, especially with all the engine work I don't think you can go far wrong with that car. If you don't like it, then fine, get rid of it after the summer. They are lovely cars and have a lot more character imo than the other japanese roadsters. People buy cars for lots of different reasons, if you like it, go for it!

Trick · 8 May 2006 at 21:51

ajgoodfellow said:
Don't rev it above 3,000 rpm when cold and don't thrash it when cold. If you do you'll have premature HGF. If you let it warm up fully (not long as the K-Series warms up quickly) then you'll be fine

This seems to be the golden rule with any k-series engine. I always make sure to drive below 3000rpm for the first 10mins, at least till the water temp is up to 84/85 - oil temp may take a little longer. And make sure you let the car cool down properly after a thrash too.