You have saved this page | See all saved pages
MGB experiences - READ ONLY
155 messages, Last post on Dec 10, 2001 at 6:04 PM
You are in the Classic Cars - Archived Discussions Forum.- Your Host is mr_shiftright
This discussion is ARCHIVED. To reactivate the discussion, post a request in the Lost In The Town Hall... discussion.
What is this discussion about? Coupe, Convertible
#146 of 155 by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Aug 10, 2001 (3:16 pm)
Alfas have very good cooling systems, so overheating is never one of their little demons...of course, it all depends on the owner, as you know, since you are one of the few people I know who can keep a JH running.Actually Alfas and most budget British sportscars have the same problem....due to their low cost as used cars, they fall into the hands of owners who don't spend a penny on them---so by the time they are 10-20 years old, they are pretty much ruined.
#147 of 155 Speaking of PO's by sebringjxi
Aug 13, 2001 (7:52 am)
My son is home for a couple of weeks and we met for lunch the other day--he was driving the JH, which he had just washed and waxed and I was driving the Fiat. Just as we walk into Subway this guy pulls up in a Jeep, right behind the JH and starts waving at us. My son recognized him, I didn't immediately, as the previous owner of the JH. He owned the car from '76 to '96 and was responsible for accumulating all the spare parts we have. He was pleased to see the car looking so good (we repainted from booger green to viper red) and that we were taking such good care of it. Says his wife still fondly refers to it as "the best car we ever owned". He had spotted it on the street and chased my son about 6-8 blocks before he pulled in at Subway. I assured him that his care and fanatical maintence was the only reason the car was such a pleasure to drive today. Both of us thanked him for 20 years of TLC on a car that, as you say, most find downright tormenting to keep runing. I told him we keep his TWA pilot's parking sticker on the back of the mirror for sentimental reasons--and a reminder that he indeed took very good care of the car! It was a good visit for us and for him!Later,
Hal
#148 of 155 by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Aug 13, 2001 (7:57 am)
I've always had good luck with so-called "problem" cars because of the very reason you mention...I bought them from reasonably conscientious owners.I'd say that with diligence a person can keep just about any car running reliably...well, maybe not a Maserati Bi-turbo or SM, but MOST any car---lol! There's even a townhaller on this board who claims to keep a TR7 as a daily driver, which to me anyway, is a miracle so staggering that the sick should be brought to the car to be healed! Just goes to show you what human ingenuity can do.
#150 of 155 71 mgb gt by zzoom1
Nov 13, 2001 (2:43 pm)
I'm looking at a 71 bgt, 4 cylinder in what appears to be good to very good condition. Everything is there, even British Leyland badges on front quarter panels. Car is off-white with black interior. appears original save for aftermarket radio. Asking price is $3995, I'm considering an offer of $3000. Anyone have any thoughts?#151 of 155 71 MGB GT by sebringjxi
Nov 14, 2001 (7:31 am)
You didn't mention rust. This is the cancer that kills so many cars from the 60's and 70's. Is the body straight and clean of rust? Check rockers, floor pans and rear wheel arches. Still, $4000 seems a bit high for an MGB GT. Then again, I haven't priced many British cars lately. Go look up a Hemmings Motor News and see what they're going for in there. That'll give you some idea of the market.Maybe there are some resident MG experts lurking that'll chime in on this one....
Good Luck!
Hal
#152 of 155 by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Nov 16, 2001 (1:46 am)
A nice clean MGB GT should be worth that. They are far less popular and valuable than the roadsters, even though they are nicer to drive in many ways. For one thing, the GT has a decently tall windshield, while the roadsters windshield height can make you a bit crazy.The roadsters are faster and seem to handle better, but they are, of course, noisier and draftier.
A nice modification on a GT is to install a sunroof. Since the car won't be collectible for another gazillion years anyway, I don't see the harm in doing this.
Last good thing about GTs is that many of them came with overdrive. An overdrive is pretty much mandatory in any MGB in my opinion, as it allows for bearable noise levels at highway cruising speeds.
#153 of 155 I can attest to that. by speedshift
Nov 16, 2001 (1:41 pm)
My B didn't have overdrive and I spent life in the slow lane at 50 mph.#154 of 155 Speaking of GTs by sebringjxi
Nov 29, 2001 (1:13 pm)
I was talking with a friend of mine the other day and we got off on the topic of old cars (imagine that!) and were talking about my '69 MGC. I think the JH is rare, but the C was even more so, less than 3000 imported in '68 and '69. In fact our conversation reminded me that in the 9+ years I drove it, I only saw one other MGC. A candidate for a teaching position at the college I was attending drove to his interview in a sunshine yellow MGC-GT, automatic! We chased each other around the parking lot a couple of times before one of us got smart and stopped. He had not seen another since he bought his new (this would have been about 1976 or '77). The guy I bought mine from had bought it in St. Louis. An interesting fella I used to know in Chattanooga bought everyone in stock when the local dealership went out of business in 1970. Now that I think about it, in the almost 5 years we've had the JH and been dropping by British Car Shows, I still have yet to see another C! Maybe I should have kept it.........nah! As much fun as I had with it embarassing TR6s and TR7s and 914s, it will never be high on my "cars I want back" list. My '59 MGA, on the other hand.........Enjoy!
Hal
#155 of 155 MGs by pjones100
Dec 10, 2001 (6:04 pm)
You might want to subsribed toMG-MGB
yahoogroups.com This is an excellent site for anyone interested in MGs of any description
Paul Jones
Advertisement
Most Popular in Forums
Search Forums
Enter Keyword(s):
Learn More, Do More
Edmunds Community
Advertisement