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MGA MGA Advice or Comments

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Geo Hahn

Geo Hahn

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I have a friend here in Arizona who has her late husband's 1958 MGA sitting in her garage. She has decided to sell it -- it has been off the road for a few years -- but doesn't really know where to begin.

I offered to look it over to give her an idea of how to present it and what to expect. I also told her it will be much easier to sell if I can get it running and perhaps even driveable as cars that run & drive are much easier for a buyer to evaluate and relocate.

The car appears to be pretty sound with good (25 year-old) paint but a worn non-original interior and an engine compartment that has been casually sprayed with rattle-can black & orange. No evidence of body damage or rust though with the magnet test I may have detected the use of a thin area of filler in the the passenger side dogleg. Still held a magnet but could tell the attraction was weaker there. Pictures can be seen here:

https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/MGA-lf.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/MGA-rf.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/MGA-engine.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/MGA-interior.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/MGA-rear.JPG

The tires are old but hold air, the batteries are flat and probably toast and the brakes are nil though the clutch felt like it worked... so my plan would be to get the engine started (usual preparations & precautions) and identify what has perished in the brakes department.

I do not have the car's history so I can't call it an 'Arizona Car'... okay, sure I can... but if it moved here from elsewhere it was more than 25 years ago. The commission number appears to be HDA 437 48858.

Soooo... Since all my experience is with Triumphs, I'm looking for suggestions on anything specific to MGAs to be aware of, anything in the pics worth noting, what year the commission number indicates, and of course what $$$ range we're in assuming we get it to run & drive with no apparent problem in the drivetrain.

Thanks for any advice from the Safety Fast crowd.
 
I suggest that you tell her that there is a really nice guy in Atlanta, GA that would come out and get the car from her, it won't cost her a thing.

OK, you didn't buy that - darn thought it was worth a try..Man that is a nice looking A though. Let us know what the issues are.
 
If it's as nice as it looks but does not run, and assuming the non-running problem is minor, I would say that's a $15K car. Of course photos can be deceiving so the best thing would be to get it running and take it to a local club meet.
 
That does look like a nice car. I've not owned an A, but I would look around the frame members supporting the wood floors for rot. A compression test would also be revealing.
 
I don't know much about As either, but that looks better than one I saw on ebay that sold for almost 8Gs I'd keep it and get her show worthy.
 
FYI - A follow-up on this:

I took a group of local club members to view the MGA in preparation for helping her get it running. Things never got to that point as one of the guys was quite willing to give her the $9K she was asking.

A fair deal for both buyer and seller I think, hopefully we'll see the car on the road soon.
 
[ QUOTE ]


I took a group of local club members to view the MGA in preparation for helping her get it running. Things never got to that point as one of the guys was quite willing to give her the $9K she was asking.



[/ QUOTE ]



imagine that....

Nice looking car, they dont come around like that very often


mark
 
After reading the description I wasn't expecting such beautiful photos. I've never had an A but I think they are awesome looking but a little beyond my price range! Gotta feel good about helping out the seller and the buyer!
 
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