New member, thinking about purchase of MGB

[tlsmart1]

Hi All,

I'm not only new to the forum, but new to classic cars. I'm interested in getting a classic roadster, probably a MGB. I've found a car listed for sale a couple of hours from here and I'm trying to sort out how to go about evaluating it. I suppose having a mechanic do an inspection would help, but what should I be thinking about before then?

The description of one car I'm interested in states that the car has a rebuilt engine (1990, with 27,000 miles since then). It states that body restoration is 100% complete, interior is 80% and all electrical components have been upgraded.

Some things I'm interested in that are not part of this car include spoked wheels, a rollbar and overdrive. Any idea how much these would cost down the road? Any other thoughts/advice?

Thanks a lot.

 

[tony barnhill]

Read this article to know what to look for during the search process: https://www.theautoist.com/buying_an_mg1.htm

However, if wires & OD are part of your requirements - keep looking....to make the conversion you'll need a complete wire rear end & front wire hubs....to install an OD trtans, you'll have to pull the engine & trans....OD's run anywhere from $750 up.

Rollbars are neat to look at but, if they allow a top to be put up, they're not really worth the money as they provide little or no protection.

But, drop over to the MG Forum & ask your questions for more opinions.

 

[terriphill]

i have one you can buy.....make me an offer (just don't read any of my previous posts!)

 

[aeronca65t]

Welcome!

The MGB is a nice simple Brit-classic that is easy to get (most) parts for. Also, easy to drive with no tricky characteristics (compared to a Porsche 356 for example).

Tony's link on his page is a good one. Read it. It'll give you some great background.
And he's right about converting a car to wire wheels or overdrive. Both are possible but neither is a simple or cheap task.

For the record, I have a non-overdrive MGB with wire wheels (a '69). ~Here~ it is. I've had overdrive cars in the past (a TR3 and P1800). But I only drive this MGB about 2000 miles a year and honestly, the overdive doesn't seem that critical to me. If you are planning on taking long tours, maybe that's a different story. I took my car on a one-day, 300 miles round trip last year.....the overdrive would have been nice, but still not that critical. Cruising to a local car show, I don't miss it.

Wire wheels look great, but I would actually prefer not to have them. Bolt-on wheels are easier to keep clean and balanced. Much easier to find someone to mount tires too. And aftermarket "Minilite-type" bolt-on wheels look really nice on a B.

Most MGBs have a fold-down top, so the roll bar can get in the way unless it's fairly low. But some older MGBs (including mine) have the "pack-a-way" top frame which must be removed and put in the trunk. I converted mine to the pak-a-way style. It's less convenient to drop, but I like the way it looks and the top gets less beat-up. A higher roll bar will fit these pretty easily. I think a properly installed roll bar has good value (Autopower makes decent roll bars for MGBs). ~My Street Miata~ has a roll bar (required, since I run track days with it). I've seen a Miata flip with a similar bar to mine and I believe it reduced injuries. MGBs are generally similar to Miatas and I think a bar might be a useful safety addition. I am planning on installing a roll bar in my MGB when I can find the time.

As you can see, Tony and I have a different opinion on this.

And that's a useful point: you'll hear all sort of opinions related to Brit-cars....to some degree, you'll have to decide what's right for you.

By the way, you might want to see if our member "bob67bgt" has any cars available. I have no personal interest (I don't even know Bob), but he has a good reputation for quality stuff here at BCF. If nothing else, he may give you some good pointers.
His e-mail is:
mgragman@carolina.rr.com

G'luck!

 

[tlsmart1]

Thanks for the helpful posts. Tony, I read your informative article. Some of the tips are a little beyond my experience, though.

Would anybody care to give a ballpark price range for a MBG described as:

1973, second owner, all paper work available
Body completely disassembled, sheet metal work done, all new sills
All restoration work has been hired out to local shops
Rebuilt engine in 1990; total miles 119,000. Miles since rebuild 27,000.
Current, unrestricted license plates.

My priority is to get a solid car that is ready to go. I'd be happy learning how to do the maintenance and do small upgrades, but I've gotta start with something fun right off the bat. If my inexperience will cause me to make a mistake, I'd rather pay too much than get what seems to be a bargain and be surprised by the condition.

Any thought?

Thanks again.

 

[tony barnhill]

Would anybody care to give a ballpark price range for a MBG described as:

1973, second owner, all paper work available
Body completely disassembled, sheet metal work done, all new sills
All restoration work has been hired out to local shops
Rebuilt engine in 1990; total miles 119,000. Miles since rebuild 27,000.
Current, unrestricted license plates.

My priority is to get a solid car that is ready to go. I'd be happy learning how to do the maintenance and do small upgrades, but I've gotta start with something fun right off the bat. If my inexperience will cause me to make a mistake, I'd rather pay too much than get what seems to be a bargain and be surprised by the condition.

Any thought?

You should take that last post I quoted above & put it over on the MG Forum.....if you could get photos to go with it, that'd be better....& you'll tie into the MGB family real quick.

 

[aeronca65t]

I imagine you've looked ~HERE~ , but just in case you haven't......

I'm not so much a fan of buying via eBay, but you might get a decent, ballpark idea of price.