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What would you suggest when buying a new MG ?

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C

calvado

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Hi,

I've been searching for a MGB in my local area (Montreal, Canada) & I found at least 10 cars ... mainly of 1977-1979. I know that checking for rust in one of the most important things.. as well as looking at the floor.. Do you have any suggestions before I buy ? What should I look at ?
Is a car with a rebuilt engine better than one where all the side panels were reconditioned & are free of rust, but the engine is the original ?

Thank you very much.
 
By the way, if anybody know a good mechanic or someone who knows something about MGB let me know so I'll be able to get a sound advice before buying.. Also most cars I've seen "A1" go from 7000 to 13000$ CDN.. does that sounds OK ?
I don't want to buy the car as a project but mainly as a summer promenade car (reconditioned).
 
Rust and body condition is the number one thing to look for especially out east. Mechnical stuff is relatively cheap and easy to fix.
 
Is there a way where I should really look for rust ? Where it will happen most of the time ? So If there's no rust there, I'm pretty sure the rest of the body I can't see is ok ?
 
if you will send me your email I'll send you an article on how to buy an MG
chuck (at) shadetreemg.com
 
Yup....what they said about buying the body and fixing the engine. I went into it the same way but didn't get good advice (or didn't listen) or know what I was doing. I am not a mechanic but enjoy fixing things and have learned a lot about my car but it has cost me twice what it could have for what I have....then again, I really do know the car and that is worth something. If you can get car properly (not perfectly necessarily) restored by someone else who knew their stuff or at least had the body properly restored you can pay to have the needed mechanical done more cheaply as they indicated. Have car looked at mechanically up front and get an honest estimate of what it will take to make all the major systems safe and dependable and useable. Some things I didn't worry about previously I would do first now because now I know that it is false economy to put it off.

One general expense to avoid unless you want to go all the way....painted wire wheels. If you get them...get Dayton (no other brand) Tubeless Chrome/ with Stainless steel spokes. Otherwise any stock wheel or MiniLite type will work better and cost less to maintain and repair. The hubs and rear end are different for wires than for bolt on types so to change later is a little pricey. But...if you found the perfect car and the only thing was that it had painted wires I would buy it anyway....but if marginal car then be aware they are a potential ongoing expense...strip, replace spokes, have tuned, paint....then hit big bump in road and repeat. Don't ask.

Keep posting and good luck.
 
Hello,
My 2cents...I got my mgb in an auction on ebay last Dec. So far, the car is running great. I also subsequently got another collector car in Feb and that one is running great too. Both look dynamite. Anyway, the ebay route isn't for everyone. My point though is that you can use the vast offerings to get a decent baseline of what is available for what price - focusing especially on the auctions that get alot of bids (some might criticize this as the bids could be shells but again you are looking at alot of auctions so the effect of shell bidding is diminished). BTW, I was interested in an mga that was auctioned somewhere out of Canada and I think it went for around 7k cdn. Also, if you do use ebay to poke around, be sure to search for completed auctions - those that ended with a 'sale' and those that didn't - you get alot more results that way. If you want more details on my mgb email me and I'll fill you in rather than blabbing more here. Good luck.

Jim
 
The only thing with ebay is that you can't inspect the car
before buying... I always thought it was better to do
at least a 1 hour inspection by myself then if it passes with me, go to my friendly mechanic & ask him what he thinks about the car...

I have another question... is it better to find a car with the original paint ? I mean, if the car was repainted, doesnt that mean that they were trying to hide something ? especially if the guy is telling me that the body is rust free and no work was done on the body.. but at the same time, the car was repainted ? What for ?
 
First - there is no such thing as a rust free MG. There cars with less rust, but not rust free. On the sills and rockers the rust starts on the inside and works it's way out. Most people are not good with body work, so try to find a car the has a sound bottom side. Put a good floor jack in the truck of your car and ask if you can jack the car up and look at the under side. Block front tire and place jack under the rear differential and jack up. Take a hammer and check for soft spots on the under side of the rocker. (Don't crawl under the car with only a jack for support) Many cars have a hole in the floor from the drain in the heating vent being plugged. If the rockers and cross member is sound I would not worry about a small hole in the floor.

Second - interiors are easy to replace, entire dash boards are hard. Small cracks on the top of the dash can be covered with a dash cap. Carpets and door panels are easy to replace. About $1,200 US for an all new interior including seat covers.

Third - engines are expensive to rebuild. Check for smoke at the tail pipe and have the compression checked. Transmission should stay in gear and shift easy. The 4 sync tranny is a good unit. Sounds from the rear end such as a clunk at start up or letting off the gas is easy to fix and not expensive.

Fourth - Join local MG club and see if a experienced member can look at the car with you. I can see more if I am not buying the car, but only looking for someone else.

No matter how good the car there is always something to fix. If you find problems after you have bought the car it does not mean that you made a bad decision.

PS: since my daughter just finish her first year at McGill, I can say buy some good anti-freeze.
 
I don't know the name of a mechanic but call Christian Hollum Imports in Lachine, 514-639-4639, for the name(s) of mechanics in the Montreal area. Chris usually has a few MGB sale notices on his cork board. You could also try Mario Boies Inc. in LaPrairie, 450-444-2900. Both these companies deal in spare parts for British cars and I believe Mario Boies Inc. does service work as well.

Good luck
 
I found a local MGB on Ebay, went and drove it, and made the guy a onetime offer, which he turned down and countered with his "reserve" amount. I declined and went home. That Sunday was the closing date on the bids and happened to be the same day as one of the local British Car Shows that my wife and I attended. After walking around looking at all those MGB's and other beauties, I told my wife we had to leave if I was going to win the bid on that Ebay MGB. We went home, had a drink on the porch, and with 3 minutes left on the auction, I bid $5 over the reserve amount and bought my most recent MGB.

I love it when a plan comes together /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Bruce
 
Cal,

You can inspect the local cars being auctioned, if you wish. But my point was that ebay gives you a worldwide view into what is on the market - to an extent that is. Like I said, some auctions are very lively, attract alot of interest for a reason. Those you can use to help you get your baseline for price, features, etc. For the two cars I got on ebay, one inspected by me, the other bought sight unseen, it really didn't make much of a difference in either case. I paid what I'd consider full value for the mgb, and probably got a little bit of a deal on the other car (not an mg). Both are incredible. When you are paying in the thousands, a few hundred dollars either way should not be an issue, IMO...

Jim
 
Thank you Jim for all the information... Yes I'm trying to look everywhere I can to get a good idea of the value of the car... I have no probleme paying what the owner is asking as long as the car is well represented & there are nothing hidden under.. It's been many years since I want to find MY MGB but I never had the chance or the time to go for it..

And obviously, during the winter, the car will stay inside /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Al
 
See if someone on this BBS will do it for you or check out "The List" at www.theautoist.com", Tony's site to see if someone lives nearby and would help you out with basic check to see if rust, etc. is as represented, drive the car, etc. I know I would do that for an enthusiast though I am no expert. At least you would have someone relatively knowledgeable looking at the car with no contrary interest.
 
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