Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
MGB experiences
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
60,000 miles vs. 30,000? The cars could have gone many many thousands of miles more, I was just young and foolish. Hey! With income of 5 or 10 grand a year? I could afford new cars every couple of years. Just like today....
Every time I see one of those MGB's with the big black (powdery) bumpers, I want to cry. For some reason they just never appealed to me. Like comparing a mule to a stallion....
I agree, the Miata, is very familar territory for those of us who have driven MGBs! I haven't been in one in 3-4 years, but it was an eerie feeling, the first time I sat down in one.....everybody thought this was a "new" thing. I said, I've been here before! Yeah, the big black (powerdy) bumpers ruined it!
The Miata can be depended on!
Not nearly the fun...
I very much like all the feedback I can find in a car, but modern drivers would hardly tolerate real "feedback". They enjoy, and will pay for, isolation. At least the Miata, as isolating as it is in terms of road shock, steering effort, exhaust and motor noise, weather harrassment, etc., is still FUN, which is more than you can say for most cars today.
It's not the hardware. The Bimmer has ordinary MacPherson struts, and the B is heavily based on its immediate predecessor, the horseless carriage. On the other hand, your average GM intermediate has an impressive list of modern hardware--at least I was impressed--but your average GM intermediate is still pretty average. Hopefully there will always be cars that have been engineered to be more than the sum of their parts.
personality to come out?
The o/d trans seems to appeared on just about every one of the "late" MGBs.
As for price, as you may recall, I think the rubber bumpered MGBs are pretty pathetic, strapped as they are with extra weight and poorly designed emission control systems. All the fun and power had been beaten out of them by then, down to about 63 HP, a single carburetor, jacked up suspension and rubber bumpers. These cars obviously will never attain the value of the earlier (pre 75) chrome-bumpered cars, so their current value is affected as well. I'd think $3,500 would be plenty to pay for one, but by all means drive an earlier MGB and experience the wonderful difference yourself!
Good luck!
Hal
Hey...that's hard to say...There's blood on the rubber baby buggy bumpers...say it three times.
I agree with everything Hal said and I've had two of them. Not a good "only" car since it may or may not start when you really need it to.
Still...I miss mine. My 1960 was my favorite.
Do you mean 1970? In 1960 Morris Garage hadn't yet manufactured its first MGB. I think that my 1964, my first of two MGBs, may have been only the first or second year of production.
And, 1963 was the first year for the MGB.
The MGA's were also a lot harder to steer!
I always heard that a MG (or other British car) was the perfect car for a teenage boy because it would 1) teach them patience, 2) teach them the basics of auto mechanics and 3) it wouldn't run long enough for them to get into trouble with!
My MGA fit that picture perfectly, but our JH proved to be very "un-British".
Cool fall days are upon us and chilly fall nights....ah, a sweatshirt and tonneau and I'm ready!
Hal
I hate to barge in and interrupt, but can anyone provide a url for a site that can give me some current prices for a 78 mgb? I want to sell one and need some info on what it's worth these days.
thanks, RB
http://www.vmrintl.com/
I think it is fairly representative but if Shifty jumps in, I'm sure he has more.
Check out http://www.mgcars.org.uk/
Good classified section for pricing
Safety Fast
http://www.mgcars.org.uk/news/news331.html
I'm glad you kept the SUs, too. They are great carbs once they are set up right. Really a shame so many people switch to Webers, for very little gain and lots more complication and fussiness.
In 84 someone crushed the left front fender and got 1k from insurance and my mechanic had a buyer willing to put in 2k without repair, since I bought it for 2,800 looked like a good deal at the time, regretted it a lot since. But today my wife got her mother's 71 280SL roadster which is what I wanted in 72 but couldn't afford, some times thing work out.