Evening,
We have sold the the girlfriends Citroen C2 and now she wants to get a MG MGF convertible. Now i know there will be a few people that will be gasping for air right now but we will be buying one over the next week or two.
Can anyone give me some advice on what i should be looking out for from a personel point of view. (I know about the K series engines and the troubles they have with regards to HGF so i am confident in that dept)
Our budget is £2500 max
Many thanks
Adam
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It's your money so you can choose what you want to spend it on but I'm curious why you would want to buy a car which you appear to know is almost certain to give you major grief? And what do you mean by "I'm confident in that dept"?
Advice (other than buy an MX5 instead):
1/ Full service history
2/ As long a warranty as possible, obviously making sure it covers the CHG
3/ And with a claim limit of at least £2000
4/ And get it in writing that in the event of a CHG repair the warranty will pay for a skim (you'd be surprised how many do not)
5/ AA inspection
6/ New MOT
7/ Check all 5 tyres for more than legal minimum
8/ Buy an MX5 instead
Either way, good luck & let us know how you get on
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seeing as i was off last week on a holiday at home due to unforseen circumstances (ok the holiday let people know i like to party and so sent my cheque back) i was forced to go on daily sojurns to the far flung parts of yorkshire to get my daily ingestion of interesting things to do
anyway
one of the things i did was buy a car mechanics july issue at a sobering $3.85 and even i learnt things i didnt know about the best of british ie an old rover softop
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"Confident in that dept" - just the warning signs that i have read about.I am quite confident in mechanics so i kind of Know what to look for with regards to the cooling system.
The misses does not like the look of the MX-5 and i think our budget of 2.5k will only stretch to a very old one. (and seeing as it will be her car, who am i to argue!)
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The key with MGFs is finding one that has been properly looked after its entire life as they dont tolerate poor servicing and also dont buy low mileage ones as these cars hate sitting around.
If it has done about 10k a year, has through service history and is the facelifted model, that would be my search criteria. Oh and buy from someone who loves the cars as there are many enthusiasts out there who treat them better than their children.
My sister bought a mint 51 plate VVC from a club member and the car did her faultless service and was a joy to drive. I
f possible, seek out a Trophy edition as this was the sharpest feeling model of the MGF.
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If you buy right the MGF will be a good buy and can be very reliable - buy a dog and it will probably cost the same as the car was to buy!
I bought a TF two years ago and been very happy since, however it did take some finding! This is what I would be looking for:
- Good service history, particularly coolant changes and good oil being used if a VVC. 10w40 should be used
- Check for any signs of coolant loss, oil in the water, water in the oil. Most headgaskets should have been replaced by now I guess. If its had a replacement and its got a reciept for an MLS landrover gasket then all the better
- clutch arms can sieze if not regularly greased at service intervals. This at the worst can lead to the clutch dragging and wearing out so check for smooth operation of the clutch pedal and that the gears feel good. (reverse can be a pain - try selecting 1st and then reverse - just a quirk!)
- Tyres should not be cheap as the F and TF are very tyre sensitive. GY GSD2's are the preferred tyre and should not be mixed with GSD3's. Many owners get away with Toyo's as a good and slightly cheaper alternative to GSD2's
- The EPAS system on rare occasions can go wrong (similar to the Fiat Punto problem) and pull randomly when driving. Its a cheap fix for an automechanic but most garages try and rip you off with a new steering rack
- Suspension on the F should be the correct height as its hydrogas. The wrong height will cause odd tyre wear and handling issues - its cheap to pump up and is needed infrequently so no excuse really!
- Some rust starting to show in common areas - around front indicators, front wings and around the side air vents. Its still fairly uncommon and underneath/subframes tend to stay rot free
- Electric windows and central locking should be tested - again rarely cause problems but can cost a couple of hundred to put right!
Overall, the F/TF doesnt get the credit it deserves. The VVC model is quick and economical at the same time and if bought carefully you will get lots of pleasurable miles out of it.
£2.5k will get you an early TF but wont necessarily be any better than a late good F at that price. Similarly the F Trophy is the top of the F pile and some will be in budget so dont rule them out!
Check mg-rover.org as well - there is a minefield of info over there!
EDIT// Also check that the cambelts have been done. There are two on the VVC model and cost about £300-400 whearas the standard 1.8 and 1.6 will be about £200. They should be done every 5 years or 60,000 miles.
Edited by bbroomlea{P} on 14/07/2009 at 22:41
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The list is too long! previous posts on MGfs should of been enough to put you off!
Make sure you are 1st name terms with your local mechanic, have a 24hr hot line & arrange an account & start drip feeding.Make sure your a fully paid up member of a good recovery service.
Don't ever fall out with him as you will need him a lot more than he needs you ! remember that.
Having spent years working on them it was understandable the group went to the wall!
Its a back to front metro with a K series engine. Under the bonnet remove the liner & you will see where the battery rack & mastercylinder drillings were on the metro.
Look at the front hubs & you will see where the pot joint are missing their drive shafts, they couldn't even be bothered to hide the cheapness of the assembley.
One of our girls at work had a green MG TF a late one , her pride & joy with 22k on the clock but everything that could go wrong went wrong & she wouldn't give it up untill the recovery service said they wouldn't recover it any more! & her mechanic got fed up with seeing it.Took 2 years to part with it & she would never ever go near another! she has seen the light
Or buy an MX5 & just enjoy
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is that a no then id?
as im still unsure ;-0
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Actally just found this & its says it all really & its from someone that had the misfortune to own one !
www.mgsucks.co.uk/
at least i don't have to try & sell them any more LOL, I would end up having to take sleeping tablets to sleep at night!
Inj Doc
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The link takes one to a site that hasn't been updated since April 2005! That said, I don't suppose TFs have improved in the interim!
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mx5.
I'd even prefer a fiat coupe or barchetta.
Or a 944.
Or stretch a bit an a lotus elan M100.
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If you could find a lotus elan M100 for that money then I'd have one - a very under-rated car IMO (many people disregard the car because it's FWD).
I've had an MGF - a 1997 VVC - and I wouldn't recommend one. However, I do know people who have reliable MGFs, but they're not selling !
The MX5 may cost more money to buy, but would cost you less to own. The MX5 owners club is also very good.
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And to present the other side of the coin to that presented by ID.
I owned a 2002 MG TF 1.8 135 and it was without a doubt one of my most enjoyable car ownership experiences, the car put a smile on your face and was so much genuine fun, a feature sadly lacking from most other cars that I have owned.
I can wholeheartedly recommend one, if you get a good'un you shouldn't have much bother with it, as Broom has already pointed out the obvious areas of concern I won't bang on about them but obviously if you can then a warranty that covers the Head Gasket is a good idea, I claimed on mine as I predicted and had the uprated Land Rover gasket fitted.
I saw the car being driven the other day by the same lady that I sold it to over a year ago and quite frankly I wanted to go and car-jack it back off her! Pleased that she's still enjoying it though. :-)
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If you could find a lotus elan M100 for that money then I'd have one - a very under-rated car IMO (many people disregard the car because it's FWD).
Indeed. I did say stretch a bit. They seem to start around £3500.
I was thinking maybe equiv to an mgf and a hg. ;)
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>>The list is too long! previous posts on MGfs should of been enough to put you off!
I think I could write the same list about my Audi A4 which has been very reliable over the last few years - it doesnt stop common problems though and the MG is no different. The majority of these are fairly rare but worth watching out for when buying - this is what the OP asked for - buying advice!!!
I dont use my TF as an everyday car but like 'blue' has already mentioned it is the only car out of the 4 that I drive on a regular basis that actually wants to take you the long way home and actually restores the fun in driving again. They are not as unreliable as people think if looked after - just that if you buy a wrong one then it will cost you a fair bit but this goes for anything on the roads. The F/TF is actually very cheap and easy to fix if it goes wrong compared to the majority of cars due to its relatively simple engineering
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just buy one, they are good cheap enjoyable fun. get at least a vvc if you can't stretch to a trophy, there are plenty of good examples about and a well looked after car will be fine.
as for costs, if you fit a coolant alarm sensor which can be done for about £50 then even if the headgasket goes you should be able to avoid warping the head. the headgasket can be replace for £300 by a mobile mechanic with a very good reputation withing the mg community. other parts such as suspension and servicing costs are no more than any other car and unlike others there is a great community on hand to offer advice on all matters and plenty of events to attend if thats your thing.
chris
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One thing never mentioned with MGFs is their excepional economy - my sisters VVC used to get 38 ish average and nearly 50 on a long run. Compared to her 1.6 MX5 which barely managed 32 mpg yet was far less powerful. These engines dont work very hard in the MG and the K-series is known for being efficient aswell as fragile.
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