Autumn/winter toy and TVR replacement...
Discussion
Right...
I need to be sensible and sell my Chimaera to start saving (making a concerted effort..) for a house deposit. Now i'm hoping, quite optimistic and MAY have a deal underway....that i can get 5k ish for it.
Now assuming i get this i was thinking, band 3k in the bank and spend 2k on a shed.
Now in order to justify this to myself (i should be good and bank all of it) the shed can't loose me to much dosh, ideally none or maybe appreciate.
Sooo i was thinking...MGB GT. Now my dad and i rebuilt our Roadster from bare metal and threw in a V8 engine for giggles over the course of a few years. Dad had the car from nearly new so we are both familiar with B's.
I've been looking and 2k ish can buy a solid, maybe a bit tatty (not an issue) GT, even a pre 73 one! Now assuming i don't buy a dog and make sure i look after it, maybe even give some it TLC, surely my money will be reasonably safe?#
Advantages of idea; it's something different with character, a "proper" car; no PS etc and it's RWD, insurance is buttons and if pre 73 then ZERO tax! It wouldn't have to face grotty weather and will be garaged and will just be a weekend/evening car; i've got a Kangoo van for work/hacking.
Caveats- never driven one! only ours post V8 conversion.... I know it will feel old fasioned but thats what i want! oh and i know performance will feel...different to the TVR!
Before anybody says keep the Tiv... To be honest what with the V8 MG i really can't justify it, can't use both and seeing the MG not being used after the work thats gone into it is criminal. I also worry that the longer I leave it the harder it will be to sell (it's not mint but very solid) what with being a thirsty V8 and all...also Chim values also seem to be on the slide rather than static
Anyway...thoughts welcome....sorry i've gone on!
I need to be sensible and sell my Chimaera to start saving (making a concerted effort..) for a house deposit. Now i'm hoping, quite optimistic and MAY have a deal underway....that i can get 5k ish for it.
Now assuming i get this i was thinking, band 3k in the bank and spend 2k on a shed.
Now in order to justify this to myself (i should be good and bank all of it) the shed can't loose me to much dosh, ideally none or maybe appreciate.
Sooo i was thinking...MGB GT. Now my dad and i rebuilt our Roadster from bare metal and threw in a V8 engine for giggles over the course of a few years. Dad had the car from nearly new so we are both familiar with B's.
I've been looking and 2k ish can buy a solid, maybe a bit tatty (not an issue) GT, even a pre 73 one! Now assuming i don't buy a dog and make sure i look after it, maybe even give some it TLC, surely my money will be reasonably safe?#
Advantages of idea; it's something different with character, a "proper" car; no PS etc and it's RWD, insurance is buttons and if pre 73 then ZERO tax! It wouldn't have to face grotty weather and will be garaged and will just be a weekend/evening car; i've got a Kangoo van for work/hacking.
Caveats- never driven one! only ours post V8 conversion.... I know it will feel old fasioned but thats what i want! oh and i know performance will feel...different to the TVR!
Before anybody says keep the Tiv... To be honest what with the V8 MG i really can't justify it, can't use both and seeing the MG not being used after the work thats gone into it is criminal. I also worry that the longer I leave it the harder it will be to sell (it's not mint but very solid) what with being a thirsty V8 and all...also Chim values also seem to be on the slide rather than static
Anyway...thoughts welcome....sorry i've gone on!
AlexKing said:
A 2K MGB is surely a money pit.
Not neccesarilly (can't spell) i've looked at a few. 2k for a roadster will be rough but for a GT it's doable. As i said it wont be mint but i don't care, as long as it's not rotten (and i know where they rot...) anything else is a non issue.I had an MGB when I was 17, my Dad and I restored it. My Godfather currently has one too, he bought it last year.
£2k should get you a usable one, that really shouldn't lose you money. But yes do watch for rot. Unless you are really lucky I'd aim for a post '73 model. The 'no road tax' thing inflates prices, so at £2k such a B isn't likely to be in as good condition.
I would advise driving one though, they are fun and sound pretty good with a sports exhaust on and the engine is willing in an old school way, but they are hugely slow. 1.2 city hatches will likely leave you standing. If you can live with this or you'll spend most of your time on country lanes and quiet roads it's no probs. If not, then the performance deficit is huge.
After the MGB GT I had I progressed onto TR7's, I'm on my 2nd TR7 now, one I've owned for the past 11 years. The B is pretty, but the 7 is far superior in every respect. Much more usable, faster and just as much fun.
£2k should get you a usable one, that really shouldn't lose you money. But yes do watch for rot. Unless you are really lucky I'd aim for a post '73 model. The 'no road tax' thing inflates prices, so at £2k such a B isn't likely to be in as good condition.
I would advise driving one though, they are fun and sound pretty good with a sports exhaust on and the engine is willing in an old school way, but they are hugely slow. 1.2 city hatches will likely leave you standing. If you can live with this or you'll spend most of your time on country lanes and quiet roads it's no probs. If not, then the performance deficit is huge.
After the MGB GT I had I progressed onto TR7's, I'm on my 2nd TR7 now, one I've owned for the past 11 years. The B is pretty, but the 7 is far superior in every respect. Much more usable, faster and just as much fun.
300bhp/ton said:
I had an MGB when I was 17, my Dad and I restored it. My Godfather currently has one too, he bought it last year.
£2k should get you a usable one, that really shouldn't lose you money. But yes do watch for rot. Unless you are really lucky I'd aim for a post '73 model. The 'no road tax' thing inflates prices, so at £2k such a B isn't likely to be in as good condition.
I would advise driving one though, they are fun and sound pretty good with a sports exhaust on and the engine is willing in an old school way, but they are hugely slow. 1.2 city hatches will likely leave you standing. If you can live with this or you'll spend most of your time on country lanes and quiet roads it's no probs. If not, then the performance deficit is huge.
After the MGB GT I had I progressed onto TR7's, I'm on my 2nd TR7 now, one I've owned for the past 11 years. The B is pretty, but the 7 is far superior in every respect. Much more usable, faster and just as much fun.
Thanks 300. Good point about the pre 73 thing, maybe i should look past that.£2k should get you a usable one, that really shouldn't lose you money. But yes do watch for rot. Unless you are really lucky I'd aim for a post '73 model. The 'no road tax' thing inflates prices, so at £2k such a B isn't likely to be in as good condition.
I would advise driving one though, they are fun and sound pretty good with a sports exhaust on and the engine is willing in an old school way, but they are hugely slow. 1.2 city hatches will likely leave you standing. If you can live with this or you'll spend most of your time on country lanes and quiet roads it's no probs. If not, then the performance deficit is huge.
After the MGB GT I had I progressed onto TR7's, I'm on my 2nd TR7 now, one I've owned for the past 11 years. The B is pretty, but the 7 is far superior in every respect. Much more usable, faster and just as much fun.
Re. performance i can live with character rather than speed. Yes the Tiv has both but all good things and all that. Anyway, if i want a fix of silly speed the V8 B is there for that
(it feels as quick as my 4.0 Chim...)See if you can find a standard one to have a drive in. Whereabouts are you? They're not the quickest car but they are good fun. If you can get a good one you shouldn't lose money but how handy are you with the spanners? The mechanicals are easy to keep on top of but watch for any grot in the bodywork.
williredale said:
See if you can find a standard one to have a drive in. Whereabouts are you? They're not the quickest car but they are good fun. If you can get a good one you shouldn't lose money but how handy are you with the spanners? The mechanicals are easy to keep on top of but watch for any grot in the bodywork.
Im in the midlands.As i said in my OP re. spannering...my Dad and I did a bare metal rebuild and V8 conversion with or B Roadster so i'm reasonably spanner handy
and the old man is like Mr T, give him a MIG and some angle and i'm sure he could knock up a helicopter!I know what you're going to say already, but MX-5! If you would rather spend your time driving than underneath it then it is the solution.
The danger is that you sell the Chim for £5k, buy a £2k MGB, then pour another k or 2 into tidying it up and fixing unexpected things. All of a sudden you find that you haven't actually freed up any cash! With a 2k MX-5, you put petrol in it and that's it!
I think you will probably say that it's not different enough, no sense of occasion, which was ultimately the reason I got rid of mine, but there's no getting away from how competent they are...
The danger is that you sell the Chim for £5k, buy a £2k MGB, then pour another k or 2 into tidying it up and fixing unexpected things. All of a sudden you find that you haven't actually freed up any cash! With a 2k MX-5, you put petrol in it and that's it!
I think you will probably say that it's not different enough, no sense of occasion, which was ultimately the reason I got rid of mine, but there's no getting away from how competent they are...
NiceCupOfTea said:
I know what you're going to say already, but MX-5! If you would rather spend your time driving than underneath it then it is the solution.
The danger is that you sell the Chim for £5k, buy a £2k MGB, then pour another k or 2 into tidying it up and fixing unexpected things. All of a sudden you find that you haven't actually freed up any cash! With a 2k MX-5, you put petrol in it and that's it!
I think you will probably say that it's not different enough, no sense of occasion, which was ultimately the reason I got rid of mine, but there's no getting away from how competent they are...
Can't argue with that but i've had an MX5 and really don't fancy another. I know a B could end up in lots of spannering but if i'm fussy and take my time i reckon i can find a solid one. And as i wont have to rely on it if it does throw a wobbly it's not the end of the world. I definitely won't buy a rotter though! The danger is that you sell the Chim for £5k, buy a £2k MGB, then pour another k or 2 into tidying it up and fixing unexpected things. All of a sudden you find that you haven't actually freed up any cash! With a 2k MX-5, you put petrol in it and that's it!
I think you will probably say that it's not different enough, no sense of occasion, which was ultimately the reason I got rid of mine, but there's no getting away from how competent they are...
Fair enough. One thought about MX-5/winter though - I drove mine through 5 winters and with a decent hood it never let a drop of rain in and was fine in the winter. Only issues were deep snow - got stuck a couple of times and the ground clearance was rubbish! But don't worry about leaving it out, mine was never garaged once.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff