I'm going with my heart and not my head and buying a MGB GT

[elephantstone]

So after lots of "oooing and rrrrrring" and deciding on a Volvo C70 Cab, i have decided to not go with my head and buy a MGB GT.

Why?

Because ive always wanted one, rubber bumper in a lovely 70's colour combo.. I must be the only one who prefers the rubber bumper model?

My budget is about £4500 (thanks to some inheritance) so ill be able to get pretty much a minter for my budget.

From what ive read i need to buy the owners handbook and work through that and ive also read they like being used alot? Which it will, it will be used pretty much daily and be used to drive from Manchester to Bath and back, every other weekend. Not bothered about fuel economy as im going to quit the weekends bad habits in favour of having a car i REALLY want. My mate also runs a self service garage so will be able to learn how to tackle the oily bits.

3weeks until i get the money and im excited to start looking for a car. All i need to do is get my MX5 sold as its not shifting!

[Major Fallout]

You will certainly want one with an overdrive.

As for oily bits they are as easy as can be. And as long as you don't neglect them they are very reliable and fun.

[elephantstone]

Major Fallout said:

You will certainly want one with an overdrive.

As for oily bits they are as easy as can be. And as long as you don't neglect them they are very reliable and fun.

Yeah will be getting one with Overdrive. Will not be neglected at all and will be buying one that has been used quite alot but in really good condition.

I was trying to think of some alternatives to the MGB GT and couldnt think of any? GT6 is the nearest thing but the prices have crept up!

[Davel]

I much prefer the chrome bumper and had one new just before the rubber bumper came out.

The overdrive is very useful and I loved mine.

It was a company car and I had to let it go as we got through five exhausts in one week going down farm drives!

Every so often, the clutch spring would snap off and shoot up your trouser leg but, apart from that, I loved it.

Bright Orange and OED222M - where are you now?

[gog440]

Send me a PM, my mate has an orange MGB GT on a W plate that he was thinking of selling.
He is a retired MOT tester and has spent a lot of time getting it into really good usable condition. It also has a fully functional overdrive (usable on 3rd and 4th). It went down to LeMans with us this year and didnt miss a beat.
It isnt a million miles from you, he lives in Halifax

[elephantstone]

gog440 said:

Send me a PM, my mate has an orange MGB GT on a W plate that he was thinking of selling.
He is a retired MOT tester and has spent a lot of time getting it into really good usable condition. It also has a fully functional overdrive (usable on 3rd and 4th). It went down to LeMans with us this year and didnt miss a beat.
It isnt a million miles from you, he lives in Halifax

Just done it mate.

[gog440]

Replied

[elephantstone]

Im stumped for alternatives to the B? Needs to be hardtop really as dont feel comfortable leaving an old, easy to steal car in public car parks over night.

[john2443]

MGB does have a bit of a niche of it's own.

Possibly GT6, Volvo P1800, but not sure about prices. TR7, X/19 not everyone's taste and more modern, other TRs or Sunbeam Alpine with a hardtop?

[elephantstone]

john2443 said:

MGB does have a bit of a niche of it's own.

Possibly GT6, Volvo P1800, but not sure about prices. TR7, X/19 not everyone's taste and more modern, other TRs or Sunbeam Alpine with a hardtop?

GT6 and P1800 both too expensive. HATE the looks of the TR7.. what were they thinking??? Not sure i could bring myself to buy a X/19 over a B to be honest.

[Ozzie Osmond]

From what you say, BGT is the way to go.

But remember it's going to be a similar type of car to a 330ci - except very, very much worse!

[billzeebub]

Loving your work OP, a true Pher

[rolymo]

You cannot beat a good MGB-GT for value again'st cost, made mine into a Rover V8 special ,once drove 250miles together with another 4cyl MG to test the mpg by comparison ;- the V8 returned 34mpg and the 4cyl returned 27mpg.

[davepoth]

Another Positive for the MGB here. It's fairly agricultural and not too fast, but it's a fun car. If you're going for a rubber bumper one, get the latest one you can. They had better interiors and anti-roll bars front and back which make the suspension a bit nicer. Go for a dark colour so the bumpers aren't so obvious - if you can find a black one they actually work pretty well.

[rolymo]

I enjoyed the first one so much that I started another when No 1 got rear-ended at the traffic-lights. This time I am going to give a Chevy V6 engine with a 5 speed manual trans a trial to see how they compare with the V8 all round, perf & fuel useage etc.

[The Moose]

If you're going for the GT, see if you can find a V8

[bstark]

Good call, my brother did just that for a few years and loved it - rubber bumper in orange. Just make sure you rust proof the life out of it if you're going to use it in winter.

[rolymo]

Here is a view of the engine installation, quite a nice fit,this is the engine fitted in the Jeep with a 5speed tranny(manual) the top gear is very wide spaced much like an overdrive,I used 4 speeds around town as normal because 5th gear was so long it would pull the engine RPM down if you were not on the freeway.

[elephantstone]

davepoth said:

Another Positive for the MGB here. It's fairly agricultural and not too fast, but it's a fun car. If you're going for a rubber bumper one, get the latest one you can. They had better interiors and anti-roll bars front and back which make the suspension a bit nicer. Go for a dark colour so the bumpers aren't so obvious - if you can find a black one they actually work pretty well.

The bumpers dont offend me! Ive spotted a nice Inca(?) Yellow one that im watching on ebay and i love the orange. Id be happy with any colour apart from white (unless the paintwork is spotless).

Good to hear everyones giving positives. I couldve gone the boring route and got a nice golf tdi for my budget but ive never had this much money to spend on a car. Ive got a decent amount of wage to run it and a few things have happened recently to make me think "fk it, you only live once".

Ill keep it a couple of years (in an ideal world) untill i get the money together for a 60's Mustang.

The big decider for me though was insurance! Classic policy insuring the MGB is £370 a year.. To insure a Volvo C70 with LPT 2.0 engine? £1400!!! I refuse to get arse raped by Mr. Insurer as ive got a clean license and never had an accident.

[jagracer]

elephantstone said:

The big decider for me though was insurance! Classic policy insuring the MGB is £370 a year.. To insure a Volvo C70 with LPT 2.0 engine? £1400!!! I refuse to get arse raped by Mr. Insurer as ive got a clean license and never had an accident.

How old are you, 17? I pay £90 a year for my B. There's no comparison between an MGB and a GT6, they are poles apart with the MGB the winner all round IMO.