MGBGT or Roadster maximum width
Discussion
Hi,
I want to buy one of these cars but need to know first if it will fit in my garage. Length is not a problem as my garage is over 20 feet long but it is only 7 feet wide, however, the door opening restricts the width further to 6 feet 4 inches. So will it fit?
Thanks in anticipation.
Packman
I want to buy one of these cars but need to know first if it will fit in my garage. Length is not a problem as my garage is over 20 feet long but it is only 7 feet wide, however, the door opening restricts the width further to 6 feet 4 inches. So will it fit?
Thanks in anticipation.
Packman
Spitfire2 said:
what took you so long 
TBH I was going to post the size but Ian if you can't do that little bit I don't think a classic car is for you
before you even think about buying one you should invest £8 in buying and thoroughly reading the owners Handbook - http://www.mgocshop.co.uk/catalog/Online_Catalogue...
if you want I can post more advice (reading that book will help no end)
most look at my advice, some read it a bit, some read it and forget about it but if you read it, keep a paper and electronic copy to refer if you get the car it'll save you a lot of what some others suffer
a lot of work at the start will save you more work and hassle later not to mention expense and enjoyment
na said:
what took you so long
TBH I was going to post the size but Ian if you can't do that little bit I don't think a classic car is for you
before you even think about buying one you should invest £8 in buying and thoroughly reading the owners Handbook - http://www.mgocshop.co.uk/catalog/Online_Catalogue...
if you want I can post more advice (reading that book will help no end)
most look at my advice, some read it a bit, some read it and forget about it but if you read it, keep a paper and electronic copy to refer if you get the car it'll save you a lot of what some others suffer
a lot of work at the start will save you more work and hassle later not to mention expense and enjoyment
Nigel,TBH I was going to post the size but Ian if you can't do that little bit I don't think a classic car is for you
before you even think about buying one you should invest £8 in buying and thoroughly reading the owners Handbook - http://www.mgocshop.co.uk/catalog/Online_Catalogue...
if you want I can post more advice (reading that book will help no end)
most look at my advice, some read it a bit, some read it and forget about it but if you read it, keep a paper and electronic copy to refer if you get the car it'll save you a lot of what some others suffer
a lot of work at the start will save you more work and hassle later not to mention expense and enjoyment
How rude was your opening statement? Just because I do computers badly does not mean that I do cars badly too.
Just had a look at your personal details and our car history is remarkably similar. I currently own an S2000 and a Westfield. The Westfield is currently up for sale to fund the MGB. (But I will never sell my Honda). I have been around kit cars most of my life building two and re-building one and even had a spell writing for two of the national mags that compliment the industry.
It's just that being retired and owning a Lotus 7 inspired kit car just does not seem the norm so I have decided to dip my toe into a classic for my remaining driving years.
Anyway, thanks for the info on the handbook. Yes I will be buying one and yes I will probably ask you some more questiond both before and after I buy my MGB.
Sorry Ian,
but you did managed to get here so you do know about computers and the web
and navigating as My Profile no longer shows my past cars
unless you're very tall consider a Spridget instead about 54" plus door mirror if there is one and doors are short
I could bombard you with my advice usual advice to new/potenial owners, list of things, but most say it's over the top
ETA: with your writing my mate might know you, he can be a lot rudier than me but not so public
I think you'll find I'm not the rudiest on the boards
but I do normally apologise and do so again now
but you did managed to get here so you do know about computers and the web
and navigating as My Profile no longer shows my past cars
unless you're very tall consider a Spridget instead about 54" plus door mirror if there is one and doors are short
I could bombard you with my advice usual advice to new/potenial owners, list of things, but most say it's over the top
ETA: with your writing my mate might know you, he can be a lot rudier than me but not so public
I think you'll find I'm not the rudiest on the boards
but I do normally apologise and do so again now
Edited by na on Wednesday 10th August 21:40
A B will happily drive at motorway speeds, including lane 3, all day. There's a lot more room inside, especially in the boot. If you have a passenger, you won't be leaning into each other's shoulders. A midget, on the other hand, is tiny, slow and cramped. Better around town than a B, which is oooo, just such a massive car and soooo difficult to park.
The only reason for getting a midget over a B is if you don't intend to drive about 70mph ever, or if you're only 5'2" and can't reach the pedals in a B i.e. my mum!
My mate Mac has a stage 3 tuned midget and it's a blast. But he's got an XJS for motorway cruising too. And a PA midget for shows. And an Austin 1300GT just for the hell of it. And a volvo estate for everything else!
The only reason for getting a midget over a B is if you don't intend to drive about 70mph ever, or if you're only 5'2" and can't reach the pedals in a B i.e. my mum!
My mate Mac has a stage 3 tuned midget and it's a blast. But he's got an XJS for motorway cruising too. And a PA midget for shows. And an Austin 1300GT just for the hell of it. And a volvo estate for everything else!
Heeeyyy, models war
Let me start by saying I’ve had two Bs and two Spridgets and used all as dailies for at least a while
talking of tracks good Spridgets see off good Bs on a track, even a B owner will tell you that
and I’m only 5’ 4” and easily reached the pedals on my Bs (not so easy with the Griff though)
Luckily I’m slim and have an athletic body but I believe those less toned, agile and more padded than myself drive Spridgets some even as dailies
James as always a bit of good humoured discussion about marques and models TBH both by modern standards (and even when they were new) are not fast, quick and require more looking after and if you a ‘wrong un’ will be a money drain and misery
But if you get a good one and look after it then you’ll enjoy it more than you expect – either model
ETA: just thought my wife is only 5' (0") and she regularly drove both of my Bs - alfa you need to get your B seats and/or pedals sorted - or your mum's been lying about how short she really is
Let me start by saying I’ve had two Bs and two Spridgets and used all as dailies for at least a while
alfa pint said:
A B will happily drive at motorway speeds, including lane 3, all day.
so will a Spridget with a 5 speed boxalfa pint said:
There's a lot more room inside, especially in the boot.
not if the spare wheel is in the boot of a B roadster and with a GT all your bits are on display alfa pint said:
If you have a passenger, you won't be leaning into each other's shoulders.
depends how wide you are alfa pint said:
A midget, on the other hand, is tiny, slow and cramped.
compact yes, slow no, neither car is fast and a B can go more over the national speed limit more than a Spridget but the Spridget is equally quick if not quicker and is certainly more nippyalfa pint said:
The only reason for getting a midget over a B is if you don't intend to drive about 70mph ever,
you must have been out in some real rubbish Spridgets - I'd happily show you - on a track of coursetalking of tracks good Spridgets see off good Bs on a track, even a B owner will tell you that
alfa pint said:
or if you're only 5'2" and can't reach the pedals in a B i.e. my mum!
a bit siziest there – anyway quite a few taller drivers have Spridgetsand I’m only 5’ 4” and easily reached the pedals on my Bs (not so easy with the Griff though)
Luckily I’m slim and have an athletic body but I believe those less toned, agile and more padded than myself drive Spridgets some even as dailies
James as always a bit of good humoured discussion about marques and models TBH both by modern standards (and even when they were new) are not fast, quick and require more looking after and if you a ‘wrong un’ will be a money drain and misery
But if you get a good one and look after it then you’ll enjoy it more than you expect – either model
ETA: just thought my wife is only 5' (0") and she regularly drove both of my Bs - alfa you need to get your B seats and/or pedals sorted - or your mum's been lying about how short she really is
Edited by na on Thursday 11th August 16:27
<sigh>
Nige, 1) both my mother and my sister are under 5'2" and neither are comfortable driving a B. It's like watching the granny in Ferris Bueller driving. The seat doesn't go far enough forward with such a long footwell. 2) Yes, a midget with a non standard 5 speed conversion gearbox will cruise on a motorway, whereas a standard B is already happy. 3) Take the spare wheel out of a B boot and replace it with a can of tyre weld and you have a boot that puts MX5 / my Alfa Spider / MG F, midget, TT convertible, Z3 to shame, let alone something as woeful as an MR2 mk3. And even in standard, spare wheel mode, the boot is still significantly bigger than a midget. 4) Unfortunately the UK is full of fat knackers, average weight 13 stone. A B is still a narrow car (keeping it on thread!), but a midget for 2 normal size adults in 2011 is not comfortable. 5) Yes, midgets are better on a narrower twisty circuit / hill climb than a B, but in all other circumstances, a B is better. Let's not even talk about tuning variations - I'm sure there was a reason why the factory entered Bs to compete in things like the monte carlo / 24 hr le mans, not midgets and I'm sure a well tweaked midget could beat a B, even a tweaked one, on the right track.
The point is that a B is a much more useable, everyday, every trip kind of car than a spridget. Which is why so many more of them were sold in the first place and why so many more of them are still on the road. I lived with my first B as my only car for many years. There's no way I'd have been able to do that with a midget, for all my previous points about practicality, size, comfort, cruising ability etc. I'd love a stage 3 midget like my mate's. But I'd still need another car to go with it, and I'd spend too much time in the other car and not enough time in the midget unfortunately.
Nige, 1) both my mother and my sister are under 5'2" and neither are comfortable driving a B. It's like watching the granny in Ferris Bueller driving. The seat doesn't go far enough forward with such a long footwell. 2) Yes, a midget with a non standard 5 speed conversion gearbox will cruise on a motorway, whereas a standard B is already happy. 3) Take the spare wheel out of a B boot and replace it with a can of tyre weld and you have a boot that puts MX5 / my Alfa Spider / MG F, midget, TT convertible, Z3 to shame, let alone something as woeful as an MR2 mk3. And even in standard, spare wheel mode, the boot is still significantly bigger than a midget. 4) Unfortunately the UK is full of fat knackers, average weight 13 stone. A B is still a narrow car (keeping it on thread!), but a midget for 2 normal size adults in 2011 is not comfortable. 5) Yes, midgets are better on a narrower twisty circuit / hill climb than a B, but in all other circumstances, a B is better. Let's not even talk about tuning variations - I'm sure there was a reason why the factory entered Bs to compete in things like the monte carlo / 24 hr le mans, not midgets and I'm sure a well tweaked midget could beat a B, even a tweaked one, on the right track.
The point is that a B is a much more useable, everyday, every trip kind of car than a spridget. Which is why so many more of them were sold in the first place and why so many more of them are still on the road. I lived with my first B as my only car for many years. There's no way I'd have been able to do that with a midget, for all my previous points about practicality, size, comfort, cruising ability etc. I'd love a stage 3 midget like my mate's. But I'd still need another car to go with it, and I'd spend too much time in the other car and not enough time in the midget unfortunately.
alfa you're taking this far too seriously
I don’t know what Ian’s going to think of us going on about different models let alone marques
just to remind you I’ve had two Bs and 2 Spridgets
my wife is 5’, possibly a fraction less, she used to drive one of my Bs on a 60 mile round trip to her work for a while and she had no difficulties at all
for 20 years of using classics as dailies I’ve not normally carried a spare just a foot pump and reliable gauge plus cans of unused Tyre-Weld that go with the cars when sold – we have holidayed with our Spridgets and now find we have room to spare as we no longer pack the kitchen sink
I am a 5’ 4” fat knacker over the average 13 stone, nearer over 14 stone – previously I was joking about my physique expecting some who knows me or has seen me to comment on those remarks
I wont say what my wife weights but we are a matching pair, she’s no longer petite
Ian is not from 2011 he is retired so unless he’s fortunate and retired younger than average
The B is to replace Ian’s Westie so I very much doubt it’ll be an everyday whatever he buys and I know that a Spridget is nearer a Westie than a B is because I’ve owned and driven a lot my 3 Westies, 2 Bs and 2 Spridgets
The reason so many Bs are still around is their higher value and that they are more suitable to the older person that wants a shiny rosey reminder of days gone by and they will keep it that way by rarely using the car thus maintaining it’s shininess, rose-tinted memory and value
Yes I know some B owners actually use their cars for more than a few days a year – I have, twice, but the vast majority don’t - that’s their right good luck to them
Now calm down dear they’re only lumps of metal
ETA: missed off smiles from Word.doc
I don’t know what Ian’s going to think of us going on about different models let alone marques
just to remind you I’ve had two Bs and 2 Spridgets
my wife is 5’, possibly a fraction less, she used to drive one of my Bs on a 60 mile round trip to her work for a while and she had no difficulties at all
for 20 years of using classics as dailies I’ve not normally carried a spare just a foot pump and reliable gauge plus cans of unused Tyre-Weld that go with the cars when sold – we have holidayed with our Spridgets and now find we have room to spare as we no longer pack the kitchen sink
I am a 5’ 4” fat knacker over the average 13 stone, nearer over 14 stone – previously I was joking about my physique expecting some who knows me or has seen me to comment on those remarks
I wont say what my wife weights but we are a matching pair, she’s no longer petite
Ian is not from 2011 he is retired so unless he’s fortunate and retired younger than average
The B is to replace Ian’s Westie so I very much doubt it’ll be an everyday whatever he buys and I know that a Spridget is nearer a Westie than a B is because I’ve owned and driven a lot my 3 Westies, 2 Bs and 2 Spridgets
The reason so many Bs are still around is their higher value and that they are more suitable to the older person that wants a shiny rosey reminder of days gone by and they will keep it that way by rarely using the car thus maintaining it’s shininess, rose-tinted memory and value
Yes I know some B owners actually use their cars for more than a few days a year – I have, twice, but the vast majority don’t - that’s their right good luck to them
Now calm down dear they’re only lumps of metal
ETA: missed off smiles from Word.doc
Edited by na on Friday 12th August 00:51
Hm???? Interesting conversation.
Westfield has now sold. Handbook bought. Now looking for the right B.
Just to qualify a few things. I retired early (age 57) am overweight (very) and only require the B for what Nigel says. High days, holidays and to remind me of the heady days of my youth. I already have my rose coloured specs and a Honda S2000 for the somewhat faster foray's.
Constructive advice on any car currently for sale will be greatly recieved.
Westfield has now sold. Handbook bought. Now looking for the right B.
Just to qualify a few things. I retired early (age 57) am overweight (very) and only require the B for what Nigel says. High days, holidays and to remind me of the heady days of my youth. I already have my rose coloured specs and a Honda S2000 for the somewhat faster foray's.
Constructive advice on any car currently for sale will be greatly recieved.
I’ve had a S2000 too
you could the nostalgia and exciting drives and be able to sell the S2000 too by buying a Spridget
well done on getting the owners Handbook though, you’ll know more about the car than many of the owners even long term ones
good luck with your hunt on whichever model PM me if you want general info and advice on either/both
you could the nostalgia and exciting drives and be able to sell the S2000 too by buying a Spridget
well done on getting the owners Handbook though, you’ll know more about the car than many of the owners even long term onesgood luck with your hunt on whichever model PM me if you want general info and advice on either/both
alfa pint said:
4) Unfortunately the UK is full of fat knackers, average weight 13 stone. A B is s
I'm heavier than that and I don't find a Midget uncomfortable at all. It's palatial compared to a Caterham and I can even get into them without too much of a squeeze. I reckon you'd have to be pretty hefty to have problems fitting.A good 1275 or 1500 Midget will do motorway speeds for as long as the driver can bear it, which admittedly may not be long as it's not an natural environment for such a small car. I saw an indicated 90 from my dads 1500, though it wasn't a very relaxing experience... However, for spirited B road driving I'll take the Midget over the B any day.
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