Buying a classic online - Unseen
Discussion
Wish me luck, because that is what I have just done 
Its a low budget rubber bumper MGB to use as my new daily driver. Already looking at bits and bobs to play about with on it, but will try and resist and use it for a couple of months as is. I will go through a full service on it though so i get to know it inside and out, and give me an idea of what will need doing on it.
Picking it up on Saturday, and since i have just sold my Mondeo we will be making the 100 mile journey in my girlfriends Morris 1000. Should be fun around the M25
Its a low budget rubber bumper MGB to use as my new daily driver. Already looking at bits and bobs to play about with on it, but will try and resist and use it for a couple of months as is. I will go through a full service on it though so i get to know it inside and out, and give me an idea of what will need doing on it.
Picking it up on Saturday, and since i have just sold my Mondeo we will be making the 100 mile journey in my girlfriends Morris 1000. Should be fun around the M25
should be a doddle for you with your previous cars
it might run better on 99 octane so start by using that and then see how it goes
you should be cruising home at usual (empty-ish) M25 speeds will the Moggie keep up
loads of old threads in the MG forum if you want them
have this to keep you busy until Saturday - http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/hammertext.htm
it might run better on 99 octane so start by using that and then see how it goes
you should be cruising home at usual (empty-ish) M25 speeds will the Moggie keep up
loads of old threads in the MG forum if you want them
have this to keep you busy until Saturday - http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/hammertext.htm
I did it in November, bought a 1968 MGC GT.
Love it and better than I expected when we picked it up, its a project but ended cheap, runs, not too rotten. Good buy. First time I'v bought anything as big as a car blind off eBay.
Looks like a nice tidy B. I'm currently running an '80 GT as a daily driver.
Love it and better than I expected when we picked it up, its a project but ended cheap, runs, not too rotten. Good buy. First time I'v bought anything as big as a car blind off eBay.
Looks like a nice tidy B. I'm currently running an '80 GT as a daily driver.
Breadvan72 said:
UK Sports Cars at Wingham, perhaps? You could have bought my Elan Plus Two from them instead!
It was a really well written and detailed eBay advert so I am confident it will be ok, and for the price I paid i am hardly expecting perfection, and don't mind putting some more money into it to get it how i want. It even still has the old stereo in it
Would love your Lotus, but sadly a bit out of budget after just buying my first house
I've done it too, worked out OK, it was Ebay too. 
I asked for lots of photos, underneath more than the top, got good dialogue with the seller and felt I trusted him. The car had an MOT which helped (but I do realise this may not mean much).
The car was nearly 300 miles away, but I collected it trailored it home, did a road rally in it the weekend after and won the class!. I still have it now and whilst I've done a fair bit of restoration work on it, I still firmly believe it was a good buy for the price I paid and the fun I've had with it.
I'm sure you will love the B.
I asked for lots of photos, underneath more than the top, got good dialogue with the seller and felt I trusted him. The car had an MOT which helped (but I do realise this may not mean much).
The car was nearly 300 miles away, but I collected it trailored it home, did a road rally in it the weekend after and won the class!. I still have it now and whilst I've done a fair bit of restoration work on it, I still firmly believe it was a good buy for the price I paid and the fun I've had with it.
I'm sure you will love the B.
Thanks for the encouragement.
I'm still a bit apprehensive as my last classic daily was a 1959 Hillman Minx which I owned after last winter. It was a great car and i loved using it, but commuting was a bit of a chore by the end. Hopefully the more modern MGB will be a bit more up to the task
I'm still a bit apprehensive as my last classic daily was a 1959 Hillman Minx which I owned after last winter. It was a great car and i loved using it, but commuting was a bit of a chore by the end. Hopefully the more modern MGB will be a bit more up to the task
Many people use MGBs as daily drivers. I have run classics as dailies, and it is completely doable if you have reasonable expectations, mechanical sympathy, and breakdown cover. I confess that I think that MGBs are not very good cars, really, but that is a matter of taste, and, given the choice between a daily modern and an MGB as my only car, I would choose the B.
PS: OP, you have mail.
PS: OP, you have mail.
Breadvan72 said:
Many people use MGBs as daily drivers. I have run classics as dailies, and it is completely doable if you have reasonable expectations, mechanical sympathy, and breakdown cover. I confess that I think that MGBs are not very good cars, really, but that is a matter of taste, and, given the choice between a daily modern and an MGB as my only car, I would choose the B.
PS: OP, you have mail.
Thanks and replied PS: OP, you have mail.
Breadvan72 said:
Many people use MGBs as daily drivers. I have run classics as dailies, and it is completely doable if you have reasonable expectations, mechanical sympathy, and breakdown cover. I confess that I think that MGBs are not very good cars, really, but that is a matter of taste, and, given the choice between a daily modern and an MGB as my only car, I would choose the B.
PS: OP, you have mail.
One of the benefits of an MG as a daily is spares availability. Any part overnight!! Not many others can say this.PS: OP, you have mail.
I bought my first classic off a classic car website,an ex- race MGB roadster, but as it was almost on the southcoast 140 miles away, I did go for a look after work one night,before buying but took the cash and as good as decided on the way down. Drove it back that night after a road test, in early march,nearly ran out of fuel and heater matrix decided to leak hot antifreeze onto my left leg and made windows all steam up, but that was the only real problem I had with it in 4 years, apart from the fuel pump giving up, oh yes and the contact breakers fouling up regularly, until I swapped it for electronic ignition. Not bad for a 34 year old race car with 132000 on the clock.
So hope you get your MG ok and you love it!
So hope you get your MG ok and you love it!
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