Discussion
Evening PH
Feel it's about time to start a thread about my latest car and my return to MG after my Focus ST just got a tad too extrem to run fuel wise and also a change in personal circumstances, needing to save some money but still wanted a car which I would enjoy owning and most importantly... Fun
So anyway After much throught I decided to come back to MG for one last try, third time lucky eh?
But I can now reveal at 22 years old I'm having a mid life crisis and brought myself a TF! Don't start with all the HG jokes, hairdressers car etc... Heard it all before...
However its seems its not just any TF though, seems the MG purists have noticed I've got something a bit special... It's an MY2005 spec - This means different suspension, wheels and a glass rear window and is finished in quite a rare colour too - Sonic blue - word on the MG street is that only 68 TFs in this colour reside in the UK! Nice to have something a bit exclusive..!
Anyway here's some pics! Picked her up just shy of £3k and has only 53k miles on her and is in great condition!
And as of today, I treated her to a shiney new MGOC Supersport exhaust,
Sounds really good and looking to decat next as should bring some node noticeable gains to the little K series!
Overalls impressions though... Yeah I like it, apart from not having the turbo shove and 5 pot warble of the Focus ST I had before, it's just a different kind of car and is quite enjoyable to 'throw around' and still have fun! It has lovely balance and nice feel and it's just grips and grips! haven't had it unstuck yet in the dry, however in the wet it's a bit slidey and does wicked donuts - probably down to the cheap budget tires that the dealer fitted or me just being a hooligan when it's damp out! :P
Anyway I'll update as I go! Comments welcome! Be nice haha, I'm still a proper PHer!
Comments and criticisms welcome!
Rik
Feel it's about time to start a thread about my latest car and my return to MG after my Focus ST just got a tad too extrem to run fuel wise and also a change in personal circumstances, needing to save some money but still wanted a car which I would enjoy owning and most importantly... Fun
So anyway After much throught I decided to come back to MG for one last try, third time lucky eh?
But I can now reveal at 22 years old I'm having a mid life crisis and brought myself a TF! Don't start with all the HG jokes, hairdressers car etc... Heard it all before... However its seems its not just any TF though, seems the MG purists have noticed I've got something a bit special... It's an MY2005 spec - This means different suspension, wheels and a glass rear window and is finished in quite a rare colour too - Sonic blue - word on the MG street is that only 68 TFs in this colour reside in the UK! Nice to have something a bit exclusive..!
Anyway here's some pics! Picked her up just shy of £3k and has only 53k miles on her and is in great condition!
And as of today, I treated her to a shiney new MGOC Supersport exhaust,
Sounds really good and looking to decat next as should bring some node noticeable gains to the little K series!
Overalls impressions though... Yeah I like it, apart from not having the turbo shove and 5 pot warble of the Focus ST I had before, it's just a different kind of car and is quite enjoyable to 'throw around' and still have fun! It has lovely balance and nice feel and it's just grips and grips!
haven't had it unstuck yet in the dry, however in the wet it's a bit slidey and does wicked donuts - probably down to the cheap budget tires that the dealer fitted or me just being a hooligan when it's damp out! :PAnyway I'll update as I go! Comments welcome! Be nice haha, I'm still a proper PHer!
Comments and criticisms welcome!
Rik
Hi dont want to rain on your parade but if you want to watch the cash an MG should have been last on the list ( Ive had 3 . . . . 2 F's and a TF )they say only buy an MG as a 2nd car as it will always be needing a repair and only buy one when you have enough spare cash to afford 2 . However good luck with it , you might have a good one and have lots of trouble free motoring.
How comes the '05 reg has made yours worth ~ £2k more than the equivalent 2004 model? Are the revisions really worth 3 times as much?
There's a sub-60k sub-£1000 one for sale at present but it's a 2004. Genuinely interested as I didn't think they were still fetching that kind of money!
An ex colleague had a grey one but it was the 160 with the big 4-pot brakes, it was dog-rough though.
There's a sub-60k sub-£1000 one for sale at present but it's a 2004. Genuinely interested as I didn't think they were still fetching that kind of money!
An ex colleague had a grey one but it was the 160 with the big 4-pot brakes, it was dog-rough though.
Hi Rik,
Ok I'm going against the grain obviously but well done! I've had 2 of these (160 and 135) and gave the 135 to my Mum when I moved on that she still has... and its been superb. She maintains it to the minimum, and while it did have the dreaded HGF, since that was repaired its been no bother and is top fun for a Sunday hoon... I would have another tomorrow; it feels like a rollerskate, and once on good tyres and you're used to the mid-engine layout is suprisingly fast across country...
But this is PH. So you should have bought an MX5.
Jezza
ps i thought the 135 was a sweeter car to drive than the 160.
Hi all, thanks for the comments! I knew some of you wouldn't like it as expected but hey no can't win everyone's opinions! :P
Overall though it is still my daily ride but now with reduced mileage as Mrs MGRik finally has her own car! Which means the driving is more shared between us, hence the need not to have something largely practical and its a lot cheaper to run than the ST beforehand, which really helps as were both trying to save for a house so we can finally move out!
Overall I'm still pleased with it and is a nice way to learn car control with the mid engined layout
Overall though it is still my daily ride but now with reduced mileage as Mrs MGRik finally has her own car! Which means the driving is more shared between us, hence the need not to have something largely practical and its a lot cheaper to run than the ST beforehand, which really helps as were both trying to save for a house so we can finally move out!
C.A.R. said:
How comes the '05 reg has made yours worth ~ £2k more than the equivalent 2004 model? Are the revisions really worth 3 times as much?
There's a sub-60k sub-£1000 one for sale at present but it's a 2004. Genuinely interested as I didn't think they were still fetching that kind of money!
An ex colleague had a grey one but it was the 160 with the big 4-pot brakes, it was dog-rough though.
Good question that is! In all fairness the car was a good find, lots of service history, stamps and is local to the area, no nasty modifications and all mostly original with low mileage. The colour is very sought after tooand there were significant updates with the 2005 spec such as uprated springs, dampers and anti roll bars, different trim peices and the glass rear screen to name a few. There's a sub-60k sub-£1000 one for sale at present but it's a 2004. Genuinely interested as I didn't think they were still fetching that kind of money!
An ex colleague had a grey one but it was the 160 with the big 4-pot brakes, it was dog-rough though.
Overall I'm still pleased with it and is a nice way to learn car control with the mid engined layout
Liquid Tuna said:
Looks in good condition OP, nice. I reckon they're one of those cars that you either love or loathe. Are they really as unreliable as the Internet makes out, or is it something that's been blown up out of all proportion? I'm aware of the HG issues but what about the rest of the car?
Blown out of proportion a bit. They need consumable stuff like other small sports cars (ball joints, tyres, brakes) but the head gasket issue is made into something far, far bigger than it used to be.I had a MGF Trophy a few years ago-once the HG was done on that, it was spot on. It toured Europe, did some trackdays and did a stint as my daily driver. Only complaints were the steering was a touch vague. The HG cost me around £200 in parts and I did it myself over a weekend's slow work, cleaning stuff and improving as I went.
For the money most F's/TF's are up for, they're bargains.
Liquid Tuna said:
Looks in good condition OP, nice. I reckon they're one of those cars that you either love or loathe. Are they really as unreliable as the Internet makes out, or is it something that's been blown up out of all proportion? I'm aware of the HG issues but what about the rest of the car?
Thanks! Yeah your right with that, I personally love them they still look good today and with 135bhp in this spec, it still goes pretty well with the low weight and nice handling, it can still show a clean pair of heels if needs be As for reliability... Well touch wood this has been fine so far, been informed the uprated MLS gasket has been fitted - which when fitted the the Rover K series - does significantly reduce the HG faliure rate! Has also a PRT remote thermostat as standard which also helps control coolant temp and flow into the head, again reducing thermal shock and in all fairness it hasn't used a drop of water or oil since owning the car, so far so good!
I guess it just depends how well the car has been treated in the past in all fairness, I brought on condition and knowing it was well looked after, hence I don't mind paying a bit more, plus a dealer warrenty always helps
As for other issues, maybe a slightly leaky roof around the windows - easily sorted but there are no other major issues with the TF i have come across!
itcaptainslow said:
Liquid Tuna said:
Looks in good condition OP, nice. I reckon they're one of those cars that you either love or loathe. Are they really as unreliable as the Internet makes out, or is it something that's been blown up out of all proportion? I'm aware of the HG issues but what about the rest of the car?
Blown out of proportion a bit. They need consumable stuff like other small sports cars (ball joints, tyres, brakes) but the head gasket issue is made into something far, far bigger than it used to be.I had a MGF Trophy a few years ago-once the HG was done on that, it was spot on. It toured Europe, did some trackdays and did a stint as my daily driver. Only complaints were the steering was a touch vague. The HG cost me around £200 in parts and I did it myself over a weekend's slow work, cleaning stuff and improving as I went.
For the money most F's/TF's are up for, they're bargains.
MGRik said:
itcaptainslow said:
Liquid Tuna said:
Looks in good condition OP, nice. I reckon they're one of those cars that you either love or loathe. Are they really as unreliable as the Internet makes out, or is it something that's been blown up out of all proportion? I'm aware of the HG issues but what about the rest of the car?
Blown out of proportion a bit. They need consumable stuff like other small sports cars (ball joints, tyres, brakes) but the head gasket issue is made into something far, far bigger than it used to be.I had a MGF Trophy a few years ago-once the HG was done on that, it was spot on. It toured Europe, did some trackdays and did a stint as my daily driver. Only complaints were the steering was a touch vague. The HG cost me around £200 in parts and I did it myself over a weekend's slow work, cleaning stuff and improving as I went.
For the money most F's/TF's are up for, they're bargains.
Looks nice and clean, they are good fun for short term ownership.
Lower the suspension and increase the hydro gas, fit a decent induction kit, enjoy it.
Then sell it ASAP before it falls to bits or spits you off the road and buy an Mr2 roadster instead (reliable and much better built and 2 x better handling).
Have only had one of these ( a vvc160) and was not impressed with it other than the low price.
Lower the suspension and increase the hydro gas, fit a decent induction kit, enjoy it.
Then sell it ASAP before it falls to bits or spits you off the road and buy an Mr2 roadster instead (reliable and much better built and 2 x better handling).
Have only had one of these ( a vvc160) and was not impressed with it other than the low price.
rallycross said:
Looks nice and clean, they are good fun for short term ownership.
Lower the suspension and increase the hydro gas, fit a decent induction kit, enjoy it.
Then sell it ASAP before it falls to bits or spits you off the road and buy an Mr2 roadster instead (reliable and much better built and 2 x better handling).
Have only had one of these ( a vvc160) and was not impressed with it other than the low price.
MGTFs are on coils rather than gas.Lower the suspension and increase the hydro gas, fit a decent induction kit, enjoy it.
Then sell it ASAP before it falls to bits or spits you off the road and buy an Mr2 roadster instead (reliable and much better built and 2 x better handling).
Have only had one of these ( a vvc160) and was not impressed with it other than the low price.
http://www.pistonheads.com/roadtests/doc.asp?c=138...
davepoth said:
Oops my mistake - do they drive better on springs the older ones on hydro gas were terrible.rallycross said:
davepoth said:
Oops my mistake - do they drive better on springs the older ones on hydro gas were terrible.
I'm no car expert but I think this mg f will hold its value, and looks good. I was tempted in buying a one owner, FSH history 96 MG F a couple of years ago from a friend in the family who also had a MX5. He said the MG was just as reliable as the MX5
Re. head gaskets. In my opinion there was a few cases of HG failure out of the many hundred of thousands engines that were built, and it's always those cases that you hear about.
I've had 2 Lotus Elise's and was an active member in the club scene and never heard of any failures, I also had a k series powered Freelander , and the garage which looked after my Freelander never came across a HG failure.
I now have a K series caterham 7 - the guy I brought it from has raced Caterhams for a number of years and he hasn't come across a HG failure either, but it's something I'm cautious about.
Re. head gaskets. In my opinion there was a few cases of HG failure out of the many hundred of thousands engines that were built, and it's always those cases that you hear about.
I've had 2 Lotus Elise's and was an active member in the club scene and never heard of any failures, I also had a k series powered Freelander , and the garage which looked after my Freelander never came across a HG failure.
I now have a K series caterham 7 - the guy I brought it from has raced Caterhams for a number of years and he hasn't come across a HG failure either, but it's something I'm cautious about.
Work colleague had a 54 plate TF, 160 bhp one. I thought it was an awesome car, he had no issues in 2 years except for needing to change the cambelt. I think they're great cars just with a crap interior/seating position.
The blue colour looks awesome! HG failure is not as common on these ones, and get the coolant pipes underneath changed if they've not already been done.
The blue colour looks awesome! HG failure is not as common on these ones, and get the coolant pipes underneath changed if they've not already been done.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff