I'm seriously considering trading my 2008 Toyota Corolla in for a 1998 MG convertible!
I hear sighs and exasperations at this thought . but my reasons are quite valid:
1)I love motoring - and to drive with the top down would just be great! 2)I have a lot of money tied up in my current car - downshifting seems like a logical plan. 3)Tied up into 2) above - I just don't need an expensive car.
Anyhoo, the one I'm looking at is with a dealer . $5990 is the asking price, and it has something similar to V-Tech (it's not that, but is the MG equivalent - and sounds like that!).
I'm not sure of KMs and the roof appears to be in good condition (I'm taking her for a test drive tomorrow).
Could I please hear from MG experts as to the pros and cons of owning one of these little beauties!
What should I be looking for in terms of servicing and parts replacement (cam belt, etc.!).
How much might a tank of the gold stuff cost, and how many KMs do you think I could get out of that!
In advance, thank you so much!
(Have to rush off and cook tea now but will pop back in later to read contributions).
foxdonut,
Jan 30, 5:34am
DO NOT DO IT.
Go get an MX5. The MGF is a heap of sh!t.
The K series motor will cost you an arm and a leg, the body warps and the roof leaks.
They're also ugly looking and not even a proper MG.
bwg11,
Jan 30, 5:45am
foxdonut says it all. Go for an MX5, it will be as reliable as your Corolla.
-90-,
Jan 30, 5:51am
+ 1.6432678
mx5 ftw
dudley_online,
Jan 30, 5:59am
Oh dear - that's not what I was hoping to hear!
-90- could you please expand!What do the numbers, and 'FTW' mean!
Thanks =)
foxdonut,
Jan 30, 6:05am
This is all you need to know from Wiki:
Throughout its production, the MG sold fairly successfully. However, after Nanjiing took over and restarted production, the car's sales plummeted until production was eventually ceased in March 2011. Parkers gave the car 2.5/5 and said its pros were "Styling, handling and brand heritage" and cons were "Dated interior, patchy build quality and poor reliability." WhatCar! gave it 2/5 saying its pros were that it's "pretty and affordable" but its cons were "The driving position and steering are not what you'd expect in such a sporty car." AutoExpress reviewed it after Nanjiing took over and also had a 2/5 verdict, liking how it's "well equipped and compact" but disliking how it was priced more expensive than a basic Mazda MX5, has "barely changed since 1995 and can be mistaken for a much older vehicle" and also commenting on its cramped interior.
The K-Series engine used in the MG F has gained a reputation for head gasket trouble. This is due to a range of problems including build tolerances, block face stiffness, casting quality and material and cooling system layout. A number of changes were made over the years to improve the condition, but none were entirely successful. Because of this, the MGF and TF have a higher reliability index than their Toyota and Mazda rivals in the same class, which actually means that the car is less reliable.
gammelvind,
Jan 30, 6:06am
MX5 don,t touch the MG total POS!
mgmad,
Jan 30, 6:41am
Oh how predictable the responses thus far. We run an MGF as an everyday car and have no significant issues with it. K series is far from as unreliable as people, particularly on here, make out - we have 600,000+ km on K series powered cars and have had very few issues. I've been into the actual issues many times on here before, it may be worth doing a search, but suffice it to say there's no reason a well maintained car should give you any issues. They handle very well and are a more practical car than an MX5, despite being midengined - there are an increasing number of new members to the MG Car Club who own an MGF as their only car and are quite happy with them.
If you like I can put you in touch with some people who can check specific cars out for you.
intrade,
Jan 30, 6:44am
i give you 1000$ for your corolla thats what the MG is worth.
socram,
Jan 30, 6:53am
Predictably, I am with mgmad.
One of the UK's major Classic Car magazinesdid a comparison with MGF & MX5 and overall, there was nothing in it.
We too had several years with the K series engines and zero problems.As mgmad says, do some real research and although there were some early issues, they were ironed out.Unfortunately, those who have a real down on Brit cars and particfularly the K series engine just do do not want to hear any good news as it totally undermines their bias.Yes, I am biased too, but as I have no first hand experience of any problems, I canonly say that there are good ones around.Just buy carefully.
saxman99,
Jan 30, 8:14am
My wife and I are very happy with our MGF so far.Only real niggle has been an SRS light which will need to be sorted before next WoF.
Ours has the VVC you mention which has been fine.
Find yourself a well-maintained example, and then keep the maintenance up to date and you could have yourself a good fun little car.
thejazzpianoma,
Jan 30, 8:26am
As you might have guessed, when posting on here, if its not Japanese it will be slagged off loudly as unreliable by those who don't own one and have probably never even sat in one.
socram,
Jan 30, 8:38am
Correct!When I bought my first MG Montego, the sales person was quite adamant that the biggest problem was trying to get people to even sit in them. He was equally adamant that having got them there and persuaded them to at least try the car, they usually bought.Nothing much has changed.There is still so much misinformation about Euros.
Changing the subject.Why is theBMW race series so popular (virtually 3 full grids) and yet the Japanese Classics Series (been running for about three or four years), has fewer contestants than the MG Series that has only been going a year!
ralphdog1,
Jan 30, 8:42am
As a comparison: Bought my MX5 @90k Retired it @ 240k . Ignoring consumables (tyres, brake pads, oil, filters, cam belts etc) it has cost me a clutch slave cylinder. It's due a roof.
carstauranga001,
Jan 30, 8:48am
Here's the thing,
Having driven the purpose designed MX5 and also the parts bin MG it is a no brainer that Mazda have the far better car here. And what's more there isn't a single motoring magazine in the world would say otherwise.
socram I admire your patriotic view, only the poms seem to have it so strong.
dudley_online,
Jan 30, 9:41am
Thanks so much everyone - I really appreciate your advice.
mgmad - if you could please put me in touch with someone who knows a lot about '98 MGs with the VVC (thanks saxman99 - that's it!), who is based in the Kapiti area (as well as indication of how much they might charge), I'd be so very grateful . I'll check this thread over the next few days to see if you have been able to do that - and thank you SO much for your offer - I really do appreciate it! =)(Also, if you let me know how much you'll charge for organising this - maybe you could set up an auction! - I'd be happy to give you something as a token of my appreciation [let me know $ first]).The car chap selling the MG has openly said he doesn't really know very much about them, so an expert's opinion would certainly be very welcome (I was going to otherwise get AA to do it - IF I buy it).
My Toyota Corolla, despite being quite young, has been a bit of a let-down unfortunately, so I won't be crying when I do sell, or trade, it (I think I'll get more if I sell it!).I bought it as a Signature Class and on the first service it cost close to $800!(VERY funny seeing as I'd only made a handful of trips into Wellington in it).I have maintained it very well since then but let's just say they're not as special as people make them out to be (and my VW Golf was on par with its economicability).
jmma,
Jan 30, 9:53am
My Toyota Corolla, despite being quite young, has been a bit of a let-down unfortunately, so I won't be crying when I do sell, or trade, it (I think I'll get more if I sell it!). I bought it as a Signature Class and on the first service it cost close to $800! (VERY funny seeing as I'd only made a handful of trips into Wellington in it). I have maintained it very well since then but let's just say they're not as special as people make them out to be (and my VW Golf was on par with its economicability)
Jazz is just going to LOVE this bit. Go for it jazz (o:
dudley_online,
Jan 30, 10:53am
Please excuse my ignorance, but what is wrong with that exactly!And who is Jazz!
I'm only stating the facts . the dealership I bought it from were quite intent that I'd been up to all sorts to have incurred such a big charge, and weren't at all interested in putting it right.I personally think 'Signature Class' is a crock of ****!
As for fuel economy, my automatic VW Golf (2005 model) cost $75 at the pump and easily managed a couple of trips each to PNth and Wellington Airports on that; the Corolla costs $84 to do the same trips (essentially on par with the Golf, in consideration of fuel price hikes).
Argue all you like . maybe I bought a dud Corolla; who knows . but having dropped $23k on what I thought was an exceptionally serviced and presented (the latter was true) car, I was more than a little disappointed.
jmma,
Jan 30, 11:00am
Hey, its OK, the regulars will understand. Short story, jazz is jazzpianoman and loves his VW's and is always happy to say how good they are and they are always being compered to corollas. that everyone, except jazz thinks are better. You would have just made his day.
foxdonut,
Jan 30, 11:36am
You're insane if you buy an MGF.
The last car MG actually made was the RV8, which, as far as cars go is about the best money you could spend if you could find one.
Prior to that, Metro, B, and TF were all stand out cars.
The F is just a headgasket failure waiting to happen, an ugly one at that. To say it holds anything to the MX5 (one of the top five sports cars ever made - ever) is just sacrilegious.
Shit, you'd be better off buying a Toyota Mrs, and thats saying something.
dudley_online,
Jan 30, 11:46am
Oh!LOL . thanks for taking the time to explain =)
dudley_online,
Jan 30, 11:48am
mgmad - please don't worry about spending time trying to find someone who might be ablet to give it the once-over for me . I'm still keen, but have to abandon this for a few days due to something that's cropped up at work.It's been on the lot for a couple of weeks at least, so it might still be there by the time I get back.
foxdonut,
Jan 30, 11:51am
As long as it doesn't rain an rot away into pulp. It will be.
If you have to have it, at least make a reasonable offer.
2 bucks is fair on both parties.
mgmad,
Jan 30, 6:40pm
And the MX5 isn't a parts bin car! Come on. and besides, what does it matter! If we didn't have parts bin sports cars, there would be very few small cheap roadsters around.
Read some road test comparisons, Brooklands Books have a few books on the subject, a lot of contemporary tests put the MGF ahead of the MX5. I'm not saying the MX5 is a bad car - it is far from it, and I'd go as far as to say the best thing out of Japan - but it isn't as good to drive as the MGF. And the funny thing is, everyone that I know that's driven one, MGCC members or not, has said the same thing every time: I thought it'd be a bit soft to drive, but it's fantastic.
And let's not even get started on what is and isn't a real MG, I've had that conversation with many many people many times.
What is interesting is I used to have similar discussions on UK motoring boards regarding the K series engine a few years ago, now I have far less as people are actually realising the cause of the problems are minor and easily solved - and that if you do the job right, you don't get repeat problems. I'm totally sick of this "head gasket failure waiting to happen" bollocks, because it is bollocks - if it were true, my competition car would be the most likely car to have issues, and in over 10 years of competition it has never had a problem. Check the oil and water once a week - you know, that thing called preventative maintenance, remember that! - and you'll be fine.
mgmad,
Jan 30, 6:42pm
As for someone to check it over, Ray Hartley Motors in Wellington look after a few, but I'll see if I can find anyone closer to you.
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