Lost my mind....

and bought a 1974 MGB roadster last Saturday. As posted under 'intros', I am in England for about 16 more months before I return to Houston and needed a second car, so I thought....

1. Why by new, the car will depreciate like mad
2. Why not get a unique British car
3. Why not try to buy a car that may hold its value
4. Why not buy a car that will be fun to drive (even if I can take the top down only 3 times a year !)

I figure that IF, the car is reliable (notice big IF) and holds it value (I don't plan on putting on a lot of miles) and I can sell it for anywhere near what I've paid for it, I've basically rented a nice/unique/classic British car for free! Yep, I am a bit delusional. I am no mechanic, but it was pretty damn clean under the hood and everywhere else. Anyway, the deed is done, car will be delivered on Friday.

Good luck to me!

(yes the wife went for it. Score one for the lesser half)

 

Not sure if this link still works, but this is the car...

http://www.mgsforsale.com/htmlfiles/xlk494n.html

Not sure how long the link will be valid.

If anyone sees any fatal flaws....don't tell me :shock:

 

Beautiful, other than they put the steering wheel in the wrong place, it looks great. My Mom had one when I was about 10 for several years. Believe it or not, she used to put me in the back, with the top up of course.

 

I had 2 buddies that had MG's. They were fun little cars... Seemed to have electrical issues, and the valve adjustments are very important. Send it in for a check-up once you get it. Hopefully you got a good one.

 

Jens

You read my mind. There are a couple of garages that specialize in MG's in my area and I planned on scheduling a thorough exam. I expect them to find a few things, hopefully not much!

 

The ONLY real complaints on cars of that era/genre concern anything electrical made by 'Lucas Electric Ltd'... the main beneficiary of 'Buy Britain'... anything made in Singapore.. hell even Italy.. is higher quality/reliability.
Theoretically, anything that might fail has already, however, and you probably wont see anything Lucas branded attached to wires. Believe Bosch is the aftermarket supplier of preference... though I think they've had fairly recent problems of the same kind, especially ignition coils for Audi/VW in '04.
Not if they fail.. WHEN they fail.

'Lucas Electric' is indeed the longest standing joke in auto circles over the last half century. Just mention it in car buff circles and you'll have to look down to the floor suddenly - the other guys ROFL!

Sort of like saying BP and 'quality petrol' in the same sentence, during the seventies/eighties, I might add.

 

The electronics were something my friends here mentioned and the name Lucas was mentioned with a sly snicker that the Brits are extraordinary at exhibiting. The amount of miles I plan on putting on the car should be fairly low, so I will be playing a bit of Russi...err British roulette over the next 15 months or so.

Meanwhile, got the car today....as a former owner of a 68 Mustang (almost 20 years ago now), it brought back some beautiful memories. Cruising down the M4 in this little mobile today was freaking awesome. Damn I love the sound and feel of older engines! No regrets yet. Looking forward to the summer, cruising up to the country pub for a pint and a cigar. Good luck to me!

 

MGB... 68 Mustang?!!!!!

Bite your tongue! Both sides!

The first is one thing, t'other's the other.

Unless you pack the Mustang small block into that underused space beneath the bonnet.

 

I had a 200 straight six 3 speed. I could have had a slumber party under the hood of my old 'stang and a wet bar (would have loved a 289, great get up in go for a medium sized engine). Still loved it though. Sharp as shit and clean as a whistle. Sold it for tuition money. I'd like to think I got a decent return on the investment. Safe to say that a lot of it went down the drain as I created much needed liquidity in the campus bar.

 

FYI that campus was in Nacogdoches....Dempsey's hometown. SFA Lumberjacks baby! East Texas at its finest.

 

O'Sully, small world, I'm from Lufkin. Yeah, yeah, save the condolences.

 

Good old Lufkin. Usually bypassed the middle of town going around the loop on the way up from Houston. Used to go in to go to the Wurst Haus occasionally for the good beer selection. Believe that is closed now. This was in thr 88-93 time period (yep, took the 5 year graduation plan).

Absolutely nothing wrong with being a bumkin from Lufkin!