So on a whim I'm surfing the local newspaper's auto classifieds,
theoretically looking for a cheap Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla for the wife
to drive. The problem is, we've got this leased minivan that we're putting
way too many miles on, and we're going to overshoot our lease allowed miles
ration. My car, which I didnt like or want in the first place (long story)
is a 1999 Camaro, which we cant easily fit all four of us in. The kids are 5
and 2 now, and it will only get worse.
So we replace the Camaro with a Honda Accord. The idea being, my wife, who
does three times as many miles in a week as I do, drives the accord, and my
daily driver becomes, you guessed it, the Minivan. I may be over thirty, but
I'm not really ready to make a minivan my daily.
So, I'm surfing, and on a whim, I check "MG, All years, All models".
I see a 1977 for $7500, pass
1977 for $4800, pass.
then this...
MGB 1973. Solid Driver. $1200.
and the real problem is, I HAVE $1200 that isnt really allocated to
anything. (Oh, sure, kid's college fund, blah blah)
So the worst thing I could do is go look at it.
I called. He described it as "A seriously good motor, excellent compression.
New Clutch by previous owner, I just replaced the plugs, plug wires,
distributor, head gasket and throttle cable which had snapped. It needs a
paint job but is solid. Top probably needs replacing, because the clear
portions have turned opaque. Tonneau cover is like new. 69,999 on the
odometer, but speedometer is broken."
So today, I went to look at it, and made the mistake of taking $1200 cash
with me.
I'm sure at least one of you on this list rounded a corner and saw their
first MG, and knew it was a sale.
"Needs Paint" had me worried. I expected solid rust patina or worse, but
what I found was pretty good. 99.9% of the car is actual smooth paint. A
metallic light blue that you can tell by looking at scratches and under the
hood is at least it's third color. The original seems to be a brownish
yellow color. It was obviously painted at one point in what someone thought
was close enough to British Racing Green. Now the blue. There's a little
bondo in the passenger side rocker, and at the very tip of the hood. (Let me
get my terminology right, I believe that's 'bonnet') but it's covered with
these small scratches all over, some of which show a hint of surface rust. I
couldnt find any bubbling rust anywhere, nor any part of the car that looked
compromised structurally.
The Tonneau cover did, in fact, look almost new.
The engine fired right up, idled nicely. Tach, oil pressure gauges work,
speedometer, fuel level, oil temp do not. Turn signals and hazards work. No
side mirrors installed. Missing several tonneau mount clips on the passenger
side.
You could tell that he had, in fact, just replaced the throttle cable, as it
was shiny and clean. as were the plug wires.
It's been converted to a Weber Downdraft, I'd appreciate any comments on
that.
It hadnt been licensed since 1993. He bought it three months ago as a
project (He also had a nice curvy 1962 Austin Healy sitting in primer in the
garage that positively growled when he started it for me.) but is moving to
a place with less space, so he had to sell.
I drove it around the block slowly to make sure that everything seemed
right, but as it was unlicensed, I decided not to take it out at high speeds
anywhere. Engine was fairly smooth, may need a tune.
And so I bought it. Got temp tags, and went to drive it home.
What I neglected to notice in my trip around the block is that the brakes
are like standing on the pillow. I'm hoping it's just air in the brake
lines, but it's definitely in the shop before it becomes a daily driver.
The other nasty bit is the new throttle cable is sticking. Although it was
nice to drive a bit as if I had cruise control, It needs to be fixed.
I had my wife follow me home, and she noticed that I had no brake lights.
How in the world did I neglect to A) check them B) ask about them? Oh well,
one more for the shop.
So, I've just taken a long time and a roundabout way to introduce myself to
you, and say, "I'm one of you now." and hope for some sympathy.
-Chris Thompson
73 MGB (As of about two hours ago)
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