>Hello, list -- I've been looking for a while at various MG's to buy, and have
>found that a '78 B seems like the car in best condition for the money
>($3000). I haven't seen a whole lot of people who own '78's on the list. Is
>there something i need to know about this car, before I decide on it?
>
>no cars yet.
>
>Mason Apostol
Mason,
I have a '78 B, but to be honest, I haven't done more than test drive it,
as it is in the fixer-upper stage. And yes, I loved the test drive, and
have owned *that other* British make, but never an MG before.
Be careful purchasing any used car, and shop carefully, especially when
there are no really solid "book" values to go by. And be careful especially
when buying an MG: some people happen to acquire one with a lot of problems
and look for a sucker to foist it off on: if they don't know much about the
car, can't tell you much about it, or are "selling it for a friend", or
some such, be especially careful. I'm not saying don't buy, just be
careful.
>From my understanding, it (the '78) is much like any other rubber bumper B
(late '74-'80) It is heavier and taller than the chrome bumper ones, it
does have an anti-sway bar added which the early rubber-bumper cars didn't
have, and which they say improves the handling somewhat. It has the single
Zenith-Stromberg carb (unless it has been changed), quite a bit of smog
gear (unless it has been removed), and a mild camshaft, like the other
RBB's, and so it isn't as fast (in factory form) as the earlier ones.
Other than small differences in the interior, electrical switches, and smog
equipment (important in ordering replacement parts), most RBB's seem to be
about the same to all but the most fanatical. Some will say, "not as good
as the chrome bumper ones", but the later cars have a more modern feeling
interior, an automatic choke, which, when it works, is convenient, and if
you live around the city like I do, the rubber bumpers make a lot of sense,
because some people just can't parallel park to save their lives. But all
of that is sort of anathema to the purist anyway. I have also heard rumors
that the camshaft in the later cars is problematic, but then others have
said that's not true, so I guess I'll have to wait and see, although if one
of the professional wrenches on the list were to step up and say it's bad
enough to warrant a pre-emptive strike (and replacement with faster cam),
I'd probably consider that advice.
The big advantage of the later ones, right now, seems to be that they can
be had for much less money than a chrome bumper model in roughly equal
condition. I have also heard people say that despite all the bad press, the
later ones are generally of a better build quality. I've talked to many
people who say their rubber bumper B's are very reliable, while the owners
of earlier cars tend not to have as consistent an opinion. Perhaps it's
just that the earlier ones are a few years older, and have suffered some
neglect by now in all but the rarest cases.
But this is all hearsay...if I made mistakes, I'm sure others on the list
will let me know (Right Ed?). All I know is that I like my car, and hope to
keep working on it and drive it within 2-3 months. And it is a...you
guessed it,
78 B.
Listers?
Nevin
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