on 1/15/03 5:32 PM, NFexec@aol.com at NFexec@aol.com wrote:
> Am I being delusional to think I can get an MGB that won't require a trip to
> the garage every other week? Or, can I enjoy relatively trouble-free
> motoring with a sensible maintenance schedule that doesn't include pulling
> the engine or replacing the carbs every year??
Not at all. If you don't mind spending the time finding a really good,
well-sorted-out example, and you can afford it when you find it <g>, normal
regular maintenance (and regular driving!) should be sufficent to provide
years of motoring pleasure (I wouldn't go so far as to say, trouble-free,
but certainly not any more so than most vehicles).
Heck, even my example, which is tired by any standard, and won't win any
prizes for condition, scarcely requires any attention other than oil
changes. A nicer example might want to be washed now and then <g>.
I should add (admit?) that in my case I have already broken and replaced
just about everything that could go wrong, but it's taken me 15 years to do
it, and I started with a very low-end, high-miles specimen.
My advice would be to find a chrome bumper car in (close to) original
condition. It is easier to tell if things are likely to be reliable if they
haven't been modified or swapped in some undocumented fashion. Of course,
there are some common upgrades which are done for reliability reasons, which
any well-informed owner could explain. Before the rubber-bumper fans get all
over me, let me explain that I am assuming you are looking for something
more "classic" than a Miata, and therefore the vintage looks of a
chrome-bumper car would be more appealing. But you might also consider (in
light of my previous comment) that many rubber bumper cars have been highly
modified by their owners, in an attempt to undo some of the more pernicious
government-mandated compromises; or conversely, you may not find the
handling and performance of a rubber bumper car very satisfactory, coming
from a Miata (not that any stock MGB would come out of this comparison very
well). But as the former owner of an RBB, you have a better idea than I of
your expectations.
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the primer red one with chrome wires
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