The only faultless MG is one that has never been used from the factory and
never will be used. I'm reminded of a comment I read many years ago in
response to a similar question: "Lift car by radiator cap. Turn everything
under cap one quarter turn clockwise, discard and replace with new. Then
replace radiator cap".
I can really only support No.6. I'd add, even more importantly, that
whoever is going to drive it, if they don't listen to the car and get to
know what it feels, sounds, looks, and smells like on a daily basis and
investigate any departure from the norm, then it will eventually break down
on them. Even then they can break down suddenly and without warning,
although in a total of 25 years and 120k miles with two cars mine have only
done it once each, fixed at the roadside. The first was because I ignored
the warning signs from the fuel pump once to often, and the other was a flap
of material beginning to peel off the fan belt which snagged the coil wire
(on a V8) and pulled it off. That isn't to say that I haven't spent a lot
of time and effort on them over the years. Properly maintained, owned and
driven they are extremely reliable, and very simple to repair and maintain,
but repair they *will* need from time to time.
After 30 years and various replacements over that time you will have a car
that has components ranging in age from new to original, and the new parts
can be to OE spec or some cheap copied rubbish. You can do all the work on
it you can think of, but remember most cars break down soon after they have
been worked on, replacement parts can be faulty on receipt, and will rarely
last as long as the originals. The more components you add the more
potential points of failure you add. The SU carb is about as simple and
reliable as you can get. Electronic components usually fail suddenly and
totally, rarely can be tinkered with to get going again, and can only be
diagnosed by substitution. By contrast points ignition for example is
simple to set up, simple to diagnose, simple to replace by the roadside (not
that I have had occasion to do so in 40 years), and cheap to carry a spare.
At best after-market shock absorbers will only be as good driving-wise as
the originals, but most experience of them is that they are not a patch on
the originals, and they cost a huge amount more.
You could spend a ridiculous amount of money dismantling, testing,
replacing, rebuilding and 'improving' only to have it break down first time
out. And what would you do then? Sell it for a fraction of the amount of
money you have put in to it? Or persevere, fix that and carry on. If the
latter then that is what most of us do, and the huge up-front expense is
really a waste.
If reliability is the prime consideration then put her in a Honda. MGBs are
for people who appreciate the involving driving experience of a classic more
than the blandness and characterlessness of modern cars, and expect that now
and again the old lady may embarrass herself.
PaulH.
----- Original Message -----
> she would use a B-GT as a daily driver, it would have to be as
> dependable as her Jetta.
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