Here's a bit of flame bait, but I'm really not trying to be
antagonistic.
Last week, a friend at my squadron said that he was interested in
buying a 'B'. I gave him my standard speech that they are a lot of
fun, the parts are relatively cheap, and they're easy to work on, but
not to rely on it for his sole transportation unless he was
mechanically inclined or wanted to learn, possibly on the side of a
road.
About this time, another 'B' owner slams me for saying that 'B's are
unreliable, and proceeds to tell me how reliable his is. He all but
called me a heretic right there in front of God, my Commanding
Officer, and everybody.
All of you own at least one LBC, and many of you are probably like
me and rely on it for your daily transportation, so hopefully you can
back me up. I believe that MGBs are as reliable as any other car out
there, BUT, they require MUCH more routine maintenance to keep them
at the same level of dependability as your typical brand-new Toyota
or Honda. What with adjusting multiple carbs, points, valves, wire
wheels, and adding shock absorber and dashpot oil, I just don't feel
that these cars are necessarily the best choice for someone that is
used to cars where all you really have to do is put in gas and change
the oil, at least for the first 60,000 miles.
Am I really a heretic? Am I undeserving of MGB ownership? I just
feel that unless someone is going to be happy doing the extra work
involved in maintaining a 'B', they'd probably be better off with a
Miata.
Scott Gardner
gardner@lwcomm.com
www.lwcomm.com/~gardner
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