"Tim Hobbs" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:
[email protected]...
> Mrs wants a cutesy classic open top. Budget 5K, performance
> irrelevant, lowish running costs and good looks the factors. Tax
> exempt would be handy.
>
> Obvious candidates are MG Midget / Sprite, MGB, Spitfire and Alfa
> Romeo Spyder.
>
> I think my role in this is to go out and buy one and 'surprise her'...
> Any other suggestions, or tips on what I should be looking for?
>
As others have said - MX-5. My daughter runs one, and it's well-made
and easy to use. But if she really wants something older...
MGB - 5k will get a fairly good one, especially if you close your eyes
and go for a rubber-bumper (therefore non-tax-exempt) one, but they're a
bit heavy and awkward to park, especially with radial tyres and the hood
up, and the driving position doesn't suit all smaller people.
Overdrive, or a 5-speed box conversion, does make longer journeys a bit
more bearable.
Spridget - the obvious choice. 5k would get a very, very nice one
indeed, without having to accept a brown, rubber-bumper one. Bit of a
motorised roller-skate feel to them, and certainly not a motorway car
unless you're a real masochist (low-geared, noisy, blowy). They're
horrible in bad weather (leaks, poor wipers, no hrw), and impossible for
anyone over 30, or over 6ft (or both, like me) to get into or out of,
especially when parked against a kerb. The best years to go for are
late 1966 to 1974, as these had the 1275 A-series engine, (previous ones
1098, later ones the Triumph engine), one or two refinements like
headlamp flashers, and a folding (cf kit of bits) hood. They were less
attractive from 1969, imho, as they gained faffy little bumpers, rocker
switches, and were generally Leylandised.
But do watch out for rust. Everywhere. And if they're not rusty, and
not a Heritage re-shell, watch out for bodged repairs. They bend in the
middle (like a one-string fiddle) when Bill Bodger cuts away the sills
to fit new ones, and then the doors don't fit. Mechanically there's far
less to worry about. Engines sound awful long before they expire,
gearboxes whine, which doesn't really matter, and drop out of gear
(which does), but all the mechanical bits are widely available, and are
cheap.
Get someone who really knows Midgets to vet anything you see,
particularly if there's the slightest hint of rust or repairs.
--
Kevin Poole
**Use current month and year to reply (e.g.
[email protected])***
B270NZ, MGs : SA1838, TC8512, Midget GAN4/63840, GHD5/324616
Car Transport by Tiltbed Trailer - based near Derby
