What is like an MG Midget without all the British "charm"?

Still confused about the idea of constant fiddling....if you want a spridget, get a spridget. SU carbs obce adjusted will stay that way. Replace the points with electronic ignition and you are done. Not much fiddling once you get things sorted.

Dr. Hess wrote:

I still love these, I wonder what the reliability is now that they're 20+ years old??

TR-6 w/ SBF

In reply to dculberson:

I suspect they have the same dependability of any other aging Lotus product.

I dd MGBs for years and never had one leave me stranded. Yes, they require more servicing and maintenance then the answer (that is why I have a NB). If wife insists on MG, suggest she helps you maintain it. Better yet, have her put the top down and up on the MG and do the same on the Miata.

The deal with MGBs is that at their very best, they are a new 1955 quality/technoloy car. That is how far behind the British technology was lagging when the MGB was released, and then it never changed until they stopped making the car in 1980.

Nothing wrong with that until you put it in perspective and realize that the Miata brings almost half a CENTURY of technical advance to the party in an era where technical development has been exponential.

If you want a beautiful time capsule to curate,the MGB is a good candidate. If you want the best Sports-car you can buy, the answer is still the answer.

I can't argue with someone else's experience, especially since it's been 20 years since I drove a Miata. In August. On Blizzaks. There was some oversteer from that setup. My Midget has been pretty dependable. The only time I've been stranded is when I ran out of gas because the gauge never went below 1/2 regardless of how much gas there was. As a matter of fact, the MG was pressed into service when my "dependable," respectable Passat wouldn't start for a week in November. I drove my MG with no top in November in Minnesota.
I drive my MG daily from April until the snow flies. It's great.

singleslammer wrote: And by charm I mean the constant fiddling. I know an NA makes the absolute most sense but it is too new looking for the wife. My FIL has a new Midget but something always needs attention. It is a riot when it runs through. This is hypothetical as we are building a house this year and I can't expand the fleet for a good long while.

Rip the charm out of it... swap in new electrics, a tweaked 4AGE and a 5 speed.....

Can't understand the constant fiddling with an MG. Have a friend with a Midget that has done nothing but routine maintenance since restoring several years ago. He routinely drives it out of state and back. Doesn't require constant fiddling to be reliable. Granted, he did a complete restoration on every part in the car but it is like new and drives like new.

I think old MGs have two problems - they come from a more maintenance-intensive time, and they're all old. If you go through the entire car from front to back and acknowledge that the car will need regular adjustment/greasing/fettling, it'll fulfill your expectations.

I can drive out of state and back over my lunch hour

outasite wrote: I dd MGBs for years and never had one leave me stranded. Yes, they require more servicing and maintenance then the answer (that is why I have a NB). If wife insists on MG, suggest she helps you maintain it. Better yet, have her put the top down and up on the MG and do the same on the Miata.

My mom's first car was a new 1964-ish MGB, which she owned for about three years. When she saw me put the top down on my Miata, she accused me of showing off. She also told many stories of adventures like having to cool the overheating Lucas fuel pump with ice cream. This is when the car was new, remember.

Now she drives a 26-year-old Miata in the summer, and she's never even asked where the fuel pump is

how about an aw11 mr2? hard to beat the level of fun and has toyota reliability

Honestly, even though I'm a big MG enthusiast, I wouldn't have a Spridget as a daily driver. Not because of any fiddling necessary. They are just too small and under powered for today's traffic. Especially here in the land of the inattentive driver in the giant SUV or pickup. Heck, I used to get people changing lanes on top of me in my Jag XJS because it was too low for them to see!

They would tend to lose big in any collision and there isn't much to protect the occupants.

I race a Midget without those concerns-- it has a roll cage, the cars around it are similarly sized and the drivers are intently engaged.

My other MG, a MGA, is just a weekend-drive-in-the-country vehicle, which sometimes makes me nervous even then.

T.J. wrote: Still confused about the idea of constant fiddling....if you want a spridget, get a spridget. SU carbs obce adjusted will stay that way. Replace the points with electronic ignition and you are done. Not much fiddling once you get things sorted.

British like charm with Japanese construction = Miata. That said, a 70s MG is dead simple and easy to make reliable. Go through the electrical, replace any bodged wiring. Clean electrical connectors or replace with a modern connector. Replace the fuel pump with a modern rotary electric. Go drive it.

Replace the points with a sensor if you like. It's a very simple car. Don't over think it.

No truer words have been printed.

The engines are agricultural, but will keep running.

Even if you do want an MG, you want a B, not a Midget.

And whoever said "that leaves the glass as the only thing that's not a problem" has never replaced the glass on one. It's a nightmare if you can find someone who will touch it.

In reply to Tim Baxter:

Amen, did one when I was a British Leyland mechanic. Took most of 8 hours as I recall.

You are very correct- I never have had to replace any glass!

Tim Baxter wrote: Even if you do want an MG, you want a B, not a Midget. And whoever said "that leaves the glass as the only thing that's not a problem" has never replaced the glass on one. It's a nightmare *if* you can find someone who will touch it.

I had a Mini 850 (same engine as the Spridgets) and had zero trouble with it the entire time I owned it. The points would get wide after awhile and require an adjustment but a Petronix would solve that. Now, my Mini had under 40,000 miles on it which probably explains some of the reliability but I really didn't experience any of the problems most people seem to fear. Even the electrics functioned like they should. It would always start and go.

Where the lack of quality was apparent was in the body and interior. Truly a disposable car. I always described my Mini as "a brilliant design horribly executed". But they were cheap cars when they were new and you got what you paid for. Kind of like buying a new Yugo for $3990 and then complaining it drove like a 1970s Fiat.

Keith Tanner wrote: Here you go. All the charm of an MG with the handing of a Miata and the reliability and power of a small-block Chevy. Some assembly required.

how come this one never comes out to play? probably my favorite of yours. last time I saw it I thought a meteor was on track!

It's been back since the fireball incident, although it's not built for track use. It's a street car. Specifically, I didn't build the brake system to deal with that sort of power/weight on the track.

When I've got the Targa Miata and the Locost in the garage, why bring out the MG?

because its awesome! but I understand why you wouldn't want to track it in that case. westons red rabbit was like that. scary brake fade I can only imagine a v8 in a small car