A totally blow your wig bit of an amble along England's quiet roads

[stripped fred]

I've never felt like I need more power in my MR2 although I know it's not that fast on paper. As Station said, you can carry a lot of speed around corners and it always feels fast due to the noise and sitting low. I like the fact I can have fun without putting my licence in jeopardy.

[dollywobbler]

This thread pleases me. It is a fine two finger salute to the TL:DR mindset.

[twosmoke300]

May have just had to google tl:dr 😄

[forddeliveryboy]

Yep, Elise would be nice but I bet one wouldn't transport two dogs, 140 litres of veg, big bag of stuff, child's car seat, toolbox and other assorted items.

[forddeliveryboy]

Tightened the alternator belt earlier today, there's plenty of room round the engine to work. Quite pleasantly surprised.

[Taff]

Sorry!

 

Problem is the benchmark for a small sporty car for me is an early non pas 944. An MX5 didn't cut it for me and I suspect an mgf might be too soft too-hence my mid engined desires tend towards an x1/9 or a mk1 mr2

 

Get an F bought. They truly are beer money at the moment, invest £300 unwisely and go for it.

 

I'm interested in which way you mean the word 'soft'. For me, the only soft bit is the looks, but I like what I see as a sort of classical elegance. As usual, looks grow on you if you buy a car which goes brilliantly well. I think perhaps their image has had an effect on how loads think an MGF will go -  I was slightly surprised, although the engine is very sweet on this particular car. It may feel slightly coarse if you hopped out of a little Toyota into this, but that's splitting hairs - and something only noticed if you're driving back to back.

 

I like good engines - XUDs, the EA827 TDi and OM602/3 diesels are all brilliant and better in many ways than their CI counterparts. But this K-series is a cracker and is giving great economy if you don't use full power much. And you don't need to, it slides forwards very eagerly on part throttle, the balance and suspension allow you to carry your speed. Having to buy fuel £20 at a time for the first time in years concentrates the mind, a bit like using a film camera instead of digital.

 

The only area I'd mark it down in is steering feel, but it's wearing odd Chinese cheapies on the front so this won't help at all. But I suspect the augmentary damping is past its best and I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't something a little worn in the front suspension somewhere, something I intend to have a look at.

 

In the meantime, the alternator belt is very slack and I've noticed the brake light switch is stuck on. Then I'll look to do a bit of corrosion protection - it's very rusty underneath, in places - then have a look at the damping and the front end. And buy a pair of Toyos when funds allow.

 

 

Congrats and welcome to the ASMGFOMGHGF society.

 

I've fallen for mine big time. It seems to ride better the more I push it, decent, matched rubber up front (cheers PBK) means it goes where I point it. The car looks feline/feminine to my eyes, and I'm certain I look a bit of a div in mine, like I couldn't afford a proper mid-life crisis. Like I give a toss, I'm usually nursing a semi after another white-knuckle ride.

 

There are a lot about, and I have mixed feeling about MG owners, they can be a bit up themselves on occasions. I know I don't help myself when I meet people like that, which is why I am currently rocking a mixed set of alloys and a bright red dice gear knob.

 

Having lucked/chanced my way into ownership of a reasonably well behaved VVC, I think the Fs are a better looking car than the TF.

 

Anyway, mine is staying.

[forddeliveryboy]

This one is on a pair of mismatched Chinese at the front, which start to grip when temps rise (above about 15 with sun on the road to make that even warmer) but they're interesting when things are cool - yesterday I went to do some work at about 11 and it was a dream on a winding road, coming home at 9.30 when temps were in single figs it was transformed into a rattly, tramlining handful. Or perhaps it was tiredness. They do seem sensitive to everything tyre, though. Fingers crossed that a slight howl is a front tyre, not a bearing.

 

I'm similarly smitten, I'd be equally happy if it had been four times the price. But then I wouldn'thave bought it - it hardly makes sense, except it makes total sense.

[Taff]

totally understand the last bit.

 

I bottled doing the cambelt, mind you. Fuck that shit, like spannering through a manhole. The specialist I found came well regarded and he charged me £175 to change the belts (I supplied them). Didn't seem unreasonable.

 

A pair of new nexen's are going on the back next month, along with having my suspension pumped up. It's done 5500-ish miles since I bought it, with only a blowing exhaust for it's troubles.

[Station]

Changing cambelt is easy - the worst part is getting that pulley bolt off (take the starter motor off and  jam the flywheel with a pair of pliers as you can get it off).

You only need access to the cambelt on the top and bottom, you can clearly see and work on the cam sprockets from the top and the crank and tensioner from the bottom. It's easier than on a front engined car because you don't have the chassis 'cut out' on the front and with a strut in the way. There's about 2 - 3 inches of space in the side anyway.

 

 

 

Actually, the worst part is the plastic loom 'clips' with the sharp ends that constantly dig and scratch you when you are fiddling round shoulder deep trying to undo a bolt.

[dome]

Get an F bought. They truly are beer money at the moment, invest £300 unwisely and go for it.

 

 

 

 

Good job I haven't * just emailled about this then

 

http://www.gumtree.com/p/mg/mg-tf-for-sale-%C2%A3300/1113546514

 

No point in buying a non broken one...

 

Thaks for all the comments on handling.

 

I think what I was trying to get across and maybe failled to was that i as looking for a car that felt fast and involving but not neccesarily super quick. An X1/9 probabaly would be ideal but an F might be an interesting diversion...

[Taff]

Good job I haven't * just emailled about this then

 

http://www.gumtree.com/p/mg/mg-tf-for-sale-%C2%A3300/1113546514

 

No point in buying a non broken one...

 

Thaks for all the comments on handling.

 

I think what I was trying to get across and maybe failled to was that i as looking for a car that felt fast and involving but not neccesarily super quick. An X1/9 probabaly would be ideal but an F might be an interesting diversion...

 

Ha! I believe the word you are looking for is "re-fuckin-sult".

 

I'm lead to believe that the coolant pipes are cheap enough to replace and easy to do.

[Taff]

Changing cambelt is easy - the worst part is getting that pulley bolt off (take the starter motor off and  jam the flywheel with a pair of pliers as you can get it off).

You only need access to the cambelt on the top and bottom, you can clearly see and work on the cam sprockets from the top and the crank and tensioner from the bottom. It's easier than on a front engined car because you don't have the chassis 'cut out' on the front and with a strut in the way. There's about 2 - 3 inches of space in the side anyway.

 

 

 

Actually, the worst part is the plastic loom 'clips' with the sharp ends that constantly dig and scratch you when you are fiddling round shoulder deep trying to undo a bolt.

 

your doing my next one then mate

[e287yba]

The Great North Road played its game of tag with the Old North Road (Ermine Street) and speeds grew ever higher with no more roundabouts at Wetherby, Bawtry, Markham Moor or anywhere else. Traffic was World Cup England Final low so roadside archishite was a blur, I just caught the old Little Chef with its big roof.

 

c4.PNG

 

As Newark Castle (or was it the silos?) appeared we knew the River Trent and Foss Way/A46 was near - our route deep into the Midlands. I scooped this amazing bit of film of the quiet A1 just before we bore off South West, before fly-carcasses turned the windscreen totally opaque and my driver was forced to hang his head out of the side window to see his way. His teeth have yet to resume their normal colour.

 

ezgif.com-gif-maker.gif

I can't see you singing the praises of the M1 if you'd used it for this roadtrip ; the A1 is much better for this sort of trip even at rush-hour (south of the A1(M), though, this may not be true ).

 

And the "world cup final" references? I drove from Swinton (Rotherham) to Bury on the night of the Euro2004 final, and saw three cars in 75 miles - none on the Woodhead Pass (and my previous-best smashed by something like 15 minutes... ).

 

An international "football final" night is always a DAMN good night for a drive (as are the semis and - to a much lesser extent - the quarters) .

[forddeliveryboy]

Ha! So who on earth could it have been in a blue-ish Allegro VDP who casually flashed his/her lights at me this afternoon in North Yorks? As if to say, "hey boy, nice suspension - you're local if that mud's real". I almost blushed.

 

This machine goes from strength to strength in all respects. I'm driving it smoothly and briskly, not taxing it too hard. But having driven many a car with no more power than necessary (so the importance of momentum is well-understood), it doesn't half shift round corners in the most pleasing fashion when you get it right. It reminds me of a ball being sucked by vacuum along a twisting tube.

 

With warmer temperatures Moulton's spheres are allowing a wee bit more suspension travel, so it's bloody brilliant now on most roads. It's novel not to experience slightly weaker damping as temperatures rise. Reminds me of a puck on ice. Get out of a comfy steel-sprung car and the thing just glides along. It's uncanny, better than a new hire Metro in 1991 - are these low-stiction units in the MGs so much better?

 

The less good aspects which made themselves apparent from the start have been learned and can be driven around, but need fixing. There seems to be a little bit of brake imbalance at the back which grows worse when the brakes have been used a good bit, the osr seems to work rather hard/drag a bit when the disc gets really hot - and then fade. My accredited* autoshite technique of freeing off calipers by using the ABS on snowy or slick-wet roads seems to have improved matters a fair bit, but I'll have the rear wheels off and pads out soon to investigate. It's only an issue with little fuel and slick roads and there's no binding going on when driven normally.

 

The other imbalance feels to be the osf wheel, which seems a little wayward. It's noticeable most when it levitates - perhaps the wishbone bushes? Mmm, subframe down to change so possibly time to spray a bit of oil on rusted threads and leave for a fortnight.

 

Can anyone shed any light on apparent engine oil loss? It seems to have supped a bit, even though the engine hasn't been worked really hard. No leaks, no smoke. Do these K-series use a bit, or is it possible the wrong oil is in the sump?

 

Almost best of all it's designed for our roads, our climate, our needs. It's friendly and welcoming, comfy and reliable. It feels special yet slightly self-deprecating - unlike any Honda, Toyota, Mazda or German device. It has its annoying little traits but somehow uses these to convince you to love it more. In the way a good terrier does.