Oh cock, I accidently bought a MGTF.

[scaryoldcortina]

Well, you all know by now that I bought a MG TF at the auctions the other day when I was supposed to be just looking. Obviously I didn't look at it first, but couldn't resist the way no-one else bid at all.



It's a late 2003 SunStorm 135 special edition. It should have a factory hardtop but seeing as they go for £400 on ebay it doesn't. It does have fancy 16" alloys, AP 4 pot calipers and NO spare wheel.



So, I collected yesterday. Almost fell through the floor at paying over 50% on top of the hammer price but I should have checked first. Time to find out if I got a lemon or not, and I know a bit too much about these to be fully confident it was all OK - someone traded it it for some reason, and it's due a test in 6 weeks time. Checked the oil, checked the coolant, found a suitable CD and drove it to Sunderland to collect my son from college. (OBV I insured it first, and it still shows as taxed...)



Mr Blue Sky..... It was raining, but I didn't care. 

last night I did some research - I found out how to zip up the window when you put the hood back up, read up on some specs and checked likely VALU on ebay. Looking ok so far. Today I took it to the MoT station and had a good look... exciting* part 2 to follow soon.

[scaryoldcortina]

So.... today. First thing I did was loosen the pressure cap before starting - it hissed! Yay. The cooling system holds pressure. Thank fook for that! So I took it to the MoT station so I could have a proper look - my ramp is taken up with a broken MGTF for some reason... wishbones for that one should arrive monday.



Over the pit. It doesn't need wishbones! Both of them are still solid. This is GOOD NEWS. Of course it wasn't all good.



There is a hole in the subframe. This is a fail because it's within 30cm of the wishbone mounts and the anti roll bar mount. I would bet money (if I had any left) that this is the reason it got hastily part exchanged at Benfield, probably against a Juke. I think I can probably fix it in situ though. Everything else under there is pretty good.

Of course, because I was there I ran the brakes and emissions...



YAY!



BOO! That's the handbrake.....

So, not all bad. Couple of bits of cosmetic rust on the body too, but overall it's a pretty nice car.
Just a shame summer* seems to be over.

[320touring]

Livingston Auctions?

 

steep charges eh?

 

looks ok bar the obvious- think there's a sallys salon supplies in the block opposite the auctions;)

[scaryoldcortina]

Nah, Birtley. Same scamming c*nts though.

[320touring]

Nah, Birtley. Same scamming c*nts though.

Noted.

 

cheap auctions appear to be a thing of the past!

[HH-R]

Nicely bought, it looks in good nick.

 

Does that CD have "Shangri La" on it? An underrated ELO song IMO.

[MikeKnight]

Has the much nicer 160 alloys, good job. The 135's aren't that bad on power either. The 115's are absolutely dreadful.

[scaryoldcortina]

 

 

Does that CD have "Shangri La" on it? An underrated ELO song IMO.

 

No, but what do you expect for £1.99?

[scaryoldcortina]

Noted.

 

cheap auctions appear to be a thing of the past!

 

The last car I bought at auction was a 1987 Volvo 480ES, in 2001. I think I paid about £200 and another £50 in fees so something has gone badly wrong since then!

[dieselassist]

that subrame looks scary, for what is, to my mind a 'newer' car - presumably its just a case of fitting a new subframe with an 'engine n box' retaining bar 'up top' while fitting that or something....??

[Junkman]

I must be really getting old, because from the thread title, I honestly expected it to be one of these:

 

 

And yes, I'm old enough to remember the times when they were 250 quid shite.

[Jim Bell]

50% on top is outrageous. No wonder actual live auctions are dead. Could you not get away with being "Trade"? Sure it drops to pennies if you can pass for a trader.

[beko1987]

Horace Wimp?

[Forty-two]

Horace Wimp this your life, go out and buy, yourself some shite...

[scaryoldcortina]

50% on top is outrageous. No wonder actual live auctions are dead. Could you not get away with being "Trade"? Sure it drops to pennies if you can pass for a trader.

 

Trade fees are lower but they want £200 to open an acount for you. Gr3 if you only wanted one car.

 

I must be really getting old, because from the thread title, I honestly expected it to be one of these:

 

 

And yes, I'm old enough to remember the times when they were 250 quid shite.

Yeah, that's what I think of when people say TF as well. Shame about the dangerously spaced numberplate!

 

that subrame looks scary, for what is, to my mind a 'newer' car - presumably its just a case of fitting a new subframe with an 'engine n box' retaining bar 'up top' while fitting that or something....??

Yes, but without the engine retaining bar - the oily bits live at the back of a F/TF I'm hoping to get away with plating the rusty part though because the rest of it looks sound enough (so far - haven't prodded much!)

[Taff]

nerd moment - I don't think these had a spare wheel, mate. And don't they have the same size tyres at both ends?

[purplebargeken]

Project Drive cut back on spare wheels for TF's, along with reducing the number of horns to just one. Twats. Spare easily bought and fitted, just make sure you get the right length securing thingy.

 

They chopped other stuff but I am still too fuzzy to think.

[scaryoldcortina]

Re spare - tyres are different sizes front and back (195/45 and 215/40) and according to t'internets only the trophy 16" alloy fits over the 4 pot brakes. Punctures are likely to be a pita.

[Bren]

Take a round file to the hole to make it round.

 

It will look factory correct and you will have somewhere to put the dinitrol.

[Pillock]

Really, Project Drive cut out the spare wheel? That's quite an astonishing level of mingebaggery.

Having said that, for £90 Vauxhall will give you a spare wheel for a new car, but also remove the compressor they gave you in its place.

[Lacquer Peel]

Project Drive-style "de-contenting" isn't an MG-Rover specific thing, it's just that the collapse of MG-R revealed the mingebaggery to us.

[scaryoldcortina]

I went for a drive this afternoon. All went well for most of the trip but shortly after stopping in traffic in durham....


Rapidly followed by

Damn.

I let it cool down. topped the tank up from the bottle of water I always seem to have on me and it behaved for the last 10 miles home.

It wasn't a slow rise either - the gauge went from half to OMGHGF in about a second. Oil temp remained steady at about 120. if I'm really, really lucky it's just a weak pressure cap. Do I feel lucky? Well, do I?

[Jim Bell]

Probability factor: Cock.

[DeeJay]

That's the drivers seat upholstery ruined.

[HH-R]

To be fair everyone else did it eventually with the spare wheel. Rover ahead of the game as usual.

[scaryoldcortina]

Still full, took about a pint when it had finished hissing.

[Lacquer Peel]

[purplebargeken]

Change the cap

[scaryoldcortina]

I'm going to! That and a full pressure test on wednesday - I'm too busy until then.

[purplebargeken]

Have you checked the coolant lines under the car by any chance? Just out of interest.