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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - RIP Midget! - what to do next?

Hi

I have bought badly and have paid the price.

I’ve had my 1500 midget for a year now and it came with 12 months MOT.

I have spent a lot of money on it over the past 12 months including a replacement engine, clutch etc.

In total my outlay is c£2,500.00.

I have put the Midge through an MOT and basically it’s a complete loss. Structurally beyond repair and I have a 4 page advisory document. It’s not even safe to drive apparently.

Without going into detail concerning what’s wrong with it, the testing station have commented that they referred it onto a welding specialist although even they didn’t want to touch and explained that it would cost in excess of £2k to put it right.

So, the position I am now in is whether I sell it complete without MOT in which case how much could I expect to realise from the sale or break it and sell off the parts.

The garage also suggested that it’s running of 3 cylinders? I did replace the fuel pump recently and changed the plugs over also so I’m wondering if I have the HT leads in the correct order and whether this could cause said issues?

Not the first taste of classic car owning I had hoped but I suppose if you buy crap, then you get crap.

Any advice warmly received.

Thanks.
L Huggins

If it's that bad you have to wonder how it got an MoT last year.

When you say total outlay does that include the car purchase?
Jeremy Cogman

It might make more sense to equip yourself with a MIG welder...

(Agree with Jeremy... a seems strange to go from a pass to a basket case in a year...)

A
Anthony Cutler

The Midget I bought sounds very similar, passed MOT fine in 2004, was bought by someone who drove it about 500 miles over the next year. When he came to get it MOTed in 2005 it failed becuase almost every structural part of the car was rusted to chuff!

I bought the car and a heap of spares for £300 in 2010. After stripping the car and assessing the damage the shell was seriously dangerous, with so many bodged repairs and the front chassis rails repaired incorrectly. I am in the process of re-building it properly.

Sorry I don't really have any good news, but I sympathise with you deeply. There are deffinatly garages out there just giving cars tickets in order to sell them.

Perhaps a re-shell is an option? If your car is mechanically sound you might be able to find a good shell with knackered mechanicals and build one good car out of two bad ones.

It's a damn shame,
Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

there's an ad on the MASC classifieds for a new 1500 shell for sale in Ireland...
David Smith

There are 10 or so shells for sale on ebay as well. ranging from £350 - £2500+

You might not want to spend more money tho. I'm sure you could re-coup some of your loses by selling the engine etc. (you say it is recently refurbed).

Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

I know it wont make you feel better but I've regularly lost that and more in 12 months or less with a few cars

in fact the last one I lost so, so much by being ripped off by people that it made me feel for a long time the way you probably feel now

but then I got my present Midget and things seemed so much better

look at it this way if you'd have bought a new car you could have lost that much plus a lot more just by driving it off the dealer forecourt

you're older and wiser by this experience

if you feel like looking at a Spridget or classic again I can let you have my usual advice which will make a lot of sense to you now

if you're really upset by this personally I'd suggest you cut your losses and sell the car as is, plenty like buying these sorts of projects or parts donors just be realistic with the price

free to advertise on PH
N Atkins

I'm a little concerned that anyone would find 4 pages of faults to write up on a midget, or be able to spend 2k on welding for a car that was ok last year...they are not complicated or large cars!
I'm also of the opinion that many MOT stations would rather fail cars than pass them and issue advisories. (ducks and runs for cover from the safety lobby throwing bolders at me)

Have you had anyone familiar with tired old cars look at it and how knowledgable was the MOT guy on tired old cars.....I've had many conversations (free consultancy) with MOT guys about interpretation of the MOT wording and more importantly, the application of that wording to an old car...for instance 'excessive movement' means different things when applied to a ball joint (ie more than zero) than it does when applied to trunnions or kingpin bushes (ie quite a lot)

how close to Wells are you?
robnrrugby

You're all absolutely right.

It should NEVER had got a ticket last year. The previous owner had a 'friend' in a testing station and I presume he simply raised a MOT irrespective of the actual condition of the vehicle.

I honestly don't beleive it's worth the investment in a new shell amongst other things.

I kinda guessed this day would come one day and I was to make the best of the next 1 or 2 years but I had no idea it would happen so soon.

To be honest and as most of you have realised I'm completely gutted.

If I start to strip it I'm worried that I'll end up with a garage full of parts and never shift it etc.

I'm wondering whether to sell it complete and let the mission begin for a replacement?

What could I expect realistically (£) ?

Thanks.
L Huggins

Cut your losses

Break it for parts, and sell them through the classifieds, ebay, classic car mags, etc

Then get a 1275 and enjoy MG Motoring :P
PeterJMoore

This thread was discussed on 03/06/2011

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