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MG MGA - A or B, that is the question.
| Guys, I am about to embark on my final restoration, well at teast for 5 years or so (trying to start a career and will soon have no working space) and I just can't decide whether to chose an A or B. This car will be my daily driver for some time, so I want it to be a car that I love every day. I have done the B-GT thing and liked it, but want a roadster. I like the body style of the A better, but am afraid it will be too primitive (is this a ludacris statement?) I don't know a ton about them and read the other day about ropes for door handles? Also, the no windows thing freaks me out just a little. It will be B powered by the way. If I went with a B, it would be an early guy with flat dash and chrome. I pretty well know what to expect here, but would still like to have one. Before you begin to clue in to the ambiguity/stupidity of this thread (yeah i get it, it is all personal preference) just put in your 2 cents worth, perhaps you will open a door or turn on a light that i have not yet noticed. Thanks Jon P.S. I also posted this on the MGA board |
| Jackpine |
| Depends on lots of factors. yes the A's styling is much better (my own opinion). Yes, the A is more primitive--no door handles or locks, side curtains, not very weather tight, more cramped in the cockpit--less cargo space (the spare eats most of the trucnk and the top takes up any space behind the seats. Simpel electric system (not any more trouble free-read any thread in the past ten year's on Lucas). Parts are more expensive--especially body parts. Both are equally prone to rust out, although the A-s floors won't rust--they rot. I think it comes down to what you want the car for: if it's just to have fun driving--the B wins hands down....much better creature comforts. If the idea is to take it to car shows as a trophy collection device--I'd go with the A. If you just want a fun and challenging restoration, like I did (I own both models, btw) I'd opt for the A, just 'cause it looks so cool in a zillion pieces.--also I like the fact it's got a separate frame--which means you can dawdle for a year, just on the running gear--with the body set aside. An early B and a late A share a lot of common heritage: simple electrics, little or no emissions controls, mechanical tach's (on the 3 main) and ease of maintenace. The difference is the cost. When you're done--the 15 grand or so you put in the B might get you back nine or ten--while the A, being rarer might actually get you back to the break even point. Notice I said MIGHT. I go for either--but try to find the best you can afford to start with. Rust repair on either can bankrupt you or land you in divorce court --or both. |
| R. L Carleen |
| An MGA may be more primitive from an feature and engineering stand point, but in delivering its basic reason for being, fun driving, it is every bit the match, and perhaps to some, a much less compromised car than the MGB. I have had both, liked both, but never felt that the MGA was anything if not a true sports car with just an older vision of what that meant. There was a time when sports car was a car designed primarily for automotive sport. Later cars like the B were an attempt, IMHO, to merge that character with a greater functionality and appeal to a larger audience using them for more things than just sport. |
| Bob Muenchausen |
| For a daily driver in all kinds of weather, it's hard not to pick the B for the obvious reasons.What's more important to you, a comfortable easy to keep the weather out daily driver, or a classic looking sports car when it is no longer needed for the daily drive. I,d pick the A even though it is not as convenient a daily driver. |
| John H |
| Jon - I think a lot depends on what YOU mean by the phrase "daily driver". If it's a commute to/from work any distance, with a need to be there rain or shine, then the B is the clear choice. If it means perhaps working from home and using the car to do the daily errands, then I'd go with the A for all the reasons mentioned above. - Ken PS: I drove our A commuting 25 miles each way, year round, including snow, back in the 70's. The reason I rolled it into the garage for a 32-yr nap was that it just was no fun for that type of daily use. |
| Ken Doris |
| I've owned both and the B is the clear winner in comfort and practicality. But every time I exit my A after a long drive, I have a smile on my face that I never had with any other car. |
| Jim P |
| I use my A as a daily commute come rain come shine. Ok, my suit gets a bit damp at times (don't like putting the hood up). However, that exhilerating feeling every morning blasting the cobwebs away and seeing all the other poor sods in their tin cans or roadsters with hoods permanently up is part of the fun. Sure the car needs maintenance, but there again, the B needs quite a bit as well, having the same power train and other very similar features, coming from the same stable. Go for the A and stand out from the thousands of Bs all around you. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| I also have an A as my only car. I also look after a very early B for a friend. The B is a much more practical car for everyday use, having a roof that seals and wind up windows, and a lockable trunk. Technically, it is quite a bit more complex than an A, even though the basics are very similar. It's faster, has more space and is appreciably more comfortable. With OD it's also a much quieter car for driving any distance. But I still prefer the A - it's a blast to drive even before any improvements are made, and an 1800 A makes it more fun (though I have a SC on an original A motor). I drive the B a fair bit (shake downs or instead of my car when I have the B to work on it and the A is stored where the B normally lives) - it's just different, and although I like it, it's not the ear-to-ear experience that throwing the A around is. My friend wanted an MG, and she bought the early pull-handle B because it was more practical and much more affordable (about 1/2 of the price of an A in similar condition). It has taken a lot of work (from me!) to get it good rather than average, and I am surprised that some of the parts are significantly more expensive than the equivalent part for the A. If she had been happy to go for a later B the price would have been much less (about 1/3 of a similar condition A). It pains me to say it, but a B is probably a better choice, unless you are able to live with all the limitations of the A - a roof that is hard to put up even if the frame is in a good state, no room for anything at all, no secure stowage, noisy, draughty, ruinously expensive when you start doing anything to do with the body. More people look at the A though! |
| dominic clancy |
| I also have an A as my only car. I also look after a very early B for a friend. The B is a much more practical car for everyday use, having a roof that seals and wind up windows, and a lockable trunk. Technically, it is quite a bit more complex than an A, even though the basics are very similar. It's faster, has more space and is appreciably more comfortable. With OD it's also a much quieter car for driving any distance. But I still prefer the A - it's a blast to drive even before any improvements are made, and an 1800 A makes it more fun (though I have a SC on an original A motor). I drive the B a fair bit (shake downs or instead of my car when I have the B to work on it and the A is stored where the B normally lives) - it's just different, and although I like it, it's not the ear-to-ear experience that throwing the A around is. My friend wanted an MG, and she bought the early pull-handle B because it was more practical and much more affordable (about 1/2 of the price of an A in similar condition). It has taken a lot of work (from me!) to get it good rather than average, and I am surprised that some of the parts are significantly more expensive than the equivalent part for the A. If she had been happy to go for a later B the price would have been much less (about 1/3 of a similar condition A). It pains me to say it, but a B is probably a better choice, unless you are able to live with all the limitations of the A - a roof that is hard to put up even if the frame is in a good state, no room for anything at all, no secure stowage, noisy, draughty, ruinously expensive when you start doing anything to do with the body. More people look at the A though! |
| dominic clancy |
| I have both, a 1958 MGA and a 1980 MGB. They are different cars. The MGA is more fun to drive, handles better, but really sucks in cold and wet weather. Side curtains help but are a misery in their own way. The MGB is a much more relaxed car to use in traffic and drive in inclement weather. When temperatures get down and you cruise at 60 mph, keeping warm in a MGA is hopeless. The MGB is better as you got windows but the drafts do a fine job of keeping up with the heater. Saturday the wife and I ran 100 miles plus in the MGA seaside and bayside on the eastern shore and it was great - sunny and warm. Today I ran the B 50 miles to and from work and home in pouring down rain with the top up (and windows). If you're looking for an all around car and a daily driver - get an MGB. If its an occasional car to work and a weekend driver, get an MGA. If you have to sacrifice one to parking lot dings and potential accidents, sacrifice an MGB. MGA's are too nice to beat up daily. I think you need to look at your desires and talents and go from there. Neither car is particularly practical. However, I do like my end of day MG therapy. Good luck. |
| Bill Haglan |
| The real differences between an A and a B are : #1 The A has a frame and the B is unibody. This fact alone makes an A a much better car to restore. The parts that rust are mostly cosmetic on the A. Bs can rust in two. #2 Bs are more comfortable and have real weather protection. Not a problem if you are like I am and have a top that is still in the box. #3 As are better looking. And you are better looking in one. #4 As are worth more restored while the cost to restore is similar for both. Unfortunatly this has driven up the cost of project As lately. #5 The B came with a bigger engine, this can be addressed. Mechanically both cars are identical and represent the finest technology available in 1955. The B only got worse as the laws strangled it and it acumulated plastic parts. Now the disclaimer These comments are from someone who has owned 7 MGAs and currently has 4 and has never owned a B. A coupes make great all weather cars. |
| R J Brown |
| I had an A and a B at the same time; a '58 A and a '70 B. Seemed to be worlds apart when going from one to the other. There was something stiffer about the A suspension, the steering wheel seemed large and awkward after driving the B. The B was tighter, quieter when needed, obviously a lot more weathertight, but I remember summer nights in A with the moon out and fireflies in the fields. The doors are cut down lower, the wind feels different in your hair --- it truly gives a feel for the world around you that the B doesn't. As most have noted, it depends on what you want. If it's a fair weather driver, I prefer the A. When I ran SCCA back in the late 60s and early 70s, I ran against a '61 A with a B engine and transmission. Actually, I was E class and he had to run in another. I don't know what rear end it ran, but having the extra CCs, synchro box and the gear ratios certainly made it smoother off the line and stronger. Why not have both? An A outfitted with B drivetrain. Of course, if you buy an A complete, it might be a waste to pull the A drivetrain and buy one from a B, but if the drivetrain's rough or there isn't one, that would be my choice. |
| Rick Penland |
| A or B? EH! |
| Prent |
| OK,let me throw in my two cents.... Since no one else has suggested it, have you considered an MGA Coupe? Yes, you've done the BGT thing. However, the coupe has all the lovely MGA character but is much more weather tight, plus you can lock it. You don't say how long your commute is, but, I drove my coupe daily, year round in the Hartford Connecticut area for 10 years. Highway speed, bumper to bumper, rain, freezing rain, snow, heat, whatever. Took the kids to skating lessons (both at the same time when they were little), played golf (no passengers). Never broke down, not once. Yes, there were problems. But hey, twenty five years later I still have it and love it. Give it a thought... Cheers. GTF |
| G T Foster |
| GTF and others, My commute isn't that far, infact I work part time for my father in his hydraulic shop by day/mg repair center at night, so commuting would mostly be erands and such. I'm an actor (I can hear you snickering already) so 2 or three times a week I make a 40 mile trip or so to Dallas. The weather is usually permitting not including the 20 or so cold days a year and that is sans rainy days-does it ever rain here by the way? I already have a 5 main 1800 engine itching to be placed in a body of my choice. I am a huge coupe coup fan, but with the wind in my hair is where I really want to be. I have to say, I am 24 and practicality is lower on my list these days than "Feelin' It", and I think I would "Feel It" more in an A. Thank you for bringing me your experience and opinions. Jon. Texans "white rock lake british car day" is this coming sunday the 23rd, starts at 11:00- be there! |
| Jackpine |
| Jon I have just been looking in the archives at the average age of MGA owners. I'm afraid to say that you have another 8 years to go before you can join our ranks! Seriously though, you wrote in that thread that you already had a 1960 MGA in mind. Is this still the case? We could also do with some of you young 'uns to get our average down and guarantee another generation of A drivers. Some of us over here in the cold and damp UK can only dream of the one day each year when we have weather like yours. You have got to go for the hood down option, whether it's an A or B. If it's sun and heat on the top of your head that's a problem then there are plenty of options offered over in the What do you wear? thread. My daily commute (4 miles each way) was wet again today. I just leave half the tonneau over the passenger side and put a towel across my lap, raincoat and flat hat. Still great fun as long as you keep moving. I was the only one topless again. It is also makes for pleasantries at traffic lights - Pedestrians and other drivers often exchange comments with us A owners, probably less so for B drivers. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Jon, How many F1 cars do you see with wind-up windows? That is the difference between an A & B. PS If you are fixing it up for your girl friend buy a B! (We like to stick it to B drivers over here) Mike |
| Mike Ellsmore |
| Dominic, you can say that again.... Safety fast! JMG |
| John Greenlee |
| I have both a Coupe and a Roadster and love them both. It sure is nice to be able hop in the Coupe and go for a drive in the winters here in Utah! I restored the Coupe for my wife as the ladies seem to really like the looks of the Coupe and their hair does not get messed up. Just a thought! John |
| John Progess |
| Well, my advise is: don't choose, buy both. I did. An open MGA for joy during sunny days, a B GT (better with folding roof) for daily, all-weather driving. After all even a sound GT is not too expensive... |
| jan donders |
| I go with Jan, buy both modeles, and enjoye their driving , the lone reason for which they had been designed. |
| Renou |
| Hi Jon, I used a GT as my everyday transport up to 3 yeas ago , when I retired - then I bought the MGA. The A is so much more fun to drive - always top down. The GT was essential for safety when parking. I would not like to leave the A parked at the shopping mall for instance as it is so easy to break into, and there is no room for the shopping. So I would go with the advice to have one of each. Unfortunately I haven't got room for both otherwise I would have kept the GT. Cheers Cam |
| Cam Cunningham |
| Jon - The easiest way is to get into one of each of the cars and go for a spin. Both have lots to offer. |
| scott |
| An MGA is a great car. It can be built to have as much go as a B and still have the classic lines. Weather is a problem---raising the hood and setting the side curtains is NOT a 2 minute jog. You would want to install a modern wiper motor; and strongly consider modifications to allow fresh air into the foot wells. One solution is the use of a TR3 (sorry) cowl vent assembly. There are plenty of Texas MGA lovers --- join their club and talk about problems and solutions with them. |
| Jeff F |
This thread was discussed between 17/04/2006 and 21/04/2006
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