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MG MGA - should I try to fix my dad's MGA - update

Hi,

Last January I posted something about whether I should accept my dad's MGA. It means a lot to him to not see in go to the junkyard, so I'd be doing him a favor. It's an 1962 MGA MKII with a few non-stock modifications on it. I still don't know what they all are, but I know he bored out the cylinders once and the engine was professionally rebuilt 800 miles before he parked it for 23 years.

In the meantime I've been away because of work.

Anyways, I still don't have the car yet, but I agreed to take it as soon as it could move under it's own power. To my surprise he took it to a mechanic and the guy was able to use the starter to turn the engine over - after almost a quarter of a century of sitting in a garage! It still needs some work, but it seems that it won't be as expensive as we'd both feared.

But I have a couple of questions.

1) How much do you think it will cost a year to keep something like this running?

2) Are there any special insurance deals for something like this? I can't imagine I'd be putting more than 1,000 miles/year tops on it.

Any comments would be welcome. Thanks.
DL Henderson

One of many is:-

http://www.jctaylor.com/

Derek Nicholson

Per year, my MGA costs me: one oil change and fuel.

I insure my MGA, MGB GT, a BMW and a Triumph for $150 a year through American Collectors Ins.

If this seems like too much, by all means, let me know and I'll take that 'A off your hands!
Kemper

Operating expense and maintenance and all restoration expenses (twice) combined, my MGA is the cheapest per mile for operation of any car I have ever owned.

As long as you drive it primarily for show and club activity and never drive it to work, you can apply antique or classic license plates, and classic car insuranc is very cheap compared to a daily driver.

If you pay the big tab for a full restoration it might cost nearly as much as a new car. Then you have to drive it a lot of miles to make the price per mile look low. The good news is, kiss off depriaciation. An MGA is worth double or triple today what it was 20 years ago.
Barney Gaylord

DI. There is special, "Classic Car" insurance available to those who keep their cars in a locked garage and only drive them on "Club Events". My cars are daily drivers, so I do not qualify. (One insurance company wanted us to have a security guard available when, on a Club event, we parked our cars at a locak restaurant.)

As to the costs of running the car, this is a value judgement. My daily driver MGBs cost me less than the cost of running a new car. But, this if for many reasons including the fact that Arizona charges their license plate fees on the "actual value" of the car (thus, my wife's Mini costs about $400 per year while my MGs cost about $20 per year), the cost of maintenace, I do my own, she has the Mini dealer do it under her extended warrany program, etc.

Last week, I had to pull the overdrive transmission on my 79B because of problems with it. Removed the engine and transmission and replaced the tranny with a stock four speed, then installed the engine and tranny back into the car in time to get to work. Fully worth it to me, but, perhaps, not to others.

My younger daughter wants my 61 MGA when I have it fully restored. Her sister received the title for her 77 B when she married. A car that we had purchased together and restored to safe and effective driving condition together. Theresa and I found the MGB together and she fell in love with it. It is her daily driver. Maria has memories of helping to disassemble the MGA when she was very young, one of the reasons she wants it when she graduates from Graduate School.

I guess that this is the type of question which, "If you have to ask it, the answer is no.". If the car had any real value to you, you would not have asked the questions you asked. This is not a "put down", simply a statement of fact.

My older daughter is a shootist. She will get the .45 Colt Combat Commander pistol I carried while on "White House" assignment in Central America. My younger daughter collects edged weapons and has the Gerber Mark II Survival Knife which spent a lot of time taped to my combat harness. Theresa has her MGB. Maria will get her MGA. The pistol and the B are of significance to Thereas, and the knife and A are of significance to Maria, because of their intimate association with their father.

All of these things are something which evoke an emotional response--something of value to both the father and the child. When there is such an emotional response, it provides a positive bond between the parent and the child, one that remains as long as either of them are living, or as long as anyone tied to them lives.

When there is no emotional bond between the particular machine, the parent, and the child, taking over the machine is simply a burden, one I would not inflict upon any member of my family.

My 68 MGBGT is intimately associated with me by members of my family. Thus, it is "special" to all of them and will be taken care of after I am no longer able to do so. (I would, if possible, like to be buried in it. There is, here in Arizona, adequate precident for such things.)My 79LE,79 roadster, and 77 Scout II, are not associated in such fashion with me. They are, however, good vehicles and deserve a good home with someone who can appreicate them.

Thus, the vehicles which do not invoke a direct association between myself and my family, I would hope, will be sold to good homes when I am no longer able to drive them myself. May do some of that, myself, as I get older.

My opinion is that, if the car is not "special" to you--as a rememberance of your father, then, you should try to find it a good home. A British Sports Car, except to a true enthusiast, can be a burden. I might suggest, getting fairly old myself, that your father would not want to inflict a burden upon you. If you truly enjoy the car, and really want to own one, this is your opportunity--a rare one--to own a car that your father valued.

If the car does not appeal to you, if you are not an "enthusiast", sell the car to someone who will value it, take the money and go somewhere you have always wanted to go, and, in either case, use the memory to honor your father.

Les
Les Bengtson

Running costs depend entirely on the condition of the car! My MGA is fully resotred as of a few years ago and has cost very little to keep on the road. Registration is about $50 per year and collector car insurance through Grundy Worldwide is under $100 per year.
Steve Simmons

As long as you are enthusiastic enough to do all your own routine maintenance ( oil changes, brakes etc) and all your own preservation ( waxoyl into the chassis every winter etc) then it will work out a cheap car to run. Only thing now is - how much restoration does the car need after 23 years - if as you say there's not a lot wrong and you do it yourself ( new brake lines , cylinders , pads, fuel pipes, pump etc) it could be a reasonably low outlay - if it needs a lot doing to the body/chassis and you pay a garage to do it - it will be cheaper to buy one that has already been done ( which is what I did)- but you have the sentimental, nostalgia thing -go along to a local MG club for some inspiration - good luck - hope you make the right choice - cheers Cam
Cam Cunningham

I appreciate the advice. I'm actually surprised to hear that it will be cheap to run once it gets running. I'm not going for a showroom-quality restoration. I just want it to run reasonably reliably and over time I'll work on things like painting it, etc.

While I wouldn't describe myself as an "enthusiast," it's not true that I have no attachment to the car. I remember riding in it when I was 4 and my dad drove my mom home in it when they first met. If anyone's curious, the original thread (with more background info) is here:

http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgbbs&access=&mode=archiveth&subject=6&subjectar=6&thread=2006010717480614446

Thanks again.
DL Henderson

Well, my opinion is that if you have a vehicle with a significant sentimental value (as I do), then it costs whatever it costs. If you choose not to preserve the car in the family, you will regret it for the rest of your life. The key is to get the most out of whatever you need to spend on repairs, by doing it right, and doing it once.
Del Rawlins

As you might be slightly attached now , just wait till your dad kicks the bucket and you sit around thinking about the car , I am sure you will be weighing in on how much enjoyment he has gotten from the car vs the yearly expenses of the maintenance . If you dont drive the car then sell it and ask the new owner to send you a photo on fathers day . The new owner might be just right to keep your fathers car intact and running and might not be thinking expenses vs sentimental attachment . I sure do miss my Dads pontiac 2 dr catilina .
karl

This thread was discussed between 25/09/2006 and 27/09/2006

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