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MG MGB Technical - Daily Driver

I am considering a buying 1979 mgb. I have never owned one and I wish to use it as a daily driver. All things being equal, is the mgb generally a dependable car? Or is it the type of car that needs constant TLC? Anthing I should be on the lookout for???

I would appreciate the feedback.
Arthur

I used to run a 1975 B as a daily (and my only) driver, I just followed the maintenance schedule and she did fine. I did have a couple of minor niggles, I had to change a battery cable and the brake servo dropped dead one day but I never had a problem that stranded me anywhere.

With proper regular maintenance there is no reason you cannot use a B as a daily driver, a lot of people here do, as I'm sure they'll tell you.

When looking for a car I would honestly try and find one that has been a daily driver, or at least used often for good long journeys, it will have a much better chance of having been cared for.

And to show my faith in MG's, I'm currently re-building a 1965 B and as soon as she is done she will be a daily driver!

Cheers

MikeB
MikeB

I have a '75 B that has been very reliable as well. The only time it ever stranded me was a snapped throttle cable, and it would not have happened if I were paying attention to what the car was telling me before it happened.
Aaron Whiteman

My 69 B-GT is also a daily driver that used to be a non-runner. As a poor college student it suits me perfect, if and when something goes wrong it is easy to fix. I'm a modest mechanic and never had to take my car to a shop. I too have been victim of the throttle cable snapping, but it could have been easily prevented. Check your fluids, change the oil, keep it greased and it should be a happy car.
Bill
Bill Mertz

It'll be as good as the owner wants it to be. I've had a factory V8 as a daily driver for the last 6 years and 60k and a roadster for 11 years and 30k and no other cars. You have to get to know how your car looks, sounds, feels and smells and investigate any changes from the norm (as Aaron indicates). You have to be prepared to spend more time maintaining a car of this age than a modern car, but there is no fundamental reason why it should not be *at least* as reliable in use as a modern car, and a damn sight cheaper to run (it is in the UK).

If this is your first you should be aware that body corrosion is potentially more of a problem than mechanical wear. Get Lyndsay Porter's 'Guide to Purchase and DIY Restoration of the MGB' (reissued as The mgb restoration Manual) and take his check-list with you when you look at a car.

PaulH.
Paul Hunt

I agree with the other comments. I have a '70 roadster that is a fair-weather daily driver. That means I drive it all year, as long as it isn't raining or snowing and there isn't a lot of salt on the road. It has only let me down once in three years, when the starter died.

Probably the most important thing to look for when buying an MGB is rust, especially hidden rust that may not have bubbled through the paint yet. Pay particular attention to the sills (rocker panels). Crawl under the car and look for rust on the inner sills. The sills on an MGB are a critical structural component. Rust or damage here can be very serious. It can be fixed, but it is neither easy or cheap.

Lift up the carpet and look for rust in the floorboards. Rust here may indicate that it has spread to the sills.

Once you have selected a relatively rust-free car and have sorted out any mechanical problems, it can be a reliable car. It will probably not be quite as reliable as a brand-new car. Remember, the one you are looking at is 22 years old and is based on 40 year old technology. That is both good and bad. Its bad, in that anything that old is likely to wear out or break. Its good, in that the technology is extremely simple, compared to a new car. No exotic computers or special tools or knowledge are required to work on these cars.

Keep up the normal maintenance religiously. Change the oil, grease the suspension, tune it up. Someone here said "listen to your car, it is talking to you". That's good advice. Learn what are normal sounds and what are not. Often a problem shows up first as a slight change in the sound of the car. BTW, the engine has solid valve lifters, so a little valve clicking is not only normal, it's absence may indicate that the valves are adjusted too tightly.

Parts availability is excellent. Parts are not unreasonably expensive, either. Finding someone locally who knows how to service one can sometimes be difficult. Find and join the local club. The members can usually help with any problems that do arise.

These cars are not quite as "turn-the-key-and-forget-them" as new cars are, but in return for a little more attention, you get a car that has a soul, and is not the same, run of the mill minivan-SUV-hatchback that everyone else is driving. Even kids who hadn't been born when the last MG arrived here, think my car is cool.
Paul Noble

What everyone above has said holds true and is very valuable. I use my '78' B as Paul does. I also own a 97 Toyota 4-runner and a 99 Dodge pickup neither has been driven more than two tanks of gas since March. The biggest problem I see with owning an MG is they are like potato chips, you always want more than one. There are 6 cars on my list that I want to add to my fleet now.

bob
Robert Gloyd

Going along with what Paul H. and Paul N. and the others have said. These cars are extremely faithful, once they have been properly sorted.

After owning four MGBs I don't believe the bad reputation they have been associated with. I have owned other fun convertibles (Ford, Caddy, Chevy, VW) and most of them have changed hands many, many times before I finally got ahold of them and have had to undo untold horrors that PO had done in the past to make them dependable.

Everyone wants to have a fun convertible car, but it seems noone wants to really maintain them and sell them as soon as they start to act up, or worse, they give them to Joe Shmoe corner mechanic to fix with duct tape and wire hangers.

Once got a sweet deal on a '69 Ford Galaxie Convt. $300 cause electrics had been shot (read: fixed by neighbor). Once running, the thing was unbreakable, even the A/C still worked.
Luis

"...Someone here said "listen to your car, it is talking to you..."

How true. But keep in mind it takes a while to learn the language. The first time that fuel pump starting clicking like crazy, I didn't understand the B was saying, "we need gas in here you idiot". I also didn't know that when the B said "1/4 full on the fuel gauge", she really meant "empty". Now if I can just figure out what she meant with that electrical spark that jumped the gap, when I was reconnecting the steering U-joint.....
Terrence Goodell

Arthur

I've had and used my BGT every day for 29 years - all weathers that's what we bought 'em for - to drive not look at them on a Sunday under a cover in a Garage.

Alan
alan leahy

I definitely think you can use an MG as an absolutely bombproof daily driver. But you have to think ahead.

When I look back at the various MGs I have owned, almost all of the problems I had were in some way founded on electrical problems. That being said, the most important issue for a daily car is to make sure that your electrics are capable of surviving WWIII. If you absolutely, positively have to make it to, e.g., a meeting, you don't even want to wonder whether there is a chance that the car is going to putter out. It is no fun at all to have to unexpectely fix something in the rain dressed in business attire. I would look through the archives ... many of the comments posted by people like Bob Munchausen relate directly to what you ought to do to the car. Use relays, fat wires, beautifully soldered connections, GM-style 'Weatherpack' wiring connectors, dielectric grease, ensure flawless grounds, use ample cable ties to fully relieve movement and strain in the wires, blade-style fuses, and you'll be a long way toward having a bombproof installation.

Be proactive in think about failure modes: Might this wire or that chafe on that thingamajig and fail? How can I prevent that? Have I made repairs and added stuff in a way that takes into account water entry and rust? You could go on and on ... in a daily car, probably you oughta put the Euro-style taillights on the car since the brake light area is so much bigger ... maybe you'll want to put on a 3rd brake light, etc. Also wire wheels may prove unnecessarily frustrating in a daily car. A '74 rear bumper, if you're a chromie, is a big plus. I now have a V8 conversion that, once I solved the cooling issue, is approximately as reliable and safe as most modern cars. Know that you'll never be able to make it into a Mercedes sedan, but careful preparation once -- no shortcuts, no quickie half-assed repairs whatsoever -- can yield a very, very dependable car.
Harry

Buy the best restored MGB you can afford. In other words, buying a well sorted out B is the way to go, if you intend to use it as a daily driver. I did the opposite. I've been driving a $300 B for about 5 years and the first year required an endless stream of repairs. The second year required far fewer repairs. The last three years have averaged about one or two repairs per year.
Andrew in Austin

My daily driver is a 79 B roadster that I've been driving for over three years. I was lucky to find one in good shape to start with, and have kept up the regular maintenance. Do the maintenance yourself if you have the time, even if you've never worked on cars before. Find someone to show you the ropes, get a good technical manual and have fun. There's no better way to get to know your car (unless of course you're contemplating a complete restoration!). This board is a great place to get advice and to commiserate when something eventually does go wrong.

Steve
Stephen Saulnier

I have run my 68 BGT continuously since rebuilding it (similar to a genuine restoration, but with the intent to drive daily) and it has been extremely reliable as all the others comments have indicated.

What I have been most impressed with is all the little widgets that come together to make up this car, many of which are still performing very well and with minimal wear almost 34 yrs and well over 200,000 miles since new. Lousy little things like door handles, door hinges, latches, catches, window winder mechanisms, Lucas Starter motor, on and on.

All this stuff was cleaned up, fixed if necessary, relubed and setup as per the shop manuals and good experience and still serves in good order to this day with consistent maintenance. Sure, some things will wear out and need replacement from corrosion, abuse, or unforseen circumstances, but as said before, nothing replaces awareness of your car and its idiosyncracies to help you keep on top of things and nip things in the bud.

However, probably one of the biggest factors in our success is that we drive them daily. Sound weird? Not really. Ask the owner of any Garage Queen/Trailer Queen how long his brake seals, axle shaft seals, etc last before leaking and then compare that to the general experience of most of us daily drivers. Similar problems arise from disuse of other systems in the car.

So, the long and short of it is that attempting to make a daily driver out of one of these cars depends more on us than the car's inherent quality or character. Best of luck with your search and just buy the MGB in best condition that you can afford. Cheers!
Bob Muenchausen

Ahh, the same question I asked about a month ago. Although, I bought the car then asked the question.

After nearly a month of driving my '70B roadster, nothing terrible has happened. I have replaced the throttle cable and springs and did some rewiring. I guess the biggest issue is driving this car more than I did my '99 Honda Civic.

I am not sure if I could ever go back to a modern vehicle.

Jason

PS: Thanks to Paul N. and all the others for the advice that I have received so far.
Jason Coolbaugh

Drove one of my B's for four straight hours at speeds
between 60-85 mph on I-95 south this past weekend. Lots of fun messing with Eclipses, Mustangs, etc. I've always just bought the best cars I could afford and fixed them from there. They're still the most fun for the dollar around. Even brand new cars and trucks break, nothings bullet proof. You'd be supprised how many people pull over to offer assistance if you do break down in an MG though, people just love to see them up close. Own 5 MGs at the present time. Ah yes, fall weather and top down cruising in an MG....life is grand.
Tracy

After the engine rebuild last fall on my 79 MGB, it's been flawless. In fact, what I thought would become my occasional driver has replaced my much less reliable '96 Yukon as my daily driver. I'm a big guy (6'4") and fit with reasonable comfort as well.

This car started out being a "filler" car, until I could buy something I thought I wanted more. But come this winter, it's getting a nose to tail rebuild. Not because it needs it, but because I think it deserves it. Wonderful little car, that other than in the winter months here, will continue to be my daily transport. Everyone always wonders why I have an ear to ear grin on my face when I show up at work in the morning.

The bad reputation these cars get are from owners that abused the poor things into the ground. Take care of the car, and it will take care of you.
William Zientek

If the MG is one of your first cars you will find that it can consume most of your cash and nearly all of your time (hence the charm). But if you have lived long enough to cope with clogged fuel injectors, burned out ECUs, leaking ABS systems, etc., etc., etc....you will appreciate the cars simplicity and quality of build. Currently I am waiting to dump a 1997 Chevrolet Silverado which is doubtless one of the most unreliable vehicles ever to leave a dealers lot (ever have a door handle assembly just pull free from a four year old vehicle....just snap off?). MGs are wonderful cars to be sure.

Cliff
Cliff Maddox

This thread was discussed between 28/09/2001 and 03/10/2001

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