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MG MGF Technical - Top Five reasons to own the F !
| I have just printed 17 pages of Top Five Faults with the F ...... As I am a future buyer (should i be saying -God help me!???) i need your input to counter-balance these 17 pages. Thank you for your contributions. My suggestions: 1) Looks 2) Handling (experience during test drive MkI) 3) Thriving after market 4) MG badge 5) Easy to maintain (i start to change my mind) Is what i read really so bad ? Regards, L.Andersson |
| Lucy |
| 1. Handling (when it's setup correctly!) 2. Great styling 3. Practicality & fun in a nice package 4. Marque friendships 3. MG badge |
| Dot |
| OOps, thank you for pointing out I can't count Hugo! |
| Dot |
| 1) If you sell it you should be able to afford a real MG 2) The front looks nice 3) Pulling power 4) MG badge 5) Lots of mad people in "classic" MGs wave at you. Sorry I know nothing, I own an MGB. All I would say is don't let the negatives put you off. The majority of F drivers enjoy trouble free motoring. The nature of this site means that problems automatically become a focal point for discussion. |
| Hugo |
| This is a very positive thread for this board!!! 1. Just great handling 2. Just great performance 3. Just great looks 4. Just great MG camaraderie 5. Just great reliability 6. Just great service The serious bit is that the car is designed to deliver fun - it does therefore sacrifice some ease of maintainability and it is absolutely essential that you have a good dealer who is capable and committed to looking after Fs. A common problem in Euope is that the Rover dealers appear not to have this skill or interest. First step therefore is to ensure any dealer will deliver this and the only way to find out is to ask other customers! Good luck Patrick |
| Patrick |
| Now the aim is to the honor of MGF? OK! Another five easy answers to an easy question: 1/,The look has a tiny defect, my own roll hoops enhanced my PRO/E skills. So I like MGF! 2/,The hood has a minute defect, the leaking made me know how the rain drips. So I like MGF! 3/,The hydragas reliability has a defect, the tyre wear made me know how and what the tyre alignment for. So I like MGF! 4/,The build quality has many defects, the bad doors did make me know how good the German cars are. So I like MGF. 5/,The rover mechanical training is insufficient, the workshop manual made me know more about car care. So I like MGF. You will know how I a Taiwanese love my MGF. If you visit my site, http://netcity.hinet.net/donliang I should said the MGF is a real car designed for an engineer!...;-)) Welcome to MGF party!!! |
| Don Liang |
| It's that kind of love/hate relationship you may sometimes have with a loved one. When something goes wrong I jump up and down a bit, but how could I stay angry with my MGF for long. I have had to get off my backside and remember how a car works, so I could say that was good (spoken in a very convincing voice... NOT!). Many of the problems are dealer and/or build quality related. A good F is good and a bad F is bad. Some, like mine, are somewhere in between. Good or bad, they are fun, pretty, comfortable, economical, have great handling and are reasonably fast. Not as reliable as most cars from Japan or as strong as a BMW or Merc, but not many cars are. |
| Tony Smith |
| One reads this board and wonders why I bought an MGF - then you go out for a blast up the road out into the country, throw the hood back as soon as the rain stops, along the motorway to clear London and then onto the back roads and lanes of Essex where the handling comes into its own. Now that the leaves are off the trees and hedges you can see if it is clear to give it a bit of 'welly' and get the back end to come out a bit - pure exhilaration - use the gear box the way it should be used - keeping the revs up, wind the car through the bends using the accelerator to power you round, the induction roar through the K&N, the wind ruffling your hair (or scalp in my case). I could go on for ever, so just how many reasons do you need to buy an *F* and if the above doesn't feature in your list of desires - then buy your nice little Fiesta or such. Ted & The Green Squirrel Both still grinning. |
| Ted Newman |
| Can't resist adding to a positive thread like this. 1. Owners clubs, gatherings, friendships, this BBS, etc 2. lots of aftermarket goodies 3. handling 4. looks 5. British design (breaks into Land of Hope & Glory...) Brian |
| Brian |
| 1. The body looks good from all angles. 2. Ability to drive over speed bumps without loosening the fillings in my teeth. 3. Excellent heater for travelling top down in cold weather. 4. Good-sized boot for a roadster. 5. Friendliness of other MG owners. |
| Chris |
1) Looks good 2) Its fairly quick 3) This BBS, Club MGF, The F Register 4) Aftermarket accessories 5) Its fairly cheap to buy and service. Paul P9 VLS Still grinning after a great weekend in the Lake District with 22 other MGF's - the weather was superb yesterday. |
| Paul |
| Well, i'm gonna eat my words (see top 5 faults thread) & post on this one. 1, Styling - i love it 2, Handling, only car i ever drove that i thought could better it was an Elise (& not by much after i finished tweaking with my suspension!) 3, Driving position - contrary to popular belief i like it!! (try driving a Sierra for a while - eeeuugghh!) 4, The grin it produces on my face ALL THE TIME! 5, MG friends i have made 6, Extremely clever packaging (hood folds on top of the engine bay - cool!) 7, Mid engined 8, Rear wheel drive (like it should be!) 9, Interior space (more than nearest competitors, trust me, i'm 6'2", 18½ stone & don't fit into the others easily!) 10, Extremely clever hood design, one handed operation from drivers seat. 11, Represents a "blank slate" for the budding modifier 12, Range of aftermarket accessories 13, Enthusiasm of owners 14, It's an MG! 15, It's the last truly British sports car from the Rover stable 16, This BBS 17, Cream dials - I love 'em 18, Events like Silverstone 19, People like Mike Satur 20, The MG Clubs 21, It's a piece of motoring history 22, Easy to maintain (IMO) 23, Cheap to run 24, Still turns heads (especially abroad) 25, Individuality I could go on about this all night, but suffice it to say that i think it is the best car on the road - bar none! (is that a sweeping statement or what!) It has poise, balance, character, spirit, heritage, is British (is that a plus?), isn't made of plastic, isn't Japanese (again, is that a plus?), is beautiful from all angles, is equally as good top up, down or hard top insitu, is (relitively) inexpensive, gracefull & while it could not be called fast by todays standards it is pretty quick. Now how many other cars can you name that fit that bill eh? Made your mind up yet? How about this for a clincher then? I DRIVE ONE!!!!!! ;-) Regards Andrew Phillips N926 FEV (Scarlet Fever) |
| Scarlet Fever |
| Continuous pleasure... Rog (Saves repeating what Scarlet and others have said) |
| Roger Parker |
| Scarlet has said it all. F's should be avaialable on the NHS. Blow those blues away within a minute. John T69 ABW |
| JFK |
| My F is: -great to drive, fast or slow -very pretty to look at -fun to be in, I like the view up to the sky and the mountains and the smell of pine trees, lavender fields (a bad diesel in front...) -the only roadster designed as such, not on the basis of a modified normal car -affordable It has a very good heating system, top open it's wonderful, top up it's cosy, and so on and so on. Peter and volcano 1.8i |
| Peter |
| Hi, I needed to wait with my message until enough stuff for copy&pasts is here <grin> following Don' s idea : 1. The MG image has got a tiny defect, this BBS can enlighten some 'wooden heads'. So I like MGF! 2. The hundreds of friends I met in my one years ownership was great. I found must of them as friendly as I am. So I like MGF! 3. The hydragas reliability is not that great as Sir Moulton planned, but really interesting principals which could not be found each day. So I like MGF! 4. The build quality has often defects, but it shows that each mankind can fail. So I like MGF. 5.The rover quality policy is(was?) poor, the workshop manual and lots of 'other stuff' including contacts to other engineers and mechanics with great experiance made me know now nearly everything about my car. (without the K-Engine, because I recently had no HGF) So I like MGF. If you want to know how an old German loves the MGF, visit my site, http://mgf.tech.here.de I should say too the MGF is a real car designed not only for engineers!...;-)) |
| Dieter |
| My top 5 reasons for owning an F 1) Fun in the summer 2) Fun in the winter 3) Fun in the mountains 4) Fun in the snow with the roof down 5) Fun on the country roads 6) Fun around town 7) Handles well 8) Looks fantastic - for some pictures see http://www.ultimatetechnologies.com 9) Reliability - people say that they're unreliable, but I've not had any major problems. 10) Other MG and MGF owners 11) Fast enough 12) Stands out in the crowd 13) Attracts attention where ever you go - just leave the car with the top down somewhere busy, and you always get people standing around looking inside. 14) I've got one Love it to bits, and never want to get rid of it. |
| Stefan Gibney |
| Top five reasons for owning an F: 1. Pick up chicks 2. Look suave, sophisticated and sexy (me, not the car) 3. Looks good, especially the mulberry red 75th Anniversary LE 4. Goes well 5. It has an MG badge. Cheers, |
| Phil |
| Ok, I overviewed the big pluses what makes owners of an F so enthusiast. Well, since I drove an F for about 3.5 years (my bro's Mpi and my own VVC), I'll comment your comments ;-) * looks & styling exterior: indeed, I still have to meet the first person who didn't say it's such a beautiful styled car. The most lovely roadster of all, makes all other cabrio's look silly (except some £50,000+ cars, like Porsche 996 cabrio, 355 cabrio) interior: styling is a major downer. Cheap Rennault Twingo alike plastic forces owners to buy interior kits like carbon or wood, with Momo stick if possible. Then it becomes a lot better, but costs about £350 extra. * great to drive, fast or slow/performance euh, I agree, great response, makes most cars feel so boring, even the faster ones. Even a ride with 996 or VR6 doesn't impress me at all. Need to test drive a RUF, GT3, F355/360 or M5 to change my mind I guess ;-) * handling yes and no. Yes for most situations, no if you get into a spin, then you're basically lost and all you can do is sit tight and wait for the imminent 'expensive sounds' * MG badge ok, I prefer to drive around in an MG badged car than an Asian badged one, but after all I've been through I'll stay away for the rest of my life of MG badged cars. * easy to maintain not really. Basic stuff like checking sparking plugs is impossible. * practicality 2 seater cars are never that practical * Marque friendships true, rather astonishing to see enthusiasm at meetings with so many MGFs. But other meetings exist aswell (Fiat, Ford, Ferrari, Porsche, etc). But since MGF is rather cheap car crowds are bigger, plus the MG history is another big factor. * reliability sorry, this is pure bullsh*t. The most unreliable car I ever heard of/experience. Perhaps it gets beaten by Trabant & Maserati, but for me MGFs are too unreliable for a late nineties car, final stop. That's the main reason why about 4 potential F buyers who talked with me stayed away from it. Saw recently a comic list of what abbreviations of carbrands stand for, and Rover & MGF had very very negative ones, all joking about reliability. So others must know something of it aswell. * service my dealer in Luxembourg is great (but a tad slow), but some Belgian dealers are incompetent gangsters, Rover Belgium HQ are a bunch of moronic dumbf**ks, which need to be replaced asap. * british design I don't care where the design comes from, even if McGovern was a Peruvian or Russian dude I'd still like it * suspension idea good, in reality causes more headaches than normal spring suspension. Downer again * excellent heater needed! Thanks to mid engine placement, which is prob cause of famous HGF, coolant warms up much quicker. * good-sized boot for a roadster indeed, most are surprised to see how much I can stuff into it * BBS, Club MGF, The F Register this BBS is prob what I'll miss most * fairly cheap to buy and service fairly cheap to buy: OK fairly cheap to service: NO! Paid already over 30% of original value for mechanical repairs, nothing to do with accidents * fun to be in, I like the view up to the sky and the smell ...like every cabrio... * the only roadster designed as such, not on the basis of a modified normal car Well, not entirely true. MGF is full of old Rover pieces & junk. Now we see the result of this newly designed car. Tracking, suspension, cross member bar, etc... * Stands out in the crowd true, I'm tired Driving position * Extremely clever packaging I don't follow on this one? 'packaging'? 'clever'? Sure there isn't an SLK or M3 driver commenting here? MGF doesn't even have multi-interval wiper, always a clever-car-reference for me ;-) Drive a German mid-class car, then you'll know what 'clever packaging' stands for * Mid engined not very common indeed, but think of the sideeffects of this. Impossible to do alot DIY maintenance, impossible for AA to work on engine problems, and did anyone say HGF here? :- * Rear wheel drive good for sporty feelings, nightmare on snow/ice * Interior space bah, not much smaller/bigger than the other ones I sat in * Extremely clever hood design, one handed operation from drivers seat. compared with Barchetta, I agree 100%, but electrical would have been much better, esp. for the price. * Range of aftermarket accessories never drove a Golf/MX5/BMW/Porsche/Ford/Opel-Vauxhall ?????? Makes MGF aftermarket look like a shrimp! * Enthusiasm of owners initially yes, now it's completely evaporated, and I know some other who are in the same case * It's the last truly British sports car from the Rover stable and hopefully it stays that way! * Cream dials yes yes, lovely, now totally screwed up (Golf alike silver) by the MK2 * It's a piece of motoring history I'll remember it, that's for sure, on occasions where it's embarrassing to laugh but I can't stop laughing, I'll think of my MGF, and I'm sure I'll stop laughing at once * Individuality erm...? * Pick up chicks yep, they won't admit it, but are always impatient to hop in... esp. when you keep humble (read: don't talk about having one), the effect is much bigger then when you stuff your F almost up their throat ;-) So overall not a bad car, but some vital points are real buggers, well at least for me Dirk selling his F very soon |
| Dirk Vael |
| >Rover Belgium HQ are a bunch of moronic dumbf**ks I'm sure they are geniuses compared to my local dealer. |
| Dot |
| Phil, >2. Look suave, sophisticated and sexy (me, not the car) A typo, right? ;) >3. Looks good, especially the mulberry red 75th Anniversary LE Go one admit it, you have a mulberry 7th LE don't you? :) |
| Paul Lathwell |
| After reading this thread and the one called "Top 5 faults..." i wonder if i made the right choice buying my MGF.... |
| DEMANY Eric |
| Eric All I can say is - you will find out! If you are looking for loads of fun then YES you have. I fyou are looking for a 'drive it and forget it' transport then perhaps you haven't. Ted |
| Ted Newman |
| I'm looking for a lot of fun and a lot of sensations but what's the point of having a car really which is really fun and spend half of his life not running because it has mechanical problems.... I will see in January |
| DEMANY Eric |
| Eric Lets put things in perspective. Yes the MGF has had problems, many of which it should not have had. But I have owned my MGF for 44 months and the car has been back to the garage twice only in that time (apart from service) and on both occasions the problems were sorted quickly and without hassle. I also know many other *F* owners who will report the same. By all means read this board and take note but remember that there are more than 50,000 *F*s on the road and on the whole it is only the disappointed owners that seem to make a noise. You can be unlucky and get a rogue car and that applies to all makes, a friend of mine is at the present in the process of sueing a certain german luxury car maker (not BMW) over the problems he has had with his nine month old 'panzer'. But as you say - time will tell. Ted |
| Ted Newman |
| Car can run well under owner's good care, not from a good maker! And the MGF did win my care. That is my top reason to own MGF. Don's MGF, http://netcity.hinet.net/donliang |
| Don Liang |
| Well, mine spent already 3,5 months (14 WEEKS) at the dealership for 1999 only! (head gasket failure, solenoids malfunctioning, twice sparking plugs failures, blocked gearbox, VVC detonated) And we're only mid November... so I assume I must be an exception :- Oh well, good luck, that's all I can say! |
| Dirk Vael |
| Eric I second what Ted says - there are lots of us Fers that love the car, and have had nothing but fun and worry free motoring. Enjoy the car when you get it - Just think, it's only 50ish days away. Stefan |
| Stefan Gibney |
| To pick up on a few points raised by Dirk (& clarify any miss-understandings) in a light hearted manner... * practicality 2 seater cars are never that practical >> really?, have a go in an Elise, then tell me that the F isn't practical, i have covered 62K miles in Scarlet & have never had a problem with practicality << * excellent heater needed! Thanks to mid engine placement, which is prob cause of famous HGF, coolant warms up much quicker. >> Face & Feet option would be nice << * fairly cheap to buy and service fairly cheap to buy: OK fairly cheap to service: NO! Paid already over 30% of original value for mechanical repairs, nothing to do with accidents >> The only expenses i have had with Scarlet were to do with the modifications i have had carried out. Therefore, for me, the F is fairly cheap to service. << * the only roadster designed as such, not on the basis of a modified normal car Well, not entirely true. MGF is full of old Rover pieces & junk. Now we see the result of this newly designed car. Tracking, suspension, cross member bar, etc... >> Hmmm, depends on your point of view this one, true, it does rely extensively on the Rover parts bin, however, it has a one-off floor pan/body, the same cannot be said for the majority of the competition. << * Extremely clever packaging I don't follow on this one? 'packaging'? 'clever'? Sure there isn't an SLK or M3 driver commenting here? MGF doesn't even have multi-interval wiper, always a clever-car-reference for me ;-) Drive a German mid-class car, then you'll know what 'clever packaging' stands for >> Clever packaging referred to the overall design of the car, NOT the equipment levels. To explain further, i feel that given the overall size & the mid-engined configuration, the way the essential components (like mid engine, hood, boot space, interior space) are put together is very clever. << * Mid engined not very common indeed, but think of the sideeffects of this. Impossible to do alot DIY maintenance, impossible for AA to work on engine problems, and did anyone say HGF here? :- >> Hmmm, so you think the HGF failure was primarily due to the mid engine location? & there was i thinking that it was due to a crappy HG design!, also, i carry out the vast majority of maintenance jobs myself with no particular difficulties other than the time it takes to remove the access panel (around 15 mins) << * Extremely clever hood design, one handed operation from drivers seat. compared with Barchetta, I agree 100%, but electrical would have been much better, esp. for the price. >> True, but then you need to spend around 33% more to get a sports car with a power hood as standard. << * Range of aftermarket accessories never drove a Golf/MX5/BMW/Porsche/Ford/Opel-Vauxhall ?????? Makes MGF aftermarket look like a shrimp! >> Never drove a Rover 200/Rover 400/Maestro/Montego/Elise/Freelander/Jaguar/Bentley/Rolls Royce??????? Makes the MGF aftermarket look like a blue whale! - besides, a large part of the aftermarket components available for Ford/Opel-Vauxhall will fit any mid-range vehicle, approx 85% of F components are F specific. << ;-) SF |
| SF |
This thread was discussed between 05/11/1999 and 17/11/1999
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