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Oct 12, 2012 19:10:02 GMT
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Yeah before the "hairdresser, girly car" comments commence, can anyone share any knowledge on these fine beasts ?? Obviously a few years ago, MX5's were viewed as hairdresser motors until the likes of Bruce and company got hold of them and i have a feeling the MGF could be equally as good given the treatment. I know that they struggle with head gaskets (apparently) but what else? They are as cheap as MX5's now and nows the time to buy a convertible so who's got one, who's had one and show us your pictures!! JJ
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Oct 12, 2012 19:19:55 GMT
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generally as a car they are fine, its the engine thats the problem, and as its in the back, its a to work on!
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cars: orion 1600 i ghia mk2 orion 2.2 vtec ghia mk1
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Oct 12, 2012 20:57:29 GMT
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I don't know about MGFs but the whole K-series hgf thing has, in the most, been solved. In the 200/25/ZR the major cause is cr*p design of the coolant system that takes a £5 mod to solve forever! I believe in the Fs the steel pipes from the engine bay to the rad at the front can be a weak point. If it hasn't already, the first mod I'd make would be fitting a coolant level warning light...and then don't ignore it!!
Btw the wheels are something like 92.5x4 so not exactly plentiful.
In terms of handling, the TF has (I think) conventional springs/dampers while the older ones have hydrogas ala Metro/Rover 100. The 'ghetto' lowering is just to reduce hydro pressure which completely sh*gs the handling. The 'proper' way is to remove the 'knuckles' (actually the push rods) from the hydro spheres and cut some off. Even then there are limits before you hit problems with halfshafts and the like.
I've got a load of MGF links stashed somewhere from when I had the Metro rally car. I can dig them out if you'd like them?
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RobinJI
Posted a lot
"Driven by the irony that only being shackled to the road could ever I be free"
Posts: 2,995
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Oct 12, 2012 21:32:54 GMT
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I think one issue with them for 'The treatment' is that they're pretty curse word in terms of ground clearance, they start bottoming out and being impossible to drive long before they actually look all that low. If you're happy with an aggressive/purposeful stance rather than slammed then there's no problem though. As Dorset_Clive says, you can trim down a linkage in the suspension to drop hygrogas models, while later ones (I thiiiiink some late 'F's had coil springs as well as the 'TF's) are conventional coilovers, so easy to replace with something shortened.
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fogey
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,615
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Oct 12, 2012 21:52:08 GMT
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The MGF summed up in 3 words:
Don't
Buy
One
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Ray Singh
Posted a lot
More German exotica in my garage now
Posts: 1,985
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Oct 12, 2012 22:11:27 GMT
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My father in law bought one brand new. cost circa £18k. Its been through head gasket after head gasket and is a real dog of a car.
He is sick of it and its worth less than £1k now.
He has lost £17k in 12 years.
Leave well alone.
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Oct 12, 2012 22:28:22 GMT
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So many people have a downer on the K series that it's not true. Yes, they can kill HGs. So what? So can any car if not built right or mistreated. In fact, I'd probably bank on doing one if I were to buy an MGF ('specially if it's never been done before).
But you know what? Do it right, look after it, and it'll never need doing again. LR multi-layer gasket, maybe the new bearing ladder, a nice flat cylinder head, new OE stretch bolts, steel dowels and the right liner protrusion will make the engine a LOT more robust than stock. Move the thermostat to the top hose instead of the bottom hose and it'll reduce the thermal shocks that kill the HG as stock. On an MGF it would be worth replacing the front-rear coolant pipes as they are mild steel and will rust and leak. Finally, check the coolant religiously - there's not much of it so any leak can be catastrophic - replace the antifreeze every year as specified by the owner's manual, and it'll be fine for decades. I'm driving a K-series engined car at the moment and I'm not living in fear of it going pop at any moment - I just check the coolant frequently and drive very gently until it's up to temperature.
The K series is categorically not a bad engine, just too advanced to be understood by most of the people that worked on it and even some of the designers at Rover - whoever put the 1.8 in the Freelander and the MGF with the standard thermostat location didn't fully consider the consequences. The fact that it's so well engineered to save weight and materials means that it doesn't have the safety margins of some engines - but keep it within those margins and it'll be fine.
Compare with the Imp engine: a wonderfully light, potent little engine that was simply not understood by the mechanics of the time - coming to a compact all-alloy OHC unit would be quite a culture shock after years of pushrod cast-iron lumps - and as a result it gained a reputation for being fragile when in fact it's robust and loves to be thrashed as long as it's looked after. It's been said that giving the Imp engine to the mechanics of the day was like giving a thoroughbred race horse to someone used to looking after a Shetland pony - and I think the same can be said of the K series.
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Oct 12, 2012 22:49:03 GMT
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Last Edit: Oct 12, 2012 22:51:07 GMT by cpj105e
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,784
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Tell me about MGF'sDez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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Oct 12, 2012 23:30:49 GMT
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they're 'alright'. nothing more, nothing less.
they don't look all that, don't handle all that as stock, arent screwed together massively well cos they were built by a company in crisis. interiors are pretty horrendous too in my eyes.
but as james says arent as massively unreliable as everyone makes out. you can pretty much garantee every one out there by now will have done a headgasket, mostly due to lack of proper maintainance (they seem to be favoured by very thick women who don't understand preventative maintainence and just drive em into the ground), and a lot if not all will have been fixed properly by someone who understands them- otherwise theyll just keep doing gaskets and end up getting scrapped.
the simple reason they're not as popular as mx5s though, is they're simpy not as good a car. an mx5 has less 'foibles', better parts backup, easier to modify cheaply, drives better, is better built, and looks better too.
a local guy i know has an mgf and raves about it, describing it as a 'poor mans elise', until i pointed out to him for the 7 grand hes got in his on the car and mods hes bought, he could have just have bought an elise..........
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,928
Club RR Member Number: 174
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Tell me about MGF'sstealthstylz
@stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member 174
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Oct 12, 2012 23:36:47 GMT
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I like em, they're a lot better than 2 Metros welded together should be.
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Oct 12, 2012 23:53:04 GMT
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Mx5s were " hair dressers cars" until they became cheap enough to abuse and when the word spread how unbelievably fun they were when driven like terrorists they became cool. They're built so well they can be driven hard and still be super reliable, my mate has one with nitrous as a daily and has been literally abusing the life out of it and yet it always starts instantly with no smoke and takes it time and time again. Then the mgf is normally driven gently by people with driving gloves on Sundays and yet they nearly all suffer head gaskets etc. underneath they are basically a backwards metro in an mg suit. Sorry to offend an mg fans but I just don't see why anyone would have one when you could have an mx5 instead.
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Retro VW Service, Restoration and Kustom Bodyworks
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sumpcracker
Posted a lot
Yes, I’m still here.
Posts: 1,751
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Oct 12, 2012 23:57:02 GMT
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I like em, they're a lot better than 2 Metros welded together should be. Fantastic. I just don't see why anyone would have one when you could have an mx5 instead. And that.
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,928
Club RR Member Number: 174
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Tell me about MGF'sstealthstylz
@stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member 174
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Look they even left the outer drive flange in the hub to prove it
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stefan
Posted a lot
If it isn't broken fix it till it is
Posts: 1,598
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MG/Rover cars = biggest pile of curse word I can think of, like the look and general design and had 5 in total trying to find a good one all low mileage and all maintained at specialists (three diffrent specialists) one was ok but was writen off when someone smashed into it the rest were total pants
Rover going under could not have happen to a more deserving company, turn out rubbish you deserve to go under
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POWER IS EVERYTHING WITHOUT CONTROL
1985 Honda jazz 1997 Saab 93 convertible 2010 transit 280
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My wife has a 02 plate TF. its a really good car and is great fun to drive! if you are looking at one i would focus your efforts on the 160 VVC model. as the name states its got 160bhp there or there abouts depending on the engine of course, it also comes with 4 pot AP racing calipers on the front on 304mm disks which are great!
I think most ppl have commented on the water issues, ours has had the hg replaced as a matter of corse. In addition be aware that they have a concentric clutch which can cause issues if not used regularly! the shaft into the box is not stainless and as a result it can jam / sieze up! our did blowing the clutch slave cylinder. solution replace slave lots of wd40 to free it up and then lots of grese afterwards. works a treat! also note that the 160 has two cam belts, the first is the standard crank to cams set up the other is on the other side of the head and is connected to the 2 cam shafts only! if your not mechanically minded, or cant be bothered then expect a bill from the garage for this alone around the £275 mark!
Bottom line is they do have a bad rep, but one in good condition and well looked after is loads of fun to drive and very cheep atm,. the price has dropped through the floor in these over the past 3 years! Buy it have some fun and sell if it becomes a dog!!
Hope thats been of some help! happy roof down motoring.....maybe :-)
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A mate of mine had a TF when they were new (about 8-9 years ago) and it wasn't too bad... It never went wrong while he had it but it didn't age well with the badges and trim looking like they were from a 30 year old motor...!!! I think that for what they are they're pretty good... They handle well, are pretty quick and don't look half bad! It's a shame MG never snuck a V6 under the hood or made the coupe version that was planned...
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***GARAGE CURRENTLY EMPTY***
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niwid
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,744
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I've been thinking similar thoughts about them lol. my mate just bought a rover 200 brm, and I was thinking how good a brm style mgf would look (quilted red leather seats, british racing green and an orange grill surround)
MG Rovers are marmite cars. Many people love them and wouldnt have anything else. other people think they are the worst piles of curse word to ever be described as cars.
If its small, light, mid engined fun your looking for there is only this and the toyota mr2.
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craig1010cc
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,998
Club RR Member Number: 35
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@craig1010cc
Club Retro Rides Member 35
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The other thing to keep in mind is that they rot as well, floors mainly. I also found you tend to sit on a MGF, were as you sit in a MX5 (if that makes any sense) A BRM'd MGF would be good Also keep in mind that they have a silly PCD if your after 2nd hand rims (although a redrill too 4x100 is easy enough)
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Hmmm, pretty divided but as mentioned i guess you love em or hate em.
Right, off to look at MR2's then.........
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marcmoss
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 122
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Oct 13, 2012 14:06:22 GMT
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My lodger bought one and it is terrible but reliable lol... Rusting out just about everywhere terrible electrical faults all over the car, slow as well and it handles terribly... And he is actually a hairdresser
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