Bottomless pit!!

Just wondering what you're thoughts are?

Are these cars just a money pit? I've spent a fortune just getting a few bits to make her look nice. My missus is worried and thinks we'll go broke! Little does she know...We already are!!

Poppy - it gets better so don't worry. The kids get used to eating bread and water pretty quick nad since most of the furniture is made of wood it burns pretty good in the fireplace.

Beats buying a new one on credit, paying for it twice, and never knowing it. Even worse than that, buying a sizable boat.

Well, it is a hobby - kinda. ...so if you compair the price of parts next to some other cars. Jag, AH, etc... these things are cheap!

and once running wwell, they'll stay that way.

Willie, most folks won't admit what they spend on these cars. It can be a LOT or just something moderate, but if you compare the normal maintenance costs of them with what amounts to maintenance to a three or five year old electronic new car the B will look like child's play. Go price a set of front discs for your normal car and then see what a set costs for a B. Figure up a valve job or an engine overhaul for both cars and see what that looks like. Sure, you are going to have to buy a speedometer for a B and probably won't have to for the Taurus, but things like that have to chalked up to the fun part of a B ownership. BTW: The speedo in the Taurus won't go bad but the $1100.00 central processor will. :-) The highly detailed cars that you see scattered about on this board can easily represent $30,000 not counting owner labor in restoration. On the other hand you can whip up a five or seven thousand dollar daily driver B that can give you loads of reliable fun if you just step back, inspect your car carefully and plan a sensible approach to fixing the things that are presently in need of attention. A B is far less costly than a comparable condition E type or Austin Healey 3000 or even a TR6. Just hang in there and ask away at your questions. We will all help in anyway possible, but be prepared for a few hits in the beginning. Keep the faith! LOL Jack

<<o buy a speedometer for a B and probably won't have to for the Taurus, but thi>>

But a B doesn't have a $900 30,000 mile service either (basically, fluids change and eyeball the brakes!)

And if interested, 90% of the normal work on a B can be handled by the typical beginner, Bentley in hand and reasonable common sense.

(where do you think dpos come from><G>)

Well put Twig! I have a 99 Deville Northstar that needed the head gaskets replaced. Had it not been under warrantee, I'd been looking at a bill for over $2,000!! What's the final cost of a B head gasket replacement?

Think our cars are silly to work on? They had to put it up on the lift, drop the front cross member, and then drop the drive train to pull the heads! So, that gave way to:

• Oil change
• Coolant change
• For some reason, complete recharge of the A/C
• 2 weeks' rental of a ’03 Seville (I liked my Deville way better)

My cost was $150. That’s what I’d have paid for the maintenance items above. This on a car that now days costs near $50,000.

So, I’d rather a GT as a daily driver, but my kid’s feet are too big to fit back there, and he’s only 6.

So, to answer your question, it’s only as much of a money pit as you let it become.

"Buying a sizable boat". LOL! Yeah. That used to be a tool one could make a living with!

"Buying a sizable boat"
every boat I've owned the 2 happiest days are the day I bought it and the day I sold it....

I spend less money/year on both my MGBs than my wife spends/year on her one horse.

I've spent about 3K in the last few months, as I'm completely gutting the car. However, when it's done, I'll have something thats fun to drive, for about 20K less than any other fun car out there. Also, you rarely see GTs at all.

In the last month, I've bought alone...

New Rims
Replacement Axle
Bearings
Interior
NOS Dash - Perfect in EVERY way

Now, I could have gone out and just bought a new Miata, or a Mustang, but with this, I can say, good or bad, I built it myself. Not too many people can even change their own oil anymore, and I welded in my own floorpans! Plus, it's great to see the look of curiosity/envy on people's faces in the office when you tell then about your weekend repairs.

Jim in Allen.

Bought my B in 1981 for about $6500 as I recall. It had 7800 miles at the time. Since then, I've probably shelled out, I'd guess, another $3-5K on the car not including gas and oil. I don't think that's bad at all for a car now having 90K miles, that I've driven for 26 years! Of course I have done all the work on it except paint and upholstery.

It isn't about the money. It's about what you get from the hobby. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on your hobby, don't get into old cars! They may suck the wallet dry from time to time but it's still better than spending your hard earned cash on topless bars and alcohol.

Steve hit the nail on the head. This car project is so over budget that I don't keep track anymore, but evenings, weekends, and summer vacations for the past three years I have loved every minute I spend under, inside, around, and on top of it. I just hope I enjoy driving it as much as I have working on it.

Lonnie

Willie, all I can say is the first few MG,s I had in High School and College and even a few years after all I did was drive the living heck out of them with minimal expense except oil changes and the best used tires I could come up with. You do have to learn how to keep them half way in tune, so they will keep limping, but that doesnt cost much. My overall experience is they rarely will completly brake down on you, they'll limp around till you can get the little bit of money and time to spend getting them back in better shape to keep on truckin. Im not saying that they are bullet proof but they sure will keep on chuggin.

I remember reading an interesting post here from a member who did a comparison over the course of a few years of what he spent on his Jeep Cherokee and his B and what they worth at the end of the periods. Numbers talked..!!
I cannot find the post though..
Ahmed

Frankly I vote for topless bars and alcohol. :)

OK, well as someone is coming to the end of a unexpected restoration I can say the sticker shock is unsettling. HOWEVER, there's no reason to go to the extent of several cars on this board. I only did it because the car's been a friend most of my life and there's nothing I could buy new that would be as fun. I really, really considered selling the car and buying a new Mini instead. I drove a Mini and didn't get a vibe this was the car to have. 80% through the resto I drove a Mini S and same thing.

Did I NEED to do all I'm doing? Nah. Even with the engine losing its lifters and the cam flattening I probably could have driven it another 20K miles. Or I could have just done the engine. You'll find there's many things you can do just to keep it running and run it will. You don't have to break the bank to keep it running and frankly I hate MG's that are treated like jewels. These cars meant to be driven. In fact, as mention here the worst thing is not driving them. I talked with Steve and others about this. We all appreciate a driver more than a 100 point car. That just means the owner has deep pockets and not necessarily a love of motoring.

I've posted about new car parts prices. I'm sure you own a modern car or two. Simply call any mechanic or the dealer and ask if you can have a brand new front and rear suspension for $2K. When they stop laughing you'll get my point. Anything on our Jeep is hundred to thousands of dollars. Change brake shoes on the MG? If you do it yourself its a hour job. Price? About $30. Change it on the Jeep? $250-400 depending. A module went out recently on the Anti lock. Price? $1K plus labor.

You really have to drive the car with your wife and think "Do I like this old car? Does it provide an intangible experience that my others cars don't? Or is it just an old car that is too primitive." You'll see here these cars become part of the family for whatever inexplicable reason. The final decision is up to you.

The best advice I got from a friend (who also own's an MGB) is that it is a hobby. and if the wife thinks you are spending too much money, remind her you could take up serious Golf. Appx. $10,000.00 per year and gone from home.
The MG hobby appx $3,000.00 and we can be found in the garage. Hey can we start useing that " look at how much I saved you line"? I will let that one rest for now.

Ken,

Maybe not the "how much we saved" line, but the "you know where I'll be" one works well!

HAH! I have used the "strippers and beer line many times before :)

I do not spend all the money on the car though, I make sure I save money for strippers and beer , ya gotta have balance in your life :)

I quit racing for awhile in the 90s and bought a boat, after owning the boat a few years, I decided racing was cheaper and sold the boat and went back racing :)

About 5 year ago, we bought a cheap boat new. 18' center console outboard. Cost about a grand a foot. Used it for 2 years and now it sits next to the garage.
The MG's are the best use of hobby money ever!

I have a daily driver that I did not cost much (but I payed too much for). I keep it running well with very little money. Maybe a few hundred bucks this year at most. A few years ago I had an Audi A4. Very nice car but I could have bought a B, or two, in what I spent on maintenance for the Audi. The B is a lot more fun.

I never try to think of any of my the "B"'s as an investment. After a certian point, the resale value may not equal the sum total of the Moss and Vic Brit invoices. If you think MG's and boats are expensive, I have a terrible time justifying an airplane at the end of the year. At least I can work on the MG's (legally), outside of oil changes an a few other owner allowed maint., the Cessna goes to an A & P mechanic for annual inspections, electrical gremlins and anything else that goes wrong with a 30 year old aircraft. Had several $ 100 hamburgers of the years.

Some time ago I stopped keeping track of how much money I've spent on the car. I discovered no matter what the total was, it didn't stop me from spending more. Did I absolutely need to do everything to the car that I have done so far? Nope. Am I happy I did it? Yep.

I think it was the article about "how much is a race car worth" in the most recent Classic MotorSports magazine that said something to the effect, "it's not about how much money you've put into the car. Does it make you smile when you work on it? Does it make you smile when you look at it? Does it make you smile when you drive it?" Affirmative to all three!!

I hear you Doug! New dash going in my 172 right now. Estimate was $3000 dollars just for labor.

I dropped somewhere between 6 to 7 grand last summer over 2 months on my B about to drop another grand this week. But in 2 weeks I should have a New car that looks fantastic is very sporty and cost less than 8 grand that's cheap to fix and should last another 30 years.

"I finished my racing career with a small fortune.......unfortunately, I started it with a large one." I love that quote, I just wish I knew who said it.

Seriously though, Steve was exactly right. Some people spend a bit of money here, and a bit there on thing that just go down the drain.....alcohol, cigarettes, etc, and never give it a second thought.

At the end of the day, with one of these cars, you can always sell it and get a good portion of your money back. The cost to run one is so much less that a new car because besides the monthly payment, you're not dealing with depreciation. Most people don't even factor that into the running costs of their late model cars, but it is huge!!

My motor just recently threw a bearing and I'm looking at some repairs... The monies spent justifies the end result of a good drive in a classic that brings admiration and stories wherever you go. The camaraderie and advice amongst fellow MG'ers on this forum is also a great perk It helps keep the costs down and intrinsic value high. (Oh by the way - I just located a rebuilt 1500 motor in a parts car that is for sale at $1500.00 {good number eh?}) Things are shaping up. I also am wrangling a deal on a tired GT... hope to get it for (get this) $1500.00 Later...

I have never added up what I've spent or put in the car - doesn't matter much, after all. But I did get sticker shock thinking about buying an old 911 - compared parts prices with things I've done to the B.

MGB rear brake cylinders: $20
Porsche 911 rear brake caliper: $280

Yes, the part comparision is not quite fair (drums vs disk, etc) but that starting point stopped me pretty cold.

Much rather keep playing in MGs. There is a guy down the street who picked up a 74 B at auction - only drives it on nice saturdays. Don't get it.

By comparision, I absolutely hate working on our 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee - can't get to anything, what you can reach you can't really work, etc. The damn dizzy is mounted behind the heads, between the engine and firewall. And you thought Brit engineers were insane.....

Of course, I have an opposite problem with boats - I build my own, so when the MG is running fine, I can go work on the boat, and vice versa. Developmental class sailboats can be fun.

I cant even find the air filter on my wifes 2002 passat vw to change it, never mind the $25 to buy one. Dennis70