modern v. vintage

looking at getting a mg or tr 6 as a daily driver/fun car. How practical is an older lbc as a daily driver. It won't be the only car but it would get used as much as possible/practical, no rain if possible but it may get caught out in it from time to time. there would be a lot of stop and go city driving too. Gotta be able to get down the highway at 75 mph for a good stretch. recreational runs would be mostly back roads and state roads. Car would be off the road from november to april. The other alternative would be a miata or older bmw z series. Personally i would never get a miata, although i'm sure they are great cars. and while i'm a porsche guy at heart ... I think a bmw z would be easier on the wallet. The late 90's ones seem pretty reasonably priced. the beemer would surely be more practical but i'm thinking the driving experience in the lbc would be more visceral. Just wonder if it might be too visceral or maybe a pipe dream. essentially I spend enough time in a car that i'm trying to find a car that could turn that "down" time into some "up" time. don't need a 150 mph screamer, looking for something that will put a smile on your face at legal speeds and still make it down the highway. Like the cadillac commercial says ... when you turn your car on does it return the favor?

Sounds like an MG is what you're looking for. Triumph is more a british version
of the muscle car. They can be reliable, as long as you get one that is up
to snuff, or bring it up yourself. Attend to all maintenance and you won't
have a problem.

Many of us here drive MG's as their daily driver. I did for quite a while. I intend
to do so again next summer when my restoration is finished.

Think again about putting the B away during the winter. Driving top down
with the heater blasting through fresh snow is fantastic. Maybe not fun every day,
but it's nice as a treat.

Mine are daily drivers and have been for decades. If you keep up the maintenance they are built like tanks :)

I run mine in southern Maine as daily drivers. The GT runs as my 12 month daily car. Once sorted out they are about as reliable as any new car. They are not as much fun when you are trying to make it across Manchester on a hot day but when you clear the traffic, it is still an MG.
I would not hesitate to get a used Miata for an optional daily driver with AC. It is a cheap, reliable jap car at heart. The Porsche/BMW is going to hammer you in repair costs but you probably know that. The Miata and the MG is going to save you mucho $$ in repairs.

Get a well sorted out MG and drive anywhere you want.

Where in NH?

I would only add that if you want to cruise the highway at 75mph for any length of time, look for one with overdrive or a 5-speed conversion. Not that the 4-speed will not do it, but for your own sanity, the O/D is worth it!

Before the clutch died I wasa driving mine 50 miles each way 5 times a week on an INterstate and no OD. FUN !!!

The Pontiac I am running right now is too quiet at highway speeds. mmmm maybe a cherry bomb will fix that..

OLD CARS ARE BETTER!!!! Actually, BMW's and Porsche's are not always expensive. The same LBC stuff aplies to any car. It's funny, because most people in this country think that Jaguars, MGs, Triumph's etc are "unreliable, even though they are GREAT cars. On this forum, alot of guys on here would probably say that BMW's, Porsche's etc are unreliable, even though they are great cars too. I have even heard some guys on here bad mouth Jaguars, thats a shame:(. My first car was an old Jaguar, they are AMAYZING CARS:)


Peace, Kyle

cfrench Wrote:

A miata will run circles around a TR6. I have owned both. It also needs 1/10 of the maintenance, and gives 1/10 of the problems.

I would choose a well sorted out MGB, keeping in mind that it is a 20+ year old vehicle.

My 68 GT has been a daily driver since 1988. Once restored and sorted out and all the old crap parts were pulled and scrapped it has been probably the most reliable car in my fleet over that time. The key is getting the car back up to snuff as said, and then doing the routine maintenance as required ~ not doing so is how most of our cars got to be the restoration projects (moving or project) they became.

'68 must have been a good year because my GT has also been very reliable compared to most other cars I've owned.

Montrose Wrote:

Limey Wrote:

I've worked on dozens of TR6's and twice as many MGB's and can say without question that the MGB is an all-around better car. I could elaborate, but in short: choose the MGB.

I spent a lot of money and a lot of time restoring a 73 TR6. I was very particular as to what I did with it, and was quite proud of having put it back on the road.

My first time on a freeway (Hwy 401 up here), I was cruising along at what I thought was a nice speed, when three Miatas travelling together caught up to me, slowed down to look, and then booted it away. No way I could catch them with my TR6.

After countless problems with that car, I sold it and bought a nicely setup 91 Miata, which was a joy to drive, and went like scoot. I kept it five years, and only changed the oil on it regularly. I sold it with 220,000 km. on the odometer, and it's still going strong.

I now have a B that I am restoring, but I have no allusions as to it keeping up with most newer cars. The B will just be a weekend car.

The TR6 is nose heavy, the frame flexes like made, and the rear IRS is prone to recurrent problems. And for a straight six, it has nowhere near the power it should have. The B is a much simpler car, and nicer to drive. I had one in the 70's that was a daily driver.

Get a B. Folks will smile at you in a way Miata's don't get. Too many of them I suppose.

And the B won't depreciate really. Price is mostly the condition. And for long term, pay more for a very good B. Not the money for a show trailer queen, but just under. Bs upkeep is not much, just basic mechanicals.

Typically It's cheaper to buy a really nice B, then a good B and fix up. Even if you do the labor yourself.

Most of all, avoid rust.