MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
I know this is a loaded question with many answers, but here it goes. I'm going to look at a '68 MGC roadster this afternoon. Auto trans, wire wheels. Owner says no rust anywhere, but it does need a paint job and some interior finish work. Mechanicals are all good. How much should I pay for this car if all this turns out to be true? I'm in the south.
Here is a few that are and have been up on e-bay. Hope it helps
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<http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&category=31857&item=2422300355>
<http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&category=6314&item=2420321429>
I came close to buying an MGC GT a few years ago. Owner was asking $6,000, for a front heavy car, that was an automatic. It's difficult to price these cars. They are, indeed, rare. Prince Charles once drove one. Downside is that they were poorly received by the motoring press, as well as the public. It would have been a much more attractive car with a Rover V8.
After (ahem) I bought my C, I did some checking around to find out what they're worth. It seems that their rarity doesn't add any premium to their price. I guess in this case obscurity cancels rarity.... I just checked over at hemmings.com and found these in the NADA guide (these prices are all "high retail" -- meaning a perfect car...)
MGB roadster: $16,325
MGB GT: $12,525
MGC roadster: $14,550
MGC GT: $11,600
I don't know if I agree with the magnitude these prices -- $16k seems high for '69 B roadster, even if it is perfect. However, gives you and idea of how NADA thinks they fall relative to one another.
MG World published an article a while back asking which was better, an MGC GT or an MGB GT V8. They picked the C. The "front-heavy" aspect is not the deal that everyone seems to think it is. The weight distribution is really something like 53/47, so it's not that bad. Personally, I think they are grossly underappreciated.
Check out your local paper and find out what MGBs are selling for. Go to:
http://www3.nadaguides.com/Values/ValueCategoryYear.asp?UserID=55072C91E7B14&DID=37815&wSec=2&wPg=1204&CategoryId=7&MakeId=1304&ColorId=
and see what NADA has to say. Doing these things should give you a feel for the market value on the car.
Be aware that while many of the parts are common with Bs, engine and suspension parts are not, and tend to be more expensive. Perhaps you can use that as a bargaining position.
Good luck, and let us know what you decide!
I know I paid a premium for the one I purchased. The owner was the original person that purchased it in 1969. He was 72 years old and not really into British cars like we all are. He asked a friend what he though it was worth a they looked on ebay and said cars like his car going from 8-12K. Of course this person had no clue about cars let alone MGB or MGCs. When I first asked him his asking price I just about turned and walked away. I had to start pointing out the faults of the car and tried to explain that his person was wrong about the value. I talked him considerably down to a although somewhat inflated price but one I could except. I was the first one to call him after he posted it for sale in the local MG car club news letter. I knew there would be more people calling him that could possibly pay him closer to what he wanted so that was another reason why I paid a premium. I have since meet three people that called him after he agreed to my price that were interested in the car.
I tend to disagree with your thought that rarity does not give them greater value. I know I paid a higher price cause of its rarity. Although part of it was my excitement over finding a car I've always admired and wanted since I saw one on the road when I was in high school.
Hi David,
I disagree as well, which is implied by my comment that "I think they are grossly underappreciated." I think that they do have a greater value. In general, though they don't seem to command a greater price -- outfits like NADA, and people who don't know what they are (and I would have had to include myself in that group, before I bought mine, despite 8 years of MG(B) ownership...), don't calculate their rarity into their price equation. And a quick look at recently closed eBay auctions show MGCs selling for roughly the same prices as MGBs. To the cognoscenti, though, the C has a cachet a plain B can never have. And with cars that are 30+ years old, it's very difficult to make direct comparisons, as no two cars will be alike in terms of condition or history.
I paid about $800 more for my CGT than I did for my MGB (although part of that difference can be explained away in that I got the B for a song...), and in terms of condition the C is much worse off than the B, and i was happy to pay it. Compared to a BGT in similar condition, I paid a premium as well. Yours sounds a bit unusual in that it's a one-owner car -- that in itself is rare and is worth something.
I didn't pay any more or my '68 MGC roadster than I did for any of my MGB's....though one would expect to pay bit more, don't go for outlandish prices just because its a C!
There's an MGC asking $18k in my local paper. The highest MGB to be listed in my paper over the last year was a late 60s MGB completely restored for $7k (been in the paper FOREVER too)...
At least in asking price, the guy with the MGC thinks he can shoot high because its a C. I personally think he'll get more than MGBs go for around here because of it. I know I'd be willing to pay more money for a stock 6 cyl MG. I think others would too. You never know who's gonna get it in their head that they must have an MGC. And if that pour soul isn't patient, supply and demand will lead him to hemmorage cash.
