1973 MGB Fair Price?

[YoungGuyClassicCar]

Looking for some input.

 

1973 MGB roadster with less than 50k miles on it in good (not showroom, but good) condition. Gold with Navy interior, chrome bumper. General look at electronics, carb, fuel and vacuum lines are all in good shape. Leaks oil (not a lot but not sure where from) and needs new tires. 

 

Does $8000 sound like a fair price? Thanks 

Edited June 28, 2023 by YoungGuyClassicCar (see edit history)

[TerryB]

Check for rust too, the 1970s were not good years for auto metal.  Where is the car located.  Sports cars in sunny climates bring a little more money.  Have you ever owned a British car?

[rocketraider]

If a Britcar doesn't leak oil it generally means there's no oil in it!😄

 

Jokes aside, Terry's right about rust especially in the rocker panels and rear edge of the door jambs. Also pay close attention to oil level in the carburetor dashpots, and overall condition. 

 

73 is next to last year for chrome bumpers. The 75 changed quite a bit, in both appearance and ride height that had to be raised to meet US bumper height standards. Didn't do appearance or handling any favors.

 

If the car passes the rust test I think $8k is in line for a B.

 

There are numerous suppliers who cater to British cars in US. Moss Motors, British Parts Northwest, and The Roadster Factory come to mind. I have a buddy who fools with British cars and he's been satisfied with all of those.

 

Up front- you need to either be mechanically inclined or live in an area that has a mechanic familiar with English cars. A B isn't as heinous or complicated to deal with as, say, a Jaguar but they do have their quirks.

 

Hopefully Terry Bond in Eastern Virginia will see this and reply.

[alsancle]

Photos are worth a thousand words.

 

And hopefully you are not another flipper who really owns the car already and is looking for the sell price.

[Terry Bond]

Add lots of photos like interior, engine, underneath, body panels, windshield frame, etc and I'll be glad to give you my thoughts. My first impression is 8k is top of the scale  but pics will help figure that out. Also need to know if it's equipped with overdrive.

Terry

[Buick35]

About six years ago I paid $7000 for a 74 chrome bumper MGB and am happy with it.It's non overdrive without wire wheels.The only problem is that my wife said it's hard for her to get in and out of.It's got a Weber carb. and runs good.

[Buick35]

Sorry the picture didn't send.

[3macboys]

1 hour ago, Buick35 said:

Sorry the picture didn't send.

That's the view with the top down

[John Bloom]

this is an exercise in futility without photos, but I'll make some comments that I hope are helpful.  The way your wrote the question makes me think you don't have a lot of experience buying older cars, or maybe you don't know MG's and their market very well.  No problem, this is a good place to hang out and ask questions.

 

There are always lots of MG's available.  If you are willing to travel to get a good one, you'll have lots to choose from.  Don't get caught up in someone's asking price.  There are lots of unserious people asking for way more than market value because they saw some other similar MG's listed at that price.  The question is what is the price that buyers are stepping up and willing to pay (who cares what people are asking for them, what are people paying for them?).  So many MG's  (and other cars) languish with an unrealistic ask price.  You will look and see the same ones and think "this has been listed for a year at this price"!  

 

Find one that doesn't have a seriously compromised Underside.  These cars aren't body on frame, they have a monocoque design.  They rust easily, but there are plenty of examples that are clean.  ONLY BUY ONE that has a solid clean underside.  Don't compromise on that, you'll be grateful later that you made that a priority.  You can get almost any part for these, Avoid structural rust issues at all costs.  Spend time on the MGExperience website: https://www.mgexp.com/   get real educated on them.  Learn what the "crack of doom", and other model specific issues are so you can speak the language....

 

I like the earlier series 1 MGB's a lot ( I had a 66).  They are great looking and modern enough to travel and have fun in, decent performance, but definitely make you feel you are driving vintage iron.  The Pillow dash arrived in 1968, I don't like them nearly as much as the clean handsome 63-67 dash, but I have had a pillow dash and if everything else isn't bad, it is a small compromise to make.  The later (they switched in 1974 midyear) MGB's with rubber bumpers are the least desirable to me, but I have friends with them and they love their cars.  Get one that is solid, running, and only has minor needs.  There are so many out there, you shouldn't have to accept a bad one.  

 

Back to your question......8K for a 73 Roadster..........If it isn't rusty, runs well, the paint and brightwork look good enough for you to enjoy and you don't have to paint the car, the interior is correct, complete and ready to be enjoyed.........ask him to put new tires on it and offer him 7K.......and post a picture for us.... 

 

 

[Restorer32]

Wife and I drove MGBs as our daily transportation for maybe 5 years.  Loved those things.  As stated above rust is the enemy.  The mechanicals are simple and easy to repair.  Wish I'd kept the rust free '64 I paid $250 for. 

[alsancle]

One of the things the HAMB does right is that you can't post anything until after you do an introduction.  I think we need to add that requirement.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Agree with all of the above.  All a matter of taste but I think compared to prices of many 60s - 70s cars these are a great bargain.  They were not high end when new but most buyers at least were enthusiasts.  

I passed on one in my neighborhood a while back I still think I should have grabbed.  Running project with a perfect CA body & underside.  Chrome bumper 72 I believe.  An earlier car is better, IMO pre 69 had some cool differences but in general ideal for a first time hobby car.

Had a TR-6 back in the day and would love to have compared them. 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[Terry Bond]

I must begin the discussion about electrics. Too many home mechanics don't take time to understand the Lucas electronics on these cars. Instead they rewire things that that don't seem to work, install aftermarket stereo systems, relays, odd ball accessories, weird fuel pumps, etc. The result is often a nightmare for someone trying to make things work correctly. This can especially be true for cars that have been stored for long times. Corroded connections and poor grounds result. Look at the wiring. It's an important piece of valuing these cars. Remember  trying to undo someone else's repairs can be a big problem trying to get things sorted out right.

Now, where are the photos we asked for???

Terry

[John Bloom]

42 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

Agree with all of the above.  All a matter of taste but I think compared to prices of many 60s - 70s cars these are a great bargain.  They were not high end when new but most buyers at least were enthusiasts.  

I passed on one in my neighborhood a while back I still think I should have grabbed.  Running project with a perfect CA body & underside.  Chrome bumper 72 I believe.  An earlier car is better, IMO pre 69 had some cool differences but in general ideal for a first time hobby car.

Had a TR-6 back in the day and would love to have compared them. 

Steve, you and I have discussed before our love for the TR6.  In a hobby that has so much variety and endless choices, I think the fact that you can get into an early series1 Mgb, or a TR6 that is an honest drivable car to enjoy, still around $10,000, is a great way to step into the hobby. 

[John Bloom]

24 minutes ago, Terry Bond said:

I must begin the discussion about electrics. Too many home mechanics don't take time to understand the Lucas electronics on these cars. Instead they rewire things that that don't seem to work, install aftermarket stereo systems, relays, odd ball accessories, weird fuel pumps, etc. The result is often a nightmare for someone trying to make things work correctly. This can especially be true for cars that have been stored for long times. Corroded connections and poor grounds result. Look at the wiring. It's an important piece of valuing these cars. Remember  trying to undo someone else's repairs can be a big problem trying to get things sorted out right.

Now, where are the photos we asked for???

Terry

Amen Terry. This is true for all cars but I agree with you and it seems like these British Roadsters from the 60s and 70s had a higher than average likelihood of having people mess around with them and change things out with aftermarket parts that don’t enhance the cars reliability in the long run. Figuring out what somebody else did is half the challenge.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

I think the MG/TR/AH and even TVR,Jag, Morgans all get a bit of a bad rap because they came from an era and design place where maintenance is key.  2nd and 3rd owners could buy them but maybe not maintain them as well.  

 

Could go on about these cool cars but one quick story, when I pumped gas as a kid, my old boss H.J. Larson would recount towing rolled TRs more than once from a local area we call the flats in the 70s.  "Well kid, triumphs were the rollers.  I never did have to pick up an MG in the flats at midnight..." 😯😁

Old H.J. known around town as an avid boater.  Once, the local paper did a less than flattering article about car repair prices where he earned the nickname "the parrotless pirate" 😁😁😁  not fair really, he was a good guy...

Back to LBC shopping... 

[rocketraider]

1 hour ago, Terry Bond said:

trying to undo someone else's repairs can be a big problem trying to get things sorted out right.

 

So we can assume even Little British Cars get subjected to Previous Owners' Stamp? The bane of every old car owner's existence...😫

 

Terry, I wasn't going to go there on the Lucas electrics but if our young friend is going to take the dive into a Britcar, he needs to be aware.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

FWIW 5 or 6 years with a TR, not one electrical issue ignition or lighting, etc.  Maybe just very lucky? Driven big time also. 😊

[John Bloom]

5 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

FWIW 5 or 6 years with a TR, not one electrical issue ignition or lighting, etc.  Maybe just very lucky? Driven big time also. 😊

She was seducing you! Fall in love all over again!

[zepher]

3 hours ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

"Well kid, triumphs were the rollers.  I never did have to pick up an MG in the flats at midnight..."

One of my uncles had a 74 1/2 TR-6 that he let me drive for a summer when I was 18.

You talk about a fun car to drive for a teenager.

Car really wasn't that old at the time, so it was still in great shape and he was very meticulous with the maintenance.

The car was 100% Triumph, all the way down to him buying Lucas bulbs for all the lighting and Michelin red line tires.

 

Anyway, one time I asked him if he was going to put a roll bar in.

He replied, "If you go around a corner in this car fast enough to flip it over, you deserve to die". 

[DrData]

Carefully inspect your prospective B for evidence of the “tin worm”. Specific area are the rockers and lower fender edges. Also look closely near the welting at the top of the fenders and for evidence of the dreaded MGB crack in the fenders and/or doors. Take a good magnet with you. Without pictures, 8k seems like a fair price for a B with good mechanicals and a solid chassis and body. Will probably need interior work. Be prepared to renew the brake system and the cooling system.

Edited June 29, 2023 by DrData (see edit history)

[Terry Harper]

6 hours ago, Terry Bond said:

I must begin the discussion about electrics. Too many home mechanics don't take time to understand the Lucas electronics on these cars. Instead they rewire things that that don't seem to work, install aftermarket stereo systems, relays, odd ball accessories, weird fuel pumps, etc. The result is often a nightmare for someone trying to make things work correctly. This can especially be true for cars that have been stored for long times. Corroded connections and poor grounds result. Look at the wiring. It's an important piece of valuing these cars. Remember  trying to undo someone else's repairs can be a big problem trying to get things sorted out right.

Now, where are the photos we asked for???

Terry

Very true! Just stepping out in the world in 1984 I bought a 1968 MGB. Everyone offered advice along the lines that I was just asking for trouble and how I would have to get used to the dark due to the alleged evil Lucas electrics - I heard all the jokes. 10 years of driving (it was my daily driver/commuter car during the summer) the electrics only let me down once when a connector fell off the fuel pump. Otherwise it ran like clockwork. The gentleman I relied on to source parts etc. and who specialized in MG's always attributed that reliability to the electric's not being messed with and more so to the fact that the car was actually driven and hardly ever sat (Winter months excepted) and I performed the preventative maintenance. Interestingly when I bought it the previous owner told me that it didn't have an overdrive unit. Once up on a lift I could see that lovely little unit on the back of the transmission - the only issue with it was the switch had failed. Never had a problem with it after that. 

 

Still have a very fond memory of hustling through Evan's Notch between Bethel, Maine and Fryburg, NH. on a very early morning jaunt - working through the gears, holding a good line and controlling the drift with ever so slight corrections. It might not be fast but a well sorted (non-raised) MG is a delight.

 

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Terry Harper (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

The big problem with Lucas electrics is they are positive ground. When Goober down at the filling station puts the battery in backwards and can't figure out why the electrics don't work and starts ripping things apart.

If you have enough sense to put the battery in right way round and use a repair manual they aren't bad. Not as good as Delco or Bosch but not bad.

I drove and worked on English cars and motorcycles for years and never had much trouble with the electrics. No more than other cars of similar age.

[TAKerry]

You would think when asking a question and getting these many replies one could at least offer a bit of thanks!

[John Bloom]

55 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

You would think when asking a question and getting these many replies one could at least offer a bit of thanks!

Parenting will prepare you well for lapses in gratitude from others.   

[Phillip Cole]

Hasn't been back since 9:35 on Wednesday, the day he joined...

But I'm enjoying this, so thanks to all!

[Buick35]

12 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

The big problem with Lucas electrics is they are positive ground. When Goober down at the filling station puts the battery in backwards and can't figure out why the electrics don't work and starts ripping things apart.

If you have enough sense to put the battery in right way round and use a repair manual they aren't bad. Not as good as Delco or Bosch but not bad.

I drove and worked on English cars and motorcycles for years and never had much trouble with the electrics. No more than other cars of similar age.

My 74 is negative ground.I'm not sure when they went to negative ground,probably early 60s?

[YoungGuyClassicCar]

Wow! This is all fantastic advice. Thank you all for your input. This is my first time on this forum so I had no idea what to expect. I’ve been out of service/wifi for a bit but I’m hoping to stop by the guy who’s selling the car soon to get pictures! I’m excited to see it too!

[John Bloom]

5 minutes ago, YoungGuyClassicCar said:

Wow! This is all fantastic advice. Thank you all for your input. This is my first time on this forum so I had no idea what to expect. I’ve been out of service/wifi for a bit but I’m hoping to stop by the guy who’s selling the car soon to get pictures! I’m excited to see it too!

They are a lot of fun.  It is helpful with a car like this if you are handy and like to tinker. If you don’t have much experience, that is OK because sites like these and YouTube have MG specific forums that will have lots of people who can talk you through different projects. Good luck!

[Terry Bond]

I think 1968 was the switch from + to - ground. Early MG.Bs had two 6v batteries connected in series. 

We just returned from the AACA Tour in Denver Pa. 1100+ miles with no probs. We spent about 2 weeks going over the car to prepare. Installed a new hydraulic clutch master cylinder, bled brake system and adjusted, complete valvetrain adjustment, repaired faulty turn signals,did a full chassis lube, oil change, ck transmission fluid level, checked bushings, etc etc. That's the key to keeping them going. We now have just over 60K miles since we finished the restoration. It's an AACA Senior winner.   They are a great way to enjoy the old car hobby. Only problem, it limits what I can bring home from antique hunting along the way. Having a GT helps though.

Terry

Edited June 30, 2023 by Terry Bond (see edit history)

[John Bloom]

2 minutes ago, Terry Bond said:

I think 1968 was the switch from + to - ground. Early MG.Bs had two 6v batteries connected in series. 

We just returned from the AACA Tour in Denver Pa. 1100+ miles with no probs. We spent about 2 weeks going over the car to prepare. Installed a new hydraulic clutch master cylinder, bled brake system and adjusted, complete valvetrain adjustment, repaired faulty turn signals,did a full chassis lube, oil change, ck transmission fluid level, checked bushings, etc etc. That's the key to keeping them going. We now have just over 60K miles since we finished the restoration. It's an AACA Senior winner.   They are a great way to enjoy the old car hobby. Only problem, it limits what I can bring home from antique hunting along the way. Having a GT helps though.

Terry

Love your GT. One of my favorites. 

[Terry Bond]

It's Susan's car - she also has a 48TC and a 72 BGT that we're restoring now..  She's out "MG-Girl" and has grease under her fingernails  to prove it.

She did all the driving on the tour.  I tried to navigate!

Terry

 

[rocketraider]

47 minutes ago, Terry Bond said:

 

Digging that license plate!😀 Do people "get" it?

 

Personalized plate is a great conversation starter.

 

How much "stuff" can you stuff in the back of that GT?!

[rocketraider]

OP, curious how old you are? A young guy getting into a vintage car of any kind makes us happy here.

 

Also where you're located? Virginia and North Carolina have a couple of great British car rallys every year, in Waynesboro VA and Winston-Salem NC.

 

If the B you're looking at doesn't have overdrive and you don't mind a modification, I've heard of people adapting Nissan or Mazda 5-speed transmissions to get a bit taller highway gearing. All depends on how you intend to use the B.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

LBCs, or Little British Cars are a great entre into the hobby especially if one is into sport and GT type cars.

 

This guy here in CT has a lot of them and you may find this site informative @YoungGuyClassicCar.  I don't know him and you will usually find his prices on hi retail side but again a lot of cars to look at here.  He seems to source a lot of later MGBs and bring them to 60s specs.  If nothing else that should say something about the market for these cars.

 

https://www.newenglandclassics.com/

Edited June 30, 2023 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[Leif in Calif]

6 hours ago, Buick35 said:

My 74 is negative ground.I'm not sure when they went to negative ground,probably early 60s?

I believe starting in '68. A sure sign is if it has an alternator. There are no positive ground alternators, as far as I know. I've been looking at MGBs here in California, and a fair price for a good driver is $8K.

One piece of advice about used cars someone gave me long ago; Look at the car but also the owner! Are they someone who seems like they cared for it? Is it some one you'd want to buy a used car from? 50 years ago I owned a small company that allowed people to buy on credit and I learned "the vibes are never wrong".  

[Terry Harper]

1 hour ago, Leif in Calif said:

I believe starting in '68. A sure sign is if it has an alternator. There are no positive ground alternators, as far as I know. I've been looking at MGBs here in California, and a fair price for a good driver is $8K.

One piece of advice about used cars someone gave me long ago; Look at the car but also the owner! Are they someone who seems like they cared for it? Is it some one you'd want to buy a used car from? 50 years ago I owned a small company that allowed people to buy on credit and I learned "the vibes are never wrong".  

My 68 was still positive ground.

[John Bloom]

As Terry mentioned maybe they switched in 68 or 69, but my 66 was definitely positive ground. 

[Terry Bond]

1 hour ago, John Bloom said:

As Terry mentioned maybe they switched in 68 or 69, but my 66 was definitely positive ground. 

Believe GTs were changed before Riadsters. 68 was a transition year so it was a mixed bag. 

[Rusty_OToole]

I needed an alternator for a Marina which is basically the same motor. I got one off a Japanese car and bolted it on, it worked great. The trick is to get one with the right mounting. There are basically 3 kinds of alternator or generator with mounting bolts at 12 and 6, 12 and 4, or 12 and 8. Get one with the right clocking and bolt it on, then all you need to do is shim it forward or back so the pulley lines up.