MG 85th at last been offered for sale

[Keith Williams]

Looks like today, MG Motors have at last offered the 85th as a car to buy ............

http://www.mgmotor.co.uk/news-events/ne ... -in-style/

Only 50 to be made, so shall we run a book on how long it will take them to sell these as we should have done with the LE500?

[John Ponting]

There was an LE85 at MGFIM09 last weekend

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_K9F7bB7ONag/Srkbz ... G_3529.JPG

[Keith Williams]

There was an LE85 at MGFIM09 last weekend

I noticed that in the pictures from the event John - only 49 to go then?

Obviously the MG Motors web site is taking a long time to be updated with their latest information.

[John W]

There was an LE85 at MGFIM09 last weekend

I noticed that in the pictures from the event John - only 49 to go then?

Obviously the MG Motors web site is taking a long time to be updated with their latest information.

Adrian has purchased number 50, and i have seen another member on our web site who also has a 85th

[nigelandjo]

"i have seen another member on our web site who also has a 85th"

That would be us then! Picked ours up Monday of last week!

[Keith Williams]

Think I am going to have to change my guess of how fast 50 will sell at this rate, within an hour all of them will be sold or have been sold

[nigelandjo]

Think I am going to have to change my guess of how fast 50 will sell at this rate, within an hour all of them will be sold or have been sold

Yes our dealer is waiting for the delivery of a second Intense Cassis 85th for another customer, so that's a further one sold

[adrianclifford]

There was an LE85 at MGFIM09 last weekend

I noticed that in the pictures from the event John - only 49 to go then?

Obviously the MG Motors web site is taking a long time to be updated with their latest information.

Adrian has purchased number 50, and i have seen another member on our web site who also has a 85th

Sorry John, I need to correct you there, since we last met I have seen a delivered 85LE and I have decided to cancel my order. I have a number of quality issues that I was not happy with and certain replacemnt parts not being available has given me serious doubts for the long term future of the quality and appearance of the car. I have discussed this with the owners that I know of, so they are aware of this and I have wished tham all the luck with thier cars for the future. It was not a decision taken lightly either. Certain quality issues were passed to me as far back as July 22nd (before I ordered #50/50) I was told they would not affect a September delivery, the car is still not ready due to the same issues still being there.

[John W]

Adrian,
I am SO sorry to see the news of your cancellation of the 85th , you were so over the moon with ALL of the info you had collected about the '50'th build you had ordered, but i do remember you saying at the 'Wheel meet again' car show you were disapointed that delivery would not take place in time for you to take it to Holland, a lot must have happend in such a short time.
John W

[adrianclifford]

True John, a lot happened in 72 hours, however I was content (although frustrated) to wait to have the car perfect, but looking at the long term as I saw it, I could not feel that it was to be. I don't want to go in to the issues here, none of it is personal to anybody or MG but things I was told by Sales and Marketing really concerned me to the point that I felt I could not let a beautiful 80LE go for for a car I had no faith in.

[JEA55]

I don't know how much the 85th's are but assume around £16k - well SMC Iver Heath are already offering one at £13,650 - doesn't bode well for their future value!!

[colintf]

I don't know how much the 85th's are but assume around £16k - well SMC Iver Heath are already offering one at £13,650 - doesn't bode well for their future value!!

sounds like £15650 - £2000 scrap allowance to me!

[John Ponting]

You're hearing doesn't let you down Colin

http://www.smc-cars.com/UsedCars/view/2 ... -SCRAPPAGE

[Steve C]

Adrian,

Have you Considered a LE500?

Adrian has purchased number 50, and i have seen another member on our web site who also has a 85th[/quote]

Sorry John, I need to correct you there, since we last met I have seen a delivered 85LE and I have decided to cancel my order. I have a number of quality issues that I was not happy with and certain replacemnt parts not being available has given me serious doubts for the long term future of the quality and appearance of the car. I have discussed this with the owners that I know of, so they are aware of this and I have wished tham all the luck with thier cars for the future. It was not a decision taken lightly either. Certain quality issues were passed to me as far back as July 22nd (before I ordered #50/50) I was told they would not affect a September delivery, the car is still not ready due to the same issues still being there.[/quote]

[adrianclifford]

Hi Steve, to answer in honesty, no, from when I first saw the interior, it's too black. I could change it (as the 85LE is an improvement in silver grey with a silver centre console), but I have said I wouldn't change the outward appearance of an LE so I would defeat my own case. I am also concerned about the paint, from many I have seen, the slightest stone chip leaves the paint in a poor state, I know of at least one grey car that the owner has sent back as large areas of the paint chip off when you would not expect it to.

Also, why buy a poor quality car at £15,000 + when I have an anniversary TF that is comparable to what I can buy new ? There is no colour in the range that is as good as Pearl Black either, coupled with the grenadine it's a great combination.

Don't get me wrong, I had ordered the 85LE and paid the deposit but the product was an enormous disappointment and MG themselves didn't help with vague promises and an inability to deliver, even though, by their own admission they knew of a problem in July and it's still there now.

[JEA55]

I must say we agree with you Adrian - I can't see why you would spend £15k+ on a car that hasn't changed from when MG closed, also I would have thought it would mostly be MG enthusiasts that will buy the new MG's as when you compare them to other sports cars on the market you can get more "kit" for your money, and I think a lot of new car buyers want all the bells and whistles that MG doesn't have, as the car hasn't moved forward.

And now being nosey - what was the problem/quality issue with the 85th?

Jim & Deb

[Art]

I don't think you will find anyone more of a MG enthusiast than Adrian !
By pure fluke as is usual when looking for something completely different I came across the Rover/MG/Mini price list from 1st March 2001, interesting reading,
1.6i £15,500
1.8i £16,980
1.8VVC £19.495
1.8i Steptronic £17,995
Trophy 160 £20,995
all on the the road prices
a couple of options to consider
Anti Lock brakes on 1.6 and 1.8 £550 ( standard on Steptronic and VVC and not available on Trophy )
Hard Top £1,125

[redbeard57]

As the owner of the 85th that went to MGFIM, I suppose that I need to add a few words. The car drives far better than the 2000 Steptronic F that I have been driving (and for that matter will continue to drive because I am keeping it for the present time) and the suspension package that has been put on the car really makes a difference to the performance. There is a little niggle over a gauge that is not working properly, although I have been informed by my dealer that the part is now on the desk awaiting me to take the car down to have it fitted. The issue with the stripes may not be as serious as it appeared at first. I used a microfibre cloth to apply and remove wax which MAY have lost some micofibres which MAY have attached themselves to some surplus adhesive that is present at some the edges of the stripes which gives the appearance of some of the stripes and other decals lifting. On close inspection these fibres can be carefully removed and the decal is undamaged where this has been done. I have been lead to understand that the decals are supplied by the same manufacturer and fitted in the same way that those on the Mini are applied and they appear to work fine on a long term basis in so far as I havent noticed any shabby looking Minis locally. I have been assurered that this is all the problem is and that if I use an alternative type of cloth for polishing the vehicle this will not happen again, which might suggest that I will go out and wax and polish it on a regular basis!! The chinagraph pencil marks that were left inside the bonnet and boot on the vehicle should not have been there, but it does indicate the care and attention to detail that was taken at the inspection stage to point out these very minor faults. We pushed MG very hard to ensure that the vehicle was delivered in time to enable us to take it to MGFIM and to be fair with a lot of help from Adrian and the dealer we were able to take delivery in time to get it to the event. I agree that the faults should not have been there but we did push very hard and were able to take delivery almost 3 weeks before the official launch of the cars on the MG website, and the faults marked are of a very very minor nature and would not be noticeable without the aid of the chinagraph marks.
So overall I am more than happy to have purchased the vehicle and am enjoying the driving

[John Ponting]

Maguairs supply a very good polishing cloth as part of their car care kit - no threads escape and the instant detailer helps maintain that fresh look between polishes.

btw I thought your car looked good in Holland.

[adrianclifford]

I have since been told by MG that you must use a lint free polishing cloth.

I know Simon and Julie love their car, I've driven it faster than I did with an 85th mule in Longbridge and it's a great drive but I've made my decision now and I believe the new owner of #50 is in France.

I still have concerns over paint finish, inspection and lack of spare wheels as there are only 200 wheels made for 50 cars (48 + 2 prototypes).