Hello from Sans Portfolio but working on it in Ipswich

[Oldgrey#19]

Current Car and use situation
Wife: Kia Picanto GT Line S 1.0 turbo Two years old, does 5-6k PA all toys loves it. Will keep for years
Me: Peugeot 2008 1.6 diesel 5 years old Does what it needs to, I own it, cost reasonable, turnkey do 7 -8k PA

Other factors:
1) Big elderly black lab who can step up into the back of the 2008 and can be manouvered into the Kia. Spoilt. features in all our logistics.
2) We only have on road parking, I do have an en-bloc garage for some storage of say for example a hard top and I can use my parents garage 20 miles away.
3) Desk jockey and never been a tinkerer would want to build a relationship with a local enthusiast or business to fettle and repair
4) Bewildered by the price variances, Hydragas availability and how the Game of Thrones style history of MG in the last few years affected models, kit and build quality.

Recent Epiphany
Hired an Alfa Spider S3 for a day and loved it, life is too short to play it entirely practical! I am 50 have a few quid to spare on scratching my convertible itch and MGF/MG TF is my chosen poison.


Options

1) Become a three car family buy a reasonable MGF/MGTF up to a budget of £2k (including any servicing and fettling) keep it in Dads garage between October - March, SORN and then do six months insurance and tax each year. Could do this now, but what to buy and from where?
2) Wait until the dog is not a factor, sell the bland, realiable, anonymous Peugeot and get a top notch Trophy cars style package with a hard top and have it as a daily driver/mechanical son

Advise me, give me the benefit of your experience please, pretty please.

[talkingcars]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Life is too short not to....

At this time of years prices start to drop as people sell their cars before winter.

If you are garaging the car for winter don't bother with buying a hard top (and IMHO they are a waste of time anyway - wipers off, roof off 24/7/365). In my experience they like to be driven all year.

The F and TF have very different suspension so it's worth test driving both to see which you prefer.

I alternate my as a daily driver with my Alfa.

Let us know what you do.

James

[David Dixon]

Hi, Not sure 'Trophy cars style' are 'top notch'. I have read mixed reports on their stock and customer service. Certanly a visit would give plenty of opporntunity to view, scrutnise and compare back to back, a few cars. Closer to you in Suffolk is Rococo Motor who seem to be 'into' MGF/TF's also. This is worth a read, and gives some pointers. http://mgf.ultimatemg.com/group1/info/MGF_buying.htm I would suggest think about getting a basic criteria of what you want. For example and desired colour (s), and colours you don't want. Interior and seat colours patterns. mileage, engine size and type. Four years ago, I had owned three MGF's, but I had driven quite a few TF's. My last MGF, a Trophy, in Trophy yellow I moved on because I wasn't keen on the colour. My criteria then came down to wanting a 2005 model year TF (comfort suspension, low coolant level alarm, v spoke wheels) in either Nightfire Red 3, or Firefrost. A VVC, low mileage, excellent condition, un mod'ed, black interior, leather seats). The 'Project Drive 'deletes' I considered could mostly be addressed, added on, rectified. Bordering that criteria would be other choices, but the car itself had 'to make up' for relaxing the criteria. I travelled far and wide from North Wales where I was then living, to the Sussex coast, East Norfolk, the Black Isle, near Inverness and closer to home. The more I looked, the more cars I contacted sellers about led to greater knowledge and the more selective I became about considering whether to view a car. The first time I relaxed the criteria and viewed an 135 (non VVC) in Firefrost it was everything I was looking apart from the engine. It was to good an opporntunity, not to be missed. I have added a Scorpion cat back S/S exhaust, had a kmaps remap, and a few cosmetic mods, and added a bit of colour to the interior. Worth the searching, I don't even consider it's not a VVC, adore the colour, definitely a keeper. Couple of pictures to show why.