Firstly welcome to the forum and I hope you soon find your F or TF and don't get put off by the supposed reliability issues. Naturally on a technical forum like this, you see the things that have gone wrong and no-one posts to say how well their car is running.

For what it is worth, I now have a 2002 TF on a 52 plate, prior to that I had a 2000 year Ford Galaxy on a W plate which I had from new. The Galaxy was a total nightmare, electrical problems, wouldn't start and the main dealer (this was a 9 month old car) were worse than useless as well as unhelpful.

The TF on the other hand is brilliant. Yes the build quality is different from a lot of the other makes, but this is an MG a marque that has so much history and now having had my TF for over 5 years, it still never fails to put a smile on my face.

HGF, well I bought mine with 8k on the clock and the HG did fail at about 18k, so there is no guarantee that a low miler will not fail, however there is no reason that it will either. There are a number of posts that indicate the 2002 early TF's (mine is one of these) are more prone to HGF at low mileage, the later cars had the PRT thermostat fitted which may help a little. What is true is that there are much better gaskets around now than that originally fitted by MGR and they do seem to be more resilient. Mine was done by a garage that specialise in K-series engine tuning - particularly Lotus' - the early Elise also has the same engine as the F & TF and he claims that they have never seen another failure when the MLS gasket is fitted properly, unless the coolant is lost and this is the key point that he thinks people don't keep an eye on coolant levels well enough. There are several aftermarket coolant alarms around that tell you if the level drops, the later TF's had these fitted as standard.

Would I recommend an F or TF, you bet! Even when my HG went it was covered & fixed under a third party warranty - you should get this if you buy from a dealer so will have piece of mind. The K-series engine is a fantastic revvy engine, the cars are a delight to drive - would I swap mine for anything else- NO WAY.

Welcome in advance to to MG ownership - buy one, you will love it.

 

cheers for the info mate, based on what you said I would now definately consider getting a newer 03/04 tf with a reasonable mileage under 40k, that hasnt had a hg replaced but on the proviser that I get a warranty from the garage. When I have been ringing garages asking if they have been changed if they havent I've just wrote it off and looked for another one. Hopefiully I can find a good one.

 

buying mgtf

Hi mate, I'm picking mine up tomorrow 06 plate with very low miles I've got a warranty and feel better about that!. but still have HGF concerns as if its going to go wrong it will knowing my luck. The dealership is a franchise and although most car salesmen are the biggest bullsh...rs ever, these seem decent people.

I have been advised when i get the car, when starting from cold to wait till the oil warms up before putting your foot down.

Had MG'S before but not TF, there is something about the MG though that makes them stand out from other marques.

Hope you get a good one!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Greeva

Go for it
I bought my MGF new in 96
It has been completely brilliant and is one of the best cars I have ever had, and I've had over 40 cars varying from a huge 7 litre yellow Cadillac through to ....the silver thing in the photo. I know :getcoat:

If you can stretch to an NAC MGTF LE500 that's the one I would go for, or see if you cant snaffle a low use TF160.

Plenty out there so don't feel like you have to buy the first one you see.

 

Hi and welcome to the worlds best F/TF forum

There are problems with these car's including HGF however don't let that put you off. They are great fun, cheap to run and the average person can do a fair bit of work on them (even I have managed to fix a few bits)

I would want to see a receipt for work carried out on head gasket failure/up grade. My two previous F/TF's had a new engine (F) due to HGF and a replacement HG (TF) both were low mileage, full service cars.

You could have an upgraded gasket fitted if you want to have a bit extra piece of mind. This chap is very good http://www.mgroversolutions.com/

 

if you looking for a mgtf pm me i am thinking of sellin mine due to bigger family now 2 seats just not enough
i love my mgtf but needs must

 

It seems that HGF is your main concern. I am aware that there are people (and that includes people on this forum) who drive around enjoying their F/TF, but always on the back of their mind is 'when will it be my turn'. I owned an F before my current car (TF) and the same thing was on my mind, despite the fact that I didn't have a single problem with the car. I bought a TF (just over a year ago) and one of the first things I did was have the MLS head gasket fitted by Russell (who is the man from MG Rover Solutions as posted above by Red Devil). Through the help I received on this forum and reading around common problems with these cars, I felt it was money well spent.

On older cars, there is likely to be corrosion on the under floor coolant pipes. This could lead to a loss of coolant, a common problem of HGF. Replacing these with stainless steel pipes is not very expensive and another way of helping make your F/TF more 'bullet proof'. As mentioned above, a low level coolant alarm is also a useful aid (it will warn you, hopefully before loss of coolant has a chance to cause any problems with the head gasket)

Some people suggest changing the thermostat and water pump. You can go on and on (for the record, my water pump was changed at the same time as the head gasket and cambelt). The cambelt itslelf is something else you should look at. They should be changed every 4 years or 60,000 miles, whichever is sooner. Make sure this has been done. Service history - as you rightly say - is important.

If you can set aside some of your budget to do everything you can to make your car 'bullet proof', then you should more or less have complete piece of mind. A good looked after F or TF should give you many years of happy ownership.

Yes they do have thier problems, what car doesn't, but they really are great little cars and all the help you'll ever need is on this forum

Finally, this thread contains a check list that may help you knowing what to keep an eye out for (particularly the excel file at the bottom):

http://forums.mg-rover.org/showthread.php?t=308065&highlight=buy



Good luck and let us know how you get on

Cheers
Mike

 

* * * * UPDATE * * * *

Hi all well today I travelled just under a 200 mile round trip to see a car advertised on autotrader - unfortunately its a no go. I took the mg checklist of all the things I needed to check and although it looked good from the outside closer inspection told me otherwise. There was the odd speck of rust round the sills but this didnt bother me too much , the paint work in general was lovely. The alloys were quite badly scuffed (all 4) The seats were "well used " and the alacantra started to frey.

However there were a few glaring problems I wasnt prepared to accept. First off I checked the oil cap all fine no sludge/or "mayo" checked the dip stick oil was low (strange considering just been "serviced" (which I will discuss in a moment) however after a wipe and a redip, there was clearly some white mayo on the dip stick (ad claims head gasket just changed) guy said just remainder of prev hg and impossible to get rid of this????

Then I asked to see the "FSH" as quoted in the ad, bear in mind the current mileage of 45k, it had 3 main dealer full service stamps all good upto when they stopped in 2005!!!!! the next page dated aug 2006 service at 21k no garage details and * * *NO STAMP* * * in the book! HOW IS THIS A FSH???? So I queried the missing stamp guy said no its right blah blah blah, I said well as far as that goes I could have wrote it in the book with no stamp its worthless, plus what happened to the service in 2007,2008,2009, oh and the one thats due this yr? So no this doesnt have a FSH at all!

Then when asked he said there is only one key and fob asked why he said dont know thats how he got it, asked if he had any old mots to verify mileage nope! Oh I almost forgot to mention the 4 windscreen chips.
The passenger window was juddering up and down, he said it just needs some grease. As he was "an ex mg mechanic" surely he would have oiled the problematic window for a prospective viewer I would have thought ????

Then the test drive of the century it consisted of taking it literally "round the block" about a 200m-300m run which took about 2mins 26sec 45m/s and thats including traffic and junctions, He said pull over here when we were at his house I said is there no where I can get over 30mph as it was all residential, and for gods sake he is trying to sell a 2 seater convertable SPORTS CAR! He said no as there was no tax on the car!

So that was that overall the car looked lovely, the ride was strange very light steering similar to a city button on the puntos, feels like driving on an ice rink, the breaks and clutch were hard and stiff, 1st gear was tough a battle to get it in - short shifts, and the gear knob loose turning in your hand feeling like it was going to come off want very good. This is the first one Ive driven, going to see some more tomorrow to compare the drive and learn the characteristics of the car. In a way im abit gutted I travelled all that way to be dissapointed, but Im also glad I didnt fall in love with the 1st one ive seen which on looks alone I would have it all day long but it just didnt all add up so now ive driven a bad un' I will know a good un' when I see it lol.

(PS - am I allowed to post the link to the car on auto trader or could it cause problems lol for all I know the guy selling the car might be a senior modorator on this forum lol) IF IM NOT ALLOWED ILL SAY THAT I DIDNT ENJOY MY TRIP TO COVENTRY TO SEE THE CAR WITH FSH BY THE EX - MG MECHANIC

 

If you ever get the slightest bit of doubt when buying a car then run. I took a few to find my first but it is worth holding out for. My current one I was luck and found after only seeing one other car which was a dodgy as can get, obviously just been repaired after a bad crash and the coolant tank was full of mayo (the whole thing was thick white sludge) and he told me he has just changed the head gasket himself and it was just left over mayo which should go away with time but when questioned (interrogated :lol: ) he obviously didn't know a thing about car engines or MG's!

Keep looking your new car is out there!

 

You have done the right thing. Slightest doubt (and there are lot's with this one) then walk, on second thoughts run away from the sale.

Keep looking, the right car is out there.

 

Buying a used F/TF is not like buying a 'normal' robot built shopping cart - different rules apply.....

History and condition are MUCH more important than age or mileage, a 7 year old TF with 60K miles on the clock and 7 stamps in the book can make a better buy than a similar age car with 30K miles and 3 stamps in the book - remember a car should be serviced by age NOT just mileage. also the higher mile car is more likely to have had the usual HGF repair along with belts/pumps and coolant pipes, not to mention the obligatory window regulator and door soleniods which are bound to fail...

Personally I wouldn't touch an early TF without Proper proof of a HG repair (unless it's a very good price) as many were lucky to see 30K miles without failing.

Keep an eye on the for sale sections of this, and the MGF Register forums as enthusiast owned cars tend to make much better 2nd hand buys.

 

Personally I wouldn't touch an early TF without Proper proof of a HG repair (unless it's a very good price) as many were lucky to see 30K miles without failing.

can't see why as a potentially badly repaired Head gasket will be more grief than repairing it properly yourself if it goes first time. I'm on 35k and no hgf would that make my car unsaleable because it's never had hgf???

 

Greeva you were wise to leave that TF alone - it sounds like a poorly maintained example - at least you can use it as a benchmark when viewing others

 

Looked at another 3 today another 120 miles on the clock on my fiesta an no luck

 

There is a lot of rubbish out there, but you will find a good one

 

It was a summers day in 1994 that Sue and I leaving our then aged 1 year old son in the care of his clucking Auntie and Gran, set off to view 'an immaculate, concourse and unmolested MGB GT'.

The car in British Racing Green was for sale in Ayre, Scotland just down the road from Royal Troon golf course. A journey of 5 hours there and of course 5 hours back.
We arrived on time and had time 10am and had to sit outside the sellers house for 45 minutes because he had popped out. When I finally got to view the car I was amazed! The seller opened up the garage door and there before my very eyes, sitting on 4 flat tyres with an upturned tin of Green paint stuck to it's bonnet was just about the mangiest MG I had ever seen. I wandered over to the car, looked inside at the missing roof liner and decided to have a look at the engine while the seller went and fetched the immaculate car for me to view.
OK alarm bells should have rung when the guy stood there telling me about how well this one ran, which did indeed surprise me because the engine was totally bereft of water and (unless you had welded a 6" extension onto the dip stick) oil.
The wheels were rusty, every panel had a dent and the sills were shot. Apart from that she was spot on.
I sat in her and after I had removed the seat spring from my rear end (OK that bit's a fib) the seller said "so what do you think of her"? "Do you want her?" That's when I realised, this was the car that was for sale!
Due to the possibility of children reading this post I'm unable to write my reply..........

 

greeva - where in the country are you? Brown & Gammon in Baldock had 5 or 6 really good looking Fs & TFs on Saturday when I popped in there.

OK - they are close to full dealer prices but are also one of the lonhest standing and well respected MG workshops. They are XPART all sorts as well. Malcolm (Gammon) is still negotiating with MG to get a current diagnostic kit (NAC TFs don't talk to T4).

As a guide, B&G sold over 175 MGs in 2009 so they must be doing something right. They did the (voluntary) hgf repair on my previous TF and negotiated a good deal for me from my warranty company.

Should add that they don't do much in the way of flashy online sales site but just call him and see whats available.

 

im in sheffield mate, I dont mind travelling but wouldnt want to do big miles unless I can see a few pics. At the minute im only able to travel at weekends due to work and family commitments, this is harder than I thought trying to find a decent tf well looked after for around £4k. The search continues well next weekend anyway lol ill keep checking to see if anything new comes up on ebay/autotrader

 

come have a look at mine and i could maybe meet you halfway ? or maybe do it without the hardtop

im only junc 28 of m1

 

many of the autotrader pics are 'stock' pics rather than the actual car for sale - bit like an artist's impression. Sometimes the pic isn't even the same model.

B&G have a sales list http://www.ukmgparts.com/carsales.aspx but cars get bought/sold quicker than a mechanic can normally update a website.

 

Hi, don't be put off by some of the things you may have heard about F's & TF's hgf, I bought my F off ebay 6wks ago with a suspected hgf, and budgeted replacement into the price, I was lucky because it was only the header tank cap. That said I did replace the hg, cambelt and water pump myself for complete peace of mind, and bought a hard top again ebay, and still had change out of £1400. Good look with your search! . Jim

 

Just came across these 2 cars on auto trader

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...58tr/radius/60/make/mg/model/tf/page/4/sort/priceasc/quicksearch/true&logcode=p


and this one

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...58tr/radius/60/make/mg/model/tf/sort/priceasc/quicksearch/true/page/5&logcode=p

I have been looking for a grey one and this blue is the only other colour id consider (anyone think the blue looks abit girly?) Im slightly put off by the high miles on the grey one. And the blue one has a sweet looking exhaust (same as my current fiesta -) HELP IM NOT USUALLY THIS INDECISIVE

 

The blue is a nice colour and I don't think its at all girly - good miles and appears to have some history, certainly worth looking at.

The grey is a 160 model (VVC engine) so will be worth a bit more, as you say higher miles but good with the cambelt change and HG. My MGF has over 100k on the clock also a VVC engine and is still sweet with good performance and economy. If you keep this a while and rack up a fair amount of miles it might be harder to sell on due to the higher mileage - unless you price it right.

If you can, drive both and then decide.

 

Wouldnt touch the one with 91,000 miles! Their are lots of low mileage cars on Autotrader! Girly are you havin a laugh! Trophy blue is the most popular TF colour! You have to travel to find the right car, was a 600 mile round trip to buy mine.

 

Wouldnt touch the one with 91,000 miles! Their are lots of low mileage cars on Autotrader! Girly are you havin a laugh! Trophy blue is the most popular TF colour!

You beat me to it Craig...nothing girlie about trophy blue!
I hope Red Devil doesn't see this :lol:

 

the blue one has rather depressing cloth seats and doesn't have sport pack 2 those would put me off, you'd need a good reduction on the grey one due to mileage most TF are relatively low miles also it again has cloth seats I'd keep looking there art plenty about, buy the best spec you can it's cheaper than adding stuff later

if trophy blue is 'girlie' what does that make me then?

whatever anyone says blue isn't girlie and blue is definitely the best colour on a TF...oops colour wars again!!

 

Get a convertable whist u still have hair! Thats my advice

Joking aside I'd recconmend buying a "full fat" car will all the extra's ABS, leather seats and the VVC engine etc as it cost's little extra on a second hand car but makes it feel so much grander in my opinion.

When I bought my F back when I was 27 actually (32 now) I looked for one with about 60K miles on the clock that had had HGF about 10K ago & a BIG recipt to prove the quality of the repair. I have no issues with mechanicals other than fair wear & tear, brakes, belts, exhaust & radiator.

Go 4 it I'm sure u will have fun! 5 years later & I'm still grinning every time I get it out of the garage.

 

Im not having a go at the colour blue in my post it does say the only other colour I would consider apart from the grey would be the blue! I think its a nice colour I was merely asking for a general concensus on the colour which could be seen as a more feminine colour than a black, dark blue, brg. If its not seen as that by you guys on here then I will take that as a general consenus, although I am interested in the opinions of the non blue fraternity aswell.
Cheers

 

Im not having a go at the colour blue in my post it does say the only other colour I would consider apart from the grey would be the blue! I think its a nice colour I was merely asking for a general concensus on the colour which could be seen as a more feminine colour than a black, dark blue, brg. If its not seen as that by you guys on here then I will take that as a general consenus, although I am interested in the opinions of the non blue fraternity aswell.
Cheers

Just stay away from RED & GREEN! :bgrin2: