1997 MG F 1.8i
Summary:
Great fun, great ride, great handling even for a hairdressers car
Faults:
When I first acquired this car, I didn't realise that the ride height was too low, and when I first took it to the dealer about another matter the mechanic exclaimed that my MG was 'on its knees'. It cost about £30 to pump the Hydragas suspension up a bit. Unfortunately I had driven it for about 1000 miles whilst it was too low and this led to excessive wear to the front tyres, which is a common problem of too low a ride height.
The car also needed a new rear brake pipe which had become corroded. This was identified at it's first service in my possession.
Also identified at this first service was a worn track rod end, and top ball joints to the rear. The service and all of the repairs mentioned above cost me £600.
More recently, the central door lock solenoid on the drivers side broke, but I think this was caused by myself, removing the inner door trim whilst the battery was still connected...
Just last week I needed a new radiator fitting which was also badly corroded. That was £280.
Whilst the car was at the dealers, I got the to look at excessive play in the gear stick. They remedied that, but took £100 off me...
General Comments:
Ride is fantastic, not too hard, but you do learn where the pot-holes are on roads you use regularly!
Handling is great, this is the first car that not only gets me from A to B, but gets me there with a smile on my face!
Being rear wheel drive, the car is extremely predictable. If I had to fault the handling, I would say that it tends to under-steer a little now and then, but nowhere near as bad as an Audi TT!
It really is a fun car, I often find myself smiling when I am driving. It isn't the fastest thing on the road, but open top motoring is not about getting there fast! If you get one, get some sun cream for your face, I have gotten sun burnt a few times!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 23rd January, 2004
28th Jul 2016, 18:22
Unfortunately, garages have often contributed to this car's bad reputation for being expensive. Not sure what was done to the sloppy gearstick, but usually it's no more than removing the stick's gaiter and tightening a couple of bolts.
Can well believe that the average garage would assume you didn't know this and charge you £100 for 10 minutes work though...