Recently picked up a £500 MGF and recommissioning it as it has been sat for 11 years, but at 30k miles and no rust, should make a worthwhile little summer fun car.
And I did I was lucky enough to work at Rover at the time and I got one on the employees ACOPs scheme. To have one of those at 20 years old my mates were well jealous😂
I just bought a TF 160. What a fabulous car, I can't stop driving it. It's not stupid fast but it's engaging and fun without being ridiculous and it does crack on very briskly when you need it to. It goes around corners with no drama, effort or struggle and it's just so planted and controlled that you know exactly what it's going to do with total confidence. To get something faster and better handling you're going to have to spend at least 10x as much.
I did the same thing with an MGF. I had a 240hp saloon before - to get that up and going in an exciting way was taking your life into your hands, and it only lasted a second before having to hit the breaks - this thing thunders along continously and gives a much nicer sensation of power than ever the Jag did.
There was a British racing green one with a optional hardtop on Autotrader which was a bargain as well as it looks like it was stored in a barn/lock up and hasn't been driven since last year.
Me and my work mates are doing a Top Gear style winter roadster challenge. They’ve both gone with MX-5s and I’m going with the MGF. I’m just sorting out the categories for points now 😁 It’s amazing just how much fun and car you can get for very little money
Great review. My 96 MGF was amazing. Italians went mad over it when I went there in 96. Nice to hear the K series bark. Had mine 12 years. Many happy trips across Europe with my dad! Sounded great with DTM exhaust in sleepy French towns 😁
Got the model after this one myself (MGTF), puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Great fun and not expensive. Get one quick, the prices of good Fs and Tfs is rising.
Open the bonnet - on right you will see a fuse with a clear cover. This is the fuse for the power steering. Remove and now no longer have EPAS. From memory there is a big sticker saying do not remove ☺️
@@TassieLorenzo My experience is that the MGF is softer and less spartan than a 3rd Gen Mister Two. The MR2 being a kind of mid-point between the very usable on an everyday basis MGF and the raw thrills of a Lotus Elise. Having driven all three I’d sum it up as the Elise being the one you’d fight for the keys for at a track day, the Mister Two being the one you’d probably want as a second car/plaything, and the MGF the one you’d want if you wanted a sports car for everyday use as your only car. All great cars, roughly along the same lines, but with different characters.
A great looking car. I always thought they looked best in red and those alloys really set it off. Lovely exhaust note too. It seems to get the fundamentals right too by being no nonsense enough to be fun yet with some useful creature comforts
I had one of these back in 2006 and I remember driving down to Brighton in it, with the hood down and a pretty blond in the passenger seat. Good times.
I bought one from a chap n Wales a few years back. Garage had told him the head gasket was going. 100 mile home, no problem, a year later still no problem, fresh MOT and sold on at a profit. The presumption that they are all about to die is a real boon for those of us that like bargains :¬)
I love cheap small underrated cars! It's like a miniature super car ;) I don't see these mgfs as often as I used to but they're still around and you can still get one for a few hundred pounds. Perfect car in my opinion great review 🚗
This one really hit home. I’m an MG enthusiast here in the USA, and have owned a Midget for 25 years. As such, I followed the fortunes of MG Rover pretty closely during development of the MGF, and was keenly interested in the finished product. Of course MG exports to the States ended when the MGB was axed, so I could only admire the F from afar. I did get the chance to sit in a new F while on a trip to the UK in 2000, at a dealership in Preston... not exactly a drive, but the closest I was going to come. There’s an MGF at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, and it was nice to see that one a few years ago. I could have driven it on one of their road events, but the required donation of $500 was a bit beyond the budget. So thanks for this episode! It was greatly appreciated.
Get one while you can, I’ve always loved the look of them and for the average joe I bet they drive perfectly well, they seem to be either totally cherished or run into the ground with very little in between. A future classic I think.
I love these cars. My old drummer in my band had a silver TF Sprint, which had a colour-matched roof. So much fun to drive around in, you can go around roundabouts and not have to slow down, go kart like!
Once sorted with ugraded head gasket and upgraded stainless steel cooling pipes and low coolant level warning light, this is a fantastic handling fast car. They are very popular classics now but make sure you get a minter sorted one.
I had an MGF for 18 years, sold it recently with 230,000+klm on the clock. I raced it at club events and hillclimbs. Head gasket is a problem. Did a lot of suspension work and also put same size rubber front and back which made the car turn in better with a little oversteer. Perfect for club motor sport. Now have the MGTF 160, that has been mapped and softened the suspension a little and also increased the rubber on the front again. I like oversteer. I have a cupboard full of gongs from racing a daily driver. In Australia we do not have the rust problem of the UK but the paint will not stand up to the Aussie sun. Both the MGF and MGTF need to be kept below 4000rpm until the OIL TEMP reaches 90C. They are a fun car to drive and can be very quick through the twisties.
@@Oldsmobile69 Not sure I agree re looks. Varies car to car but as a rule a lot of cars these days are less about beauty and more about bling, like a chunky Swiss watch by TAG or Rolex.
Been looking forward to this video since Simon Announced it would be featured, a proper modern classic and the little K Series with that aftermarket filter sounds fantastic.
Yes us Brits must be the only people who drive cabriolets in the freezing cold with woolly hats on😂 great review though Ian. I worked at Longbridge bridge at the time and the hydro suspension was pumped up on the same production line as the Metro or Rover 100 as they were rebadged. They were built in Cab 1 on the same line as the metro (car assembly building 1) as I was sickness relief I carried out most jobs on the metro & MGF line. Fitting the roofs, dashboards, pumping up the hydro suspension where you work in a pit underneath the track, I even had one job sticking the MG badges on them, I worked on the engine drop where the body would come down on a hoist and fitted onto chassis, some days I would be fitting steering racks or the suspension, did everything bar the paint shop where they were sprayed. And then go for dinner where they’d serve up sausage curry in the canteen, yes sausage curry. Sounds disgusting but the girls at the cab 1 canteen served it up with chips and it was beautiful😋😂. miss the my days at Longbridge and characters worked there from all walks of life. I drive past now and it’s all gone apart from the cab buildings. Feel like a part of my history as been wiped from the Earth, quite literally as it’s called the “Longbridge village” now. As you drive in there’s a street sign that says “the track was your manager” & it was true. You started & stopped when the track started & stopped!
I owned one of the only 5 Tahiti blue available in France between 1998 and 2000. What a cabrio.! First time in my life I drifted unwillingly in a sharp curve near Dinard in Brittany!
I have a 2001 MGF Freestyle which looks lovely in BRG. I must say it does look better with the rear spoiler and front lower spoiler. The suspension on the car now in 2024 is still working great and is still a fun car to drive. Thanks for this video they are great little cars and when you hit the accelerator you get that really satisfying push from the back end!!!
These are such a great little car - love driving mine every time I get in it. More than enough power for anybody in this size vehicle. And not overly complicated, either. Mine has no ABS thankfully. That also gives more under bonnet space. Nice review.
I have a VVC as my daily driver and love it. We've been on a driving holiday to Italy and it has plenty of space for our luggage and is comfortable. Mine has done 96k before the head gasket went. They are criminally cheap at the mo'
Had mine 10 years in NZ no cooling issues fitted a 13 bar oil cooler and synthetic coolant, modified and performs really well for its age even the head gasket is not a hard job to do your self. So much fun to drive with full poly bush suplex suspension and X-Power exhaust.
I’m playing "parts-bin bingo" here recognising lots of switches from my Discovery 2. Really opened my eyes to the ‘F’. It looks like such a giggle. Unfortunately even at age 27 I don’t have enough hair to drive a convertible. That one really is in a lovely spec.
had my mgf 1.8 vvc now for nearly 5 years always brings a smile to my face. under cooling pipes had already been changes to s/s and h/g changed bought for 1200 pounds so much fun for so little money. grab one now before they get expensive
the MG F is almost old enough you could soon import an early one under the 25 year rule, as the US import restrictions on stuff over 25 years old are much less strict. the rover and mg forums over here i think would gladly help you locate a pristine example to export.
I just bought one and I love it! I'm a little tall but still enjoy it! Now I need to find small bits and bobs to fix it cosmetically. Great video thank you
When covids over, ill give you a go, of my trophy 160, straight through system and remapped to 180. Proper flying bananna :) Or you can road test my rover 114 gta, have a trophy 160 to go into that ;)
Back rewatching this video since I'm about to acquire an MGF, a 1.8i example on a 2000 X plate with just 42,000 miles. First on the to do list is a full service including timing belt & water pump.
What a fair and unbiased review of a lovely car which can easily be slated because of the engine 🙂 I for one love these cars and would love to own one but sadly dont have the space for one along side my 1.8 k-series ZS. The 1.8 k-series is a good engine if maintained and looked after properly. I got similar sounds on mine once to this F when I ran it with an induction kit briefly....so enjoyable.
The MGF/TF always outsold the MX-5 in the UK right up to when Rover went under. The later Chinese TF didn't sell as well. I have a 2003 TF 160 (VVC) which is great fun. The best advice I've read for F/TFs is to drive them gently until oil temp needle starts to move. Mine even has good air con down here in Australia.
Good video. I have a very early build 1995 F I’ve owned eight years, and all your comments are valid, including the heat you DO get from the vents when the direction switch is turned to feet! And I totally agree, as a fun road car the non VVC version is the one to have. And finally, oh so much better than the dear old MGB!
Just found this test. My advice for these cars is the following...... drill two small holes in the thermostat. It may take a little longer to warm up but there will be no thermal shock to the engine when the thermostat opens. Think about it. When a standard thermostat opens, warm water floods toward the rad at the very front of the car, and cold water floods back into a warm engine. Then new stretch bolts, stainless coolant pipes, and a multi layer head gasket. I have a 96. Love it.
I had an MGF 1.8 in red "R" reg, black interior with green piping, loved that little car. I used to daily it 90 mile round trip to work but ended up writing it off when i hit a patch of ice on the slip to M25 at Dartford and the car 360 down the road and smashed into the metal barrier. Airbag went off whole front end crumpled but I didn't have s scratch on me, was sad to see it go on the back of a loader
LOVED THE OUTRO! Some beautiful solo piano accompanying sexy indicator shots and then the grand finale "POWER LESS IS MORE!" Much better than the ptchoo.
The non-VVC 1.8i has better torque mid-range, so it's the ideal car for those winding country roads, because it just feels more alive at 3000 rpm. That said, the 52mm alloy throttle body from the TF is a highly recommendable upgrade for the 1.8i, because it gives the mid-revs a bit more punch still.
Good video, nice example of a late MY2K MGF. Issues with this car: - Passenger wiper - De-laminated badges - Missing flap to sun visors - Adjust glovebox latch - Replace & seal rearight gaskets (no need to seal where it has been) - Hydragas looks too high, suspect low nitrogen & too much alcohol giving an overly firm ride Other observations... - MGF Centre hoops are style bars, it is debatable how much roll protection they provide. Also, diameter of hoops too wide to visually line through with seats. - EML grilles are unforgivable when there is a hugely better quality woven crimped mesh Factory option - luggage rack is the official Factory item
He got a heck of a deal! I thought those rear lights looked familiar. Love those minilight alloys. Way back, I had an Austin 1300. It was called the America on this side of the pond. I was so impressed with the hydrolastic suspension, I made it a point to get in touch with Alexander Moulton and tell him. It ended up with a few back and forth emails. Afterwards, he got into small wheel bicycles with, you guessed it, rubber suspension. Glad I got to chat with him before he departed this earth.
I've an MR2 Roadster and roof down driving in the winter is great. Having a blower that does feet and face is a big help. I'm from the west of Ireland and now live in the east of Scotland and in comparison it's bone dry here in winter. You do need to be mindful of the rear drive of the MR2 as it will step out in the wet without too much throttle. Great video.
On my TF I fitted in a switch that turns off the power steering, it makes a 100% difference when cornering, you have total feel of the road, just point the car and go. When in traffic or car parks turn it on to save your muscles. The steering is not heavier when the cars on the move, you just have to put up with the power steering light being illuminated when switched off. Ray
I have an 1.8 Mgf vvc and it's honestly the best car I've had. Repair is a pain and the hg has gone but it should be back on the road for summer. I wish I couldve taken it to uni The saddest part is now I'm 23 and at uni driving my 1l citreon c2 delivery car. I used to deliver pizzas in my mg because I cared more about enjoying driving it lmao Imagine rocking up to an army camp in an mgf packing a boot full of pizza haha
Great video, Ian. Lovely wee car, for sure. I love sure footed cars that are fun to drive. I'm sure you get used to the steering, too. I am used to cars with finger tip steering, and once you adapt, they can be as precise as you like, even with 70s vintage recirculating ball steering boxes on an over assisted system from Ford North America!
Had one and once the engine was rebuilt stronger, and I fitted the sports exhaust, it was an absolute joy. Rubber bushes replaced with poly urethane plus adjustable dampers firmed up and sorted the handling. Would love it back now.
Excellent video Ian! I think you may have helped me make up my mind about a low cost hobby car to get. These are cheap as chips, even in NZ (for now). My partner can chip in for the purchase. She's been craving an open-top for years. Thanks again..
Had mine for 8 years, bought for £800 love it! It's a joy to drive on Northumbrian B roads and comfortable enough to have been all round Europe in it. As in reasonable condition but 24 years old now I have decided to keep it permanently and just spent £xxxxxx.00 restoring it. Now completely rebuilt engine with small mods, gearbox etc, new subframes.( bought some years ago when still available), suspension brakes etc and complete repaint. Only interior to smarten up. Yes the K series is prone to head gasket problems and a few difficult to resolve engine management issues. Thermostat removed from block and replaced with remote thermostat next to front radiator has solved any temperature / head problems for the for last 6 years. Will I get money back no... well not for another ten years or so if ever ...... But at 6" 2" with bad back it's the only small open top sports car I comfortably fit in and at 68 still provokes me to drive like i did as a teenager !!
The light in your backdrop, the first minutes, as it comes shining through the canopies of the trees onto a slightly wet country road is truly fantastic, Ian. You couldn't have chosen a nicer spot! Perhaps you could just have moved the yellow wheelie bin - if that's what it is - behind the telephone booth out of view, but I'm splitting hairs now.
I have an early Mark 1, 1996 mgf in volcano orange, it cost me £800 two years ago and I have since found out that it was owned and run from new by an mg dealer. It has updated suspension, head, air filter, cams and has a black leather interior from a mark 2. It has zero rust, no damage and rust free underneath on the sub frames. It has had just three owners including me and it now only goes out in dry weather and so should last for years now. Needs a little work on the front bumper but that is certainly just cosmetic. No chance of me ever selling her.
The K may have had its cooling issues, but it was gutsy and does sound rather nice when given the beans. I believe there is a kit available to reduce the tendency to blow headgaskets involving different head bolts a strengthening kit for the block and modified thermostat location. It came about when SAIC updated the engine for the Rowie cars.
I’m working on my mgf at the moment trying to get it mot ready. it’s been sat in my car port for the last 3 years.because I lost instead in it and now it time to put it back on the road
Just saw a Craigslist ad by a guy who says he has 5 of them for sale so even though I have read reviews in British car magazines I had to get Hub Nuts assessment. Only thing I missed was a mention of legroom. Absolutely love the styling of these cars, it's a shame the US never received them...legally, when new, we had to wait 25 years.
Quite a surprise, turns out that this cute little car seems like a total bargain. Well, you live and learn. If I had the room I'd definitely go looking for a nice F. After sitting through a seminar about electronic power steering the whole concept freaks me out with it's eye wateringly unnecessarily complexity. I like to be able to fix stuff myself. Did I mention, I love the colour too 😊
I used to work in a Rover Dealership for many years, exactly when the MGF and Rover 200 series with the 1.8 K series engine were coming out. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the head gasket issues with these engines were not overstated, it was a major problem and we saw many, many of these cars coming back with blown head gaskets and even worse, destroyed engines. It didn't need long to destroy the engine if these cars were driven any distance at all once the head gasket had an issue. The Honda engines, by contrast, were extremely reliable and very rarely had problems.
We had one of these in the workshop classrooms at college, in blue. Bashed to all living hell but I always would pick the car when we were given tasks to do. I’m not sure why, it was somewhat harder to get my head round than a corsa or something but its cute little face was so adorable.
Thermal shock was a big problem in the F due to the amount of coolant & distance of the rad from the engine hence the move to the PRV (pressure relief valve) style thermostat which allowed coolant flow at higher engine speeds (and therefore generally load) which was where the thermal shock & rapid cycling tended to happen.
The idea of mid-engined sports cars derived from FWD mechanics was first used by Matra, if I’m not mistaken (Bagheera with Simca 1100 drivetrain, but maybe even the 530 with German Ford V4 engine already used the full FWD drivetrain from the engine donor, not sure about that though).
A fantastic review of one of my favourites, and a severely underrated car. That example is a real credit to Simon. My personal feeling on them is that the rear tyres really do need to be in fine fettle or they will oversteer in spectacular fashion. Also the brakes on the F leave a lot to be desired, but overall a very easy car to live with as a daily!
