Which soft top,MX5 or MGF?

[alex3659 11]

Anyone got any advice on which is the best soft top car between the mx5 and the mgf.

Looking to buy one for a present for someone.

[paranoid 10]

i owned an mgf 10 years ago when i was 18!... i loved it at the time but now i'm older and wiser i would choose an mx5

 

not that i'd drive either these days

[willman 10]

I bought an MGf as a present - can't fault it really, the odd minor glitch but nothing serious.

[alex3659 11]

I bought an MGf as a present - can't fault it really, the odd minor glitch but nothing serious.

 

I keep hearing bad things about the head gasket.

[willman 10]

yep - everytime you mention muslim you hear bad things.

Newer models had changes to the head and gasket - i personally don;t know anyone with a newer one who has ever had head trouble.My neighbours just bought a Lotus - excatly the same engine yet we never hear of the head going on them!!

[pem123 10]

MX5 by a country mile! I've never driven an MGF, but i've read plenty of negative stuff and it's a Rover

 

MX5s on the other hand are bulletproof, been around for years and bags of fun. Try to get a 1.8 over a 1.6 though, there's a lot of difference

[alex3659 11]

yep - everytime you mention muslim you hear bad things.

Newer models had changes to the head and gasket - i personally don;t know anyone with a newer one who has ever had head trouble.My neighbours just bought a Lotus - excatly the same engine yet we never hear of the head going on them!!

 

Yes I know of people who have put lotus head gaskets on them.

[SHYTOT 10]

yep - everytime you mention muslim you hear bad things.

Newer models had changes to the head and gasket - i personally don;t know anyone with a newer one who has ever had head trouble.My neighbours just bought a Lotus - excatly the same engine yet we never hear of the head going on them!!

 

That is probably because no one ever does any mileage in a Lotus.

[Captain Slow 10]

I'm a Austin Rover nut so I'm bound to say the MGF. However, the larger variants of the K series are known for head gasket issues, so take your time looking and try and find a car that's had it's HG recently replaced.

 

The Mazda also is a good car, but if it were my money I'd pick the MG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paranoid, how the heck did you afford to insure an MGF at 18? I'm 18 and struggling to get quotes on wheelbarrows of under 4 figures, let alone cars...

 

If you could let me know (either here or by PM) who you were with, what ballpark your quote was in etc. I would appreciate it greatly.

[Berlin 10]

That is probably because no one ever does any mileage in a Lotus.

 

Loads Of Trouble Usually Serious?

[swordfish1 10]

yep - everytime you mention muslim you hear bad things.

Newer models had changes to the head and gasket - i personally don;t know anyone with a newer one who has ever had head trouble.My neighbours just bought a Lotus - excatly the same engine yet we never hear of the head going on them!!

 

 

 

Really? I had a TF and it had been changed once (by a Rover dealer) and was already going again. I was also a member of the owners club and the MG forum and went on quite a few meets. Head gasket failure was rife. Also ill fitting carpets, leaky roofs, playschool interior, and the wiper arm linkage was pure comedy.

One great thing was that I only lost £200 in 3 years of ownership. The faults give them character...but they aren't a good car.

[paranoid 10]

the horror story about the head gasket problem was going around when i had mine, but to be fair, i never had any real problems with my mgf (other than the window mechanism broke one time, but i managed to fix that myself with the help of a friend)

 

i went through the same decision making process - mgf vs mx5. at the time, i decided to opt for the mgf because it was a rarer car. as you'll know, mx5's have been around for a long time. but now a days, there are loads of mgf's around as well, so my choice today would be the mx5. having said that, after the mgf i purchased an mr2 and that was a better car. then i traded the mr2 for an s2000 and that was better still (but to be fair it is in a different league to the other 3)

 

captain slow - basically, it cost me a bomb to insure. just over £2300 for the year if i remember correctly. at the time i was living at home with my parents so i didn't have a mortgage etc and i've always worked full time