Newbie from Surrey, UK

Hi

Been looking around for a while for a cheap convertible for the summer, my eye keeps getting drawn towards the MGF-TF, seen a few around the £1000 mark, I don't mind a little project but would prefer a vehicle with MOT, the head gasket done and records of it and with as much history and receipts as I can find.

Any good advice for a first time buyer?

Hi and :welcome: to the forum from John in Yorkshire.
Well the best thing to do is not to rush into buying the first one that's shiny . There are loads out there so take your time . There are going to issues with any F / TF as that's the nature of the beast. If you look on this forum there are tales of woe regarding the dreaded head gasket where folk have spent hard cash seeing receipts for the repair and then having it fail not long after buying . If the gasket has just recently been done , was it done correctly and if so why are they selling ? Cam belt replacement is also a key area . Looking for a car that has not been messed with too much was important for me and I travelled a long way from home to find the right one . Best of luck with your search .
John

Hello and welcome.
Good bodywork and sub frames are things to look at as these cars are getting quite old now.
The head gasket wouldn't be the top of my list of things done on a potential purchase. There are a few good mobile mechanics who specialise in these cars and the prices and expertise are better than most if not all garages.
Check the oil and coolant bottle and give the car a good long test drive if you can, it should show up any coolant issues.
Keep an eye on the forums such as this one, sometime great cars pop up for sale and they are usually very well cared for.
Good luck and I hope you find a good car.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

F or TF? They look similar but they are very different under the skin.

1.6, 1,8 or VVC?

James

:welcome2:

Thank you all for the very warm welcome

I was looking at viewing an MG TF, 2004, British racing green, it looked quite nice, I think it was a 135 bhp one, it had the head gasket done in 2018, 55,000 miles on it, 2 keys, I noticed in the pictures it had a heated glass rear screen on it, was up for £900, it had a crack in the front bumper and some bad scratches under the fuel filler where it looked like someone had filled up everytime with a bunch of keys dangling, unfortunately I couldn't get over to see it as a lot of the roads were flooded after storm Dennis and it sold quite quick.

I have noticed quite a few of the earlier MGF's around, there are a few of those local to me, there is a Y reg one, in green in the front garden of a house, the car hasn't got a cover on it and it still looks in quite good nick, the grass and borders look in good condition, the fence doesn't look like it has a removable section on it so god knows how they managed to get it in the garden.

Might be worth a note through the letterbox

Pete

:welcome: :welcome: :welcome:

Personally I prefer the F over the TF but that is just me. Ideally, get a post 2000 car so that it as the MEMS3 engine management system but be aware that not all 2000 cars are MEMS3! The Y reg one you've seen would be MEMS3 almost certainly and as you say may be worth a note through the letter box.

Good hunting!