Bought an MGF Today...

Hello everyone,

Thought I'd say hi as I bought a 2001 MGF Freestyle today and will probably be asking lots of questions about it in the future!

It was advertised on Facebook Marketplace and I picked it up from its previous owner in Bicester who had bought it on a bit of a whim and found it too difficult to get into and out of.  I drove it home to Cambridge and straight to my local MoT test station as it's not had an MoT for a couple of years, having been stored in a garage. Its mileage of 56k is supported by the service history and Mots.

Here are some pics:

The car turned out to be a solid little example of the breed. Initial inspection revealed that the black vinyl on the bonnet was covering a badly-resprayed bonnet, but almost everything else was fine cosmetically. The only other bit that needs attention is the rear window which is opaque and brittle. No surprise there then!

Mechanically, it's very sound. The head gasket, water pump and timing belt were all replaced in recent memory. I think the seller was a little bit taken aback when I produced a set of ramps and asked if he minded me having a look at the underside! Luckily, it's all very tidy with very little in the way of rust in the floorpan, sills or subframes. The coolant pipes are the original steel ones, but they've been rustproofed and painted silver along with much of the underside

The seats are very supportive and with the roof down and wind deflector up it was very pleasant in the afternoon sunshine. Thanks to the previous owner it also has a DAB/Bluetooth CD head unit.The drive from Bicester to my MoT station in Cambridge was a mixed bag: the suspension is very hard and low, but the most worrying thing at the time was that a bit of oil had been dropped on the exhaust and it really smoked badly for the first 20 minutes!

It needs a full service, a set of tyres and the suspension pumped up, but other than that it's hopefully very close to passing an MoT.

All in all, I think it's £575 well spent.

Welcome.

You have done very well. Glad to see another who has found a bargain that just needs a bit of a tickle and tidying. Ive bought at low prices 3 times  2x TFs and now an F and have had the fun of bringing the cars back into good condition. Several other regulars here have, others have bought cars that were cossetted or have been restored.
Take advice from the forum before you spend money ordering things or start work as there's a wealth of accumulated owner knowledge here on things to do, the way to tackle things, pitfalls, places to buy from. Read some of the How To's and skim read some threads. There's a lot of good stuff to read.

Cobber has put together a really useful checklist for new owners, he should be along soon with a link, It's sound advice.
Chris
 

Hello and welcome!
You have the makings of a very good car by the sounds of it. If it's structurally solid then it's worth doing the mechanicals step by step.
You say it has the original steel coolant pipes which are notorious for corroding from the inside out. A low level coolant alarm is a great comforter to have and they are inexpensive and very easy to fit.
Have a read of the Forum there is a wealth of knowledge here by experienced enthusiasts who are very willing to help.
Enjoy your stay.

Welcome to the forum! I hope you will enjoy your stay here!

 

Welcome, and as mentioned previously here is a link to the checklist: https://www.the-t-bar.com/forum/54-how-tos/99326-a-check-list-for-new-owners?ajaxlogin=1&ajaxlogin=1&ajaxlogin=1&ajaxlogin=1&ajaxlogin=1#210405

Welcome Simon,
money well spent, I have had mine for just a year now and this is the place for information.
Happy driving, Richard.

Although the black bonnet was done to cover up poor paintwork it gives quite an interesting look.
Very nice wheels and boot spoiler there.

Welcome Simon

Nice car and lovely wheels. My TF has the same Freestyle rings (with spacers) fitted by the PO 

I am/have been in several forums on different cars (and in different countries) and I think this is the best by far, for several reasons, enjoy it!

Pedro Red 110

Get a low coolant alarm, get an MOT, get a pad & pencil to make notes & enjoy your rather nice car until the back end.
Then, with it off the road for the salt season open your pad & go through your notes. By this time next year your car will be fully sorted & you’ll be a regular contributor to the T-bar.
Welcome.
M

Hi everyone - many thanks for all the words of welcome and helpful suggestions - I'm glad you like the car!

I've noted that the underbody coolant pipes rot from the inside - I will replace those as a matter of urgency and replace the coolant with new.  On that subject, what low coolant alarms does everyone use? - I found this on eBay - Any views on this one?

Seems I can't post a link, so it's item #305053857329 - copy and paste that number into the search box to see it.

Failing that - please can someone recommend a good alarm that they use?

I connected up the laptop this evening as the EML came on on my way home. The car was indicating P0420 "Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank1) but I'm assuming this may be due to it not being driven for a long time.  I'll keep an eye on that - I erased the code for now and will see if it comes back.

The immediate jobs for now are
1. Buy new tyres
2. Sort the suspension
3. Replace the rear screen - I'll read the forum to see if this is a reasonable DIY job.
4. Full Service (oil, oil filter, coolant, brake fluid) - it has a K&N air filter fitted but I may put the original back in place
5. Check and remedy oil leak
6, Check all parts of the brake system and regrease where appropriate
7.Work out why the alarm goes off several hours after the doors have been kocked
8. Get an MoT

Non immediate jobs are
1. replace / respray the bonnet
2. wire brush, treat and re-spray all rusty parts with underseal or Schutz
3. replace exhaust tips
4. clay / polish paintwork

I'll post updates as and when anything interesting happens - and I'll probably put some videos on my YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@sboreeves?si=bmDgrlgbGDrApbQM

Bruce, our resident low coolant expert & collator of bespoke parts should be along soon. His system is used by just about everyone on here. Elegant, simple, to both use & fit, reliable, who could wish for more?
Maybe a discount for T-bar member?
Yes that also!
The boot wiring is questionable. I’ve suspected this to be at the route of false alarms. This ropy wiring caused numerous irritations.  Most on here will have changed the wires by now. 
M