Wheel Arch Rust Assessment (Prior to purchase)

I agree 100% with the "Overpriced" comment by TA22GT, especially in view of your mention of
"there was an advisory for front suspension arms corroded (but not weakened) so they'll need doing at some point"

These lower arms are notorious for collecting water & mud and therefore corrode. Either use this as a way to get the price down, or find a better deal!

I'm aiming (assuming I go for it at all) to talk the dealer down to £4000 or close to it if that makes it seem much more palatable?
The gasket, cambelt, clutch and cooling pipes give me some confidence that it's not a pup at least, though as with any used car (especially a classic, you can never be totally confident)

I wasn't trying to be rude or anything but I realise I came across as a bit abrupt.
I don't know enough about the rarity of that model but others will and I am sure be able to enlighten both of us.
Just because it is rare doesn't mean it is worth top whack..it has to be in top condition too and I get the feeling the seller is banking everything on it's rarity as if that overcomes condition.
I got lucky and bought the right car and I love it..I am learning about it as I go along but I absolutely love driving it. They are fun cars and I am sure you will love ownership of one. 
Lets make sure this is the right one.

     

Hiya...a few pics of my car..only to show you what is out there and not to say " look at me"...I'm concerned you get bitten! 
You can pick up a really, really ggod MGF or TF for £3k all day long privately.
When I researched buying an MGF TF I wanted a 160. Was dead set on that but a lot of those I looked at for sale looked tired or thrashed, not all, so I widened my horizon and found this car.Almost fsh  34k and £2200. The seller wouldn't budge on price because he knew it was a really solid car.
It doesn't bother me in the least that it's not a 160 because I can pedal this thing really fast without ever thrashing it.

The black sills on that car look like it is black Stonechip which needs to be lacquered because it is not waterproof and it looks like it is washing off..underseal doesn't wash off. Most people would stonechip it in white and then paint it the body colour..to me it is hiding something.
I have a car up for sale that is not a MG but is a limited edition of the model. I am asking 5k but it is pristine everywhere and a good solid car for someone to enjoy.
I enclose a pic so you can see the quality you should be seeing if you are spending £5k on a 22 yr old classic car.
THIS IS NOT A FOR SALE AD! 
Mods please remove it if I have broken forum rules! It is to show the OP that the yellow car is not in that league!
   
 

Thanks for that, and don't worry, I didn't think you were being rude or abrupt in the least, definitely just helpful. 
With all this in mind I'm not sure what I would consider to be a "good price" for that Sunspot, I'm confident I could get him down but don't know how much it would need to be by before it becomes worthwhile. 
I've definitely seen cheaper ones out there, mostly 135s (or of course the 1.6 which id rather not go for) it was mostly all the mechanical work that drew me to this one, as well as the x-power hoops which are my preferred style (each to their own as I know everyone has their thoughts on the different hoops available)
Yours does look great, as does your mx5 (which lets face it we all know is the more traditional and some might say more sensible route into 2 seater B roading, but sensible isn't always what matters) 
I'm still keeping my eyes open but definitely curious as to what price people think would make the sunspot more appealing...

Hi KidCreation. I would second what the others have said. Im not criticising your choice but there are some great TFs to be had for considerably less if you look around. Values are starting to rise at last but not that quickly that would warrant most forum users saying that £ 4 to £ 5k would be a reasonable figure to pay for the car you have described.

160s are top of the MG TF tree for performance and there were fewer of them made but they were still a standard part of the range rather than a low production special. They are therefor worth a bit more than an equivalent 115 or 135 but not by a massive margin. We aren't talking the value difference between a 1.1 base Mk1 Escort vs an RS Mexico here or a BMW 318 vs an M3, nothing like it..
There is a much wider gap in values for the earlier MGFs as the Trophy 160 which came along late in the MGFs product lifecycle, differed in so many respects from a standard MGF. When it came to the introduction of the TF though the 160 was a standard production model with a VVC engine and options such as spotlights as standard..

Id expect to pay around £ 1.8k to £ 2.5k for that car, from that seller, in that condition, with that provenance.   To my mind £ 4k to £ 5k would be justified for an issue free,  low mileage, single owner car offered with a full service history that had just had a service and a cam belt change, sold by a specialist dealer with a reputation.

Because values of good condition Fs and TFs fall within a lot of people's reach for a weekend car, it has made MOT failures and cars with any issues, blemishes or problems worth very little. Hence there are several of us here who have bought cars without an MOT or with various known problems for a few hundred and got them up  to scratch as viable road going cars with a few weekends spannering,  There are some very good threads here that will show what is involved, its worth investing your time to read through them to familiarise yourself with both common faults and how they are tackled by owners.
.
It makes me chuckle though when I hear sellers mention in passing the front lower arms may just need replacing at some point as though it's a ten minute job.   These wishbones are a simple hollow steel pressing which routinely fill with surface water during use that has no where to exit. They inevitably rust through from the inside over time and a pinhole in a wishbone one year will turn into a proper sized hole the next, a certain MOT failure. To  replace it the front subframe has to be lowered to provide enough clearance with sheared subframe bolts being quite a common occurrence as they are smallish bolts that are unlikely to have been disturbed since the car left the factory. If in doubt, lean on the seller to change the wishbones in return for leaving them a decent sized cash deposit on the car.

Out of interest Len' on the forum is having to sell the TF he has been fastidiously restoring, you wont find any flaky pint or hidden faults on this one:   https://www.the-t-bar.com/forum/9-mgf-tf-pitstop/99251-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-is-getting-brighter

Id say someone who is definitely worth getting an opinion from about values & condition would be Darren at Mgfntfbitz. Give him a call, a non nonsense trusted professional most of us here have dealt with who says it like it is.

You are keeping an open mind and that is a good thing!
I'm hoping others comment too but nobody likes to put down a car that someone is interested in.
You say that you are happy that the mechanical side looks good and I agree but it is rust that kills these cars. 
I can do any mechanical work...rebuild the engine or gearbox but I don't have acces to do welding and serious rust work on these cars. For me the car had to be rust free for the rest I can do.
You will learn the mechanical skills needed to look after these cars far easier than the skills needed to restore a rotten chassis.
Any chance of more pics of the car..inside and out? We are making huge assumptions on arch pics!
You seem like a decent guy wanting to buy his first classic car, excited to get the one thst excites you...I...we...just want it to be one you will grow in to and not dread the MOT on dodgy subframes.

I think we have to take care whilst helping prospective owners. We are more knowledgeable because we have had the experience. The track we trod isn’t the only route.
Our cars aren’t the most obvious or the “sensible money” (I vehemently disagree) when it comes to inexpensive sorts cars & so someone drawn to them will have to suffer the birth pangs of purchase, learning the ropes & possibly ridicule from “those who know far more than you”. As with child birth these formative interactions cement a firm bond. If we all chip in with our two penuth it could end up as a proscription; to continue the child birth indium, a cesarean.
Trophy cars have done an amount of work on it & although their reputation isn’t blemish free, they couldn’t afford a fancy showroom on the Great North Road if they were rubbish & Jon from Rough Luck has also worked on it.
When he did work for me, he gave my car the once over & was complementary, that was before work started. A crap car not worth the work would have been commented on I’m sure.
Please listen to our comments but make your own mind up. A 160 in yellow is going to stand out & who wouldn’t want that, I normally like to sink in to the middle distance but I suspect a tf in yellow going sideways around a corner might just attract me into the drivers seat
Had it a black leather interior?
However, Caveat Emptor.
M

Thanks for the continued thoughts guys, one thing i do know for sure is there's a great community here so definitely know i'm making the right decision in trying to join it.

Notanumber, i'll probably drop Darren an email, see what his thoughts are, so thanks for that, had a quick look at that website earlier while i was pricing up "worst case scenario" types of things (e.g. how much is a subframe, how much are suspension arms etc)

TA22GT  unfortunately i didn't take more photos because in honesty i simply didn't notice anything else that gave me concerns, however the dealer does have some photos on their page which can be seen  here  (don't worry, the alpine system would be getting removed and gifted to my local nova driver, i just don't like these big screen things, whether floppy like this or a superglued iPad from a tesla)

Airportable, thanks, some very good points there and i think heart vs head is always going to be a big factor here, and yes it does have the black leather interior ( Link Here ) though i'll put a big chavvy hat on for a second and say part of me wants to replace the gaitors with yellow ones (i'll see myself out and ensure the door hits me in doing so)

That it has recently had woirk done by well known players such as Trophy Cars and by Tough Luck Racing definitely goes in it's favour.

The yellow gaiter could be cool.

Notanumber wrote:

Hi KidCreation. I would second what the others have said. Im not criticising your choice but there are some great TFs to be had for considerably less if you look around. Values are starting to rise at last but not that quickly that would warrant most forum users saying that £ 4 to £ 5k would be a reasonable figure to pay for the car you have described.

160s are top of the MG TF tree for performance and there were fewer of them made but they were still a standard part of the range rather than a low production special. They are therefor worth a bit more than an equivalent 115 or 135 but not by a massive margin. We aren't talking the value difference between a 1.1 base Mk1 Escort vs an RS Mexico here or a BMW 318 vs an M3, nothing like it..
There is a much wider gap in values for the earlier MGFs as the Trophy 160 which came along late in the MGFs product lifecycle, differed in so many respects from a standard MGF. When it came to the introduction of the TF though the 160 was a standard production model with a VVC engine and options such as spotlights as standard..

Id expect to pay around £ 1.8k to £ 2.5k for that car, from that seller, in that condition, with that provenance.   To my mind £ 4k to £ 5k would be justified for an issue free,  low mileage, single owner car offered with a full service history that had just had a service and a cam belt change, sold by a specialist dealer with a reputation.

Because values of good condition Fs and TFs fall within a lot of people's reach for a weekend car, it has made MOT failures and cars with any issues, blemishes or problems worth very little. Hence there are several of us here who have bought cars without an MOT or with various known problems for a few hundred and got them up  to scratch as viable road going cars with a few weekends spannering,  There are some very good threads here that will show what is involved, its worth investing your time to read through them to familiarise yourself with both common faults and how they are tackled by owners.
.
It makes me chuckle though when I hear sellers mention in passing the front lower arms may just need replacing at some point as though it's a ten minute job.   These wishbones are a simple hollow steel pressing which routinely fill with surface water during use that has no where to exit. They inevitably rust through from the inside over time and a pinhole in a wishbone one year will turn into a proper sized hole the next, a certain MOT failure. To  replace it the front subframe has to be lowered to provide enough clearance with sheared subframe bolts being quite a common occurrence as they are smallish bolts that are unlikely to have been disturbed since the car left the factory. If in doubt, lean on the seller to change the wishbones in return for leaving them a decent sized cash deposit on the car.

Out of interest Len' on the forum is having to sell the TF he has been fastidiously restoring, you wont find any flaky pint or hidden faults on this one:   https://www.the-t-bar.com/forum/9-mgf-tf-pitstop/99251-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-is-getting-brighter

What a great post! Very well thought out and like that you broadened the picture. Brilliant.