In many ways, falling in love can be compared to purchasing a collectible automobile.  Nobody needs a car project for survival.  We do what we do because we love the hobby.  We also tend to fall in love with cars which may not be the best choice for us.  See the parallels with falling in love with someone?  Take for example this 1977 MG MGB for sale on Craigslist in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.  While the pictures show a car that is all there and running.  Looking deeper, we see that this running but rough around the edges roadster is exhibiting issues that can be budget busters for a beginning collector.  Is the $3,950 asking price reasonable, or is it the mechanical equivalent of a Siren’s song?  Thanks to Mitchell G. for this faded find.

There are a few vehicles that come to mind when suggesting a collectible car to a first-time collector.  It can be foolish to dive headfirst into the restoration of a complicated vehicle with little support in the areas of information and parts availability without building up a strong skill set first.  One should start with a vehicle that is in their skill and price range.  Ford Model Ts, Model As, first-generation Mustangs, postwar pickups from Ford, GM, and Chrysler, and a few others make up the easy restoration list for domestic vehicles.  If we are talking British cars, then the MGB reigns supreme on the list of British cars for first time enthusiasts.

It is hard to beat an MGB when it comes to club support, relative simplicity, and parts availability.  A staggering 500,000 of them were sold.  These relatively uncomplicated vehicles are still around in huge numbers as well.  The pool of available MGBs is wide and deep, ranging from ratty junkyard rejects to pristine examples fresh of rotisserie restorations.  Even the most expensive offerings are relatively affordable, but the roughest ones turn out to be the most expensive examples of all.  Why?  Rust is the boogeyman that hides in the sills of almost every MGB.

One of the revolutionary things about the MGB, when it debuted in 1962, was its unibody structure.  While the beautiful but technologically deficient MGA was a body-on-frame design that wasn’t much changed from prewar MGs, the MGB’s body structure was quite modern for the time.  It was also very rigid in comparison.  That rigidity was due to several panels being spot welded together to make the whole one piece.  Those welded-together panels also held a lot of moisture and debris over the life of the car.  With nowhere to go, that moisture fed on the somewhat unprotected steel body like a starving dog who has found its way into a Golden Corral.  As that steel evaporates, structural integrity becomes compromised.

The most crucial areas of the body structure are the sills.  These panels sit under the doors and provide the strength to hold the car together in the center.  Being a convertible and not the much more rigid hardtop MGB GT, having a car without damage in these areas is important if you prefer such niceties as easily opening and closing doors.  How do you fix rust damage properly?  Often the most honest answer is to strip the car down, truss up the cockpit and door openings, and ruthlessly cut out the damage.  Or just make a phone call and max out your credit card by buying a new body shell.  Parts are so plentiful in the aftermarket that you can build an MGB from the ground up.

The car you see here is one that a starry-eyed dreamer could fall in love with easily.  If that person entered this relationship just wanting an old car to tool around in for a while, then this could be a good car.  It appears that the corrosion hasn’t gotten too out of control yet.  Driving it, enjoying it, and storing it in a garage could keep it in roughly the same state for a very long time.  Choosing this car as a restoration project may not be the best idea though.  Being a rubber bumper car with some corrosion puts it squarely in the drive and fix-up category.

For that, this car may be perfect.  Awakened after 31 years of languishing in a barn, the seller seems to have spared no expense in getting it to roadworthy condition.  Every maintenance item that can be replaced has been.  From vacuum hoses to a new fuel tank, this car has been made to be about as reliable an MGB as possible without cracking open the engine and transmission.  Add to the list of refurbishments a total change of every fluid and pad within the car and a fresh Optima battery to get it cranked up when you have the urge to put the wind in your hair.  If you want a driver, then this is your car.

If all of this maintenance was done by a professional, then the total would likely be near the asking price.  Perhaps this was a car that the seller fell in love with and just continued to shove money into it until they could cruise around end enjoy it.  There is nothing wrong with that, and if the seller did all of the work, then surely a lot was learned in the effort.  The next owner of this car may have a reliable bargain on their hands if all they want to do is cruise around.  If they want to fix all of the flaws, then they need to do their homework before plunking down the asking price.  Running and restored are two very different things.

Would you be happy with this MGB as it sits, or would the desire to restore it overwhelm you?  Please let us know your thoughts in the comments.