MGBs are great fun… in the summertime, but if you plan to drive your car in the coming months, the roof equipped GT may be more up your alley. Driver quality examples are plentiful, cheap, and there is enough room under that hatch to haul a few things. We just dug up this 1975 MGB GT in Eagle Idaho which has already had a bunch of work done. Plus they are only asking $1,700 here on craigslist.
According to the seller, they found the car in Spokane Washington where it had been sitting for over ten years. They trailered it home and started to bring it back to life. They have already changed all the fluids, cleaned up the fuel system, and gone through the brakes. The plugs, wires, tires, battery, etc. have all been replaced. Even the rims have been refurbished. Sounds like a typical to-do list for any barn find and the best part is that it has already been done for you.
Now for the bad news. There is some rust in the rockers and 1974 wasn’t the best year for the B. Emissions controls robbed power and a padded dash made things unsightly inside. Still, this looks like a bargain for someone wanting a car that can be driven as they work on the cosmetics. At least this one was able to avoid those dang rubber bumpers…
Here is another bargain B on Milwaukee’s craigslist. 73k miles, silver over black, wire wheels. It will never be an Aston Martin, but how much closer can you get for $6,500???
reminds me of a MGB GT that I passed up on in a charity auction a dozen and a half years ago for $500. Here in S CA…..never thought they would gain in value, I still don’t…..
Hard to complain about the price here. Entry level for a decent GT is usually above $4K these days, so with this one you would be ahead of the game from the start…….maybe. Depends on the dog legs, which from the limited photos and the confusing information in the listing, are probably what’s rusty. You just have to hope that’s all that’s rusty. On the other hand, at this price you could just drive it as-is and have fun.
Another unknown is the engine, which could just need plugs, timing, and the carbs adjusted, or maybe a lot more—it’s impossible to tell from here. One concern I would have is why did the owner buy it and trailer it to his garage, start fixing it, buy lots of parts for it, and then decide to sell it? The best reason would be that he ran out of steam. Not so good would be that he found that the car has more needs than he originally thought.
Go look at the car yourself, hear it run, drive it, then decide. Best inexpensive insurance policy on the driveline: bring your timing light and 4 new plugs, throw in the plugs and adjust the timing, and then test drive it.
I think the GT is wonderful little car. Grocery getter and set up properly can handle just peachy. I see a cross flow head is available for these from the usual suppliers. Of course the find is the 6 or V8 version but that is for another day………….
Parts availability is wonderful. Geez….I may talk myself into buying another one.
If you have some time and can get the metal work done for $2k it is a great deal. The driving position and feel of the road make this always fun to drive.
I love this car, and wish it was mine.
these are fun cars to drive, they are body on frame construction so fixing the rockers isn’t all that hard or critical if left alone. You can’t find anything more fun for the price.
Unibody not body on frame
Wayne, it’s been a long time,If they are unibody, then I have forgotten.
The MGA was the last MG sportscar with body-on-frame. My father and I worked on the ’59 MGA I bought around 1961 for $500 that had been hit lightly in the left front. An easy fix because the frame was untouched and it just needed some tinknocking, paint, and lights.
I’m with Wayne, the MGB and MGB GT was unibody. IIRC, there’s an MGB ad somewhere—a 1963 Road & Track pullout I think—that shows this.
If you want to see how the MGB unibody is made, check the Heritage MGB website. Heritage has the MGB dies and makes a brand new body shell except for the transmission/driveshaft tunnel. Not cheap, but you can get one reinforced and seam welded.I passed up the neighbor’s MGB GT for $600 because of the Rochester salt. Mechanically it was in great shape, but the body repair cost returned me to reality. But it was fun to drive.
It can’t be a ’75 as the GT was withdrawn at the beginning of 1974