This running and ready to enjoy 1978 MGB is up for grabs. While the winter weather is not exactly kind to convertibles, and this car, located in Brunswick, Ohio, might not be used much this time of year, you can buy it for only $5,300 and either save it for the summer or move it to a warmer climate to cruise around in. There are 60,000 miles registered on the odometer. The title is listed as clear but no VIN is mentioned. Thank you, Roger, for the tip. You can find it here on craigslist.
Work has recently been performed on the carburetors, specifically, they have been upgraded to dual SU units with a manifold, header, and exhaust. Everything is tuned and running in tip-top shape. The sellers do not provide any photos of the engine with the carburetors they so wonderfully described. It should have a 1.8 liter, inline, four-cylinder engine connected to a four-speed manual transmission. After that, the seller also makes many mentions of the wire wheels. According to the listing, those wire wheels might have been leftover from 1977 models which would make this an early 1978 production car. Being that the car is in Ohio and has only had 2 owners, the listing says the body of the car is solid and rust-free, although they do not provide any undercarriage photos.
The interior is clean and complete. They provide a few photos showing various items and angles and there is nothing there that looks disappointing. It does look slightly worn and faded if a few spots, but for its age, it is healthy and more than presentable.
If you are wondering about the paint, wonder no more. It was repainted at some point but there is no information when that happened. The stripes give it a sporty look. Everything appears to be in good order with this MG. Considering the price, and if it does in fact run flawlessly as described, it is a great deal on a fun, solid car. At that point, I’d brave the cold to drive it around after purchasing. It would be a shame not to.
Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers !!
Although I never cared much for this generation of MGBs with their rubber bumpers and high ride height, this one seems to be a decent car for a reasonable price. At least, they looked somewhat better than the giant black bumper guards on some Triumphs and Jaguars. Also, I’ve seen several other 1978s online with the wire wheels, so at least many people change over to them. Why are the headrests missing?
I’ve owned & enjoyed both series 1 & 2 B’s. I don’t mind the rubber bumpers that much (prefer series 1), but the Rostyle wheels work a little better with them than wires. Missing the chrome accent strip (looks fine without) & the soft top. Also wondering how you release the parking brake without the release button?
I’m on my 5th MGB, all of which were ’63 – ’67 MkI. Call me a snob if you will, but to me the MGB starting dying in 1968 and took 13 years to perish. It’s not just the ridiculous bumpers. It’s the smogged to death engine and the lack of handling that makes late MGBs not worth the trouble. Early B’s were 98 hp. I believe the last few years were a robust 58-60 hp.
I’m liking this, and it is only one state away, and the price seems fair, and I have 1 empty garage bay open, and………..
Can’t argue much with Dennis M on the desirability of earlier B’s, except I liked my ’69 better than my ’67. This was primarily due to the fact that the newer model had significantly less rust. For a while, at least.
From my limited experience the most important part of any MGB is the body shell given their propensity to rust. If I am fortunate to get another that’s what I would put as #1 priority. Everything else can be bolted on, including chrome bumpers.
Despite the ragged state of the 2 B’s I owned they remain the standard of driving enjoyment for every other car I’ve had since, closely followed by the 1st gen Rx7. I like the wire wheels on this one and could definitely see using it as a solid starting point, converting to chrome and removing the stripes.
MGBs are a timeless design and good examples will only go up in value. Even millennials, rice racers, & 3-series Bimmer freaks can appreciate them.
I’ll never buy one of these because of the ENDLESS comments about the bumpers. ENDLESS
For those of you railing against the rubber bumpers, consider this: one other feature of the rubber-bumpered MGBs is that they were slightly reconfigured in the engine bay to make conversion to the BOP-Rover 215 CI (3.5 L) aluminum V8 a straight bolt-in job. Even the engine mounts are compatible. And, get this: this V8 is actually lighter than the cast-iron 4-cylinder usually found in these cars. That’s because the factory built ’em – beginning in 1973.Normally, folks think the 1973 Arab oil embargo killed ’em, but British Leyland, in their infinite wisdom, chose not to market these models in North America.
But wait… the plot thickens: in fact, the MGBV8s actually got BETTER gas mileage than the cast-iron 4s.
Yes, in today’s aftermarket, there are high-quality kits available to convert to chrome bumpers, lower the ride height, and improve the handling. The sad truth about that is that most of us MG aficionados have gotten so old that we care little and notice less of the poorer handling. Some of us even tolerate the 58 hp hopelessly detuned (but sensationally smooth) engine.
Had MG been able to hang on for just about five more years, they would have gotten to computerized engine management and the nightmares of the 70s would have been over.
If this one has been retrofitted with twin SUs, that’s a good start.
Also, the seller says nothing about overdrive. If you’re going to drive on any long trips on interstates, that’s a game-changer.
Thanks for the clarification Allen on the viability of the Rover/Buick 3500 V8. The later cars generally have better body integrity and engine swap option makes it even better.
And Crazyhawk, I sincerely apologize for liking chrome bumpers better than the rubber ones. Especially if that sort of thing offends you so much that you don’t like MGBs.
Sort of explains your screen name…
same old same old
I’m not sure there is any difference in body integrity. All the. structural panels available from British Motor Heritage are interchangeable between chrome- and rubber-bumpered cars. The rubber-bumpered cars might feel more solid, I believe, due to the extra weight of the 200# bumper assemblies and perhaps the height. At any rate, pick any year you want – they’re all great.
And Abingdon was known for using whatever parts were in the bin. Well in to 1978, if a narrow rear axle showed up in the bin, you can bet that car would have gotten wire wheels, regardless of the year. Also, there was little coordination with the calendar in the manufacture of MGBs. New parts showed up when they showed up and there were lots of mid-year changes.
There were other more exotic, arguably more attractive MGs built over the years, but the fact is that the MGB is the best car they ever built. They are plentiful now, but within the next ten years, sources will dry up.
They are the one vintage British car that can be driven – daily – on interstates (at least with overdrive) or wherever. Drive one this way for over 30 years and ask yourself if you’d prefer to drive something else. Nope! No wonder, this 1962 design, involving prewar components, was still in demand in 1980. Yup, the market was still there – even as Leyland pulled the plug.
Damn – I love these cars!
Original owner was obviously a first-time MGB owner as he didn’t know to avoid the rubber bumper cars and wire wheels if you intend to drive ’em!
Very nice car. May require some inspection with a magnet to be sure the respray did not cover some blemishes (I doubt it, given the overall condition). I never understood the rubber bumper conundrum. The car can easily be reconfigured the the original style. I was more concerned with the ride height (also fixable) and the propensity toward overheating.
But “Bs” were the sports car equivalent to the 55-57 Chevy. It was a very simple car to reconfigure to one’s exact liking. If you have room in the garage and in the bank book, you oughta give this one a close look.
Overheating? John Twist, the North American MG Guru has a fix for that: a piece of masking tape over the temp gauge! ;-) I’ve been driving MGBs for 36 years – have owned a bunch. Never had one overheat. Now if oil pressure drop s along with overheating, then I would get concerned.
Being inexpensive, many of these cars attracted rather uncaring first owners – and the succession after that only got worse. ‘ Driven hard and put away wet. Then there was the final generation of owners – college students who bought ’em for $500 in the spring and had ’em trashed by fall. Victims of this treatment still lurk in lowly places – so buyers beware. The factory warranty has expired.
Incidentally, I did drive a rubber-bumpered B with wire wheels 67,000 miles back a few years. Once you got the right inner tubes, every thing was great. Of course I did a few tweaks inside the engine – ‘ got back that 98 hp!