I’ve just bought a 911 and a few days ago I was in the queue for Brittany Ferries. I don’t know if anyone was admiring my new car, but I can tell you that an MG pulled up , in an adjoining lane, and I don’t think I was alone in my admiration. The couple driving it had a boot rack with a large suitcase attached and the roof was down . I hope they enjoyed their French holiday as much as I enjoyed the drive south. I’m sure they did.
I completely relate to what you say. I've been noticing MGFs turn heads lately, I saw gaggle of them in a park near Stratford upon Avon and they pulled a small crowd, I think they're starting to be appreciated. Drive about in a 911 made in the last 20 years, even a super clean black one that's ceramic coated to within an inch of its life and the only people that will notice are drivers of similar aged 911s and Boxsters 😂 Old and quirky is the way to go if you want to get noticed
Pre COVID we got short notice permission to.park some MGs in a town centre on Saturday. It was to publicize a charity sponsored drive. We took our TF and the only other car that could make it was a 1964 MG Midget. Chrome bumpers Old English White black with white piping interior. It got all the attention
I used to live in a posh London neighborhood where the streets were lined up with expensive cars including many Porsches. People were constantly coming over for a chat when I was near my MG TF including the Porsche owners themselves. No doubt a Porsche is a better car, but the TF has some sort of a charm that is difficult to put your finger on. Probably because today they are not that many while Porsches are quite common. The car was a charmer with the ladies too.
My sister gave me her MGF, I replaced the head gasket and hydrogas. Later I added a trophy splitter and rear wing and it was great to drive. I owned it for 5 years - verdict great fun!
Never understand why car journalists hate MGR. People are quick to forget that the original MGF had a huge waiting list and was very successful. The TF was also very popular.
I've had a 2003 TF 160 for four and a half years. I never meant to keep it as long but I find that I'm still not in a hurry to sell it! The big brakes are great.
I think in common with a lot of rovers it's a case of whether the one you got was assembled on a hangover day or not. If it's still running now then it's probably one of the good ones, or someone else went through the pain or reassembling the k series correctly with better gaskets. K series again was quite a forward thinking engine being essentially a modular sandwich you could build in different capacities etc but let down by crappy gaskets and studs. Lotus built them a lot stronger.
@@MicrowavableStudios different head gasket design, different studs. Rover cheaped out on the gaskets. Lotus were fitting their own heads. Still failure prone but way less than rover built engines. But yeah,obvs the Toyota engines Elise s2s are waaaaay better.
@@throwback19841 The problem was solved before Lotus used these engines - the problem was with the MG Rover management ignoring the engineers solutions and not spending the money to change all of the gaskets. If the gaskets and studs have been replaced with the correct ones then they will never fail again. The Chinese managed to solve it no problem when they took over the K-Series manufacture which was changed to N-Series to show the improved engines and get away from the K-Series bad publicity which still goes on with people spouting drivel about these engines even after they have been sorted as if buying any of these cars is going to mean the head gasket is going to go when sorted they will not. A lot of cowboy garages have done crap jobs on these engines as well and that is what people have to watch out for even using the original crap gaskets to replace the failed ones which means that they will fail again.
Lotus did precisely 0 to the k series this is just a way for lotus owners to massage themselves into the idea of a rover power plant . They had either 114 or 143hp which is precisely 0 increase over what the rovers where making so they didn’t get ported, they didn’t have a stronger block and they still suffered the same HG trouble
I've had 5 over 20 years and love them. The head gasket thing is overstated, it's an easy job to fit an MLS kit. Are a hoot to drive as they are narrow which is great on country roads, reliable if you do the maintenance, not had a breakdown. The Boxter 986 was shockingly badly engineered, you loose your shirt when they go wrong. Ed
I was thinking this just this week It's twice as heavy as the lotus elise s1 At 1150kg vs 650kg but still a mid engined car for about £1500 seems like a steal
I guess that is what you are paying for with the Lotus. The hand-welded subframes and the lightweightedness. Otherwise the two cars are identical, same engine, same gearbox, same suspension. One is a track car, the other is a roadster. People rave for the Lotus then they shit all over the MG, guess who had the better marketing department.
I recently traded in my Alfa Spider for an MG TF 160, it's both my daily commuter and a weekend fun car. Got a hard top in the same cool blue for the winter but more than likely I'll still be taking the roof off on nice days. I luv it, some summer days I will add a few extra miles to my homebound commute and blast around empty country roads while everyone else queues up in town. Never a dull drive. What a great car!
I tell ya JayEmm, I was a big fan of Quentin Wilson’s old Top Gear vids from the 90s and your videos manage to scratch that exact itch for similar content. Kudos!
I’ve got one. Inherited it a few years ago when my dad died. It had been sat for years and needed about £800 to put it back on the road (exhaust , cat, brakes etc.). Took me days to de- mould the interior 😂. Though I might aswell keep it as a spare car and see what happens. Hammered the thing over many miles since and it’s never gone wrong once. Does most of its miles over winter! And lugs work stuff around. Daughter loves it with the roof off. Great car 😅 considering how ‘unreliable’ people claim they are , there sure seems to be a lot still on the road!
I bought a 2001 MGF 1.8 two years ago. I test drove F and TF and preferred the look of F. I had the Hydragas spheres replaced which utterly transformed the car. I’ve since driven another TF and I’m glad I plumped for the F. Horses for courses though, I guess. If you’re ever in the West Mids, you’re more than welcome to use it for the channel.
I've got an F from the same year. I think people tend to look down on the F and think the TF is better because they are stiffer, however try driving a tightly sprung car on the lanes near me and you'll be shaken to bits. Give me a softer ride any day
The rear of these is really good, no wonder why as it comes from the marvelous EX-E 1985 concept car that influenced the NSX and the BMW Nazcas James may often criticized the British motor industry to be too attached to their 1960s heritage, the EXE still looks almost cutting edge to this day
Fortunately I live in Australia so the rust issues on a TF don't really exist. Unfortunately to buy a good TF like mine which has only 70K km on it and had had all the engine issues sorted before I got it, you have to pay a LOT more. They range from $5k for a beat up F to $15k to $20k (AUD) for a good TF. Having said all that, I love my TF 2002 135hp, and look forward to lots of driving fun for many years to come.
I used to work for an Austin Rover/MG dealer back in the late 80's early 90's,when I left for Peugeot it was an eye opener on how different companies run essentially the same business.Always had a soft spot for the MG brand the later models were in need of more product development,but due to economics and business plan it never panned out.Would love to see somebody reimagine and/or rework the MGTF to upgrade styling/engine/suspension etc I remember the Rover 200 Coupe Tomcat with well in excess of 200bhp or the Rover Metro Gti being developed with a twin scroll turbo way back,but due to financial restrictions, they were never seen by the public,only the R&D team.
The Tomcat is a car I always loved, especially the Turbo variant. A tuned T series turbo engine could have done well in excess of 200hp, the stock car was in the 190 to 200 range. As for the Rover Metro... if only they had released a special version above the the GTi with one of the bigger K series engines. But then again, the 1.4 with 104hp in the actual GTi proved quite good for its time. These days, you see many of the few surviving Metros fitted with 1.8 and VVC engines making them very effective fun cars. Mind you, you also see them fitted with Honda K20 engines in various states of tune... making them really fun and wild.
@@fatkev1983 They were proud of the Tomcat I actually managed to get hold of the promotional development video way back when,I believe they were managing 150mph plus around the Gaydon Test track,The Metro Gti MPi Turbo was mainly canned because of the expense of having to upgrade the brakes according to our Salesman at the time,such a shame really.We all love a K20 but knowing Rover had engines waiting in the wings that could of done a job was galling.With the MG F/TF they lost out unnecessarily to cars like the MX5,a bit more development here in Britain and it could of done the business......but who knows what would of happened if someone else other than the " Phoenix Four " took over !!
I had a 135 TF for 1 year/10k miles during covid before my friend put it sideways into a roundabout. It was a fun toy to play with during lockdown for only £600 @60k miles. Albeit we had to spend £700 sorting it out fully over the next 6 months. It’s fairly easy to work on given the limited access of the mid engined layout. The steering isn’t great but when I got out for a good Sunday drive, I’d always pull the epas fuse out which would give more predictable response (especially with newly refreshed control arms and bushings of course). Only took a second to pop the front hood and pull it out (big 70a orange fuse up the top right next to the fuse box). Steering is heavier but perfectly manageable, just don’t try to go parking in a multi-storey with it. Brakes are poor yes. Without abs and with skinny tyres, upgrading the brakes only gets you so far before you break traction in poor conditions anyway, it’s not ideal but I got used to it. With a good back box/ exhaust mod and an enclosed cone intake, the k series sings and is definitely the standout bit of the car, probably my favourite engines in a cheap platform. Having said that I wouldn’t get another, it rattled me to death, the cockpit was tiny for a 6”2 skinny bloke and it was noisy/ unstable at motorway speeds on the occasion I used it for a commute (although 45mpg at 60mph was a welcome surprise!)
I love my MGF. Things go wrong but nothing on it is too hard/expensive to fix. Also, you can just take out the fuse for the power steering and makes it so much more connected
I've had 2 tf's, really don't think you can't beat them in a smiles per miles contest. They're cheap at the moment but that's already changing for the best ones. Get one before they get too expensive.
Had my TF 135 five years, it had been a little neglected but the only rust was on the subframe mounts and lower wishbones, after four years I had the upgraded head gasket kit fitted, new heavy duty oil rail, Payen multi layer head gasket and high tensile head bolts. I toured Scotland last summer after the job and it performed faultlessly. What you must consider is what parts you buy, there are cheap options that I avoid due to the poor quality, its been a very good car, fun reliable and cheap to run. Not sure why the steering on the car you had was very light, mine seems weighted ok. Just buy a car that's been looked after and you'll not be disappointed.
Just here to say I really appreciate seeing a car-guy and motoring TH-camr drive so well around cyclists on narrow country roads. Just further proving the point that you can love cars and driving hard but also do it without being impatient and risking other people's lives.
I love it. I got my new tf cool blue 19 years ago for my birthday. Now 42k miles later it remains in near mint condition. It is designed to be driven at about 45-60 mph on country roads with lots of gear work and safe braking. It is very stable and tight in the corners. I like to take through the Trossachs. around Arran and Bute and all over the East Neuk of Fife. Awesome traditional rag top motoring country. Looking forward to its 20 th anniversary next season.
Was hoping to see this video one day! For us on a small budget the F/TF is great value in my eyes, owned mine a year with very little maintenance needed, I did as advised spent more money on one that someone had loved over the years, upgraded discs and pads, low coolant alarm etc and it’s cracking fun for the money
Had two f’s brand new. An Ameranth (purple) vac in 1996. Had soo many admiring looks and comments. Had it on a pcp so gave it back after 3 years and then had a 1999 75th anniversary, black with red hood and red leather vvc also. Bmw had bought rover and build quality was much improved. During my 6 years of running an Mgf my mate had two mx5’s and despite the press always favouring the Mazda my mgs would always smoke my mates Mazda in a straight line and around corners. Then about 7/years ago saw a 75th for sale for £800 on eBay and bought it with the intention of restoring it. It’s currently sitting on the drive and green with algae and moss _ shame on me
I have a TF as a tertiary car and for that positition it is magnificent. Just a joy to drive on a nice sunny day or take on shorter holidays like 4 days in the Eifel region in Germany. The only proper drawback for me is that with 6'3" I have to sit in a slightly awkward position to be able to see out of the windscreen instead of looking at the top bar.
I've had my TF 160 over 12 years, great cars, especially when you fit the Bilstein shocks and the bigger rear discs. Very reliable and cheap to run, as much fun to drive as my 718S
Funny enough I was chatting to a friend on Saturday about the MGF he had twenty years ago, he thought it a bit rubbish. My problem with it was that I am 6"2' and I felt like I was sitting on it rather than in it. Some people love them though and I think that's great because otherwise there wouldn't be any left.
I'm 6"2 and didn't feel like I was on it, certainly not compared to the ZS that didn't have height adjustable seats. I don't remember how low the mgf seats go, but they still felt low and sporty. I guess it's personal preference. I hadnt owned or driven anything like it prior mind.
I would have the same I'm sure. I tried owning a the Fiat 124 spider clone of the MX5. Same problem. Too tall even though its modern (great drive if you fit though, i test drove a GT86 whilst I had it and walked back to the Fiat thinking that I owned the better car of the two). Only one way to go if you're tall I'm afraid - Boxster. It may be many things, but at least we can fit.
i got one mgf 1996 120hp about 3 weeks ago for 400 euro, needed some repairs the car had already a aftermarket suspension set up, and was pretty slammed about 5cm of clearens below the car, and very stiff. head gasket was already fixt, same with the brakes, only needed new tires and some maintainens but cost where below 500 to fix everyting , for the money never had this much fun for this little money. i think its one of the most fun cars for the money and a great summer car by that
Great review. When you said that to fit a set of golf clubs in the boot, you'd need to "remove the driver," my immediate thought was, "that seems like a bad idea unless you've got a Tesla..." 😊
Great car, i drove my MG TF160 for 3 years and loved it. The 160hp model was a quick car and very good handling, I still have the car garaged with 27,000miles and it also came with the hardtop which was great for our weather. I have the very rare Gulfstream paint colour with tan leather interior so it stands out from other TFs.
The brakes are largely the same as the Rover 800. And having owned a few of those over several years, I'm not surprised by the lack of braking power on the MGF. I put EBC groved and vented disks and calipers on my 827 manual coupe. Little difference was made and felt.
Look after the cooling system and you'll avoid the main cause for headgasket failure. It only takes overheating a single time and you'll melt the OEM plastic dowl pins that locate the headgasket. Aftermarket Stainless Steel coolant pipes are a MUST, the original steel items will have corrosion after 20 years. Easy DIY job with some jackstands, mole grips and socket set. My 04 VVC had the dash warning light and wiring loom for a coolant level sensor, BUT not the sensor or compatible tank. A replacement tank, sensor and SS coolant pipes was less than £160 and eliminated the possibility of overheating. Had many years of trouble free motoring till it I binned it on a corner. Only did the above mentioned preventative work and one engine swap (headgasket let coolant into cylinder 3 and it bent the con rod when cranking).
I always built K's with steel head dowels, and that, along with making sure the liner heights are correct, went a long way to eliminating the head gasket problem - along with keeping the cooling system healthy of course.
This was a favourite with my brother, he had about four of these cars over the years. A couple were destroyed in accidents, one hit at a roundabout, one he crashed through a fence. But he was a fan. They produced this car after the Chinese bought the brand and you can find them up to around 2013 registrations.
Remember reading the brochure in 1990’s my older brother had 3 of them he crashed all of them luckily without me in it. He had 3 of the original ones first in red
Had a tf 160 10 years ago and absolutely loved it....nearly wrote it off on rhe first day when the back end spun out on a bend and fully spun the car around.....no matter how hard i tried though, i never gotbthe back end to slip again, it always seemed to want to grip the floor.. Even though it was cheap and not the quickest thing out there, i still loved it. A child came along se we had to sell it . If i had spece to keep one then i think id definitely get one again.
I have a 2001 Trophy 160, love the car. It is slightly modified, so slightly nippier than standard. It is my 3rd MGF, got my first in 2005, and always had one as second car since then. My youngest son was only a couple of months old when I got my first F. He is now 18, and his first car...., the TF135. He has grown up with me tinkering with mine, and has always loved the MG's, now he has his own. Neither of us would swap them for anything else. Good reliable, fun cars.
I've have one of each, love them both to bits, easy to work on, parts are cheap fun to drive and cheap to insure. Love MG cars, it's just a shame that people only go from what they've heard. If they ever owned one they'd be saying they love them.
Had two MGFs both the VVC one on a 1998 Rreg when it was about 4years old and then a Wreg when it was a year old. Loved them both. Got the Wreg instead of the MR2 because of the boot space and the looks. MR2 looked weird at the time, big bigeye lights in my opinion and looks dated now. VVC had the bigger brakes. Wouldn’t get the 135 for that reason. Great fun car and could easily power slide anywhere with it.
On my TF I fitted a switch that turns the electric power steering off. When slowly maneuvering in carparks etc, switch it on for ease of steering. On the road driving normally switch it off and the feedback will be significantly noticable. When switched off the steering feels light once the car is moving, but tight parking, it's nice to be able to switch it on and save your arms.
Had a Rover 220 Gti, actually a good all round performer…then head gasket went. Replaced it with a 220 Coupe turbo, that was a good reliable and very fast car.
I've owned a MGF 1.8 (120bhp) from May 2003 till July 2009 (British Racing Green color in the exterior & sand beige leather in the interior with the same bicolor steering wheel in the video). It was blowing the head gasket every 40.000 KM. I did 82.000 kms & gave it away. I really liked it, I had now other issues except the K series engine & its head gaskets....Sometimes I admit I miss it a bit....
I've owned a couple of these (early Fs) and enjoyed them very much. I was a member of the forums over the years and I can remember some members saying that they removed the fuse for the power steering and preferred it that way. For me the weak point was the cable operated gear shift. There is a small clip that can pop out, living you stuck in second (or fourth) and it happened on both cars. On the second car I had a spare ready in the glove box in case and it was an easy fix, you slot it in to the gear linkage from underneath the car at the back. My first car had a head gasket go, but I had that car until it racked up 150,000 miles. The second one was just very rusty on both subframes and generally underneath (by which time it was 20 years old), and that's what killed it. I drove top down all year round. It had to rain pretty hard to get wet.
Love your videos, have been watching for several years. I am so happy to see you in a tf, I have a 2002 135 and I absolutely adore it. It has just completed its 49000th mile and is my summer daily.
I learnt to work on cars with these..i put a k20 v-tec engine from a jdm type r in mine. I did over-reach doing it on my mum's drive. But i met some lovely people through the forums back then (2008-11ish). An easy to enjoy little car. My mum has a z4 2.5 now and honestly the TF was a better weekend warrior. Neither are quick. But the tf sips fuel. A lightweight flywheel helps them as a driver's car.
A very interesting and cool car! Rover interiors were top of their class in the 90's! The only exeptions were maby the MGF and 100/Metro. 200/400, 600 and 75 were far above anything VW or Opel/Vauxhall could offer. More of a competitor to low-spec BMW's and Merc's
I bought a TF 160 a bit over a year ago for no money. I put an induction kit and sports exhaust on it and it's just so much fun. Not stupid fast but brisk enough to be enjoyable and a rorty note from the exhaust that's not annoyingly loud like the R8 tw*t who lives locally and can be heard through the night from all over the town. It's cheap to run, drives really well and with the top down it's just amazing. There's nothing else you can get for the money that comes even close. Oh, and the brakes are sharp as anything I've ever driven. I can imagine a basic F is maybe not as much fun.
I've got mg tf 1.8 mk2 2002 i saved from being scrapped off that had its headgasket waterpump changed in 2018. Got hardtop on it I've not even done anything with it yet. Watching this video makes me want to get the little thing back on the road
I have had one of the later Fs for a couple of years now and besides the expected maintenance costs (like James says, it is a 20+ year old car!) it's served me really well. Reliable, economical and a heck of a lot more practical than you'd think. Oh, and also it's a proper laugh, no performance machine but does make you feel good about life. Plus people do seem to really like them now, which is nice!
I got a 1.8 vvc F a while back, £900 with hard top, night fire red and interior just like the one you drove, head gasket had failed a few years before and was done with new bolts, enjoyed it for a few years, a couple of simple and cheap fixes in my ownership, interior and switches etc. are so basic nothing can really trouble anyone with basic skills, actually great fun to drive, could rag it around the B roads, after a couple of years I gave it to my son, and when he had had enough, he got the money back, hard top was worth a few 100 quid alone.
I make and sell a diagnostic tool for these (called pscan). The car it works best on is the MGF and TF, and the reason for this is due to the enthusiasm of the owners and the support of owners club. It's an amazing community.
Glad you did one of these James even if it wasn’t the fastest or best example, they are an understated forgotten about bundle of fun with good low mileage special edition models climbing in value but if you just want a fun roadster a later VVC with standard ABS and the better brakes is the better choice. I have an F VVC just for summer use and always have a smile on my face when I return to my driveway which is what they’re all about really.
A 160 TF Trophy was keeping S1 Elises honest at Castle Combe on a Trackday I was at a few years back. The Elises were slowly pulling away, but for car a lot cheaper, the Trophy was doing well. A good VVC is an under rated car. Hope you have lots more fun in yours!
Dude! You have my car 2005 MGTF. I have given her a new colour - charcoal grey, so the only one in that colour. Got her 8yrs ago with 63,000 on clock. I acceeded 100,000 the other day. I have done 2 trips to Italy and back. Long journeys - this car is so reliable. From what i hear about there reliability, maybe i just got lucky with a decent engine. Or perhaps because i am a pro driver and maintain her well - could be a factor. Yes she fails every MOT but not too much work to be done and i tend to use decent 2nd parts of which there are plenty. I love the way she drives, esp up mountains. Got her upto the Swiss Alps twice this year. Also, (imo) the best lookinhg 'poor man's sports car' out there. Thanks for vid
I've always thought these and the Mk3 MR2 are rather overlooked when talking about cheap roadsters with the MX5 being the default choice. The upshot is that the days of £1000 mk1 MX5s are long gone and a mk2 is hard to find for that cash unless you're willing to do some welding. The MGF and TF however are still rather cheap even for good ones.
I loved my old MGF they’re great cars that got undeserved hate imo. And the TF really looks great it almost has a baby Aston Martin look about the front end with the headlights
I bought a nice low mileage example a few years back. It was a lovely cheap motoring experience ..... but not in the wet, or damp. My son crashed it on a very damp slow bend it just lost traction. (His own car an MGBGT would not have had a problem on the same bend.) He has been in hospital and recovery for 2 years and only this week returned to university. I would never have another MGTF.
I've got one of the last, (a late 2009), built by the Chinese after they took over the assets of MG Rover. It is a pretty good car, and has a USP of having the 'N' series engine, which is a 'K' series with all the mods developed just before MG Rover went bust that cure most of the problems. My car has been pretty well reliable, but nowadays doesn't see much use, as I bought a Mercedes-Benz SLK 250D, a car that when it was new cost a huge amount compared to the TF. With its diesel engine and 9-speed auto gearbox it is ideal for my sort of use, plus the major plus of the VED only being £30 per annum. However, summer sunny days still sees us out and about in the TF.
We added a TF to the MGB in 2010 when it seemed rude not at the price. I wasn't expecting a lot but by the time I got it home it had won me over. Since then I have modified it to the spec the engineers wanted to make. e.g. Bilstein shocks replacing the execrable apologies the accountants decided on. I will never part with it and they do get some love now as they gain classic status.
I had a TF 135 lovely looking car, and nice to sit in and great to drive. It had enough power to put your foot down and feel like you are having fun, it felt like you were going faster than you were. I did upgrade the breaks! I had the great idea so get rid of it and buy a Audi TT roadster, the Audi is a good car but I wish I had kept the MG TF.
Having owned one, I believe the issue with steering is that it has very little weight in the front. As soon as you hit the throttle, the front lifts off the ground and you have very little steering left. Lift off the throttle and it comes back (:
My mum had a yellow Trophy (think that was the only colour) before the head gasket went, and she stopped servicing it, it was great fun, particularly in the snow 🤣 No space for a 6 footer with size 10 shoes though.
I had an MGf 4 years ago. It was a great fun car, way better than i expected it be. Very easy to service and repair with a basic 4 cylinder non turbo engine. Even the head gasket is a cheap repair compared to the cam belt change on some modern cars!
My TF was great when it was good and a complete nightmare when it wasn’t! However it was fun and on balance I loved it! It finally had to go for emissions and was upgraded with a Mini Cooper Roadster!
have a 96 F, picked it for several reasons 1) It was cheap 2) It fits in my garage with enough room to work on 3) Parts readily available (and cheap) 4) Convertible 5) Mid engined 5)The make had a bit of history and enjoyed idea of it being a bitsa special, showed a bit of ingenuity, (and makes parts available). Mine doesn't have power steering or ABS, but I thought these we both standard on later versions. Ride is very good, I find the handling fine, but it is very sensitive to tyre choice. Mine's been round both Croft and Thruxton, standard (well looked after) brakes fine, locked a front wheel on way into chicane, how strong do you want them? Going away in the garage soon, thinking about what to tinker with during the winter.
I only had one personal experience with these cars. A family friend had one and I remember it was a night mare for him. Water pump failed and was replaced with as well as Engine was being reconditioned 3k miles later the gearbox when bang. Sold it on and the new owner replace the exhaust another 3-4000 miles later the had gasket went. I’ve always secretly quite liked these but I know I’d have that constant back of the mind stress about it breaking down.
My grandfather owns a 03 MG TF that he bought straight out of the factory for £20,000, weirdly enough I actually live in America in the city of Savannah Georgia, and my grandparents are living in Britain, I only ridden on his TF a couple of times and I remember it being amazing.
Good review. I've owned an F and 2 TFs over the past 21 years. My current TF is one I bought back in 2008 (a 2004 160 with a grenadine interior) and have kept. It was my daily driver for 8 years before we needed something more practical. These are now very rare in Ireland, and will undoubtedly earn 'classic' status (I'm hoping to get classic insurance on mine next year). The reason I kept buying MGs over MX5s or MR2s was a combination of the distinctive character of the MG in terms of its revvy engine, great handling and mid-engine set-up, together with the fact that it has more practicality than pretty much any other roadster (I drove these cars across Europe on several occasions and was amazed at how much you can squeeze into the boot and under the bonnet). I also much prefer the styling compared to MX5 and MR2. Yes, be prepared for head gasket problems, even if it's been upgraded, and rust now seems to be the big issue keeping these roadworthy, but not much else goes wrong. A great cheap buy as a second or third car.
If only it had a limited slip differential like the mr2 mk3, it would be greater fun ! I bought a le 115 and i like the set up, it feels like the rear end glues to the tarmac despite the low power. In addition the mx5 nb i had many years ago didn't have much rear grip
I had one of these in the early 2000's the reg A4 VVC and it is still on the road today with 91,000 miles on the clock. Mine had the Hydragas suspension which rode and handled far better than the conventional springs. They changed to coiled springs as it was a cost cutting exercice. The driving experience as far as the absorption of bumps is concerned is like night and day compared to the springs. The main reason for head gasket failures is this, the engines were partly water cooled and partly oil cooled so when thrashed and they got really hot, the owners used to turn the engine off, the oil and water would cool at different rates as would the metal and the head would shift on the block. What was done with mine was the owner fitted a water cooled oil cooler which meant the block and head cooled in sync, I believe Lotus did something similar. I had it for two years and never had a problem with the car. The reason we got rid of it was it did not have AC, in traffic on a hot day the heat from the vents behind your head was awful, it just got so hot in the cabin, it was fine when moving, but in slow traffic it was like being in a pressure cooker. The previous owner to me also changed the inlet manifold, he told me the car was 160 bhp. I never got it dynoed but it was seriously fast.
We decided to do a grand to 2 grand budget around ten years ago summer car. The MGF won. and we kept it for a long time before being replaced by a nearly new Elise. MGF was a VVC and yes... we did the HGF.
Wish I had a TF looks that bit more better than the F. I had great fun owning an F for 6 months. While I'm sure the vvc models are great, the 118hp 1.8(that I had) is still plenty for this car and still a fun and enjoyable car. They are applicable for classic car insurance which is good. The 1.6 engine in the TF should be plenty too although the 1.8 seems to be more popular when looking. They sound nice with an aftermarket exhaust (type depending). I always found rovers to have nice interiors and there's plenty of options for the F/TF from vendors. Only negative I can think of(aside from a chav writing mine off) is mine was standard apart from a sporty back box and at high speed you could feel the front lift making it feel like the wheels weren't making proper contact. Still a great car.
Just bought one as my second car to replace my Z3. I love it. Sure, the interior quality isn't great, and because of the horror stories about cooling I'm constantly panicking when driving fast. But the engine is wonderfully responsive, the steering is nice and the fuel economy is way better than the Z3 I had before.
I've been waiting for your review of a TF 😁 I have both a TF and an Elise, both cars put a smile on face; the TF is great for throwing it around all day everyday 🙂
Hi James and thanks for your recent comment that you have relations from Cavan. I'd like to suggest that you look up: Neil Tobin Cavan accent on youtube. Neil was a very famous Irish comedian back in the day and you may like his sense of humour regarding the Cavan accent. Martin in Limerick City.
Curious as to what back box is fitted. I have an F stepspeed still with original exhaust but I want to upgrade the back box to something a bit more throaty but without too much droning.
I test drove a friends and didn’t even make it as far as 30 metres before I had to stop. The pedal box in the MGF was terrible, was like I was pressing the pedals down vertically rather than pushing them towards the footwell, made worse by my size 11s.
Back in 2012 I bought my 2002 135 BRG TF for €5900, with 96000 km of experience. Within a year I blew the headgasket which set me back €1300, but that included a new cambelt, waterpump, oil, sparkplugs and cooling fluid. Fast forward: Despite some serious bills in the past two years I'm still happy with this car after 10 years and selling it now or in the near future would be a waste of money and happiness.
![[Live สด] การออกรางวัลสลากกินแบ่งรัฐบาล งวดวันที่ 16 ธันวาคม 2567](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dNTiBBthKgQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I’ve just bought a 911 and a few days ago I was in the queue for Brittany Ferries. I don’t know if anyone was admiring my new car, but I can tell you that an MG pulled up , in an adjoining lane, and I don’t think I was alone in my admiration. The couple driving it had a boot rack with a large suitcase attached and the roof was down . I hope they enjoyed their French holiday as much as I enjoyed the drive south. I’m sure they did.
I completely relate to what you say. I've been noticing MGFs turn heads lately, I saw gaggle of them in a park near Stratford upon Avon and they pulled a small crowd, I think they're starting to be appreciated.
Drive about in a 911 made in the last 20 years, even a super clean black one that's ceramic coated to within an inch of its life and the only people that will notice are drivers of similar aged 911s and Boxsters 😂
Old and quirky is the way to go if you want to get noticed
Steven. A nice post.
A great deal of pleasure to be had in life, noticing things like this. I’m sure they had fun.
@@matteightytwo
I am old and quirky and my car is a 2006 ‘basic’ model . I’m a 1952!
Pre COVID we got short notice permission to.park some MGs in a town centre on Saturday. It was to publicize a charity sponsored drive. We took our TF and the only other car that could make it was a 1964 MG Midget. Chrome bumpers Old English White black with white piping interior. It got all the attention
I used to live in a posh London neighborhood where the streets were lined up with expensive cars including many Porsches. People were constantly coming over for a chat when I was near my MG TF including the Porsche owners themselves. No doubt a Porsche is a better car, but the TF has some sort of a charm that is difficult to put your finger on. Probably because today they are not that many while Porsches are quite common. The car was a charmer with the ladies too.
My sister gave me her MGF, I replaced the head gasket and hydrogas. Later I added a trophy splitter and rear wing and it was great to drive.
I owned it for 5 years - verdict great fun!
"As a Brit in the 90's there was nothing more shameful than owning a Rover?"
A most unfair AND untrue statement I think.
Never understand why car journalists hate MGR. People are quick to forget that the original MGF had a huge waiting list and was very successful. The TF was also very popular.
I've had a 2003 TF 160 for four and a half years. I never meant to keep it as long but I find that I'm still not in a hurry to sell it! The big brakes are great.
I think in common with a lot of rovers it's a case of whether the one you got was assembled on a hangover day or not. If it's still running now then it's probably one of the good ones, or someone else went through the pain or reassembling the k series correctly with better gaskets.
K series again was quite a forward thinking engine being essentially a modular sandwich you could build in different capacities etc but let down by crappy gaskets and studs. Lotus built them a lot stronger.
How did Lotus build them a lot stronger?
@@MicrowavableStudios different head gasket design, different studs. Rover cheaped out on the gaskets. Lotus were fitting their own heads. Still failure prone but way less than rover built engines.
But yeah,obvs the Toyota engines Elise s2s are waaaaay better.
@@throwback19841 The problem was solved before Lotus used these engines - the problem was with the MG Rover management ignoring the engineers solutions and not spending the money to change all of the gaskets. If the gaskets and studs have been replaced with the correct ones then they will never fail again. The Chinese managed to solve it no problem when they took over the K-Series manufacture which was changed to N-Series to show the improved engines and get away from the K-Series bad publicity which still goes on with people spouting drivel about these engines even after they have been sorted as if buying any of these cars is going to mean the head gasket is going to go when sorted they will not. A lot of cowboy garages have done crap jobs on these engines as well and that is what people have to watch out for even using the original crap gaskets to replace the failed ones which means that they will fail again.
Lotus did precisely 0 to the k series this is just a way for lotus owners to massage themselves into the idea of a rover power plant . They had either 114 or 143hp which is precisely 0 increase over what the rovers where making so they didn’t get ported, they didn’t have a stronger block and they still suffered the same HG trouble
Complete bollocks, the engines were crate delivered to Lotus in Hethal😂
I've had 5 over 20 years and love them. The head gasket thing is overstated, it's an easy job to fit an MLS kit. Are a hoot to drive as they are narrow which is great on country roads, reliable if you do the maintenance, not had a breakdown.
The Boxter 986 was shockingly badly engineered, you loose your shirt when they go wrong.
Ed
I was thinking this just this week
It's twice as heavy as the lotus elise s1
At 1150kg vs 650kg but still a mid engined car for about £1500 seems like a steal
Hard to find a grand one now, year or two ago was pretty easy
Sorry, actually 731kg, maybe 900 loaded then.. im surprised how low that is.
I guess that is what you are paying for with the Lotus. The hand-welded subframes and the lightweightedness. Otherwise the two cars are identical, same engine, same gearbox, same suspension. One is a track car, the other is a roadster. People rave for the Lotus then they shit all over the MG, guess who had the better marketing department.
I recently traded in my Alfa Spider for an MG TF 160, it's both my daily commuter and a weekend fun car. Got a hard top in the same cool blue for the winter but more than likely I'll still be taking the roof off on nice days. I luv it, some summer days I will add a few extra miles to my homebound commute and blast around empty country roads while everyone else queues up in town. Never a dull drive. What a great car!
I tell ya JayEmm, I was a big fan of Quentin Wilson’s old Top Gear vids from the 90s and your videos manage to scratch that exact itch for similar content. Kudos!
I’ve got one. Inherited it a few years ago when my dad died. It had been sat for years and needed about £800 to put it back on the road (exhaust , cat, brakes etc.). Took me days to de- mould the interior 😂. Though I might aswell keep it as a spare car and see what happens. Hammered the thing over many miles since and it’s never gone wrong once. Does most of its miles over winter! And lugs work stuff around. Daughter loves it with the roof off. Great car 😅 considering how ‘unreliable’ people claim they are , there sure seems to be a lot still on the road!
I bought a 2001 MGF 1.8 two years ago. I test drove F and TF and preferred the look of F. I had the Hydragas spheres replaced which utterly transformed the car. I’ve since driven another TF and I’m glad I plumped for the F. Horses for courses though, I guess. If you’re ever in the West Mids, you’re more than welcome to use it for the channel.
I've got an F from the same year. I think people tend to look down on the F and think the TF is better because they are stiffer, however try driving a tightly sprung car on the lanes near me and you'll be shaken to bits. Give me a softer ride any day
The rear of these is really good, no wonder why as it comes from the marvelous EX-E 1985 concept car that influenced the NSX and the BMW Nazcas
James may often criticized the British motor industry to be too attached to their 1960s heritage, the EXE still looks almost cutting edge to this day
Great observation.
Fortunately I live in Australia so the rust issues on a TF don't really exist. Unfortunately to buy a good TF like mine which has only 70K km on it and had had all the engine issues sorted before I got it, you have to pay a LOT more. They range from $5k for a beat up F to $15k to $20k (AUD) for a good TF. Having said all that, I love my TF 2002 135hp, and look forward to lots of driving fun for many years to come.
I used to work for an Austin Rover/MG dealer back in the late 80's early 90's,when I left for Peugeot it was an eye opener on how different companies run essentially the same business.Always had a soft spot for the MG brand the later models were in need of more product development,but due to economics and business plan it never panned out.Would love to see somebody reimagine and/or rework the MGTF to upgrade styling/engine/suspension etc I remember the Rover 200 Coupe Tomcat with well in excess of 200bhp or the Rover Metro Gti being developed with a twin scroll turbo way back,but due to financial restrictions, they were never seen by the public,only the R&D team.
The Tomcat is a car I always loved, especially the Turbo variant. A tuned T series turbo engine could have done well in excess of 200hp, the stock car was in the 190 to 200 range. As for the Rover Metro... if only they had released a special version above the the GTi with one of the bigger K series engines. But then again, the 1.4 with 104hp in the actual GTi proved quite good for its time. These days, you see many of the few surviving Metros fitted with 1.8 and VVC engines making them very effective fun cars. Mind you, you also see them fitted with Honda K20 engines in various states of tune... making them really fun and wild.
@@fatkev1983 They were proud of the Tomcat I actually managed to get hold of the promotional development video way back when,I believe they were managing 150mph plus around the Gaydon Test track,The Metro Gti MPi Turbo was mainly canned because of the expense of having to upgrade the brakes according to our Salesman at the time,such a shame really.We all love a K20 but knowing Rover had engines waiting in the wings that could of done a job was galling.With the MG F/TF they lost out unnecessarily to cars like the MX5,a bit more development here in Britain and it could of done the business......but who knows what would of happened if someone else other than the " Phoenix Four " took over !!
The TF is a GORGEOUS car, it has aged as fine wine and the interior is not bad at all even for today standars.
None of the above can be said for the quality of subframes, paint, or the chocolate used for the head gaskets. 😅
Ask me how I know.
The body may have aged like fine wine but the mechanicals aged like milk.
@@williamegler8771 i have one currently sorned i can attest to that
I have always thought the MGF was a much better looking car, I loved Fs when I was a kid but never liked TFs, even if they’re probably better.
I’ll have some of what you’ve been smoking!!! 😊
I had a 135 TF for 1 year/10k miles during covid before my friend put it sideways into a roundabout. It was a fun toy to play with during lockdown for only £600 @60k miles. Albeit we had to spend £700 sorting it out fully over the next 6 months. It’s fairly easy to work on given the limited access of the mid engined layout.
The steering isn’t great but when I got out for a good Sunday drive, I’d always pull the epas fuse out which would give more predictable response (especially with newly refreshed control arms and bushings of course). Only took a second to pop the front hood and pull it out (big 70a orange fuse up the top right next to the fuse box). Steering is heavier but perfectly manageable, just don’t try to go parking in a multi-storey with it.
Brakes are poor yes. Without abs and with skinny tyres, upgrading the brakes only gets you so far before you break traction in poor conditions anyway, it’s not ideal but I got used to it.
With a good back box/ exhaust mod and an enclosed cone intake, the k series sings and is definitely the standout bit of the car, probably my favourite engines in a cheap platform. Having said that I wouldn’t get another, it rattled me to death, the cockpit was tiny for a 6”2 skinny bloke and it was noisy/ unstable at motorway speeds on the occasion I used it for a commute (although 45mpg at 60mph was a welcome surprise!)
I love my MGF. Things go wrong but nothing on it is too hard/expensive to fix. Also, you can just take out the fuse for the power steering and makes it so much more connected
I've had 2 tf's, really don't think you can't beat them in a smiles per miles contest. They're cheap at the moment but that's already changing for the best ones. Get one before they get too expensive.
I had a mgf vvc for 3 years , upgraded to a mgf Abingdon vvc.Best cars i ever drove.Had one breakdown in 7 years. Love them !
Had my TF 135 five years, it had been a little neglected but the only rust was on the subframe mounts and lower wishbones, after four years I had the upgraded head gasket kit fitted, new heavy duty oil rail, Payen multi layer head gasket and high tensile head bolts.
I toured Scotland last summer after the job and it performed faultlessly. What you must consider is what parts you buy, there are cheap options that I avoid due to the poor quality, its been a very good car, fun reliable and cheap to run.
Not sure why the steering on the car you had was very light, mine seems weighted ok. Just buy a car that's been looked after and you'll not be disappointed.
Just here to say I really appreciate seeing a car-guy and motoring TH-camr drive so well around cyclists on narrow country roads. Just further proving the point that you can love cars and driving hard but also do it without being impatient and risking other people's lives.
I love it. I got my new tf cool blue 19 years ago for my birthday. Now 42k miles later it remains in near mint condition. It is designed to be driven at about 45-60 mph on country roads with lots of gear work and safe braking. It is very stable and tight in the corners. I like to take through the Trossachs. around Arran and Bute and all over the East Neuk of Fife. Awesome traditional rag top motoring country. Looking forward to its 20 th anniversary next season.
Was hoping to see this video one day! For us on a small budget the F/TF is great value in my eyes, owned mine a year with very little maintenance needed, I did as advised spent more money on one that someone had loved over the years, upgraded discs and pads, low coolant alarm etc and it’s cracking fun for the money
I love my MG TF its just a classic roadster, maintenance can be annoying but look after it and it drives great
Had two f’s brand new. An Ameranth (purple) vac in 1996. Had soo many admiring looks and comments. Had it on a pcp so gave it back after 3 years and then had a 1999 75th anniversary, black with red hood and red leather vvc also. Bmw had bought rover and build quality was much improved. During my 6 years of running an Mgf my mate had two mx5’s and despite the press always favouring the Mazda my mgs would always smoke my mates Mazda in a straight line and around corners. Then about 7/years ago saw a 75th for sale for £800 on eBay and bought it with the intention of restoring it. It’s currently sitting on the drive and green with algae and moss _ shame on me
Just spent 6 months rebuilding my 135 spark in sonic blue. Love that car and love driving it.
I have a TF as a tertiary car and for that positition it is magnificent. Just a joy to drive on a nice sunny day or take on shorter holidays like 4 days in the Eifel region in Germany. The only proper drawback for me is that with 6'3" I have to sit in a slightly awkward position to be able to see out of the windscreen instead of looking at the top bar.
Hey! There are a couple options to lower the seat a bit
VHS in the UK sells a modified seat base to let you sit a little lower
@@marcovg992 Cheers! Will look into it.
I've had my TF 160 over 12 years, great cars, especially when you fit the Bilstein shocks and the bigger rear discs. Very reliable and cheap to run, as much fun to drive as my 718S
Awesome car. Love that interior and exterior. Nice video. Keep up the good work.
Funny enough I was chatting to a friend on Saturday about the MGF he had twenty years ago, he thought it a bit rubbish. My problem with it was that I am 6"2' and I felt like I was sitting on it rather than in it. Some people love them though and I think that's great because otherwise there wouldn't be any left.
I had the same experience, and the driving position made it impossible for me to enjoy. A slightly shorter friend I know loved it though.
I'm 6"2 and didn't feel like I was on it, certainly not compared to the ZS that didn't have height adjustable seats. I don't remember how low the mgf seats go, but they still felt low and sporty. I guess it's personal preference. I hadnt owned or driven anything like it prior mind.
We'll ain't that a bitch. Guess gangling Fuckers can't have it all their own way😂
I would have the same I'm sure. I tried owning a the Fiat 124 spider clone of the MX5. Same problem. Too tall even though its modern (great drive if you fit though, i test drove a GT86 whilst I had it and walked back to the Fiat thinking that I owned the better car of the two). Only one way to go if you're tall I'm afraid - Boxster. It may be many things, but at least we can fit.
@@carfleet6703 Or an S2000, I don't even have the seat all the way back in mine.
I think there is a wider lesson to be learned in this video which is the usual high quality informative video expected from this channel.
i got one mgf 1996 120hp about 3 weeks ago for 400 euro, needed some repairs the car had already a aftermarket suspension set up, and was pretty slammed about 5cm of clearens below the car, and very stiff. head gasket was already fixt, same with the brakes, only needed new tires and some maintainens but cost where below 500 to fix everyting , for the money never had this much fun for this little money. i think its one of the most fun cars for the money and a great summer car by that
Great review. When you said that to fit a set of golf clubs in the boot, you'd need to "remove the driver," my immediate thought was, "that seems like a bad idea unless you've got a Tesla..." 😊
haha!
Great car, i drove my MG TF160 for 3 years and loved it.
The 160hp model was a quick car and very good handling, I still have the car garaged with 27,000miles and it also came with the hardtop which was great for our weather.
I have the very rare Gulfstream paint colour with tan leather interior so it stands out from other TFs.
The brakes are largely the same as the Rover 800. And having owned a few of those over several years, I'm not surprised by the lack of braking power on the MGF. I put EBC groved and vented disks and calipers on my 827 manual coupe. Little difference was made and felt.
Look after the cooling system and you'll avoid the main cause for headgasket failure. It only takes overheating a single time and you'll melt the OEM plastic dowl pins that locate the headgasket.
Aftermarket Stainless Steel coolant pipes are a MUST, the original steel items will have corrosion after 20 years. Easy DIY job with some jackstands, mole grips and socket set.
My 04 VVC had the dash warning light and wiring loom for a coolant level sensor, BUT not the sensor or compatible tank. A replacement tank, sensor and SS coolant pipes was less than £160 and eliminated the possibility of overheating.
Had many years of trouble free motoring till it I binned it on a corner. Only did the above mentioned preventative work and one engine swap (headgasket let coolant into cylinder 3 and it bent the con rod when cranking).
I always built K's with steel head dowels, and that, along with making sure the liner heights are correct, went a long way to eliminating the head gasket problem - along with keeping the cooling system healthy of course.
This was a favourite with my brother, he had about four of these cars over the years. A couple were destroyed in accidents, one hit at a roundabout, one he crashed through a fence. But he was a fan. They produced this car after the Chinese bought the brand and you can find them up to around 2013 registrations.
Nice to see it’s not just yachts you appreciate
Remember reading the brochure in 1990’s my older brother had 3 of them he crashed all of them luckily without me in it.
He had 3 of the original ones first in red
Had a tf 160 10 years ago and absolutely loved it....nearly wrote it off on rhe first day when the back end spun out on a bend and fully spun the car around.....no matter how hard i tried though, i never gotbthe back end to slip again, it always seemed to want to grip the floor..
Even though it was cheap and not the quickest thing out there, i still loved it. A child came along se we had to sell it . If i had spece to keep one then i think id definitely get one again.
I have a 2001 Trophy 160, love the car. It is slightly modified, so slightly nippier than standard. It is my 3rd MGF, got my first in 2005, and always had one as second car since then. My youngest son was only a couple of months old when I got my first F. He is now 18, and his first car...., the TF135. He has grown up with me tinkering with mine, and has always loved the MG's, now he has his own.
Neither of us would swap them for anything else. Good reliable, fun cars.
I've have one of each, love them both to bits, easy to work on, parts are cheap fun to drive and cheap to insure. Love MG cars, it's just a shame that people only go from what they've heard. If they ever owned one they'd be saying they love them.
Had two MGFs both the VVC one on a 1998 Rreg when it was about 4years old and then a Wreg when it was a year old. Loved them both. Got the Wreg instead of the MR2 because of the boot space and the looks. MR2 looked weird at the time, big bigeye lights in my opinion and looks dated now. VVC had the bigger brakes. Wouldn’t get the 135 for that reason. Great fun car and could easily power slide anywhere with it.
That interior is gorgeous. Jay you're spot on about the *positive vibes only* being BS, people want drama. Just look at your no 1 video.
The head gasket issue in the later ones, like the one featured here, has beenn sorted.
On my TF I fitted a switch that turns the electric power steering off.
When slowly maneuvering in carparks etc, switch it on for ease of steering.
On the road driving normally switch it off and the feedback will be significantly noticable.
When switched off the steering feels light once the car is moving, but tight parking, it's nice to be able to switch it on and save your arms.
Some girl in my university drives one of these in green.
It’s the one and only one I’ve seen here in South Africa
Had a Rover 220 Gti, actually a good all round performer…then head gasket went. Replaced it with a 220 Coupe turbo, that was a good reliable and very fast car.
I've owned a MGF 1.8 (120bhp) from May 2003 till July 2009 (British Racing Green color in the exterior & sand beige leather in the interior with the same bicolor steering wheel in the video). It was blowing the head gasket every 40.000 KM. I did 82.000 kms & gave it away. I really liked it, I had now other issues except the K series engine & its head gaskets....Sometimes I admit I miss it a bit....
I've owned a couple of these (early Fs) and enjoyed them very much. I was a member of the forums over the years and I can remember some members saying that they removed the fuse for the power steering and preferred it that way. For me the weak point was the cable operated gear shift. There is a small clip that can pop out, living you stuck in second (or fourth) and it happened on both cars. On the second car I had a spare ready in the glove box in case and it was an easy fix, you slot it in to the gear linkage from underneath the car at the back. My first car had a head gasket go, but I had that car until it racked up 150,000 miles. The second one was just very rusty on both subframes and generally underneath (by which time it was 20 years old), and that's what killed it. I drove top down all year round. It had to rain pretty hard to get wet.
I'm looking at buying one of these, this video better not put the prices up anymore 😂
Love your videos, have been watching for several years. I am so happy to see you in a tf, I have a 2002 135 and I absolutely adore it. It has just completed its 49000th mile and is my summer daily.
I learnt to work on cars with these..i put a k20 v-tec engine from a jdm type r in mine. I did over-reach doing it on my mum's drive. But i met some lovely people through the forums back then (2008-11ish). An easy to enjoy little car. My mum has a z4 2.5 now and honestly the TF was a better weekend warrior. Neither are quick. But the tf sips fuel. A lightweight flywheel helps them as a driver's car.
A very interesting and cool car!
Rover interiors were top of their class in the 90's! The only exeptions were maby the MGF and 100/Metro.
200/400, 600 and 75 were far above anything VW or Opel/Vauxhall could offer. More of a competitor to low-spec BMW's and Merc's
I bought a TF 160 a bit over a year ago for no money. I put an induction kit and sports exhaust on it and it's just so much fun. Not stupid fast but brisk enough to be enjoyable and a rorty note from the exhaust that's not annoyingly loud like the R8 tw*t who lives locally and can be heard through the night from all over the town. It's cheap to run, drives really well and with the top down it's just amazing. There's nothing else you can get for the money that comes even close. Oh, and the brakes are sharp as anything I've ever driven. I can imagine a basic F is maybe not as much fun.
I've got mg tf 1.8 mk2 2002 i saved from being scrapped off that had its headgasket waterpump changed in 2018.
Got hardtop on it I've not even done anything with it yet.
Watching this video makes me want to get the little thing back on the road
I have had one of the later Fs for a couple of years now and besides the expected maintenance costs (like James says, it is a 20+ year old car!) it's served me really well. Reliable, economical and a heck of a lot more practical than you'd think. Oh, and also it's a proper laugh, no performance machine but does make you feel good about life. Plus people do seem to really like them now, which is nice!
The 160 has bigger brakes, cheaper tax and a keenness to rev that makes it the one to have.
Bargains
I got a 1.8 vvc F a while back, £900 with hard top, night fire red and interior just like the one you drove, head gasket had failed a few years before and was done with new bolts, enjoyed it for a few years, a couple of simple and cheap fixes in my ownership, interior and switches etc. are so basic nothing can really trouble anyone with basic skills, actually great fun to drive, could rag it around the B roads, after a couple of years I gave it to my son, and when he had had enough, he got the money back, hard top was worth a few 100 quid alone.
the bigger brakes where a factory fit option called the sand storm pack. the abs was diffent in thus cars so the retrow fit bracks aren't as good
Gonna pick up me first mr2 in a couple hours and seeing this has definitely put my mind at ease
Although a boot would be nice lol
I make and sell a diagnostic tool for these (called pscan). The car it works best on is the MGF and TF, and the reason for this is due to the enthusiasm of the owners and the support of owners club. It's an amazing community.
When I was a kid Schweppes ran a promotion with one of these as the Prize. A bloke from my home town won it.
Glad you did one of these James even if it wasn’t the fastest or best example, they are an understated forgotten about bundle of fun with good low mileage special edition models climbing in value but if you just want a fun roadster a later VVC with standard ABS and the better brakes is the better choice. I have an F VVC just for summer use and always have a smile on my face when I return to my driveway which is what they’re all about really.
A 160 TF Trophy was keeping S1 Elises honest at Castle Combe on a Trackday I was at a few years back. The Elises were slowly pulling away, but for car a lot cheaper, the Trophy was doing well. A good VVC is an under rated car. Hope you have lots more fun in yours!
Dude! You have my car 2005 MGTF. I have given her a new colour - charcoal grey, so the only one in that colour. Got her 8yrs ago with 63,000 on clock. I acceeded 100,000 the other day. I have done 2 trips to Italy and back. Long journeys - this car is so reliable. From what i hear about there reliability, maybe i just got lucky with a decent engine. Or perhaps because i am a pro driver and maintain her well - could be a factor. Yes she fails every MOT but not too much work to be done and i tend to use decent 2nd parts of which there are plenty. I love the way she drives, esp up mountains. Got her upto the Swiss Alps twice this year. Also, (imo) the best lookinhg 'poor man's sports car' out there. Thanks for vid
I've always thought these and the Mk3 MR2 are rather overlooked when talking about cheap roadsters with the MX5 being the default choice. The upshot is that the days of £1000 mk1 MX5s are long gone and a mk2 is hard to find for that cash unless you're willing to do some welding. The MGF and TF however are still rather cheap even for good ones.
I loved my old MGF they’re great cars that got undeserved hate imo. And the TF really looks great it almost has a baby Aston Martin look about the front end with the headlights
I bought a nice low mileage example a few years back. It was a lovely cheap motoring experience ..... but not in the wet, or damp. My son crashed it on a very damp slow bend it just lost traction. (His own car an MGBGT would not have had a problem on the same bend.)
He has been in hospital and recovery for 2 years and only this week returned to university. I would never have another MGTF.
I've got one of the last, (a late 2009), built by the Chinese after they took over the assets of MG Rover. It is a pretty good car, and has a USP of having the 'N' series engine, which is a 'K' series with all the mods developed just before MG Rover went bust that cure most of the problems. My car has been pretty well reliable, but nowadays doesn't see much use, as I bought a Mercedes-Benz SLK 250D, a car that when it was new cost a huge amount compared to the TF. With its diesel engine and 9-speed auto gearbox it is ideal for my sort of use, plus the major plus of the VED only being £30 per annum.
However, summer sunny days still sees us out and about in the TF.
My wife had a t f when new.! Little thing used to make me grin ! I used to Nick it to nip to the shop
Had the F once. Loved it when it worked. A lot as been said, positively, about the K Series engine but the head gasket was a major issue
depends on year and make of the mr2...3sgte turbo was a strong 240 hp
We added a TF to the MGB in 2010 when it seemed rude not at the price. I wasn't expecting a lot but by the time I got it home it had won me over. Since then I have modified it to the spec the engineers wanted to make. e.g. Bilstein shocks replacing the execrable apologies the accountants decided on. I will never part with it and they do get some love now as they gain classic status.
I had a TF 135 lovely looking car, and nice to sit in and great to drive. It had enough power to put your foot down and feel like you are having fun, it felt like you were going faster than you were. I did upgrade the breaks! I had the great idea so get rid of it and buy a Audi TT roadster, the Audi is a good car but I wish I had kept the MG TF.
Having owned one, I believe the issue with steering is that it has very little weight in the front. As soon as you hit the throttle, the front lifts off the ground and you have very little steering left.
Lift off the throttle and it comes back (:
My 2004 MGTF 160 has superb brakes, standard too.
My mum had a yellow Trophy (think that was the only colour) before the head gasket went, and she stopped servicing it, it was great fun, particularly in the snow 🤣 No space for a 6 footer with size 10 shoes though.
I had an MGf 4 years ago.
It was a great fun car, way better than i expected it be.
Very easy to service and repair with a basic 4 cylinder non turbo engine.
Even the head gasket is a cheap repair compared to the cam belt change on some modern cars!
My TF was great when it was good and a complete nightmare when it wasn’t! However it was fun and on balance I loved it! It finally had to go for emissions and was upgraded with a Mini Cooper Roadster!
have a 96 F, picked it for several reasons
1) It was cheap
2) It fits in my garage with enough room to work on
3) Parts readily available (and cheap)
4) Convertible
5) Mid engined
5)The make had a bit of history and enjoyed idea of it being a bitsa special, showed a bit of ingenuity, (and makes parts available).
Mine doesn't have power steering or ABS, but I thought these we both standard on later versions.
Ride is very good, I find the handling fine, but it is very sensitive to tyre choice.
Mine's been round both Croft and Thruxton, standard (well looked after) brakes fine, locked a front wheel on way into chicane, how strong do you want them?
Going away in the garage soon, thinking about what to tinker with during the winter.
I only had one personal experience with these cars.
A family friend had one and I remember it was a night mare for him.
Water pump failed and was replaced with as well as Engine was being reconditioned 3k miles later the gearbox when bang.
Sold it on and the new owner replace the exhaust another 3-4000 miles later the had gasket went.
I’ve always secretly quite liked these but I know I’d have that constant back of the mind stress about it breaking down.
My grandfather owns a 03 MG TF that he bought straight out of the factory for £20,000, weirdly enough I actually live in America in the city of Savannah Georgia, and my grandparents are living in Britain, I only ridden on his TF a couple of times and I remember it being amazing.
Good review. I've owned an F and 2 TFs over the past 21 years. My current TF is one I bought back in 2008 (a 2004 160 with a grenadine interior) and have kept. It was my daily driver for 8 years before we needed something more practical. These are now very rare in Ireland, and will undoubtedly earn 'classic' status (I'm hoping to get classic insurance on mine next year). The reason I kept buying MGs over MX5s or MR2s was a combination of the distinctive character of the MG in terms of its revvy engine, great handling and mid-engine set-up, together with the fact that it has more practicality than pretty much any other roadster (I drove these cars across Europe on several occasions and was amazed at how much you can squeeze into the boot and under the bonnet). I also much prefer the styling compared to MX5 and MR2. Yes, be prepared for head gasket problems, even if it's been upgraded, and rust now seems to be the big issue keeping these roadworthy, but not much else goes wrong. A great cheap buy as a second or third car.
If only it had a limited slip differential like the mr2 mk3, it would be greater fun ! I bought a le 115 and i like the set up, it feels like the rear end glues to the tarmac despite the low power. In addition the mx5 nb i had many years ago didn't have much rear grip
I had one of these in the early 2000's the reg A4 VVC and it is still on the road today with 91,000 miles on the clock. Mine had the Hydragas suspension which rode and handled far better than the conventional springs. They changed to coiled springs as it was a cost cutting exercice. The driving experience as far as the absorption of bumps is concerned is like night and day compared to the springs. The main reason for head gasket failures is this, the engines were partly water cooled and partly oil cooled so when thrashed and they got really hot, the owners used to turn the engine off, the oil and water would cool at different rates as would the metal and the head would shift on the block. What was done with mine was the owner fitted a water cooled oil cooler which meant the block and head cooled in sync, I believe Lotus did something similar. I had it for two years and never had a problem with the car. The reason we got rid of it was it did not have AC, in traffic on a hot day the heat from the vents behind your head was awful, it just got so hot in the cabin, it was fine when moving, but in slow traffic it was like being in a pressure cooker. The previous owner to me also changed the inlet manifold, he told me the car was 160 bhp. I never got it dynoed but it was seriously fast.
We decided to do a grand to 2 grand budget around ten years ago summer car. The MGF won. and we kept it for a long time before being replaced by a nearly new Elise. MGF was a VVC and yes... we did the HGF.
I’ve always liked these..a left field mid engined choice , The 160 isn’t half bad .
Sounded like you had a bad example - had MGFs in the family for years and been little to no maintenance. Really enjoy it for what it is
Wish I had a TF looks that bit more better than the F. I had great fun owning an F for 6 months. While I'm sure the vvc models are great, the 118hp 1.8(that I had) is still plenty for this car and still a fun and enjoyable car. They are applicable for classic car insurance which is good. The 1.6 engine in the TF should be plenty too although the 1.8 seems to be more popular when looking. They sound nice with an aftermarket exhaust (type depending). I always found rovers to have nice interiors and there's plenty of options for the F/TF from vendors. Only negative I can think of(aside from a chav writing mine off) is mine was standard apart from a sporty back box and at high speed you could feel the front lift making it feel like the wheels weren't making proper contact. Still a great car.
Just bought one as my second car to replace my Z3. I love it. Sure, the interior quality isn't great, and because of the horror stories about cooling I'm constantly panicking when driving fast. But the engine is wonderfully responsive, the steering is nice and the fuel economy is way better than the Z3 I had before.
I had a TF for a few years, fun little car! Even had space to fit a tent and all the camping gubbins for me and the wife.
I've been waiting for your review of a TF 😁
I have both a TF and an Elise, both cars put a smile on face; the TF is great for throwing it around all day everyday 🙂
these reminds me of the getaway black monday on the ps2 in that gold colour
Fantastic review bro
Damn. You just made me buy one to try out. Have an MX5, just sold my 993, why not?
Hi James and thanks for your recent comment that you have relations from Cavan. I'd like to suggest that you look up: Neil Tobin Cavan accent on youtube. Neil was a very famous Irish comedian back in the day and you may like his sense of humour regarding the Cavan accent. Martin in Limerick City.
Curious as to what back box is fitted. I have an F stepspeed still with original exhaust but I want to upgrade the back box to something a bit more throaty but without too much droning.
My wife had two of these, great fun, neither gave us a minutes trouble.......then children came along!!😁😁🇬🇧
I test drove a friends and didn’t even make it as far as 30 metres before I had to stop. The pedal box in the MGF was terrible, was like I was pressing the pedals down vertically rather than pushing them towards the footwell, made worse by my size 11s.
I helped my ex move home from her uni flat in my TF. The photos are.... Impressive. I managed to a set of ikea bedside tables under the bonnet
Back in 2012 I bought my 2002 135 BRG TF for €5900, with 96000 km of experience.
Within a year I blew the headgasket which set me back €1300, but that included a new cambelt, waterpump, oil, sparkplugs and cooling fluid.
Fast forward: Despite some serious bills in the past two years I'm still happy with this car after 10 years and selling it now or in the near future would be a waste of money and happiness.