Posted on 10th March 2025

12 months of MG TFing around

Around the beginning of March in this part of the world everything seems to become more active: the slowly warming average temperature breaths new life into nature and people seem more lively and a little less weary from the winter.

It was the end of February last year when I picked up my MG TF on a chilly but unusually sunny day. Since then I've been to quite a few places in it, met a number of other MGF and MG TF owners and done a lot of work on it too.

One aspect of having a hobby / project car I enjoy is driving it around and talking to other people about their stories and the intricacies and nuances of owning that particular model. The other is working on it in relative solitude to keep it in the road and even improve it a little if possible.

The trouble is both are hard to do at times in your life when you seem to have so many other priorities. Often I've got to a point with a car where I decide I just haven't the time, money or inclination to do more with it and sold it on. I'm still in the 'honeymoon' phase with this MG: despite it throwing a few unexpected issues my way it offers a lot of enjoyment still, and I hope will continue to for a long time to come.

To keep my motivation going striking a balance between using and working on the car is important. To keep costs down and my enjoyment of mechanical challenges going I need to do as much of the work on it as possible myself, and to remember why I'm doing all that I need the occasional decent day out in it every so often so I don't feel it's been to much effort for little reward. It's particularly rewarding when I have an encounter with someone that renews my belief that people like myself putting in the effort to keep these cars going are actually preserving something of value.

So far I've been able to strike a good balance with the MG. Parts I've bought for it I've actually fitted and I've done a lot more mechanical work in the last year than I have in a long time, just by making sure I get out and work on it in the winter despite the weather, as I'm unlikely to be driving it a lot anyway.

Being a 2004 model with around 80k miles on it, it's new enough that it doesn't feel like everything is falling apart and it is going to be an endless money-pit. But it is also well-worn enough that working on it feels like a worthwhile experience, every job completed making it that bit more reliable, presentable and enjoyable to use. It also evokes strong memories of my past: 20 years is long enough ago that it can remind me of a time that I and the world around me was very different.

I'm hopeful all the work I've done has already left me with a car that should be more or less mechanically dependable and I can soon turn my attention to improving it overall. The aging soft-top hood is sufficient but really could do with replacing sooner or later. In fact I have a new one in a different colour currently being made to order. I've changed one on a different car that was relatively simple but fitting this one looks like it will be a big challenge. It should be well worth it though to weatherproof it for a number of years again, especially given it spends all of its time outside.

The brakes, suspension, exhaust, cooling system, engine ancilliaries and interior fixtures and fittings are now in reasonably good shape. Once the roof is done I can turn my attention to the bodywork - it looks ok from a distance but has some significant defects in terms of rust and dents very noticeable close-up.

Taking advantage of the returning sun at a local MG Car Club 'pub meet'

I'm enjoying being back in the MG world. The MG Car Club has been a useful way of connecting with other owners and the car a bit more. It's fair to say most of the club members are older and usually retired having more time and money on their hands. But the MGCC does seem to want to try to remain modern and relevant and encourages members from different backgrounds young and old so there is a degree of diversity amongst the community. I have enjoyed learning about other people's stories and connections with these cars as well as a bit of general chit-chat about their lives.

Overall it's been a good year of spannering and pootling around in the car when I've been able to. I hope to do a few longer trips this year, with the MGF 30 event (30th anniversary of the car's launch) in the summer. It will probably be the biggest gathering of MGFs and TFs I might ever get to witness. So that is something to look forward to. It is nailbitingly close to my car's MOT expiry though... I just need to take a breath and remember it is all part of the balance that is 'zen and the art of MG ownership' I guess!