I already have it.. An MGTF 135 and a Skoda Octavia. They're complete opposites, one is a brilliantly engineered machine which I never wash or look back at, but it does the daily family stuff very very well. The other is full of faults, but it's not just a machine. It's a wonderful drivers car with heritage, style and attracts many comments from members of the public.
I currently run a Mercedes S211 E320 CDI Estate which is comfortable and spacious, and an E46 330ci manual convertible. Both bought within the 3k budget. Both Great and fulfil very different roles. Before the e46 I ran an Rx8 which was fun in a different way, and is also a performance bargain.
agree - so refreshing - why spend money when you can get vehicles like this for less - thats what I want - people need to start learning again, putting their hands on, watching youtube videos and fixing s#$% themselves.
Well I enjoyed listening to a youngster discovering what we already know: peak car was about 20 years ago, and the joy of driving is not entirely speed related. ❤ Thanks. Do another long term review please, after 6 months.
Hi from Australia. Have my close to ideal garage. A gen 4 Toyota Prius (2017). Owned from new, 100% reliable, no issues. Just servicing. One set of tires and a12 volt battery. Second car Honda CRZ ten months ownership, 2014, bought with 45,000 km. Basically above average condition. Both do exactly what I want. Cheers.
The Volvo is a lovely car. Had 2 V70’s, 1 XC70 and now have an S80. Depends how good you want to keep them, on my 2005 S80 [133,00 miles one owner full main dealer service history] I’ve so far spent close on £3,500 since buying it [for £2,400] on new alternator, power steering pump, belt and tensioner, lower front wishbones, engine mounts [5 of] thermostat and coolant temperature sensor, glow plugs and a new windscreen.
@ I do. Cheap cars should not (in my opinion) be seen as ‘end of life’. Sadly almost all owners of almost all cars begin to stop caring and spending on their vehicles. It is. It about finances but they loose interest. So they sell the old car, and put they towards a newer one. But often the cost of buying a newer one is far more than the cost of keeping the existing on the road. It’s also very rare to buy an older used car without issues - so on top of the purchase price you’ve got to start spending again. Where I draw the line is where a chain reaction failure happens. With my XC70 this was when the Haldex unit began to fail, the car needed a new Prop shaft, the swirl flaps arm broke and the EGR was causing issues. I was estimated repair bills over £3,000 and I would still have a 176,000 18 year old Volvo. So I sold it and bought a 19 year old S80 instead. Despite a single owner who had spent close on £16,000 in 18 odd years of ownership on it I have added my own additions and improvements at my own considerable cost. But it’s overall a better car, less miles and runs perfectly now.
My 2003 v70 is still going well at 230K miles. Great car for the tiny amount of money I paid for it 8 years and 80K ago. I suspect your misbehaving instrument cluster is one of the few known issues on them. Re-soldering the circuit board might fix it, or a s/h cluster, though that might have the same issue. I think in the UK there is a specialist, who can fix them fairly cheaply.
great choice - I have MGF VVC / and XC70 - paid more for both as they are in better shape, but same reasoning absolutely. I think you got a bargain for both.... as everybody says - can fix most stuff yourself or economically. I subscribed - great video.
Couldn't agree more. All of the faults on each car are easy weekend fixes. Total outlay is the same, or less than a deposit for a new car on a questionable finance deal, without the ongoing monthly payments and mileage cap. The MG can go on a classic insurance policy, so will be buttons to insure. Both cars have a huge aftermarket support network too. This is sustainable motoring. Just one thing, the MGTF never came with a 1.4 engine. Otherwise, a great video. How about 5k and 10k videos next?
Just discovered this channel and immediately like it. The Volvo is a brilliant choice, the MG is a bit risky though. Maybe I'd go with a Peugeot 306 convertible instead.
Ι used to own a MG-F 1.8 for 6 years (2003 bought new as a dealer's stock, till 2009). British Racing Green exterior color with beige leather and some real aluminum inlets in the interior. Very handsome & stylish, 0-62 on 9,2 secs. Not bad at all. The only issue....every 30.000-40.000 kms was blowing the headgasket....totally unacceptable.....Still miss it though.....
Interesting video, slightly Partridge esque. Have had my F 18 years, during most of it it has been severely neglected. Yet it always goes again when I want it to. There wasn’t ever a 1.4 TF or F. Surely this would have been a 1.6?
I bet that modified horn button likely doesn't connect to a relay. I would argue that's a hazard to both the car and the driver since the relay is there to protect the interior switch and driver from large currents (I recently seen a picture of a melted MGB steering wheel where someone did a similar mod and it failed). The horn relay fails on 2003-2005 cars. There is a company who can repair them for very little cost. Technozen Electronics I think their name is.
£3,000 would be about MYR 17,000 in my country as of this writing. All I can get is pretty much one econobox, that's it. A secondhand Y2K V70 alone is already more than £3,000 over here. The MG? Forget it, it doesn't even made it's way here.
I’m paying 700 ish for an Audi TT 3.2 convertible nearly 10 years ownership so approaching the equilibrium of money spent on road tax = what I paid for the car 😢
But compare that to the cost of a modern new car on PCP. The annual tax on the TF is less than two months rental on a new Polo. And the Polo still has a triple figure tax bill!
I'm along the same lines, but different cars .... how about a mk2 MX5 and a noughties Merc C-class estate? Or, if you fancy a sleepless night, bag an old Rangey.
Thank you so much for this amazing video! A bit off-topic, but I wanted to ask: My OKX wallet holds some USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). How should I go about transferring them to Binance?
Haha, always suspected James was a closet Volvo fan, welcome to the dark side. P2 Volvos are great cars even if their warning systems can get a little vocal as they age. Of course the platforms biggest success was in the XC90 and plenty of those still driving families around quite happily. Peak Volvo before Ford got its hands on the company and threw the quality in the bin !
The problem are emission cuts-off. Those are working order vehicles and very good ones (at least the Volvo) but killed by silly rules and politicians. Old cars disturb their minds and eyes. So they take them a part out of cities.
MGF is a bargain dude - more HP the better - insured for 100 pounds a year - smile per mile is the highest of any car I've owned (better than my Boxster)
I started reading CAR in 1981 and finished around 2000. Mel Nichols, Gavin Green, LongJohnKickStart. CAR needs to face facts: modern cars are largely uninteresting. Sure, there are some okayish ones but not much. Leave all the EV stuff to Autocrap and What Crap? and reinvent CAR as a proper magazine. Reprint old road tests. Talk about stinking polluting Countaches, 930 Turbos, Alfettas, 323i's, 131 Supermirafioris, 308GTB's. Remember how great an Alfa Sud used to feel? Sure, test modern shit and laugh at how awful it is. Do that and many of us will buy it again. Thanks.
What's your dream two-car garage for £3k?
Mazda MX-5 and Volvo V70 Cross Country :)
I already have it.. An MGTF 135 and a Skoda Octavia. They're complete opposites, one is a brilliantly engineered machine which I never wash or look back at, but it does the daily family stuff very very well. The other is full of faults, but it's not just a machine. It's a wonderful drivers car with heritage, style and attracts many comments from members of the public.
In my country? Impossible. Totally undoable.
I currently run a Mercedes S211 E320 CDI Estate which is comfortable and spacious, and an E46 330ci manual convertible. Both bought within the 3k budget. Both Great and fulfil very different roles. Before the e46 I ran an Rx8 which was fun in a different way, and is also a performance bargain.
Now this is quality motoring journalism and useful consumer advice. You’ve got yourselves a subscriber.
Thanks!
agree - so refreshing - why spend money when you can get vehicles like this for less - thats what I want - people need to start learning again, putting their hands on, watching youtube videos and fixing s#$% themselves.
Well I enjoyed listening to a youngster discovering what we already know: peak car was about 20 years ago, and the joy of driving is not entirely speed related. ❤ Thanks. Do another long term review please, after 6 months.
Hi from Australia. Have my close to ideal garage. A gen 4 Toyota Prius (2017). Owned from new, 100% reliable, no issues. Just servicing. One set of tires and a12 volt battery. Second car Honda CRZ ten months ownership, 2014, bought with 45,000 km. Basically above average condition. Both do exactly what I want. Cheers.
I bought my Volvo 850 T5 (manual) in 2017 for £1300 and my BRG UK Mk1 MX5 for £900 in 2019. Works for me!
The Volvo is a lovely car. Had 2 V70’s, 1 XC70 and now have an S80. Depends how good you want to keep them, on my 2005 S80 [133,00 miles one owner full main dealer service history] I’ve so far spent close on £3,500 since buying it [for £2,400] on new alternator, power steering pump, belt and tensioner, lower front wishbones, engine mounts [5 of] thermostat and coolant temperature sensor, glow plugs and a new windscreen.
Do you believe the total cost of ownership is worth it?
@ I do. Cheap cars should not (in my opinion) be seen as ‘end of life’. Sadly almost all owners of almost all cars begin to stop caring and spending on their vehicles. It is. It about finances but they loose interest. So they sell the old car, and put they towards a newer one. But often the cost of buying a newer one is far more than the cost of keeping the existing on the road. It’s also very rare to buy an older used car without issues - so on top of the purchase price you’ve got to start spending again. Where I draw the line is where a chain reaction failure happens. With my XC70 this was when the Haldex unit began to fail, the car needed a new Prop shaft, the swirl flaps arm broke and the EGR was causing issues. I was estimated repair bills over £3,000 and I would still have a 176,000 18 year old Volvo. So I sold it and bought a 19 year old S80 instead. Despite a single owner who had spent close on £16,000 in 18 odd years of ownership on it I have added my own additions and improvements at my own considerable cost. But it’s overall a better car, less miles and runs perfectly now.
Check under the rear seats. The fuel sender is on top of the tank and the seal can leak, easy fix
I run a 2006 Audi A6 avant on 234k miles, and a Mk1 1994 MX5 on 128k miles and like you, couldn’t be happier. 😀
Like it... Real life motoring journalism. Now do 5k and 10k.
My 2003 v70 is still going well at 230K miles. Great car for the tiny amount of money I paid for it 8 years and 80K ago. I suspect your misbehaving instrument cluster is one of the few known issues on them. Re-soldering the circuit board might fix it, or a s/h cluster, though that might have the same issue. I think in the UK there is a specialist, who can fix them fairly cheaply.
great choice - I have MGF VVC / and XC70 - paid more for both as they are in better shape, but same reasoning absolutely. I think you got a bargain for both.... as everybody says - can fix most stuff yourself or economically. I subscribed - great video.
Thank you, great video. Excellent presenting to.
Thanks!
Excellent, very funny, interesting review. Well done Sir!
Couldn't agree more. All of the faults on each car are easy weekend fixes. Total outlay is the same, or less than a deposit for a new car on a questionable finance deal, without the ongoing monthly payments and mileage cap. The MG can go on a classic insurance policy, so will be buttons to insure. Both cars have a huge aftermarket support network too.
This is sustainable motoring.
Just one thing, the MGTF never came with a 1.4 engine. Otherwise, a great video.
How about 5k and 10k videos next?
Thanks! We’re keen to make more videos so will bear that in mind :)
Just discovered this channel and immediately like it. The Volvo is a brilliant choice, the MG is a bit risky though. Maybe I'd go with a Peugeot 306 convertible instead.
Ι used to own a MG-F 1.8 for 6 years (2003 bought new as a dealer's stock, till 2009). British Racing Green exterior color with beige leather and some real aluminum inlets in the interior. Very handsome & stylish, 0-62 on 9,2 secs. Not bad at all. The only issue....every 30.000-40.000 kms was blowing the headgasket....totally unacceptable.....Still miss it though.....
Yes. Head gasket reliability isn’t great…
I'd take head gasket issues over all of the modern problems cars face. Much cheaper to sort and speaking from experience with my MG ZR.
Brilliant stuff. Your rather 'dry' delivery still has me chuckling 😂👏
Interesting video, slightly Partridge esque. Have had my F 18 years, during most of it it has been severely neglected. Yet it always goes again when I want it to. There wasn’t ever a 1.4 TF or F. Surely this would have been a 1.6?
Your satire this eve is on point: you must have scored highly with your clayshoot the other day 😊
I bet that modified horn button likely doesn't connect to a relay. I would argue that's a hazard to both the car and the driver since the relay is there to protect the interior switch and driver from large currents (I recently seen a picture of a melted MGB steering wheel where someone did a similar mod and it failed).
The horn relay fails on 2003-2005 cars. There is a company who can repair them for very little cost. Technozen Electronics I think their name is.
£3,000 would be about MYR 17,000 in my country as of this writing. All I can get is pretty much one econobox, that's it. A secondhand Y2K V70 alone is already more than £3,000 over here. The MG? Forget it, it doesn't even made it's way here.
Road tax is a killer for both these cars. Probably more than the insurance you would pay for each of them.
Road tax on that MG is between £305 and £335 and the Volvo is £295 - hardly a killer in relation to any other car of its era..... or even now!
I’m paying 700 ish for an Audi TT 3.2 convertible nearly 10 years ownership so approaching the equilibrium of money spent on road tax = what I paid for the car 😢
They're deliberately trying to get us a road@@thecycle2worker152
But compare that to the cost of a modern new car on PCP. The annual tax on the TF is less than two months rental on a new Polo. And the Polo still has a triple figure tax bill!
Maintenance will be the killer
They didn't do a 1.4 TF or MGF. 1.6, 1.8 and 1.8 VVC are your engine choices.
I'm along the same lines, but different cars .... how about a mk2 MX5 and a noughties Merc C-class estate? Or, if you fancy a sleepless night, bag an old Rangey.
god no - old Rangey.....😪
Audi A2 and Mazda RX8
MG is 1.6 not 1.4
Thank you so much for this amazing video! A bit off-topic, but I wanted to ask: My OKX wallet holds some USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). How should I go about transferring them to Binance?
Have you thought about putting it in a piggy bank?
Would try to get just one car second GEN Škoda Octavia vRS
Haha, always suspected James was a closet Volvo fan, welcome to the dark side. P2 Volvos are great cars even if their warning systems can get a little vocal as they age. Of course the platforms biggest success was in the XC90 and plenty of those still driving families around quite happily. Peak Volvo before Ford got its hands on the company and threw the quality in the bin !
1.4??? If it's 115PS, then it's the 1.6.
I'd rather walk or take the pushbike 😄
There was never a 1.4 TF......... Also - the name on the pedals is the manufacturer of the aftermarket pedals - not the owner.
The problem are emission cuts-off. Those are working order vehicles and very good ones (at least the Volvo) but killed by silly rules and politicians. Old cars disturb their minds and eyes. So they take them a part out of cities.
Wouldn’t touch the Volvo V70 in auto form unless post 2008 version
Honda Accord estate; more liable and everything still working
Yes, screw new cars, overpriced and too much tech to fix later. I'll happily drive older cars till rest of my life.
1.4?…… 1.6! 6.39
Who the hell is spending 3k on "a week in Ibiza"?! 😂
👀
Umm, not convinced by either. Especially the MG 🤷♂️
😮
MGF is a bargain dude - more HP the better - insured for 100 pounds a year - smile per mile is the highest of any car I've owned (better than my Boxster)
I started reading CAR in 1981 and finished around 2000. Mel Nichols, Gavin Green, LongJohnKickStart.
CAR needs to face facts: modern cars are largely uninteresting. Sure, there are some okayish ones but not much. Leave all the EV stuff to Autocrap and What Crap? and reinvent CAR as a proper magazine. Reprint old road tests. Talk about stinking polluting Countaches, 930 Turbos, Alfettas, 323i's, 131 Supermirafioris, 308GTB's. Remember how great an Alfa Sud used to feel?
Sure, test modern shit and laugh at how awful it is. Do that and many of us will buy it again. Thanks.