Why is it so hard to get rid of a $2,000 MGB?

Baltimore's too far for me, for which I should give thanks...

If I were there and looking for an MGB, I'd be looking at your car for sure. To be honest, I'd be really dubious of the expectation that the sudden vanishment of all hydraulic function was only going to require a tightening and bleeding.

That's the only thing I see that might cause me to look askance at it. Whether that's causing people to assume there's more wrong with it than they can see I can't begin to guess.

EDIT: Of course, looking at any project from an unknown source, what does all of history tell you about a non-running car whose owner says "all it needs is a $65 part and a couple of hours"? If it wasn't a GRMer saying that, I'd have to laugh.

All I can think of it being a rubber bumper that needs minor maintenance work. The chrome bumpers being more desirable.

I wouldn't say your out of line on your price. But, then again, 'vert season is over for a few months.

Park in the grudge and try again in early April

After reading your ad I'm assuming that the car is not in driveable condition. I think that is your problem. While it may be a simple fix to you the seller, it send up red flags to potential buyers. Plus it makes it hard to properly evaluate a car if you can't drive it.

When I look at car ads and read things like "just needs a fuel pump to run", or "the ac just needs a recharge" I always wonder if it is such an easy fix why didn't the seller perform the repair before trying to sell the car, what are they trying to hide (not trying to suggest that you are trying to hide anything). I suspect that if you get the car into driveable condition you would not have a problem selling it at your price point.

i'll give you 350

I all seriousness, fix the issues then sell it in the spring.

Cause right now what everyone is hearing is "I have a British car with electrical and hydraulic issues. Come buy my headache before my wife kills me."

The answer is: "$2000 Miatas".

I hate to be cynical about it but I have dealt with way too many MG deals to not think the worst.

Here is what I am hearing when I read this:

I bought this really nice looking sports car a couple of months ago. On the way home I noticed that the horn didn't work, but I figured that would be an easy fix. The next day it wouldn't start because the battery was dead. After the jump start I noticed rust on the floor and pulling the carpet found some nice holes in the floorboard. As I was taking off I also noticed that the clutch was slipping. That Saturday it wouldn't start again so I went to Auto Zone and bought a new battery for it and took off for drive with the top down. It was great on the corners even though it seemed that the back shocks were a little worn. After a while the gauges started moving back and forth in a strange way. As it got dark I made another discovery. The lights didn't work. After a very scary ride home in the dark, I noticed a tear in the top that needed to be fixed. The next morning it wouldn't start again, even with the new battery. I guess it also needs a new alternator, so discouraged, I parked it for a couple of weeks.

Then one weekend I went to Auto Zone and decided to buy an alternator for it. When I tried to jump started it again and to my horror both the clutch and the brake pedal went right to the floor, indicating some massive hydraulic failure. Again discouraged, I threw a car cover over it and parked it for another month.

Finally, one day I got ambitious and decided to work on the MG again and finally fix what needed to be fixed. I put the battery on the charger and went back inside to check out the Moss Motors web site and make a list of what the car needed. After adding it all up, to my shock and surprise, the amount ended up being more than it would cost me to buy a restored MGB in perfect condition, or a good low mileage late model Miata. I went back outside to crank it again and after starting it up, I noticed that the engine now had a rod knock....so in after cursing the car with every single expletive I knew, I went back to Auto Zone to buy that magic cocktail of 50 wt oil and STP that will quiet the engine down until I can unload the bloody thing on somebody else on fleabay. I made up some story about my son and insurance in order to not make it sound like I was trying to unload this problem on somebody else. The only flea bay offer was for $300 from some guy who said that at worst he could always make more than that parting it out.

My suggestion? Fix what is wrong with it and put it back on fleabay for $3,500. Tell them that everything works, you drive it regularly and you just have too many cars and can't give this one the attention it deserves.

You need a good weekend/day with friends and or some british car club members to sort out that car . The easy 2 k deal is gone with the wind . Old ladies /wives will basically hang most husbands by the balljoints if they brought home that mess . Read and save some money , buy some parts , get a couple cans of spray bomb . Get a speaker and fill passenger hole in the door . Seat covers plain black . Wash the dirt off tires armorall. Scrub ,paint ,detail engine bay tidy up . Clean and spray bomb trunk . If the floors are solid looks like an easy $3500 car make cash offer

Treat everyone to killer food spread and hospitality   :)

Houston we have a plan

fix most if not all issues, sell for 5k asking price

I agree on the price being high for a non drive-able car. IMO, either asking more like $1600 (and leaving out the firm part) or fixing it and asking $2500 would be the best choice to attract the right kind of interest.

It may be a nice car, but you can't drive it home, so the price is too high. The word firm is the icing on the cake.

Have you been watching MG prices recently? They are yo-yoing wildly. Just a few months ago a friend and I were watching B's like yours sell for just a few hundred dollars. Good condition runners were under a grand. The prices swung back up just a month or two ago, but seem to be swinging back down again.

Looks pretty and in nice shape. If I wasn't so blastedly busy and ignoring my Spitfire, I'd be quite interested in it.

Oh yea? Want to consider an almost 11 year old that would be fascinated?

Have you mentioned the car on the Classic Motorsports forum?

If its in Baltimore, you may also want to offer the car on the forum at chesapeakeroadsters.com

Zomby woof wrote: It may be a nice car, but you can't drive it home, so the price is too high. The word firm is the icing on the cake.

+1

For a $2000 MG... it has to atleast drive onto the trailer but if you are giving it away... I'll dress up like a local kid and park the rig behind some bushes.

Datsun1500 wrote: Instead of selling it for less than 2,000 I will find a local kid that wants to get into vintage cars and give it to him. At least someone will appreciate it that way..

You could give it m. I want to get into vintage cars and totally don't have a Spitfire already,

I'm usually a pessimist, but some of the previous postings make me feel like I'm overly optimistic. It's just my idea, but it's also possible that you are not advertising in the best place (CL) for the folks who might be interested in your car.

$2,000 does seem reasonable, but I also agree with the non-driveable condition being a downer. Finally, in your part of the U.S. it's past prime drop top weather.

Wonder what response an ad in GRM's magazine might have gotten.

Tweak your ad and throw it on the mgexperience.com trader page.

In reply to Datsun1500:

take this with a salt-spreader worth of...well...salt (because I've ONLY read your opening post and I have NOT read your ad yet) but,

You asked if it's you. I'm going to say yes.

You're either asking too much, marketing it wrong, or you're too impatient/haven't waited long enough.

It took me MONTHS to sell a $2,500 '83 Z28 that needed a special buyer. But, eventually, a special buyer came along (old hot rodder looking for a car for his grandson. Grandpa could appreciate a car with LOTS of stuff done right and a faded paint job and interior).

I'm not at all plugged into the MGB market...but I AM plugged into the rust market and I assume so is your MG. Just going to have to find the right buyer at the right price.

Or...give less detail in the ad (I learned that trick here). Let buyers talk themselves into the deal (not you talking them out of it in the ad).

Ok...now I've read the ad and I'm going help as I think I can. The ad should read something more like this:

"1976 MG.
Car needs alternator, clutch, and brake work. I priced and alternator at $65. It has a good paint job, great interior, nice top with zip out rear window. 4 new tires. starts right up. Any questions, just ask. $2,200 OBO. Click on any thumbnail for a larger photo."

NOBODY cares that: you are "losing money" at this price.

EVERYBODY wants to "get a good deal" so up the price and when folks start coming to look...tell them what your bottom dollar is. People are turned off by "firm" prices on CL (though, honestly, that doesn't stop me from posting "firm" prices/ads...so take it for what it's worth).

I don't like making people (you) angry, but I'm telling you what I see is wrong with your ad from my personal experience (from both ends of the buyer/seller spectrum). All the stuff in the first few sentences of your ad just bores people, and turns them off (they're afraid they'll come talk to a guy who wants to tell them stories). That first part reads like a (...one of yours, mine...or so many others') forum post.

Give 'em what they need to know. GENERAL: Condition, price. They'll figure it out from there.

All that said, I think your best bet for ridding yourself of the car is to fix the major problems so the ad can truthfully read as follows: "1976 MG.
It has a good paint job, great interior, nice top with zip out rear window. 4 new tires. starts right up. Any questions, just ask. $2,500 OBO. Click on any thumbnail for a larger photo."

Seriously...

Datsun1500 wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: Oh yea? Want to consider an almost 11 year old that would be fascinated?

How will he get the $$ to fix it? How bad would it become sitting for the 5 years before he can drive?

It would be stored in a garage while he worked on it. He has an egg business, and works as a gardener assistant, so he does earn money. With motivation, he earns more. He has a father with a Triumph, a grandfather who's had Triumphs and Healeys, and a friend with an MGB. He would not be without support.

As an FYI, a guy I work with bought a '72 'BGT today for $1200. It looks about the same as this one, but it runs and drives and has new MCs on the clutch and brakes.

I bought my '74 'BGT for $500. It also looks about the same, but it needed a new gas tank and tires.

I'd offer $500 for this car. If I actually wanted it, I might pay $750. I would fix it and sell it for $2000 OBO. I've been building MGs for over 25 years and while the car has a lot going for it, I'd be surprised if it sold for $2K in the current state. The person that would buy it in this condition would either have no idea what they're in for or someone experienced that would need to buy it cheap in order to have room for the repairs.

Your best bet is to fix it.

For all the talk here, the real question that I have is how both the clutch and brake system could fail at the exact same time? It's not like they're connectred or related at all. Only way I can think of both going dead at once is if someone somehow cut the lines coming out of the M/C's somehow....

Datsun1500 wrote: if it's not gone in a week or so foxtrapper gets it..

How about starting a donation to help get a future GRM'r started? I would gladly pitch in ten bucks! Get enough of us and Datsun1500 could get something for the B without haveing to deal with CL idiots, and the next generation would get a head start! GRM could even do a story about it??? Helping keep the hobby/passion alive. You could set up a donation site through paypal, that way they don't skim anything off for fees and such.

Just a thought Paul

Your ad sounds like it is a project. Rubber bumper B's are not sought after as major projects or restoration projects. The guessing at what might be wrong with one thing or another is a big turn off. I agree with those that say it would be worth your while to get it running properly and then sell it. People will buy a rubber bumper B if they think they can drive it right away and maybe do maintenance and cosmetic stuff as they enjoy it. If it were a chrome bumper car then you might rope someone in that wants to fully restore a car and the mechanical problems aren't much of a hurdle.

And, yes, you are asking too much for a non-running rubber bumper B. Get it running, though, and $3500 to $4500 depending on the condition of the rest of the car would not be out of line.

(I own 3 MG's, BTW, though no B's).