1998 MGF 1.8i
1998 MGF 1.8i
Hopefully I hadn’t tested the patience of the Oklahoma Motors staff when I dropped off the MGF saying ‘take your time and let me know when it’s done.’ Admittedly I’d given them something of a list – change the alternator, battery and timing belt and sort out the binding brakes, as well as change all the fluids. Which they did. But the joy of driving the ‘F home lasted barely a couple of miles before the replacement alternator packed up.
Back it went, and I returned to collect the ‘F with, admittedly, some trepidation. But the wariness didn’t take long to disappear – as I skirted around the edge of Carmarthen and got out on to the B-roads, I was starting to understand why MGFs remain so very popular.
It had been worth the wait: the ‘F rewarded with lusty performance and decent handling. I didn’t push things too much because the rear tyres only just scraped through the MoT test and I wasn’t sure how good the fronts were. Luckily they only needed to get me home and then on to Llanelli’s Welsh Dragon Tyres later that day.
New boots have made a real difference to how the ‘F rolls – the new, more flexible sidewalls have improved grip and comfort, and they’re quieter.
I’m getting used to the scuttle shake that almost all convertibles suffer from, and the work Oklahoma Motors has done has been first-class. Ideally the ‘F would be a daily driver and it contrasts nicely with the X-Type, which is my goto car when getting to an auction.
So far, so good, but time will tell. What’s really needed, after a week of local running around, is a blast up through mid-Wales and on to Llangollen because I’d like to visit the Horseshoe Pass before summer finally disappears.
I’m consoling myself that so far, even with the recent expenditure, I’m pretty much ahead of the game.