MG Enthusiast Magazine Vol.44 No.3 Simple Pleasures Back Issue

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR JUST one MG to tick all your motoring boxes? Of course, for many people their MG will have no option but to do just
that because not everyone can afford the luxury of running a second car. It may be that a saloon or a hatchback has to do double duty as both a family hack and a weekend toy, while for those without children it
could be a two-seater sports car that represents weekend freedom, but from Monday to Friday has to tackle the drudgery of the daily commute.
I’ve been musing along these lines recently on several long journeys in my ZT CDTi. Regular readers may recall that I bought this car as I needed something with five seats and a big boot to act as family transport. And I
haven’t been disappointed – now that I’ve got the ZT sorted to my
liking, it is a supremely comfortable and capable mile muncher whether on A-roads or the motorway. It is also a great car to drive, but there is one crucial difference between the ZT and the MGF, MGB or Midget that I
have owned in the past. In all of those, there were times when I would simply grab the keys and head out for a spin, even if I had no particular place to go. Just driving a sports car on a sunny day is enough to recharge your batteries and make you forget your cares, whereas in the ZT I have to be going somewhere definite. I still enjoy the ride, but the enjoyment comes from a job well done as much as it does from the simple joy of driving. The net result of this is that I have started browsing the classifieds once again, looking for a cheap toy with an MG badge. I don’t need one, of course, but when has that ever stopped an enthusiast from looking? And there are bargains to be had. Even setting myself a
target of finding something for £1000 or less, I’ve turned up MGFs and MGB GTs that sound good on paper.