Start your engines

If you are looking to buy an MGB (in 2025/26) the world is your oyster. Or at least Australia is. There are currently close to 80 of them for sale here in Australia and prices start well under $10K. While these cheaper ones tend to be unfinished projects and cars in need of full restorations, there are some drivable examples available for this price. If you have up to $15K to spend you will get a very usable one that only needs minimal work to get registered and drive. If you're happy to spend $20K you will need to do very little work and just get in and enjoy it. If you decide you'd like to buy an MGB (or other older British sports cars) start looking and decide what model/year you want. Then look at as many as you can. There are plenty out there so don't buy the first one you see and drive. If you miss out on that one, another will be along in no time. 

You will read online that rust is the big thing to look for, and you should. A rusty body shell will cost you more to fix properly than a tired engine or gearbox. However, we were not only lucky enough to have later Australian assembled MGBs rotodipped and undersealed from the factory, but our usually dry weather and non-salted roads mean that a well looked after Australian car will most likely be fairly rust free. Not so with an imported car of which there are many as there was a time when they were very cheap to buy OS and cheap to import. Non-Australian MGBs have features that we didn't get here and we stopped assembling them in '72 so it's usually fairly easy to spot an import. I'm not saying don't buy an import, but you need to be more careful if it's come from a cold, wet climate and if it's been modified to comply with local regulations.

So, once you've found and bought your MGB, what to do next.

Buy a workshop manual and flick through it while being investigative in anything that sparks your interest or better still, read it like a book. There have been lots of different workshop manuals printed over the years and they turn up cheap online often. I own several different versions in various states of condition for easy reference when I need them.

Assuming it's roadworthy and registered for your state a simple going over and service is a good starting point to get you acquainted with your new car. If the person/dealer you bought it off said "it's just had a full service" do a full service anyway. It's cheap and you will not only know how to do it but know that's it's been done properly. 

The B is a very simple car to service yourself. Engine, gearbox and diff oil can be changed in the garage in a couple of hours with tea breaks while they drain. Grease points can be greased in the front suspension (and handbrake cable and uni joints) and the coolant can be drained and refilled with demineralized water and a rust inhibitor. Once these are done go for a drive.

While you're still in the honeymoon stage check and service the ignition system. Change, or at least check the plugs, leads, points and condenser. If you're feeling adventurous get a new distributor cap and coil for it too. This not only teaches you about the basics of the ignition system but also gives you good working spares if/when you need them. Now go for another drive. 

Once you've relaxed and enjoyed the car for a bit get well acquainted with the fuel system.

All the parts you need for these jobs are available cheap either through somewhere like Supercheap or similar (oil, filters, coolant, plugs etc.) and/or through the many online parts stores and MG specialist websites both local and interstate. While the parts to do these services are cheap, you will need some basic tools to do them, but they're not expensive and are easy to get.