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MG MGA - What is an origional MGA worth.

I have an origional 58 MGA with 56,000 miles. The car has never been restored by looks like an older restoration. The car has the origional leather seats in good condition, interior is in good shape and everything works. The only things canged are the tires and replacment painted wire wheels. Most of the carpet is origional and in good condition. Trunk carpeting in new. It has an optional wood steering wheel and the origional AM World Radio. The motor has never beeen out of the car. I changed out the Oil Filter Adapter but have the old one and put in new vintage style seatbelts. There is no rust and the paint job is really nice from 5 feet away. Couple of blemishes here and there.

I know what a restored roadster goes for by what is an origional MGA worth. Give me your opinion.

Drew

Are you interested in selling it?
Or just curious about the value?
Pete W.

Really hard to say without a personal inspection, or at least some photos.
Steve Simmons

Drew. As the others have noted, it is hard to make an evaluation, over the internet, of a vehicle one has never seen. MGAs are, today, mostly owned by collectors. Some of us do drive them on a regular basis, but they are not our daily drivers. Hence, the more probable market for such a vehicle as you describe would be to a collector.

Your car has both good and bad points. First, if the car has been in your family since new and you can document the milage, you have a fairly valuable car to some collectors--especially the more serious ones. An original, unrestored vehicle, in very good to excellent condition, is worth as much as a fully restored vehicle, perhaps more. But, condition and documentation are critical. I examined an early MGB for a fellow in California who wanted to know if it was as described before flying to Arizona to make a personal inspection. The claim was that the car "had 34,000 original miles". But, there were no service records or other documents to support this statement. The owner referred me to the odometer. I referred him to faded paint of the engine, the leaking core plugs, the rusted and bondo-ed rocker panels, etc. I e-mailed the gentleman in California, with a copy to the car's owner, listing some 80+ problems with the car and recommending he not bother to make the trip out to inspect it.

I mention this experience because it may be of use to you. Find an individual who has some knowedge of the MGA, preferably someone who owns one, and get them to inspect your car and give you a written evaluation of exactly what is right and wrong with the car. You will probably have to pay for this service. (I did not charge the fellow in California, but he had, in the past, done me a great service and this allowed me to repay his kindness. Others should expect to pay.) With that in hand, you can evaluate what you seem to have and what documentation you have to support your view of the car. It might be possible, with the inspector's listing and a number of photos of the car, for someone remote from you to give you a "ballpark" guess as to the value of your car. If this is being done for the purposes of an "agreed value" insurance contract, that should be noted. In this case, a recognised or certified appraisor should be employed. One who is willing, if necessary, to go to court and validate the price which has been appraised.

As you can see, there are a great number of factors in involved. More than can be justified in citing in a single post. With more information, it may be possible to provide a more accurate idea of what you need to do to obtain some form of valuation of your automobile. Les
Les Bengtson

www.mgclassics.org/images/gof2001/MainShow/Set1/Car104.jpg and http://www.mgclassics.org/images/tsess0500/slides/Row%20of%20MGs%202.html

Here is a photo of the car. Just so you know I am a collector with a MGB, Magnette and this origional MGA. I have restored several B's in the past and did a Partial restoration of the Magnette. But I don't know what origional cars go for. I know that retored A's can get $15,000 or so. This car has been to shows and won several times either because of it is an origional or because it was up aganist poor restorations.
When is is up aganist well restored A's it looses expecially when it is people's choice as I think few have an appreciation for a origional car. The car had 3 owners. The first guy died in 1970 and it sat in his garage till 93 when his wife went into an nursing home. The realtors who sold har house bought it and spent 1,000 with a local know nothing mechanic to get it running. It broke down a lot. They owned it for a year and said they drove it a total of 35 minutes. I bought it with 43,000 miles and went through the mechanicals and cleaning up the engine compartment, repaced front bussings and a A arms that were bent, timing, Valve and carb adjustiments and plugs/wires and braking system which were a mess. It now has 58,000 miles. Just wondering what it is worth.
Drew

Fully restored MGAs these days are getting more like $25K.
Steve Simmons

Drew;
In your photos as listed you have two very well known MG Lovers. Jim Hall and Wayne Snook. They have the knowledge to advise you.
Sandy Sanders
Hudson Florida
conrad sanders

Drew,
I think that the best answer is

"What somebody is willing to pay for it"

As everybody else has said it down to condition, time of the year and finding somebody who really wants it.
Clive Skelhorn

If you really wnat to know what it's worth, put it on ebay with a ridiculous reserve price. That will get you pretty close, but it MIGHT also make the car disappear. You never know what those ebay-ers might be willing to pay.
Chuck Asbury

This thread was discussed between 27/05/2005 and 31/05/2005

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