The moment I first saw photographs of the MGF in CAR magazine, I knew I had to have one. I ordered a red VVC model in March 1996. The car had a pretty full spec but I added a passenger air bag, high-level stoplight, leather gear knob, mud flaps and rubber mats. I finally took delivery on June 30th. First inspection revealed nothing untoward and I started a careful running in period of 1,000 miles at no more than 4,000 rpm. Even with this restriction the car felt quite fast. The first service and oil change was uneventful, but there were some adjustments required to the hood rubber seals which fitted rather untidily.

Over the next few months, the engine and gearbox loosened up nicely and I started to experience the joys of open top motoring. Driving an F is very easy. It feels like a modern car should. Controls are light and smooth, comfort levels are high and noise relatively well suppressed given its open top nature. The hood is a doddle to use and the excellent heater means that open top motoring is an all year round affair. It is great fun and deceptively quick. I say deceptively because it builds up speed without fuss or commotion, the engine revving freely to 7,000 rpm. Kept on the boil the car really flies and it can be hurled around corners with great abandon, providing the road is dry. In the wet, more care is needed and traction can be lost with careless use of the available power.

This I found out to my cost after 9 months of happy motoring. Driving home from work on a cold dark and damp night I skidded on a slippery roundabout and hit a lamppost damaging the rear near side panel and wheel. This was my first crash in just under 30 years of motoring and I felt pretty stupid about it. Still, no one was hurt but the car was no longer a runner and had to be taken away to the nearby MG service centre for repairs. The AA retrieval service provided with the initial purchase pack for the car was excellent and everything was taken care of with the minimum of fuss. The repair took 6 weeks and the car looked as good as new when I got it back. However I didn’t feel the handling was as good and I now lacked some confidence in driving it briskly. I put this down to natural inhibition after the crash and continued to drive on for another several months.

The first year service passed without incident and cost £101. I had only done 7,000 miles though. I continued to have some reservations about the handling and when braking sharply the car felt a little unstable. It was not until I noticed that the rear tyres had worn sufficiently to need replacing at about 12,000 miles that the cause of the handling problem was revealed.

When the car had been repaired a new near side wheel and tyre was fitted. The MG dealer had subcontracted the tyre replacement to a specialist tyre business and they had fitted a 185/55VR15 (as worn on the front wheels) instead of a 205/50VR15. Yes, the VVC car has different tyres at the rear and I had not noticed (or checked). It must be said that neither had the MG dealer before returning the car to me after repair, or at the first main service. The result had been both dangerous and illegal.

The new correct tyres improved the handling considerably however very soon afterwards the front tyres were showing excessive uneven wear on their inside tread area. I asked for the tracking to be checked when the replacement front tyres were fitted and it was found to be several degrees out. With this corrected and all new tyres the car at last felt secure and accurate again.

The second year service was carried out at 15,300 miles and cost £166. The only extra item was resetting the SRS system fault flags. The car continued to run well and was used in fair and foul weather. I never bothered to buy the very neat hard top roof. There are many days in winter when the hood can be lowered, and a hard top would be too inconvenient to remove every time. I did avoid driving the F in icy conditions though. The car felt very unhappy on frosty roads so I used more prosaic transport when the weather was very cold.

The third year service cost £232 and the suspension height needed adjusting. The suspension tends to sink with time and use and the correct ride height is important both for handling and tyre wear. The car looked really pumped up when I picked it up from the garage but they assured me that things were correct. Its handling was fine and the suspension did seem to settle after a hundred miles or so.

I noticed a couple of new problems shortly after the service. There was a small water leak from the hood during really heavy rain. It was not obvious where the water was getting in but it appeared at the bottom of the passenger door and ran down onto the carpet. Secondly I noticed a small hole had been worn in the fabric behind the driver’s seat. I was told the hole could not be repaired, and the water leak required new rubber seals around the windscreen frame. This little repair was going to cost over £1000. The MG dealer suggested claiming on the extended warranty and fortunately the claim was accepted for the parts. This paid for the new seals and a complete new hood but I still had to pay £398 for the labour.

I was doing a few longer journeys last summer and finding the open top a little wearing after 200 miles of brisk driving. I decided to get the wind stop that fits behind the seats. It is a great accessory, which reduces wind buffeting. Longer journeys became much less tiring and open top motoring was even cosier. Indeed, on a hot day it is better to fold the wind stop down, so that the cooling air can get to you.

Rear tyres were replaced at 25,000 miles and new front tyres at 29,000 miles. The tracking needed adjusting again. I will get it checked at least every 6 months in future.

The car was getting increasingly difficult to start on damp mornings this winter and finally refused to start at all after being left out on a cold frosty night. I got a bill of £150 from the MG dealer to diagnose the fault and replace the HT leads but at least the car started easily again.

The MGF is a great sports car that is practical and fun. You have to put up with some inconveniences such as water running off the hood onto your legs when you open the door in the rain or the low rear view mirror that presents a considerable blind spot when looking forward and left. Maybe I have had a few more problems with the car than I might have had with a Mercedes, but I still look forward to driving the little red bullet every time, whether the journey is short or long. Isn’t that what MG motoring is all about?

Mike Tattersall