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MG Midget and Sprite General - Midget owner with MGA

We were at a car show last weekend and my wife who is not a big fan of the midget, due to room and getting in and out, said she thought the MGA or TR3 would be easier to get in and out of and liked the look of them. Do any of you that own Midget's also have one of these. I have to say that I love the shape of the MGA, but with the age comes more cost and I wasn't willing to jump into one of these as my first LBC. Does anybody have any comments on either of these cars. It would be nice to have a car each.
Thanks,
Allan
Allan Jacks

I have a Midget and an MGA and have had both for a long time. My wife and I have used both cars for long holidays and touring both the UK and in Europe.

The MGA certainly looks bigger than the Midget but in reality it does not seem to have much more room.

All MGs struggle to get in and out due to the A post (where the door hinges) being vertical, this is the same on most MGs and causes you to have to pull your legs into you chest to get out. Look at an E Type or a Lotus Elan to see what other manufacturers do to help people get in and out of cars. Their A posts are set much further forward.

So back to the MGA. When in the car it does feel bigger and is more roomy in the cockpit, however the hood is a nightmare to erect compared to the MK111 Midget and steering and gear change are a good bit heavier.

I can not say which car is the most confortable so please find an MGA and try it for yourself, it is not an easy choice.
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Bob,
Thanks, I am going to have to try one, because I guessed wrong about getting in and the room.
Now an EType, my favorite car since I was a lad, but way out of my price range. I also like the Lotus Elan Sprint as a nice looking car, but again a little too expensive.
Any other recommendations in the LBC market.
Thanks,
Allan
Allan Jacks

As a female I believe I can answer this from a getting in and out safely and decently ....

By far the MGA!!!!!!!

The seats are much better designed and the doors are wider, so you can turn both legs - thereby allowing one to wear dresses and skirts etc.

However, if she is to drive it, then the Midget is certainly lighter and smaller and easier to turn.
rachmacb

A vote from me for the not jet mentioned good old MGB.

more comfortable
easy cruising
easy entrance/exit

but less fun!!
Onno Könemann

Unless you put a V8 in it of course - then it's WAYYYYY fun ;)!

Being in America, you'd have a whole host of engines to choose - the Mustang 4.6 is nice, as is the Chevy!

Mind you, you can put them into an A as well .....
rachmacb

Yep I agree Onno the MGB is far easier.

Of course the size of the door is not the issue even though the Midget door at its widest point is almost identical to the width of the MGA door.

However the key is the distance from the back of the seat to the A post as this is where your legs reside. Some years ago I had put different seats in my MGA because the originals did not have any support for sideways movement so when turning corners the passenger is moving around all the time. To combat this I installed classic bucket seats. These are fixed back so the seats can only go back to the rear shelf. I noted the distance from the back of the seat to the A post and found it was almost the same as my Midget so thus access and egress is identical almost in both cars.

I can not say if this distance would be increased if original seats are fitted so you will need to try that Allan.
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

I am happy to live with :
"66 midget for me
"32 D in parts for me
"74 BGT last chrome b for my fiancee

Great combo
Onno Könemann

I have never been a fan of the B. To me it looks like an old man's car. Now I do like the BGT.
I could always go the easy route and get a new mini for her and she would have A/c and room for the kids in the back.
I have seen an increase of the new mini's at shows.
Allan
Allan Jacks

I love my Sprite and thought my 74 RWA was the best car on the planet until I tried the TR series. I've had a TR3 and Now have a TR4 as well as the frogeye. To be honest they are not comparable. The Spridget is more fun on a B road but the TRs are just so much faster and more powerful. I use the frog to go out to play, but the TR to get somewhere fast. The TR 4 is like a bigger midget and is more comfortable. The TR3 is loads of fun and again is fast but is not that comfortable and the driver and passenger are really exposed to the elements as a result on any long journey I always ended up with at least the roof up to pacify the wife.

Paul
Paul Barnes

My father has an MGA, I think it is a fair bit easier to get in and out of than the Midget for whatever reason. His MGB (GT) is much easier again, but it's a far less entertaining drive than the A or Midget. The controls are a lot heavier in the MGA than the Midget, I don't find it a problem but some people do.
AndrewF

Allan,

I give style points to the MGA, but I'm also a '74 B/GT owner.

Will you be at the Pennypacker Mills show tomorrow?

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '69 Midget

"my wife who is not a big fan of the midget"

Allan, just how attached are you to your wife?
LOL!!!
As a divorcelawyer is more expensive then an mga I would say get a mga.
I driven one severaltimes and like it but never drove it with the hood up so I have no clue how easy it is to get in/out then.
Arie de Best

Larry,
Sorry I was unable to make it. I just back from being out of town from work. Hope you had a good day.
I really like the style of the B/GT and think it could me driven throughout the year and I think my wife could drive it to work.

Arie,
I have three girls 11 and under and so I don't get to do as much as I would like to with the car or on it. Unfortunately none of the girls are great car fan's yet either, but I am working on that.
Allan
Allan Jacks

Allan,

Over the years I have owned all of the above cars. The Midget or Sprite come close to the top of the list for driving ease and fun, even on long journeys (Anita and I have toured in Europe in both the Midget and the Sprite). The MGA is a superb car but as Bob says, a bloody nightmare when it comes to putting the hood up.. Maye an MGA Coupe may be an option...? The MGB is... well, in my opinion, over rated; heavy, slow and just meh.. the BGT is a useful tourer but is still just a B. The TR family of cars are lovely, for me the early 'side screen' TRs are the ones, but I think the best of them all as a drivers car is the pre IRS TR4 with comfort and shelter from the wind. However a TR6 may be a consideration.
The E Type is not the easiest of cars to get in and out of with it's huge wide and tall inner sills and the Elan, (even higher on the driving fun list) is not really a practical car, it's very fussy and quite high maintainance. Options like the MX5 or the S2000 could be a consideration too or even an early 911.

Try them all and AGREE on your final choice... :-)

Mark.
M T Boldry

I've had a MX-5 and a S2000 both are great drivers cars and comfortable and very reliable (altho' the original MX-5/Miata/Eunos are quite old now)

MX-5 Mk1 or better still Eunos Mk1 and I assume Mk1 Miata are nearer to a classic in feel

any of the 2 hoods put the British cars to shame - if you're tall enough you can reach behind from sitting in the seats and put the hood up and sealed in 3 seconds on the Mk 1 & 2, so no need for power hood

I don't know with Mk3 & 4 hoods but still miles ahead of the British hoods

latest models you might as well have a power hood

early S2000 were very tense machines suited to bikers, the later pre-face-lift cars calmed down a little and the post-face-lift a little bit more, IMO the post-face-lift cars are the pick of the bunch that's why I had one

the power hood (with handbrake on) is very fast, up and shut in 6 seconds, not much boot space so throw the space saver out

VTEC engine, six gears, revs to 9,000 rpm, is/was(?) most powerful na 2 litre car at 237bhp, peak torque 7,800 rpm, peak power 8,300 - almost no electronic aids if any

unusually I remember the figures easily

it would pull from very low revs but to get the best out of it you wanted to be above 6,000 then very quickly you could hit the limiter

small tank and only 20 mpg (UK gallon) but around 40 on a run

neither car was difficult to get in and out of that I remember
Nigel At

This thread was discussed between 23/07/2011 and 07/08/2011

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