Short answer - Summer 2011.
Long answer - It started with a Sunday night eBay £350 “buy it now” 1975 Mercedes 280CE, as it was in a fairly local garage I decided to view Monday before I pressed the button but it was sold overnight. As we were passing within a few miles of it Monday evening I decided to visit the garage and see what I had missed out on, known to have an engine fault and the body was worse than I imagined so I was glad I did now “buy it now”. While at the garage Claire noticed a yellow rubber bumpered MGB GT for sale for £795 no offers with 10 months MOT and said that looked good value why don’t we have that, I liked the idea as I have had MGs before and still attend some club meeting for which I have been borrowing my friend Derek’s cars. I thought I would go back and have a proper look at it but looking at adverts I felt for few just a bit more I could buy a much better car and bid on a blue rubber bumpered car in much better condition but just lost out. What I really wanted was a chrome bumpered, tax free car with a folding sunroof and in a nice colour but believed this was beyond my budget. I told my story to my friend Derek who said have you seen the tax free one in the local paper, that was in the pub Friday night so I called in at the 24 hour Tesco to buy the paper on the way home. I telephoned Saturday to be told by the owner she was away but I was welcome to view the car on her drive so I took Claire to see it. A few marks in the paint but not much rust, pitted chrome but with a sunroof in a lovely dark green so I phoned Sue the owner back and she said I liked it but she said I could not test drive it until Friday but I could have first refusal, I test drove it and all seemed ok so we agreed a price, Sue did not seem happy about selling it after 19 years but was pleased to receive the money and I only had 3 miles to drive it home.
I have taken it to a couple of MG events during last summer and plan a few more this year.
Chris
