motorbill,
I'm afraid it's true. A 16-year old kid, out for a joyride in his mommy's Town Car, pulled out of a shopping center and creamed my car. I've never seen metal tear like it did. And the body was twisted so badly that if you knealt down and looked at it from the rear, the right side was about an inch or so higher than the left, and the rear axle was knocked out of alignment. The thing is, the kid never even stopped, so I did a quick assessment, decided she was okay to give chase, and ran the guy down in city traffic. (I didn't put anyone in danger. I just kept him in sight and when he tried to duck behind an office complex to hide, I followed him in and confronted him and his buddies.) The car was valued at around $3500 (the insurance company couldn't figure out how to come up with a value) and the body shop said it would cost almost $5900 to repair it, so the insurance company totaled it. The kicker is that I was on my home from a car show in Sapulpa and was less than a mile from my home!
I looked for another MGB, but there were none available in Tulsa at the time. Right now, I'm driving a 1992 Mazda Miata and loving it. Not so much the interior room, as it is a little more cramped than the MG, but for its performance. That's the engine and gearbox I would love to have in an MGB! I know where there is a 1972 MGB in pieces and I've toyed with the idea of buying that and putting the MIata drivetrain in it. But I've got other more pressing issues on my plate right now. When I was looking for an MGB, there were none around. Now that I'm not looking, they're for sale all over the place! I saw one at the local Home Depot yesterday when I was out looking for a pumpkin for my daughter to carve. I spent a good amount of time talking to the owners and offered them the left over parts from my MG.
zach