The TD is the most numerous T-Type, with roughly 29,664 built, so there is usually a car for sale somewhere. This guide covers where to look, what to pay and what to check before you agree a price.
Where to look
This is an independent guide, not a list of cars for sale, and it makes no claims about any one seller.
In the UK, MG TDs are sold through specialist T-Type dealers, through auction houses, such as Mathewsons in North Yorkshire, through online auction and classified sites, and through the classified pages of the club magazines, where cars often come with known owners and real history.
In the US, most cars change hands through online auctions and classified sites, with auction houses and the T-Type club magazines and registers covering the rest. The venues the archive tracks, with notes on each, are listed in Buying an MG T-Type: what they cost, and the trade-offs between buying at auction, from a dealer or privately are set out in Auction, Dealer or Private?.
What to pay
The UK bands below are indicative ranges by condition, not valuations. The source for each row is shown beneath it, and the values guide explains how the bands were compiled.
| Model | Project | Good | Excellent | Concours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MG TDHagerty UK Valuation Tool (published 2022), 2022 | ≈£10,500 (needy) | £15,000–£22,000* | £25,000–£30,000* | ≈£35,200 (perfect) |
US market benchmark (CLASSIC.COM, October 2026): $17,689. This is a single benchmark, not a condition range, and the UK bands above remain the site's main guide. Source: CLASSIC.COM Market Benchmark, read 29 October 2026.
For what moves a price up or down, see the MG T-Series values guide.
Red flags
- A replica sold as a real TD. Many US listings offer a fibreglass, VW Beetle-based kit car as a 1952 or 1953 MG TD. Read MG TD replica or real? before you go to see one.
- Numbers that do not add up. The chassis plate, chassis number and XPAG engine number should agree with the TD records. From the middle of 1951, at around engine 9408, the prefix became XPAG/TD2. See the chassis and engine number guide.
- Wire wheels described as original. The TD left Abingdon on 15-inch bolt-on disc wheels and wire wheels were not a TD option. A TD on wires is a modified car, which is fine, but it is not an original one.
- A tired ash frame. The body is steel over ash, and the timber is the most expensive thing to get wrong. The MG TD buying guide covers the checks in full.
Questions to ask the seller
- What are the chassis and engine numbers, and do they match the documents?
- Is the engine the one the car left the factory with, and has the MG Car Club T Register factory record been checked?
- Has the ash frame been repaired or renewed, and by whom?
- How much has the car been used recently, and how long was it laid up?
- What receipts and history come with it?
Common questions
- Where can I buy an MG TD?
- In the UK, through specialist T-Type dealers, auction houses such as Mathewsons in North Yorkshire, online auction and classified sites, and club magazine classifieds. In the US, most TDs change hands through online auctions and classified sites, with auction houses and the club registers covering the rest.
- How much should I pay for an MG TD?
- The archive's UK bands run from about £10,500 for a needy car, £15,000 to £22,000 for a good one and £25,000 to £30,000 for an excellent one, to about £35,200 for a perfect car. The CLASSIC.COM US market benchmark for the TD, read in October 2026, is $17,689, a single benchmark rather than a condition range.
- How do I know an MG TD for sale is genuine?
- Check that it has the water-cooled XPAG engine at the front, steel panels on an ash frame, a TD chassis plate and an XPAG engine number. A fibreglass body or a VW Beetle floorpan means a replica, and a title reading 1952 MG TD does not prove the car is one.