There is available a Series 1 2002 Aero that has done 70,000 miles
Apparently good service history

Simple question -> is it just asking for trouble in quite a complicated car?

I have a 2004 Roadster that has done 104,000miles and it's no bother at all.....

What do you guys and girls say to this question

Go for it or avoid?

Thanks Tim

The early Roadster were well developed, and seem without serious faults, The trads are simple cars and so very easy to work on with most parts still being available. This is one of the reasons that some trad owners are not jumping into CX Morgans, which are a whole different ball game.

If you take a punt on an S1 Aero, then find out who knows these cars and it may work out OK.

I'm guessing it's the Red one - if so my first question would be why hasn't the vendor invested a little to gain quite a bit and tbh that's a question I'd be asking.

Lovely cars but reading on here can be quite high maintenance compared to a trad and I think you need to be good friends with Simon H as he seems to be valiantly re engineering the mechanical solutions as they arise when the parts are no longer available.

It's the reason I would not chose one as I enjoy the hands on low running costs of the V8 traditional cars.

So if you have the spare cash available for an ongoing experience go for it.

Good luck with your decision.

Yes , thanks Richard

It is the red one and yes I thought just like you -> if it was that easy well, why didn't they just do it and charge the mark up ?

I'm used to trouble-free Morganeering and live far away from any expert or dealer so that's why I am having these doubts

Tim, like you I have had total reliability from my trads over the years and never needed to call the breakdown service so for random things to fail on a car would be a real disappointment so my logic tells me not to risk it as it's a fun car.

Hi Tim, my understanding is that later S1 Aero's were better (more sorted) than the earlier cars. All are more costly to run than trads, particularly as anything bar a minor service need the wings and cowl to be removed for access.

As others have recently posted here, the electrics can have mind of their own, no doubt the blending of BMW to Morgan technologies. The other issues with certainly S1 Aeros is they are now 20 years old, many parts will age and there seem to be some that are now not available. Therefore specialists like SimonH are a vital resource for the future.

Whilst 70K miles sounds a lot for an Aero, in reality it's only 3.5K per year. For me a thorough complete service history would be essential before considering a purchase. Williams have a good reputation as dealers, but why they are offering it as a trade sale are costly works required? If you get the right answers then it looks a nice car.

I don’t know the car so can’t comment on the simple fixes you guys mention.

I’ve owned 5m6 Trad Plus 8’s over the years, often at the same time as my Aero 8 of which I’ve owned 3, all early ones.


Mileage I would say is not an issue to the mechanical side of things but certainly might be for the cosmetics, they don’t wear well especially if left outside.

But what I would say, though not simple like the trad the performance and ride etc are simply awesome. Anyone that has ever driven mine has raved about it and done even gone and bought one.

I opted to keep an Aero over a trad and I’ve been an owner/enthusiast for over 30 years.

Thanks so much everybody -> so very helpful ...

Really helpful!

Drove the car on Saturday through beautiful Glos. countryside / glorious sunshine Great colour too ...

BUT service history was a few MoT certificates , which you can see online and little else

Passenger window didn't come up, warning lights seemed to be on ...it all came down to -> whether we were prepared to take on the electrical stuff that these pages are full of and even though the price was very good, the answer was a sorry but no

We found it roomy enough/ nice dashboard ( no Mulberry bag of course) and tremendous acceleration as expected The front end might take a bit of getting used to but in the end , as we are not close to any clever dealers/ specialists something less fancy would seem to be the right choice.

The comments on this thread proved so helpful ....Thanks again Tim

As they get older they show up the repair and care history more and more. My advice would be to drive as many as you can so you build up a feel for them and can then work out if it feels right.

As an example our Series 2 requires a lot of the rose joints in the rear suspension replacing as the rubber boots protecting them have expired after 17 years. Once these are done it will drive a lot better than it does at the moment. The backend feels loose and when you come on/off power you feel a wriggle. These are not young cars so it is fair to expect some work neds to be done. It all comes down to how many things have been left unchanged.

The comment on the service costs of an S1 & S2 is fair as they had two part front wings instead of the later (S3 onwards) single part front wing. It does take a while to remove the front in order to get access to do things. Likewise putting things back together afterwards.

As long as you are using it you will be happy to turn a blind eye to the small annoying squeaks due to the big loud rumbles.

Out of interest which warning lights were on?

The engine light graphics glow and give the false impression it’s on.