Dan,
I think you and I are similar in the fact that we were both born with the motorcycle gene and are perpetual gearheads.
The difference I see between us as it relates to a M3W is that you found the forum before you found the M3W, whereas, I found the M3W before I found the forum. Good on you. Therefore, I guess I have to except certain amount of responsibility for not doing more research before coughing up the cash as I never expected a known marque to inflict such poor execution or shifty tactics on its consumers. As I mentioned on the Corvette forum, its as if they are a Nigerian-based manufacturer...and I don't really think that's being completely fair to the Nigerians.
If I'd found the forum first and as much as I like the concept of the M3W, after reading about all the mayhem, I wouldn't have bought one. I wouldn't have thought "maybe I'll get lucky and get a good one" as I don't think there are any good ones. It's not a matter of "if" but a matter of "when".
Admittedly, once I got out from under the cloak of my own denial that a modern-day company would knowing deceive its customer base to this extent, it's painful to admit (personally and publically) I let myself get screwed on such a grand scale. In my weak defense and based on the number of vehicles I own (currently 19 motorcycles (4 2014 models) and 11 cages including 5 2014 models 2 of which are Corvettes in the same price range of the M3W) and have owned, I never in a million years anticipated all this. I've own vehicles that had 100,000+ miles that I would reluctantly set off across country on or in but never one with less than 3,000 mile on it. I've got 40+ year old motorcycles (British, no less) that I trust to ride distance on without concerns. If I got nothing else out of the purchase of the M3W, I did buy the ability to tell it like it is. And I'm not biting my tongue anymore and dare anyone, including Morgan, to tell me or better yet prove to me my assessments are wrong. I have been blessed in the business department after many years of hard labor and the price of the Morgan hasn't hair-lipped my program much like it would for those less fortunate who are trying to treat themselves to a little fun. Frankly, I'd rather give away $50k+ under my own terms than have someone take it away from me under false pretenses. I don't guess I've ever encountered another situation where my desire to have some rolling fun lead me down such a screwed up path. Yes, I'm pissed and am contemplating paying someone to put up my own fact-based M3W website to help prevent others from experiencing the feeling of being raped with no reasonable recourse.
If I were offered my money back on the purchase price of the vehicle, cost for tax, insurance, title, tag, transportation and registration, as well as, money and labor involved in attempting to rectify some of the M3W's "warts"/engineering flaws or a new & improved M3W that performed as it should, I'd take the M3W in a heartbeat as my desire for fun has not waivered. However, it would take a ground-up redesign starting with the chassis and working their way up. But we all know that isn't coming from a company that is already proven they are content in passing on substandard equipment in the form of a highly-polished turd.
As a hobby, I work on many mechanical projects, usually motorcycles, as its something I enjoy. Typically, it is what I consider a desirable vintage model that has been neglected over the years that I classify as a "fixer upper". It is usually something that is relatively cheap and something I choose or elect to devote my time to. On the other hand, I also choose to buy new, ready-to-go bikes which understandably cost more but really don't require anything before I hit the road which is a luxury that comes at a price. With the M3W, I paid for the luxury but feel like some jackass somewhere else made the decision for me on how I should devote my spare time on an over-priced "fixer upper". I also don't like how their philosophy has put me in a position to test my integrity as a person as in should I adopt their philosophy in knowingly pushing off what I know to be substandard on to some other un-suspecting soul. Cut my loses by dumping it off on someone else and shifting the pain. I'd have to lie about the car for anyone to maintain enough interest to actually go through with the sale...and I'm not doing that. So this is about more than just nuts and bolts and another level of an awkward situation Morgan has put me in.
This M3W has not ruined my life, discouraged me from seeking out fun or made be bitter in general. In a sense, I'd rather take the bullet on the M3W than see other un-suspecting people have the same experience (extreme high to an extreme low). If I'm the unfortunate fellow that finds out the hard way in the middle of the night that a bridge is out on a road, that doesn't mean I want every other subsequent motorist on the same road to learn what I learned the hard way.
Now I'm fixing to go ride my 1973 Norton 850 Commando Interstate to Birmingham, AL to visit a friend and go to Barber's Motorcycle Museum again. My only concern is how much rain I'll be riding through and I'm not too concerned about that.
Z
