Talk Morgan Forums Community Welcome Forum Dipping my toe in the waters

Similar to many others on here I suspect...

Had a succession of 911s culminating in a 993 Turbo which either sat in my garage with a flat battery, or - when the guilt got too great - was used inappropriately for a daily 90 mile hack in heavy traffic. Got used properly just once a year for a two-week European road trip through France/Germany/Switzerland/Austria/Italy. Then the kids came along and I traded it for a SUV and a big cheque back to me which was nice.

Now, I enjoy my 4/4 Sport just as much because long tours are no longer on the agenda. What is on the agenda are everyday journeys which are huge fun at legal speeds, and if for any reason I can't use the car then there's not the same guilt about having a lot of money tied up in a lump of metal. I've also dropped a canoe on it and bent a wing on a tractor tyre - I like to think of it as adding patina and character. I don't think I would have felt the same way about the Porsche.

Morgan's are generally pretty reliable, but if you gave zero tolerance then go for as new as you can afford. I am sure others can advise on 4/4 and plus 4 engine variances. Roadsters are pretty good, and lots of power.

"The only proviso is that it must work. I have zero tolerance for cars that don't work!"

It's a good job you are not tempted by the Three Wheeler then.

It's a funny thing about trying various models, because if you've never driven a Morgan before, any Morgan will feel interesting for the duration of the test drive, after all, it has been mentioned on another thread, that it can take up to 6 months to get the best out of one, so, maybe do as I did and do your research prior and look for the car you think you need, buy it and get used to it, then start looking seriously and driving various models, if you like this kind of motoring, which I think you will.

As the Irish are fond of saying, it's all about the craic [whatever that is?]

It has to be said that any trad Morgan is never going to 'just work' without a certain amount of active owner involvement. These cars are not like other modern vehicles, they can't be treated like them. The Aero models may well be different, I have no experience of owning one.

The front suspension on a traditional Morgan needs to be greased every thousand miles or so for example, and there are plenty of nuts and bolts and other fasteners that require checking. The rear springs needs a quick spray with lubricant every year or so. Wire wheels need to have their spokes checked. None of the regular maintenance jobs are difficult or onerous, none of them require special tools, but without them no trad Morgan will thrive and give of its best. Personally I love this, it makes the relationship with the car much more fulfilling.

I expect it may be possible, with the help of a very good dealer, to run a trad Morgan successfully without ever getting one's hands dirty, but I wouldn't honestly recommend it - if for no other reason than it prevents you from being able to go on an extended tour of more than a couple of thousand miles without worry.

This is all very interesting and useful. Thanks so much for the contributions. Regular maintenance doesn't worry me although it would be much easier if we had a garage - planned for next year.

I've visited to two dealers so far. Knightsbridge last year just before buying the Vantage and Brands Hatch Morgan last week. Both were very friendly and obliging so it seems there are some good dealers about. Is it worth a trip to the factory to get a clearer idea about what goes into a Morgan? You can only see so much on Youtubeboxface. It would also be nice to see a range of colour and trim combinations in the flesh. Would the direct sales outlet at the factory display a greater variety?

As an aside, there seem to be an awful lot of IT specialists on the site. Is that because you like the tech side of an online forum or because the more traditional, tech free nature of the Morgan is a kind of antidote to work? I fly an Airbus for a living which is all fly-by-wire, computers, digital read outs and artificial "feel" and the Morgan would certainly be it's antithesis.

Hi Paul, I would recommend a factory tour as it does give you a feel for the factory and how they put the Morgans together.
If buying new you can specify almost any colour you like. All part of the fun of buying new.

Morgan
THE MOST FUN YOU CAN HAVE WITH YOUR CLOTHES ON .



need I say more .

Having an Aero 8 which followed a Porsche 911 (997) 'S' and having enjoyed a friend's AM V8 Vantage Volante (4.3) any Morgan is much more visceral. With the Aeros you get great performance, noise and some sophistication but the car is great to drive at low speeds as it becomes part of you.

Oddly, it's the little failings and idiosynchrasies that make the cars so endearing.

Personally, I found the trads just a bit too trad for my slightly pampered taste, although I've got a M3W too for when I want flies in my teeth (lucky me!). I agree that you need to try them all, and while they all have some dna in common, you'll find there's a lot of difference between them all too.

However, do expect a few problems along the way, but they shouldn't be big problems and you'll be much more relaxed than with the AM. I certainly was once the Porsche (which I got new and had a lot of issues...) was gone and the Mog took over (although I had some issues with that too!)

Enjoy the journey - and - Morgan drivers / owners are a really great bunch of loons!!

My Plus 8 is fly-by-wire.

It has a thing called a throttle cable that is connected between an analogue non-potentiometer movement and pressure sensor in the footwell directly linked to the non-digital fuelling system in the engine bay.

In IT terms one might refer to it as "direct access" and the interface standard 'Bowden cable' and 'soldered nipples'! No USB1, USB2, RS232, RJ45 connectors or shielded or fibre optic cables. But do you know, when I press my foot down, over 200 imperial ft/lbs or torque is instantly available and if I leave it there for a second or two, over 290 ft/lbs and 312 bhp comes on stream.

Antithesis! You bet and it's absolutely, expletive deletedly, glorious. Go for it!

I can't recommend Brands Hatch Morgans highly enough. Talk to Nick and/or Sarah. They may be able to fix you up with a factory visit 'as an intending buyer' which will be a slightly )and more fulfilling) different experience than the standard tour.