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

Before you buy join the MSCC (not an owner`s club) - the mags have useful ideas / details of dealers etc. in. Also the local centre will be happy to share opinions with you as to vehicle.I was advised this before I bought and it was the best advice ever.
Although I love my 4/4 sport - basic model but virtually zero depreciation, great fun, reliable - lives on the drive & starts every time - and cheap to run - about 50mpg and £125 tax. What`s more - it goes like stink if you know how to use the gears.

PS - if up this way - give me a PM & come for a spin.

Welcome to TM & good luck with your search if you do decide to go for a Morgan but, a word of warning! If after you have road tested various Morgans, and the decision to purchase a car has been made, the story does not end there as there are choices to be made: quick fit hood or press stud, narrow or wide wheels etc . If you buy a new car, the options list is probably longer than the one at BMW! “you want to open the door from the outside? Oh that will mean you want some door handles! ” But, having got your Morgan and you understand and love it, it is interesting when fellow sports car owners love to tell you of its short comings: it’s not 100% watertight, the suspension is a little old fashioned , the ride is a bit firm (at least you cannot tell heads from tails when you run over a coin anymore!) it does not handle as well as a Lotus and so on and so forth, you just stand there with a big grin on your face, nodding in agreement and maybe adding a few quirks that they may have forgotten - it is because you get it and they don’t!!
If perchance circumstances change and the car has to be sold, the craving for another will soon start: a quick(?) glance at cars for sale on the internet , standing in Smith’s reading the magazine small ads, and for some reason not cancelling your MSCC subscription…for the Morgan affliction there is no known cure. You have been warned!!
Alistair

If I can change from Caterham 7 to Morgan then anyone can ! They grow on you very fast , especially if you get one you are happy with regarding suspension,steering,power,engine,colour etc , get the one you really really like !!

I looked at an AM V8 or a pre-owned DB9 some time back. Then I looked at the previous owners bills. Woof. When speaking to the owner they talked about the car a lot in terms of how pretty it was but I never felt they really loved the car. Or the experience of owning it. They also seemed to change hands quickly.

If you are a V8 person then a decent condition Aero will fix the power/noise/grunt bit. They do go and handle like a modern car. They are mostly well built, they all rattle and leak a bit. They do need a little tweaking but it is generally way cheaper than an Aston. Loads of other benefits. People like you. You get out at junctions. You can spend all that money you saved on servicing on other cool things. Like a Mog 3 Wheeler !

Take out an Aero Series 3 or 4 depending on budget and just give in to the unnatural force of the light side.

The Trads are a different driving experience, don't think this is a bad thing, just more different.

Hi Paul,
I sold both a classic Ferrari (Mondial T coupe) and a Westfield to get to my Morgan (Aero 8 series 1). The Ferrari was an epic 24 months and did all that i asked of it, big Euro trips, Classic le mans, weekends away with family etc….but like you i tiered of the never ending pampering and constant worry that some parts were no long available and a simply careless parking ding could cost quite a bit to fix. Eventually it became a garage queen and that is when i released it had to go. The westfield was at the end of a long evolution of constant modding, to the point it was too extreme for the road and frankly dangerous. Also I tiered of dressing up in crash helmet for every trip which looked silly and was kind of against the open air experience.

The Morgan was not a life long ambition to own, i will admit that, but i wanted TVR noise and grunt with classic British looks, easier running costs and to live with and yet something still striking to look at and decent/capable to peddle fast…..there was only 1 choice and i have not regretted it since.

Regrettably, my car purchasing has not been particularly intelligent. I'm very easily seduced by the tricks that my imagination, manipulated by the marketing people, plays in my decision taking.

I remember walking around the Aston showroom under the perfect lighting, looking at the gleaming bodywork. I could see myself looking suave as I crunched over the gravel of an expensive country hotel or cruising through the Côte d'Azur to Italy with polite but condescending acknowledgement of the locals drooling over the shapely evidence of my success. This car would give me my dreams. This car would make me handsome, sophisticated and successful.

The reality is different. The car is beautiful but, I'm still a bit ugly. I tend not to look suave but rather bewildered and exhausted. I don't tour the glamorous regions of Europe, I crash through the potholes of West Sussex at four in the morning on the way to the airport. In fourteen months of ownership, my wife and I have only been away in it once. To visit the factory where it was built! With two careers and three teenagers at home, we simply don't have time to go anywhere.

What's missing is not the right car to make the dream come true, but rather, the time to give the dreams a chance. It's not the objects that count, it's the experiences you have with the objects.

When I'm on my deathbed, the success of my life will not be measured by the total value of all the cars I have owned. The percentage of my life spent with a smile on my face will be a far better measure.

I need less glamour and more fun. That should be a simple equation.

Bang on the money there Paul.

Paul, I'd suggest your recent summary is an eloquent synopsis that is worth printing off, keeping in your wallet and referring to whenever you feel the seduction of a polished showroom. I could relate to a lot of what you said and believe I'm far from alone in finding a lot of resonance in those words.

To answer your question further, and as has been illustrated on this thread, many members of TM have had/continue to own other sports cars; one thing most of us share is a love of petrol and vehicles in many guises. Nevertheless, what has brought us to Morgan is as varied and diverse as the colours offered by the company themselves.

Speaking for myself, I love the fact you are not instantly judged by what you drive. I enjoy the universally positive reaction of other road users and pedestrians. Hearing about other petrol station visitors experience with a Morgan makes for an interesting - and longer than necessary! - visit for each fill up. I love the nostalgic feel, in spite of the car being relatively new. The fact that it looks like nothing else on the road always makes driving it feel like an occasion. Lastly, and whilst many clubs will claim this, the TM community is the final piece in an already unique and special ownership experience that makes the entire prospect all the more pleasurable.

NOW, onto the flip side! Personally, I no longer search for automotive nirvana - imho, it does not exist. Morgans do require some fettling. This generally does not include 'stranded by the roadside' frustrations but minor niggles can occur. Secondly, I still worry about where I park and I am still precious about my car; this, as you'll know, is related to your personality and not the vehicle in question. Even when I have bought inexpensive cars, I still take car of them and park them away from all other cars, when given the chance!

There is so much more to say but I will close by saying that I've sold many 'nice' cars and none have lasted as long as the Aero. Part of this would be related to everything I've said above but equally, when you do get the 'itch' (what petrolhead doesn't?) I find myself saying: but what would I replace it with? They really have no direct peer because the package is unique; you can buy faster, prettier, interesting and so on but not all in one package.

That is my 2-pence and written as a stream of conciousness, whilst pondering your question.

What can I say?

I'm a boy and I need to play.

I'm very grateful to you all for your contributions. I think ultimately, I feel a little ashamed for having spent so much money on the Aston and not having had the joy from it that I was hoping for. Time, I think, to stop dwelling on it and do something about it. Accept that the year one depreciation will "chafe" for a while.

One incy wincy fly in the ointment is my good lady Mrs B. Another change in my toy box so soon after the last one may lead to some uncomfortable finger drumming on the table top and deployment of the "shriveller". This is the facial expression she uses to make me feel guilty. It works on me when I've dropped a changer, all moody teenagers and the dog when he's done something he shouldn't in a place he shouldn't. It's a shocking weapon.

I must develop a winning strategy to convince her that a change will bring benefits for all. She likes being warm, the colour blue and open top motoring. Sounds like the beginning of a spec. sheet.