Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Want to buy a 3 wheeler Entry price ? and resale

Im just trying to give someone an idea of costs... it is irritating to be told I am talking twaddle by someone who doesnt own one.
The last year or 11k miles.

Some of these were during warranty but I was told the normal price. These figures are indicative and include labour. In brackets it is just parts fitted by myself but you can expect a couple of hundred pounds for installation labour on each item.

New bevel box incl fit 3k (2250)
new sprocket (550al or 1k for steel)
new alternator (engine out) incl fit 800

exhausts that crack ???
new wishbone (170???)
new rectifier (250)
New headlight (120 x2)
New valve set (100)
New valve stud (20???)
new tappet set (100)
broken throttle return spring (2)
broken cam sprocket (25) and woodruff keys.
timing belt x3 (115)
Broken gearbox linkage 500 of labour
broken rear wheel alignment bolts from hill climbing
200 on chassis strengthening
new throttle cable 20
New header pipe (250)

Oil tank ???
oil tank cap gaskets....

Spark plugs...

Specialist imperial spec tools...

Bespoke timing belt cover laser cut and welded (400)

This excludes 'upgrades' which should have been in the original product
compensator 1200 or 2k incl fit
Comfort kit few hundred???
nvh kit 1k???
Stage 1 kit from g56 (1250)
roller rocker kit (400)

3 services for the car.
Brakes...
Bevel box oil...
new oil every 2k miles at 100 each or 150 incl labour.
oil filters.

Bobbins bobbins bobbins

Rear tyre ( which costs a couple hours labour on top of the rubber)
Front tyre is 220 a set for 6k miles Incl fit.
Battery 120 for a FGM one

Other costs like a new clutch (engine out) would also cost near a grand. Lukily im still on my first.

So I am not being pessimistic I am talking from experience and trying to warn someone who was worring about 1 or 2 grand on the purchase price.

I would have saved money buying a new 911 and selling it after a year!

I probably drive it too hard!

Charles
You Didnt really pay £400 quid for that cam cover. I thought you made it yourself!!! 😊

I designed it.
i did not make it. The design was very hard to manufacture as a one off. the stainless steel was expensive to bend and weld. The design was quite complex so as to let in air and not water. Not really a fair thing to put on the cost of ownership...

But I think it will be better in the long run than the washer solution. I stand by my opinion that rain ingress will kill the prockets.

Buy a 30k car and be served a few washers as a recall...

Perhaps I should have written my previous comment a little less abruptly. But you were suggesting that owners can expect huge running costs which I find rather misleading. I meet a fair number of Three Wheeler owners and very few, if any, have had the costs you state.

Plus, to include nil cost to customer warranty repairs isn't a fair comparison, as every new vehicle goes through that.

Looking at the mileage on several M3W's for sale, it seems a lot of owners do very few miles. If you don't use the car it will not have much chance to go wrong, nothing wears out and it will be very much cheaper to run. Maybe these are the owners you meet Jays? Charles is at the other extreme. Most of us have just a few problems and unexpected costs.

Jays your posts are normally very polite and interesting. Hopefully we will meet in Herefordshire next month. I agree most owners have not had my problems. I drive mine on full throttle, in the rain and take it to the track. So I expect it to get issues if it is treated like a lotus elise.
it is also a very early 2012 car.

The problems are becoming much less frequent.

I should also say that Morgan have gone far beyond the call of duty in warranty repairs for my vehicle.

I would advise anyone to buy a later model. The extra upfront cost will pay off if you drive alot.

I agree with Charles, sorry to all the people that own them but it's a no brainer surely to anyone who can read this forum not to buy an early car and to only consider a 2014 car onwards in terms not only saving money but the heartache and inconvenience of constant problems. Keep putting money in the piggy bank and get a later car would be my advice.

I don't agree; whats wrong with a sorted 2013 car (or 2012 for that matter) as a second hand proposition? I have endured the heartache/problems and have no intention of getting rid of it. But if i were, it would be a good buy for someone coming to the M3W afresh as all of the known problems have been sorted.

I think what we read on this forum is unavoidably polarized and tends to focus on the problems rather than present a balanced view of the overall picture. Don't get me wrong, it very useful information and i would have much rather not had problems; but on balance I am enjoying my car.

Are you sure that your bias toward a 2014 car is not related to your desire to sell your Brooklands?