Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Maths of new cars & owners

Whilst there are a few younger owners Mog ownership does seem to have an older demographic. There are several reasons:

much as they may like the look a lot of younger people don't really see themselves in a "vintage" sports car,
for many it is too expensive due to lower income and the commitments of house buying, marriage, family, etc.,
they get put off by the maintenance aspects.

If Morgan wants to appeal to a younger market they need to produce something more modern in style and and construction and at a reasonable price.

Imagine a scaled down version of the new Aero 8 with aluminium tub, independent suspension, composite body, tuned 1600 engine, a re-designed easyup hideaway hood, and a price of £29,900.

If Lotus can do it for the Elise Sport then Morgan should be able to. At that price Lotus also include a smart braking system (ABS etc.) and twin airbags. Worth thinking about is the fact that the Elise design also includes a certain amount of roll over protection too.

The problem is that Lotus never make a profit and are always hovering on the brink!

It's not a small loss either

Can't understand how it's still viable but their parent company Proton seem to think they can keep it going

Their sales target of 2,500 vehicles a year is just not realistic in my view

JTL, if you recall, the term came from a post made a while ago here on TM by someone referring to the 4/4! It is now used with some delight by us owners.
The factory certainly don't use it.
The Runabout, was the model in question, that I believe you refer to?

When I bought Stanley 10 years ago, I was advised to go for the newest car I could get for my limited budget and to ensure it had the stainless steel bulkhead.
This meant I bought a Runabout. The beauty has been, that over the years, I have been able to upgrade some of the details to suit, as and when I could afford and at far lower cost than had I initially bought a similar age normal 4/4.

Now where are those louvres??

Morgan are in a corner. Their factory and development capabilities are a little different to Lotus. Imagine the investment in NRE and infrastructure to be able to offer a comparable competitive product.

I'm a very proud owner of the "powerty" model and indeed this "nickname" should be existent for this ending season only. The 4/4 is the smart "most joy for investment" model and follows the rule that less can be more.

Bud I am not knocking you or other 4/4 owners ( I am one ) its the crude name . Imagine a young person paying a morgage , a saloon and a family trying to get on the morgan ladder . Then someone uses that termanology its insultive to the buyer and running him or her down . At the time the purchaser may have little or no idea it can be built into what they want as time goes by and finance improves.

At what point does a person enter the older demographic? Is it age, or looks, or attitude? I don't know the answers of course.

What I can say is this: When I bought my Morgan most of my friends (40-60 years old bracket) thought two things: firstly, that they liked the car and secondly, that they thought that it was too old for me. When I told them I was off to a MSCC meeting, they chuckled and offered me a zimmer frame and a hearing aid. Not sure what they would make of TM.

So there is an image out there of a 'typical Morgan owner', whether that image is justified or not is not the point, it is an image and it is out there. One thing is for sure, it is not the image portrayed in the recently issued Morgan Accessory Brochure - so either Morgan are trying hard to appeal to a different set of people or they have seriously misjudged who buys their cars (although clearly I was one of the first in the queue to order a Tax Disc Holder and Collapsible Coat Hangar).

It seems to me that these days a car (or motorcycle for that matter) can no longer be marketed as a form of transport without some form of accompanying lifestyle statement e.g. BMW Motorcycles doing their utmost to remove the 'Pipe and Slippers' reputation whilst simultaneously offering those with the cash a 'one stop shop' to the world of motorcycling, or Harley Davidson with leather chaps and rebel attitudes for 'Rebels without a cause', or Morgan as.....(please fill in the gap as you see fit).

Do I care? Personally, no I don't. People have the freedom - at least here in the UK - to do what they want within reason and can choose to drive or ride what they like; if they want to be with like minded people and join a club or something similar in pursuit of their interest, they can do that too. I suspect that most people tread the middle ground between operating alone and being a total 'groupie or fanboy' - some people being self-contained and others thriving in groups (or with audiences!)....human nature I think.

I found TM when searching for information on the experience of Morgan ownership (pre-purchase research really) and I am really pleased that I did. TM has proved to be very useful, particularly in the early stages of ownership, and I for one am extremely grateful for the advice, so freely given, that I have received from members. Could awareness of TM be raised, particularly to new owners? No doubt it could, if that is what was desired. Just a question of how.

BTW: Forgive the 'newbie' question, but is there conflict or competition, either current or historical, between TM and MSCC? Or do they rub along fine? Just interested to know.

Interesting thoughts on age groups. I was running an MG TA in my early thirties. I desperately wanted a pre war MG when I was a teenager but could not afford one. I bought a new Morgan because I didn't want to spend time working on the car, breaking down etc and I wanted to keep up with modern traffic. The Morgan meets this criteria with a real vintage feel.
I am sure my kids would love it as a first car but the insurance would be impossible below 25 years.
So I think it's a combination of insurance availability and funds for people under 25.
Lots of younger people love them. I had a triumph spitfire as my first car and the insurance was cheap - but that isnt the case today.
I picked my son up from his grammar school the other day and all the kids walked past saying that car is sick! (Cool) and were waving and shouting at him as we drive past. He loved it!
So they do appeal to the younger generation.

MSCC views TM as another positive place for Morgan owners, and certainly a lot better than the lamentable MogTalk Bulletin Board.

There are some MSCC members who view this place as the home of the Devil Incarnate, but they don't represent the majority, despite an ability to vocalize widely. There is circumstantial evidence that they lurk, looking for real or imagined insults!

Peter (Also MSCC Vice Chair) but don't tell anyone!