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

Put daughter on my insurance this year £42/- but £500/- excess 23 y/old been driving since 17 . May be worth a try if you feel brave enough. Let her loose on Beamish field at the classic car show once they started to leave . I told her to blip the pedal and turn the key . She had her foot to the floor and kept hold of the key , revs sky high , starting motor screaming ( as well as me ) and all I got off her was a big not even a kiss for letting her drive the mog .

Quite agree on you points above, I tend to be in both camps TM and MSCC picking the best from both throughout the year, but have a leaning to TM, a bit more free and anarchical, maybe a reflection of me.

On the last question there is a history between TM and MSCC which I will not go into detail here. Primarily related to when the Aero series came along and were effectively snubbed/ignored by die-hard traditionalists mainly within MSCC, TM I believe was born as result. There was I believe an aspect of this with the new M3W's at local level as well. Anyway attitudes seems to have softened a little over the last couple of years, but unfortunately there will always be some who are set in their views and ways.

Just glanced and thought it said curcumcised better go back to Spec Savers .

Thanks for enlightening me on the history/background....much appreciated. I am led to believe that people become more and more set in their views and ways as they get older....

With regard to the appeal of Morgans to a younger generation: there is no doubt that people of all ages like the cars, no doubt for a whole host of reasons. I seem to remember someone somewhere in London making a film of some schoolchildren walking down a street past a whole range of exotic cars with a Caterham in the middle. Needless to say the car that got the most attention was the Caterham. I suspect you could do the same with the Morgan, simply because it is so different to anything else and not just a variation on a theme. Interestingly I don't think they would care what was under the bonnet, that's just for the driver.

My two sons would like a Morgan but the limitations of the cars in terms of practicality, maintenance and insurance etc mean that they could only run one as a second 'hobby' car....and at present I am not keen on adding them to my insurance (grumpy Victorian Dad that I am)....though I thought the youngest one might be able to get his insurance premium down by having something like a Triumph Herald on a Classic Car Policy; surely it couldn't be more expensive than a modern car (which requires the sale on one of my kidneys!).

Perhaps for the lucky or dedicated few, Morgan ownership at an early age is a possibility, but for most I think it will always be something they hope to do one day; meanwhile they can at least buy something from the accessories catalogue, though for now they will only get limited use out of a Morgan emblazoned zimmer frame.

Nothing wrong with following both, its all Morgan related.

A quick digression on the "poverty model" theme: long before the Runabout entry-level special in 2003, it was possible to down-spec without sacrificing bonnet louvres! My car, a 1985 4/4 4-seater, has black vinyl seats and trim panels (including the dashboard), and ridged vinyl mats on the floors in place of carpet. I remember when it was new, being a bit disappointed that the Old Man had elected to pay for exterior door-handles but not bothered about carpets - but now I rather like the fact that there's nothing too precious about the interior... and certainly nothing that a quick go around with a damp cloth and the shop-vac won't sort out if we get caught in a downpour without the tonneau cover on!

One day, when my lottery numbers come in, I might get it re-trimmed in leather and proper carpeting - or at least replace the strip of black electrical tape carefully eased around the trim panel behind the driver's door, where the vinyl has worn away on the edge and the cloth substrate was beginning to fray. For now, though, one of the beauties of the car for me is the astonishingly low cost of maintenance for such an eyecatching 30-year-old vehicle. I can't help thinking that acres of leather and walnut would add a digit to the left-hand column in my annual budget!

I think the demographics are brought about by a number of factors. for many, as was for us, having full on businesses and kids growing up kept owning a Morgan off the radar. That meant age 49 before being acquired than say 39. I think also, in todays world there cannot be many people who only own a Morgan and no access to any other vehicle. In the "old days" I think people generally had less "junk" that needed to be carried around on a daily basis for work and lifestyle. For instance, many people take around laptops, tablets etc - whilst we leave our Morgan open when parked it would cause me a problem if we're packed up with valuables so a choice of vehicle is required depending on what we're doing. Trips to the tip etc - Morgan isn't the choice of vehicle for that either. I think it would also be interesting to understand the comparison with mortobike ownership. 30-40+ years ago motor bikes were a cheap form of transport for getting to and from work so I would hazard a guess that the percentage of people using bikes for this purpose was considerably higher than today. My gut reaction tells me that the percentage of leisure motor cyclists must be considerably higher today. Any motor cylclists care to offer an opinion on whether there is any substance to that?

I agree on the motorcycle use idea. These days, with few exceptions, motorcycles are leisure machines. If someone needs a low cost commuting machine, because of traffic issues or lack decent public transport, they are more likely to buy a scooter.

Some time back I raised the subject with of possibly reducing the fleet from 3 cars to two. The Morgan and one other car for those occasions when more space is required. A year or so back she vetoed the idea quickly on the grounds that she wanted her own car and did not want to share (despite the fact that when we are together I usually drive)

Today she actually raised the subject. I realised quickly, however, that the proposed replacement for our two 4 door cars would have to be her choice and with the title in her name. I don't have any particular problem with that but I do hope she decides on something I would like to drive too. Her last choice was a bit underpowered, a 1200 cc Subaru Justy constant 4 wheel drive. I rudely call it that the "shopping trolley".