Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) When Did New Cars from Stock Happen

25 years ago I'm sure a new car in stock at a Morgan dealer did not happen that often, maybe a cancelled order from time to time.

The Scottish dealer in Burrleton in Perthshire did not have any new cars in stock in the early ninties when I went in.

Is there a rough date that production demand changed and it was possible to get a selection of cars from stock by checking a few dealers.

A wild guess on my part, say from 2010 but just a guess.

Was it production demand or Morgan strategy (i.e. dealers need to commit to X cars ...)?

I visited the Burrelton dealership in 1990 to pay a deposit and you are right, a few used cars, just 1 ready for delivery, but nothing new in stock. In 2009 I visited the Russel Patterson dealership in Perth they had new cars available in the showroom. I suspect change would have taken place when those big waiting lists disappeared. It would not have been realistic to stock a car in the 1990's, if a dealer slipped a showroom order in the mix in 1991 he may not have seen it until the next century.

It would be interesting to know when dealers were expected to fill slots in advance. This would have been whenever customer backlogs disappeared.

I did a post just before Christmas on the numbers of new cars on hand and there is a wide choice. There are two problems with this. The first is that dealers seem to spec cars very conservatively. The theory being that a buyer off the street is more likely to buy a traditional colour/trim combo.

The second thing is - why would a buyer pay 'new price' on a dealer stock car when they can spec their own for the same money. It therefore follows that unless dealer stock is priced below new price, those cars will only sell if you find a buyer who wants that particular stock car.

Stocked cars = Depreciation. Coming from Vauxhall, I know all about this.

When did MMC start to set sales targets for their dealer network to achieve? Shortly before stock vehicles became available I would guess!

Targets lead to pre-reg vehicles and selling from 'stock' and potential conflict between what a customer really wants in a spec and what's available and ready now..

Not much changes in this game.

I think it's the wrong strategy for the factory.

Someone seems to have convinced them that they're big time car builders when they're clearly not, nor should they ever be.

Have you noticed the growth of the dealer network recently?
There are now big name volume players involved who, you would imagine, will want to call the shots regarding production.
You can't flood a market place as small as the Morgan one without upsetting the very fine balance.
It is very much a niche market where demand must outstrip supply. It adds to the exclusivity and ensure the new and resale prices remain firm.

Add this to the creative accountancy, family squabbles and sackings, sudden departures of senior management, missing £500k, M3W warranty issues damaging the brand, trying to launch new products with characteristically little development,
etc etc etc……
Fortunately we have accountants, factory insiders, business gurus and all manner of clever dicks on here who'll no doubt have answers to all the questions!!!!

I completely agree with you, Hugh.

Morgan Motor Company probably wouldn't have survived the 20th Century if not for its long waiting list. Peter Morgan kept annual production below 500 cars per year and every one of them was sold long in advance. As Peter Morgan said "It's not hard to sell Morgans, so long as you don't make too many of them".

The long waiting list allowed Morgan to avoid the vicious swings of the business cycle and to keep advertising expenses low. It also kept the prices of used Morgans high, which made it easier for existing owners to afford a new Morgan.

It's interesting, that's for sure.

During the mid-80's, Harley-Davidson started to get a grounding here in the UK. The factory had gone through the AMF struggles, and had a vision along with a new engine for the big cube bikes, namely the 'Evolution' engine.

This led H-D into the 90's with ever increasing gusto, and the dealer network rose from the dedicated & often family run businesses, to the broader dealership base of franchise garage networks.

The peak of sales were about 2005/2010, and dealers sprang up around the UK selling the dream along with the bikes.

Fast forward to today, and dealerships are closing the doors to the brand all around the country. There is no single cause, but finances either side of the pond have had an impact, but so has 'fashion' and an age demographic. In simple terms, many owners have simply grown older and been there & done that.

Morgan's market segment is small in comparison, but a lot of the theories hold.

As I say, it's an interesting time..

Sir John Harvey-Jones said Morgan should up there prices and have cars in dealers ready for sale.
He was wrong then and the same applies today.Just look at the price increases year to year.
Peter Morgan got it right!
David