Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Did I make the right decision??

[quote=KEVFITZ]Why would you want any more than a 4/4...sigma /mazda combination bullet proof...remap if you need more power..low Uk tax band..great on fuel...no rev-hang/complicated electronics.

Couldn't agree more - the current 4/4 is a cracking car and i'm delighted with mine.

I did however have hassle and much disappointment with my 2014 M3W - i did give Morgan another chance , after much soul searching, and went for a new 4/4 - a decision I'm very happy with.

I have a 3 year old mini cooper S in the garage - a cracking car with handling and bags of performance - yet i have managed just 4000 miles in those 36 months. Its a great car but alas not a special one.

My Morgan 4/4 has been with me just 9 months and i've clocked up 2700 miles already without trying. Proof really that the Morgan is far more fun to drive and has that "something" that makes it really special.


I too like my 4/4!!

I love mine too. I'd be too afraid to change it for a different Morgan and end up being disappointed as it's such good fun and, touch the ash frame, been no trouble at all to me. 80 years of making and they've got the hang of building ot right!

The "right decision" ... is only right if you get what you wanted in the first place.

That's why my own Plus 4 ownership is undoubtebly the reflection of one of my life's best decisions ever. I take from that delicious car anything and everything I ever wanted. I race it, I drive it, I travel with it, I have fun doing everything with it, and it gives me ZERO problems from day one. That Morgan's ownership is an experience no Merc, no Mazda, no Z3 or Z4, no other similarly small sized convertible could give me.

Now, onto the M3W: Was it the right decision again? In the end, the reply remains a YES, but with mitigating factors. YES, because I wanted it, I knew what it was, I knew it was different, I knew it could fill a gap between bike and car that my wife would approve.

(Note: Must be explained that on our honeymoon we travelled from Lisbon to Inverness and back in a FJ 1200, but that was 23 years ago and I know it would be too much to ask now. But ... she accepted a Malvern-Dublin-Lisbon marathon in the M3W and that's exactly the kind of "adventure" we're fit to do now).

The M3W is a fantastic machine for fun purposes and I get a kick out of using it every time I do. So, why am I not as enthusiastic about that decision as I am with the Plus 4 one? Well, because the car has flaws, which I could accept easily if it wasn't for the fact that MMC's way of dealing with them was/is very poor, almost unprofessional. In the end and if you are both stubborn and patient, results are achieved, but one feels that it's almost as if we were a "bore". I don't think I was ever treated to such carelessness in my dealings with any other manufacturer.

This has consequences, and in my case this has had a profound effect on my will to buy Morgan again (old plan was to go to a bigger one, when possible). And also, because I am a friend to my friends, on how caution-filled my advice now is when anyone approaches me about Morgan-buying.

Before the M3W experience I would say "buy one" in a heartbeat, as my Plus 4 ownership was and is such a wonderful experience. Now, I will recommend a thorough read of TM's threads on whatever model any friend shows interest in buying.

It's not that the cars are no longer good, if you know what you are buying (definitely not a Mercedes), it is that unexpected problems seem to never be detected before production starts, and never to be fully addressed in the post-sales era. I keep hearing promises of new dawns filled with singing birds and perfectly finished and engineered cars, but after a while you start doubting.

So, I'm off to add an Elise to the stable as soon as that is possible within reason. Pondered the Caterham, but it is too similar to a halfbreed between the M3W and the Plus4, so the Elise might be a different/new thing to try. And that's what is "Right" for me now. I Would never go for a Mercedes, the most "bourgeois" I'd go is a new MX-5, but I like my cars a bit more on the "raw" side of the driving experience.

Well thats the real issue isnt it. On the one hand you have something that simply works, that doesnt stress you out, but has no pride of ownership and no interest. On the other hand you have something that does give interest, has some pride of ownership but being badly made causes stress and worry. Is it going to work today?

We have a Merc family car. Its efficient, economical reliable and boring. I've mostly given up driving it - my wife does that chore. I have the Ferrari which gives pride of ownership and is a truly fabulous bit of machinery. Unlike your Morgan it does work well, but the costs of running it and the potential costs of any failure cause stress and a reluctance to use it. So in a way its not that much of a difference from your Morgan.

I dont know the answer. I'm tempted to say Lotus because that car with its Toyota underpinnings was very reliable yet real fun to drive and different. But that would be like going back to an old girl friend ( never worked in my youth) and in any case I am too creaky for the wide door sills.

At one time I would have thought "classic", but I dont want to have to crawl around on the garage floor trying to keep together an old British banger than was never reliable when new.

I dont see an answer

Me too. I love my 4/4 and can't see any point in changing it, after 15 years I know it inside out and if anything needs doing to it I can do it. It's a bit tatty round the edges, but then so am I

I think a few of are Tim!

Hi Everyone,
Well this opened an interesting thread!!

It's been really interesting reading all your views.

What does seem to come out is the need for Morgan to revise (or start) a decent customer service department and take on board customers problems and not just dismiss them as "they all do that sir".

I love driving, I enjoy driving any car (even the Fiesta) and over the 10 years I had the Morgans I was averaging 5000miles per year (summer use only).

I have already done 2300miles in the SLK in three weeks, I will only be using this car in summer months as well, gives me something to look forward to over winter.

I will keep my fingers crossed Morgan sort out the ECU's on future cars and maybe I could be tempted back, all I wanted was an engine that worked correctly to be driven and enjoyed.

Keep the comments coming,

Enjoy your cars!!
Ian

Yes you do Howard......an F-Type.

Go on... .... You know you want one really

Like many others I love my 4/4. I know absolutely sod all about anything mechanical and look blankly when people ask me how many cylinders it has and whether it is fuel injected but since getting it last October and and putting 6,000 miles on the clock it has proved to be ultra reliable. It does not even leak at all and always starts first time and is fast enough for cruising on the motorway if necessary and drivng around country lanes. Did a 10 day of The Netherlands without even a hint of trouble. As many have said, it just brings a smile to me and anyone else who sees it. Maybe it is the simplicity of the 4/4 that ensures the reliability and thus a happy driving experience. Wouldn't change it for the world!

My simple solution for the problem:
Put an early M3W in the garage together with a 4/4.
As soon as you feel the 4/4 has some bugs you do not like take the M3W out for a spin. Returning home (hopefully without problems) you will appreciate the 4/4 in any circumstances as a civilised, reliable and spacious car.
Everything is relative...