Hi Steve/all Not an ex owner. You wont have seen my post regards my decision not to sell at the last moment. Took her for a last drive and just couldnt do it. Its not anger either. More sadness. Some issues I cant talk about as I have promised an element of confidentiality( I am not alone in this) and I am a man of my word and of course strong opinions:). I do stick by my guns with regards quailty of the craftsmanship. I am time served and spent my first year of my apprenticeship on hand fitting and machining. It costs very little extra time to do the job right firstt time around and many of the faults and issues many of us have experienced could have been avoided if skilled workers were employed or maybe just listened too! Who knows what pressure the guys on the shop floor are under. Maybe I have just been unlucky. Some elements of the car, such as the body and iits paint finish are superb. Much else is not. To the new guys on here. Be prepared to take some imediate remedial action as I am sure you are, for swarf in the fuel tank, missing washers, lose nuts and bolts a lack of decent paint( acf50 is the favourite cure) on chassis, mudguards and all ancillary items. We have all gone through a honeymoon period where we dont want to hear or belive some of the criticism aimed at our pride and joy( I was a bump steer denier) but believe me these contraptions will test the patience of a saint. Morgan quoting me twice the retail price for the S and S pulley mod kit was nearly the final straw but i am still willing to give her one last chance. The drive is fantastic. Best regards Matt
Last week I was able to talk to some of the guys who are building my car. I was very impressed with their level of skill & commitment. I asked them if they would polish every nut & bolt before fitting, and we had a good laugh about that. Each job is timed quite critically and production is relentless. I was only there two days out of five but even then, progress on each car 'on the line' is very impressive indeed.
Nothing will be perfect in a hand built scenario, and the M3w suffered by being rushed through, but the M3w is a great success.
When you buy a Morgan it's an eyes wide open event, and you can't do too much research before taking the plunge. And sometimes what happens will disappoint, but for me the overall experience (so far) has been hugely positive.
DaveW '05 Red Roadster S1 '16 Yellow (Not the only) Narrow AR GDI Plus 4
I have to be a little balanced I think. The newer cars have no doubt benefited from the experience of the first adopters. They are better or at least as good as a well sorted early car. By well sorted I mean, new chassis, centa drive, cooling kit, steel sprocket and bump steer mod.
You will: love the drive. You will I hope: love the attention. The 3W is a social phenomenon. You make friends fast and furious:):):):) You will: make the odd short term enemy on Talk Morgan with the occasional frustrated rant or disagreement. However you will:make friends with former enemy very quickly.
You probably wont regret buying the old girl. I havent. i just wish I hadnt missed three summers driving her.
Its an experience but on balance I wouldnt have missed it for the world.
Matty, as someone awaiting delivery, I have to admit all of the above troubles me.
The big change was the 2014 model - revised steering, cooling fan, Centra compensator, NVH bevel box mount, louvres in rear, strengthened chassis.
It's likey pre 2013 cars will have had some or all of these mods.
You should be reasonably safe with a 2016 and if you do hit trouble you know where to come for advice....
Matty is not the only early adopter to have suffered greatly but the fact that in the end he couldn't bear to part with it shows just how addicive these things are.
2,200 miles. No shoddy workmanship I can see. No missing washers, no corners cut. I'm very impressed. The paint and bodywork are outstanding. Hard to do better than the S&S engine, and the Miata gearbox is one of the best out there. Maybe my expectations were more realistic but I'm still thrilled.
Time to get back to the first post on this topic....I am glad to inform all that my M3W is due in Melbourne August 7th ! It will be a little more time before I can pick it up but it's getting closer....Cheers
I finally got my M3W almost seven months from my order date. I've only put on a few miles and am learning my way around the vehicle. Looking forward to many more miles.
