Talk Morgan Forums Community Welcome Forum Potential Owner

Hi Everyone
Having pored over dealers websites,watched YouTube videos ,and read numerous posts on this website ,I could feel my excitement building up.
Ok in a number of cases,I did not have the faintest idea what the authors were talking about here...they seem to be rebuilding or modifying all their Morgans irrespective of age
However the enthusiasm here was beyond compare
So eventually I took the plunge,and the other week drove my 996 down to Richard Thorne.The idea was to test drive both 4/4 and a plus 4.Unfortunately the latter had just been sold
1st thoughts were how amazing the cars all looked.Secondly they were not as small as I thought they might be.It helped that a 996 is not large and quite low down so not too much of a shock
Roof down,did not find it was either too windswept or cold (heater great).No problem pointing it in right direction although Richard kept telling me I was a bit too far from near side ,and needed to focus on pointing of long bonnet
Having accelerated to what I thought was 55/60 ,glancing at speedometer realised I was poodling along at 35/40! Richard encouraged me to floor it in 3rd and I could see the acceleration with those long gear ratios.
3 issues to get used to :
1.Really needed to push hard on brake to stop (and that was doing 20mph)
2.Right turns ...pretty wide turns ,and rather too much crossing of hands
3.Couldnt wipe smile of my face
BUT You know all of this
Did try 4/4 with 1.8 engine .Seat not probably best positioned,and tried with roof up
.Head however pressing against roof and this tended to tilt my head down .Richard explained seat on these runners raised it about an inch .
Richard also good enough to explain what some options meant ...basic MORGAN language
Need to try plus 4 next and wife join me ,otherwise could really limit potential weekend drives !
Also tried a new spec quote ...umm
David

Hi David,

It's an illness, you know..

Try as many as you can & take your time. Find a dealer that you bond with, and the right car will find you.

Do get up to Malvern and go around the factory, and never be afraid to ask questions.

Good hunting..!

The car will choose you!

Enjoy the hunt.

Welcome and good luck with the search.

Try Allon White they have my old 97 + 4 in stock.
The brakes are normally fierce with no ABS so something was wrong there. I found RT was not good on basic servicing, it could be grease from the king pins on the pads!

Good luck

Welcome to the club David enjoy the ride life will never be the same again the search is all part of the journey.

Hi guys
Thanks for comments
I put down brake issue down to unfamiliarity,but will compare
Other issue to get comfort factor is speed bumps.The outer rims of NW London are infested with these,including where I live,which straddle whole width of roads..Been reviewing comments here re these.
Williams in Bristol were happy to suggest test driving both car models,and would take me over whole series of them.
Must find suitable day and weather as they are some distance from me

It can be fun driving Mog in the rain as drips land on ones right knee !

A nice place to visit, Williams, out in the countryside and perfect for a test drive. They are a bit hard to find the first time you go there as they are set back from the road.

Ground (that is speed bump) clearance is generally not a problem with the 4/4 but the Plus 4 has the lowest tyres of the whole series. It really does depend on the tyre sizes fitted. I, and many others, have fitted 195/65 R15 tyres to gain an extra 10mm of ground clearance. 10mm doesn't seem like much but it makes quite a difference. A nice option is the Plus 4 with the narrower and taller tyres. Light steering and little more tendancy to oversteer, if you like that sort of thing and are prepared to drop back a couple of gears and give it some boot in the corners.

The 4/4 and the Plus 4 are really not so different in performance in the real world. The 4/4 requires a little more work on the gear changes but it has a wonderful revvy motor. The Plus 4 is a little more relaxed for touring but is a fraction heavier than the 4/4.

It all depends on your driving style and how you intend to use the car. All good fun

Mad max,I am trying to sell the concept to my wife ,so rain on knee won't work!
In fact she hated going in 996 as too low to ground ,felt uneven roads re hard suspension and always thought I was driving too fast! Still she's starting to get used to it now
1st 2 items above will be worse possibly in MOG but hope to sell joys of looking at countryside in open view and excuse to go and visit places (need to get there without going on M1/M25!)
Peter very useful thank you .I could see the revvy engine in the 4/4.Will raise these points