Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) If not a Morgan??

I am in the same thought process, planning for a new toy in 2018. I don't want to spend too much money so exclusive brands and high powered cars are not an option. So far I have narrowed it down to:

- Lotus Elise
- Mazda MX-5
- Fiat 124 Abarth

- The Lotus has the looks and the handling (and is quite exclusive in Portugal, there are few around)

- The Mazda is the reasonable choice, but is a bit too bland

- The Fiat is the odd one. And sounds like nothing else.

Here you go Mario

Elise !

I love the original 124 and the new one is quite nice but it is just too small inside for anyone over 6ft just like the MX5.
One of the many good things about a Morgan is that there is a lot of room once you are in it, of course for us older gentlemen, getting out is all together different.

Max

To the North, South and Western extremes of mainland Europe. The Nordkapp trip was undertaken to take in the summer solstice. The trip around the Iberian peninsular was great as well.
The journeys have been planned by my friend Ken who has plotted some fantastic routes through the mountains and interesting back roads. Northern Spain was terrific in particular the Picos de Europa. The Cares gorge is must visit.
The black forest runs in Germany are great. This precis is not exhaustive!

Turning to the USA, the stumbling block is insurance cover. The level of third party cover available is inadequate so I am not prepared to take the risk in the land of litigation.

The original plan was to visit 48 states taking in at least two sites of note in each state.

I'm enjoying researching alternatives.

Hi Ian

I have followed your posts about the issues you had with your Morgan.

In the main my motoring was trouble free. I was surprised at how long it takes to source simple spares though. A hose took forever to source at the start of my ownership. The delay prompted me to write to Mr Morgan to express my dissatisfaction.

I have travelled with another Morgan owner who has experienced difficulty in identifying part numbers and then obtaining delivery of spare parts directly to the owner. This caused issues when in Spain and France.

As I hope to travel further in the near future, I just fancied a change and a different bonnet to look down.

I am interested in your choice and will take an look at one soon.

I am enjoying the research. At the moment a Boxster is nudging towards the head of the list.

Nice choice to have, enjoy the process of choosing.

MX5 RF ?? Sharper styling than the soft-top, less bland to my eyes. I like the understatedness of the MX5 RF, the Abarth Spider is more shouty in its character?

The problem I have with modern sports cars is that manufacturers (except Lotus & Caterham) are blind to simple and lightweight.

Some say that this is due to legislation and crash testing, but the Elise shows what can be done.

In "a while" we'll be looking for a daily driver for MrsW, so will be in a similar position.
The Elise would be too hardcore but is the right size. The MX5 is a safe predictable choice but is a bit dull, and a few inches too large, although I wouldn't rule it out completely.

I would even consider an MGF from the last build, but there's a strong liklelyhood we would go with another Polo.

Although an older classic might be an option. The trouble is that MrsW is now used to turnkey starting, good economy, aircon etc, and probably wouldn't want to revert to old and simple.....

What sort of distance does Mrs W drive each day?

Would something electric fit the bill? .... but neither simple nor light!

Not very far Peter, but she wouldn't tolerate electric. She would rather have an MGB!

It would be nice to have a TR6 with a hardtop, but it might be a bit too heavy (and pricy). However she got on OK with the Gilbern Invader.