Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Advice on "higher mileage" car

Hi all,

I have seen a +8 1999 - for sale locally, super looking car. However the car has covered 65K miles and does not have a Morgan SH. The owner however has kept receipts for oil changes and the like.

The car is a tiny bit cheaper than one at dealer (with similar miles). Should I pass on this car?

Will it be difficult to move on, if I did have sell it in a few years because of the above.

Your advice please - thanks.

Mileage is irrelevant.
It's the condition of the car that is of major importance.
Do as the previous owner has done - keep a file full of receipts for work carried out, including anything you do.
65k miles is peanuts for such a motor, provided it has been well cared for. Much better to use them than let them sit in a garage and it's only averaged 3k and a bit each year.
If you are not familiar with the potential problems take someone with you who knows the cars.

Give me a high mileage yet well serviced car over a scarcely used one any day.

There are others here with significantly more knowledge than me, but that engine requires no tricky or specialist maintenance to remain in fine fettle other than regular oil and filter changes. It doesn't even require expensive or specialist oil.

I would say that IMHO it is not a blocking issue. 65k miles in 19 years is only 3500 a year which is good if it is regular use.

If you highlight the car (Link to advert etc) then someone on the board is more than likely to know of it given the cumulative years of ownership on the board.

Once they get to this age it is far more on condition than milage. Have the service bills only got the minimum or do they show attention to detail and bodywork etc. Has the car got any extras fitted showing investment in the pride and joy.

Get one of the existing owners to inspect and drive it or pay for a dealer to give it a once over as part of an MOT inspection.

Mileage would be irrelevant for me too but what would be far more important and even more so than service evidence to some extent is the car’s lifetime exposure to the wet (IMO). Things like whether it has always been garaged or not would be my priority and especially so on a more elderly car. For the unfamiliar to Morgan a rotten wooden frame under a perfect body might be difficult to spot.

As Alistair has said have it inspected at a Morgan dealer for the sake of a 100 quid or so.

I wouldn’t worry about a Morgan Service History. I take my car to S B Autosevices in Whitchurch Shropshire. Sam there is the only person who I trust with it. You can learn a lot from the owner too. I had to prove my worthy ness before I was allowed to buy mine. (Not sure how I passed)

For the year 1999 that mileage would not be an issue to me.
A little used motor can deteriorate through dampness or simply not moving. Oil seals deteriorate for one thing. Even a 3/4 year old motor can develop a seal leak if idle for months on end. (Due to the rubber compound adhering to a metal shaft its on). My 2008 4/4 had been stored like this; although in a dry garage. The crank oil seal was affected and required replacement. At a low 7,000 miles this would be most unlikely to happen with use on a more regular basis.

Thanks for the quick replies gents!

I guess the 3.9 unit is up for a few miles, as fitted in Range Rovers and the like this unit can do 100K plus no problem, pulling a weighty beast like that too?

The guy who is selling says people have totally dismissed the car, due to the mileage.....

Check the price of a replacement engine too - should you be unlucky enough to need one (although almost certainly that would be some long time in the future). That might set your mind at rest a bit more. They've always seemed very good value (low price) to me.

Drive the car, if you haven't already, and it will probably make your mind up for you. Take a bit of care with the inspection and enjoy the financial benefit of a private purchase.

I'm beginning to miss my 3.9 Plus 8.

I always laugh a little when I read about high mileage cars versus low mileage.

I put more miles on my series 4 Aero in 3 years than this 1999. The key is oil changes and changing things when they wear outside of spec or just before ideally.

A well maintained higher mileage car will give a lot less trouble than a car that has hardly been used. If a car doesn't get used it deteriorates and can take a lot to recommission. My Ferrari was a classic example. It had a relatively low mileage (by my standards), lot's of issues when I first got it but soon ironed out and as soon as it started getting decent regular use it purred beautifully without further issue.

Given we all know that Morgan's are a bit like Windows software, developed by the end user to get just right, I have seen cars out of warranty that have hardly gone anywhere. They still have issues to appear that owners of higher mileage cars will have already had and dealt with.

Just out of interest, I'm on my second Tesla, now 15 months old and 48,500 miles :-)