Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Should I sell the Mog ? :-(

Hi all

Quandary.

Thinking of selling the Morgan and buying a van conversion. As a couple we enjoy going away and seeing new places. We have had a 6 birth motorhome before but sold that as it was just too big to explore in. We then bought a large caravan to give that whirl and enjoyed the freedom of using the car while 'home' was set up on a campsite. We used that a few times then thoughts turned to buying a Morgan, so we sold the caravan and put the money towards the Mog !

We are into the third year of ownership now with the Mog but last year we bought a cheaper caravan which we've used maybe three or four times last year when restrictions eased for a time. We love the camping 'thang' but I must admit, dragging a big white shed around is not my favourite activity, though great once set up on a site. So we have figured out that as a couple we enjoy going away but the quandary is this.

We can go in the Mog of course. But then we have to find suitable hotels which can be 100 + a night and then find and pay for meals out etc. Then if we go to a town or visit a site there is worry about parking etc etc Add to that we never feel very comfortable on the motorways in the Mog and we feel quite vulnerable. We have a Volvo which isn't cheap to run and the caravan is in storage which is also expensive.

So potentially we thought of getting rid of the Mog, selling the caravan and the Volvo and getting ourselves a nice camper conversion !! My misses has her own car and I work from home so the Volvo is little used apart from when we go away and at weekends but we could use the campervan as a daily / when needed instead. And because the Volvo would be gone it can stay at home so no more storage fees.

Has anyone gone through this or similar process ??? Its a bloomin headache :-)
We LOVE the mog but maybe the freedom a van conversion brings might be better suited to us and our lifestyle.

Thoughts ???

If you sold the Volvo and the caravan and used the money to buy a decent base van, you could kit it out as a camper yourselves (thereby having exactly the layout that suited you) ..... and keep the Mog! 🙂
.

K

Ps .... by coincidence I'm just getting our camper sorted today after sitting for 18 month ... mostly used as the tow-truck for my race trailer and I have a pre-season test day tomorrow .... I'm no woodworker but it wasn't difficult to do the conversion .... (it was an ex-military 2.8 turbo, twin-wheel Iveco ... but you wouldn't need anything that heavy-duty if you're not towing a very large race-trailer the length of the country most summer weekends) .... fairly basic but has everything needed (including a diesel heater for chilly mornings)

Put a towbar on the Mog...

Well that is a complex loop of distress!

Okay so adding complexity - AirBNB offer glamping and other stuff so you can rock up in the Mog and enjoy the pleasure of rain, hail and damp just like other British camping loons
They rent the motorhomes as well in many places - good one near me I believe - https://www.webbsmotorcaravans.co.uk/

Perhaps a couple of electric scooters for the local runabouts when you get there and rack them on the back of the van etc https://urbanebikes.com/collections/electric-mopeds/products/niu-u-series

I can only tell you a story i was told a couple of days ago by friends. They have brought a camper van and keep it up the road. But next door neighbours have brought one too! Unfortunately they keep i on the drive and lets just say things on the street are a bit stressed at the moment as it's a bit of a eye sore. Think icecream van x 4 sizewise. So you need a big drive way or live away from other people.

As for buying a Transit van etc and converting it to a camper, | would tread carefully. I'm sure I have heard that DVLA have cotton on to the DIYer and stopped this as a van has to be used what it was intended for. Obviously you would need to check that out.

My advice.............Keep the MOG, stay off motorways and get a tent. I have had cracking times with my MOG and tent in the pass.

I will let you suggest that to my misses

Only thing that puts me off the campervan touring is you arrive somewhere and set up, then if you want to see the area you have to up sticks and drive around in it. Ideally you'd carry bikes but then your limited to the area you could see.
If staying one night in an area then hotels are best but it can get expensive as you say, we prefer a few nights in the same place so usually go self catering.

A smaller van, like your thinking about wouldn't be so bad as a monster truck though. 🚚

Yes. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. I suppose the trick is to find the compromise you're happy with.

I need to make up one of those flow charts

If we're doing an overnighter or a citybreak tend to use travelodges - if you shop around they can be found for less that £50 a night. Always find somewhere cheap and cheerful to eat, and there's always a bag of chips and a stroll if the weathers nice, or a takeaway Morrisons salad to eat in the room.

Can't say I worry about motorways, but I do avoid them where possible as I find it very boring driving. My Sat Nav is programmed to avoid them, so it often takes me on lovely county/back lane routes.

If parking overnight in a town I put a bar style steering wheel lock on - makes it difficult to actually get in the seat. Also have a tracker on her.

The joy of the four seater means I can pack a full weeks camping gear in, so that's also an option.

However, after waiting 30 years for my Mog, I'd sell the house/Mrs/kidney before I parted with her.

I lived variously between a transit van and 23 foot boat for nigh on 4 years a decade or so ago. I neither enjoyed travelling to camp and sightseeing, nor had much time at sea: as Gordon says, you have to pack/stow everything to get underway, which may be fun the first few months; everything shipshape and Bristol fashion etc, and I appreciate you may have experienced that type of career living previously, but it soon wears off if you're not with like minded souls with the same necessity. I'd keep the Mog and travel light and free. Then, when the mood takes you you can drive like the wind through the mountains! Of course, you could always hire a Morgan to do that, or hire a camper.... which would you be happiest giving back?