Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms I’ve had an idea…

I find myself with a little surplus cash and an idea. Last time I had an idea my mother (89) asked of it hurt!

I’m seriously contemplating changing my Morgan for a newer model. Now I like old cars and enjoy spanner juggling so the ownership experience of my ‘94 plus 8 has been very enjoyable. I seems to have most things sorted (touching a very large lump of wood here) and it drives very well. But it’s showing it’s age a bit. A bit of tarnishing on the chrome spokes, few stone chips at the front and I’ve always disliked the black unadjustable seats.

I’ve spotted a few newer plus 4s and 4/4s that I think could be within reach. All have much nicer interiors with reclining seats in light colours (my preference), low mileage and seemingly lovely paint work. What they don’t have is a V8 with 200plus BHP. The 1600 4/4 are around 110 BHP and the 2litre plus 4 around 140.

Has anyone made the move to a lower powered car and regretted it? I may have a look at one or two over the coming weeks but I imagine I’ll get back home and take mine for a drive and remember why I wanted a plus 8 for over 40 years.

An idle thought really

Given that my +8 broke down again today I can see the attraction of something newer and potentially more reliable… That said, I’ve had it over 15 years and until recent weeks it’s never let me down, and given it’s age and the components likely to be at fault it’s no surprise.

Before this one I had a T16 +4 which was a lovely car, but it wasn’t a V8, hence the change. I’m currently mulling over over the same question as you but am erring on blowing some cash on an SSL 5 link rear suspension, new front brakes (it has a sticky n/s piston) and some reclining seats. I’m really not fussed about the paint - it has plenty of chips and scratches but then it’s 22 years old. If I win the lottery it’ll get a Johan Eagles overhaul too!

Be very careful. I sold my old plus 8 to buy a new 4/4. After a couple of weeks I really missed the power. A year or so later I sold the 4/4 and bought a new roadster ( they'd just started making them).
Seven years later I went for another 4/4 because of ground clearance issues with the roadster. I ended up buying an older plus 4 a couple of years ago.
The 4/4 has to be revved alot, which is fun but tiring if you are used to the rffortless power of the plus 8.
Think carefully.......
Nick

As above think long and hard about a change from the Plus 8 as they really are special cars and make no mistake this is the last hurrah for V8's and we are lucky to be able to indulge ourselves, rent a trad Plus 4 and then a 4/4 for a day if you can and then you will find your answer without the heartache for a few hundred squid.

I started off with a Plus 8 in 2004 and put 24,000 joyful miles on it sold it to fund our son's Masters ticket for boats .

A year later 2009 I bought a brand new model 4/4 Sport and it was a great joy for 26,000mls until someone wrote it off for me down a country lane travelling too fast. It was great fun and a really chuckable lithe car but you were forever changing gear to attain the power output.

A month on and insurance paid out and I couldn't wait to get back in a Plus 8 and that's where I am now, a year ago my good lady suggested I bought a new Morgan so I did all my homework and was a gnats away from sticking a deposit on one and then I went out for a long drive in the Plus 8 and realised that I had exactly what I needed already in my hands and the sound track paid a big part in that decision making.
I don't really want a sublime chassis as I thoroughly enjoy the vintage feel of the car and 124mph and 0-60 in 6.5 Seconds is plenty fast enough in the world I live in .

I had wanted a Plus 8 52 years ago and the love affair is not over (coincidentally as long as I have known my wife), had the CX not have had bad reports on the seats and multiple radiator failures I maybe would have been swayed, who knows it's over now. The only reason I would get a Plus Four now would be because I couldn't maintain my own car.

IMHO - Don't, you'll regret it.

Its clear from reading the postings of Talkmorgan that basically no model version of a Morgan is not beset with some type of common model problem be it eg ECU, sensors, electrical gremlins, cooling/radiators problems. ground clearance, rev hang, suspension issues and so on. Whilst there is a depth of experience in dealing with many of these issues, it does raise the question why especially in the context of the lower mileages generally covered but that maybe in part, part of the problem and it usually occurs at the most inopportune time, I've only ever required AA/RAC Recovery for my Morgans. Whilst modern engines have cleaned up their emissions act, with the very prone to weather ingress of Morgans IMHO the modern engines have done nothing for improving reliability.

Having had 3 4/4's and now a Roadster ranging from the Kent, CVH, Duratec and now Escape engine, whilst I enjoy the torque and power of the V6 in reality and my everyday type of driving I rarely use the power and above 80mph the engine and wind noise does not make the cockpit a great place to be. So I could just as easily enjoy the same type of motoring with a little less gusto in a more nimble 4/4.

Whilst the build quality and the materials used seems to have improved over the years and the advent of the long door improve the longevity/durability of the car and access into the car easier in my advancing years, the ride appears to have gotten much harder than on the earlier models, it feels less compliant(maybe as a result of often much wider and lower profile tyres used with resultant increased steering effort required).I actually prefer my old 4/4 Kent and CVH Morgans for everyday type motoring I currently undertake, just that the age of those models now may require some chassis and wood frame renovations.

Yes the grunt of a big engine is great but to me the more modern the engine and its more complex support infrastructure (error warnings etc.) the less reliable and more inherent problems are waiting for me down the line......to distract from the basic pleasure of Morganeering. If I had my time again I would settle for a well maintained pre cat CVH or Kent engined 4/4 with more modern seats. As they say each to their own, try a few versions out, the new CX without question feels like modern underpinnings clothed in old style of clothes, maybe all of the image benefits with less of the idiosyncrasies of the traditional ride and handling, but then again they seem to have more than their fair share of ongoing problems.

Two things.

1. Audible feedback of the lovely V8 tune. A well tuned four sounds quite fun when revs go up but a V8 sounds good all the time. It's a soft top, you are going to hear it. I had a Golf IV GTi and it was not a slow car but afterwards I got a VR6 and it was a total revelation. At one point I found myself on the M40 in fifth and it was lovely and smooth, then I realised the VR6 had 6 cogs and it was even better in sixth. It pulled higher gears and was more relaxed when cruising. Not a Morgan but same car with two different engines.

2. BHP is one number but more fun is to be found in the torque figure. The effortless element of the V8 would normally make a car more fun on public roads.

Mick, I notice you were thinking of the SSL rear suspension upgrade, I had the front SSL done on my Roadster, I personally thought it made a big difference however I thought long and hard about having the rear done and came to the conclusion given its still got a live axle, added to the fact that I am not exactly hanging the back out of corners, there is little to be had from that upgrade. It will give more tunability into the suspension, but in reality, won’t do much for us normal drivers (especially with the speed limiter sat next to me)!

Grumpy2, I went from a 86 4/4 to the S1 Roadster, I couldn’t go back to being mullered by Nissan Micras and Corsa’s. I do often pop to the dealer (I have one local), see the new cars and think, nice upholstery, interior etc. finish looks better, meaty looking; shiny, then drive home in my Roadster and think na this will do. As other members have said, I can do my own work on this mechano car, all the usual stuff, new rad, lower profile sump, petrol pump and hoses, engine easy to deal with, change battery without having to worry about the on board enterprise computer having a hissy fit. At the mo I am fixing the header rail that snapped last week

Hopefully food for thought.

Power is difficult to give up once you have become used to it. I love riding my Roadster on a never-ending wave of torque and enjoy the extra muscle when I want it. Even if you don't use it it's nice to know it's there.

The Plus 4 and 4/4 offer a different driving experience. Less power, but more traditional and sprightly. Probably more charming but perhaps less intoxicating than the grunt of a Roadster or Plus 8.

Power isn't everything but if you're used to it I think it's a mistake to go for a less powerful car.

What you need is two Morgans so you can keep your power model !

What is important is torque, not power. That's why I popped a Ford Focus ST GDTI engine into my 2014 Plus 4 to replace the anemic n/a GDI motor. Now have 260 bhp but, much more importantly, huge hike in torque. Not having to rev the nuts off the engine makes for much more relaxing driving experience which, in my view, much better suits the personality of a Morgan. The Conversion was documented three years ago in two articles in Miscellany. Interesting to note MMC have now followed my example and puit a four cylinder turbo engine into their new Plus Four. I was invited (at Donninton) to test an early version of the new car and found it very comfortable and a nice drive -- with the manual grearbox of course.
Pip Pip