Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Reducing the Fleet: advice requested.

We have 3 Cars....and have concluded one has to go to help keep our monthly expenditure in a safe area.

The cars are:
Morgan Plus 8, April 2014, 45,000 miles.
Mercedes AMG C43 Coupe, Feb 2017, 23,000 miles.
Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor, May 2021, 9176 miles.

Our thoughts are get rid of the Tesla, we pay £445 a month on the PCP and that would buy 527 gallons of petrol at £2.25 a litre, 11857 miles at 22.5mpg.
There is about £20k equity in the Tesla.

Keep the AMG C43, it. is paid for.

Then the Plus 8... keep it or sell it and buy a Plus 4? The equity in it and the Tesla would buy a Plus 4.
At the moment I we think that keeping the Plus 8 makes most sense, use some of the equity in the Tesla to do work on the Plus 8 over the next years.

Why ditch the Tesla? Despite its attributes I'm beginning to dislike the Company and the way it operates. The car is inferior to the C43 in a number of ways, sat nav, cruise control and other support functions and I hate the touch screen. It is devoid of character and just bland.

Why change the Plus 8 for a Plus 4? Newer, potentially more reliable and a lot lower TAX and fuel costs. But...well it isn't a Plus 8 and it has a turbo.

I'd welcome the collective's views on this conundrum....

Peter,
You know you want a Plus Four!!!!!

Cheers!

Ditch the Tesla. Keep the Plus 8!

+1

Ditch the Tesla most definitely. Fast they may be but too clinical and bland.
A mate of mine has one and he boasts how much it cost to buy. I just point him to my immaculate 1990 260E Mercedes which I paid less than £9K for with 49000 miles on the clock, and say to him classic insurance, no depreciation, an absolute pleasure to be in and I can buy an awful lot of fuel for £40K plus.

Peter, I doubt that new is bound to be better in general automotive terms these days, more so given the rate of technology alterations allowing glitches to creep in creating all sorts of issues, let alone the factory re-calls from many manufacturers..?

I suspect there is virtually no other car that can provide that which a Morgan can, may be one of the reasons I still have my old +8. That you have worked around your brake light issues, swapping your +8 may not be such a great idea. Also that you have the Merc for poor weather, extended trips, modern comfort levels and perhaps more mundane transport tasks, then you seem to have the best of both worlds..?

I have no payments other than running costs, for an Evoque, 991, and my +8, and in reality given my lack of usage, the Mog should have been sold some time back, but I just have not managed to get serious in doing so...I only use the 991 as I once did my Morgan.

I guess the fuel costs, green agenda, and the likely Baby Boomer effect on Morgan market values may add quite a bit to decision making, though I think the Russian war has perhaps put the green issues on the back foot somewhat, perhaps creating issues in the car and many other markets, which seem to be all over the place..?

As to the way that may all work out during the lifespan of the baby Boomers and the value their toys, perhaps the future benefits re the Tesla might not be as advantageous as imagined just a few months back..?

Good luck in your choices Peter.

I'd keep the Plus 8, dump both the Tesla and the Merc, and buy an EV that doesn't carry such a price penalty for having a "desirable" badge on it and with a decent 300 mile range, something like a VW ID4 or Hyundai Ioniq 5.

That way you have a fast touring car with unlimited range that, although it has faults, they are ones you know about and can work to improve. The EV would give you a daily driver that is cheap to buy & costs peanuts.to run, enables you to visit places (and there an increasing number of them) that have ULEZ restrictions in place, and has sufficient range for 99% of your usage.

If it turns out that you need a largish car for occasional 500-mile plus journeys that wouldn't be feasible in the Mog, just hire something for a couple of days.

+1 more

Plus 8 for fun. Get a bland EV for practical stuff.

Tim,

SWMBO owns the C43 and isn't interested in selling it, yet.
But the Ionic 6 looks fantastic, https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/2023-hyundai-ioniq-6-rakish-model-3-rival and will eplace the Merc.
But probably not till next year as according to the local Hyundai outlet they don't expect UK deliveries until early 2024.

So for now, the Merc and Plus 8, later the Ioniq 6 and Plus 8...