Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Has the bubble burst?

Julian, when you typed "Rolex fueled the situation by forcing customers to increase their spend by buying several pieces they didn't want before being able to get the watch they actually wanted." Had you substituted the word Porsche GT3 for Rolex, from that which I have read it seems your statement would still be be entirely accurate.

As for the marketplace for Trads.. Hmm..? I suspect the MMC were doing their best to maintain pace with the ever evolving expectations /needs of baby boomers as they aged and in time ditching the Trad. I guess there will be some younger folk out there who like me circa 28 years ago, in their forties and fifties, who may be looking for a more involving driving experience, which either a new CX or Trad Morgan can provide..Though how many do you think..Hmm..?

Looking at the market prices for Trads there will be loads of cars to choose from at what seem like "reasonable" prices, it seems that Trad +8`s may be at the level I paid for my pre owned and restored to concours standard +8 over 20 years ago..?

When you see the German price expectation then you think they are on another planet...maybe no one here has noticed (dealers as well as buyers) how the prices have developed in the UK. In any case, there will soon be a price correction in our country. See the link of my Morgan dealer, what prices he calls yet now.

https://home.mobile.de/MORGAN-FLAVING#ses

Heinz, I always assumed that the price differential was due in part to the much smaller number of LHD Morgans in Europe making it a more of a sellers market.

/I think I remember that some European countries also add a sales tax to second-hand cars which further raises prices, or is that gone now?

For Germany I can not say, except VAT, if a dealer does not sell it on commission. Also VAT can be reduced in some cases by differential taxation.

Reading this thread has been illuminating, it echoes many of my thoughts about my Morgan experience, Roadster then Aero Plus 8.

The personal mass transport market is going through a period of rapid evolution, it seems, perhaps as big as the arrival of the Model T Car and everything that followed. Bicycles disappeared, horses also and then trains in the 1960s. Will cars and airliners follow? I don't know, but change is the only certainty.
We are also on the cusp of a monumental change in western society: one analyst compared the attack by Hamas on Israel with the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand which led to WW One and the complete reorientation of Europe and the middle East. I hope this is not so, but I'm not certain. Add together carbon reduction led change with what is happening in the middle east and society will likely be unrecognisable in 10 years time.

I'm planning to keep my head down, enjoy my baby Porsche and wait and see.

Talking of Porsche, Heinz made the point that in order to qualify to be allowed to place an order for a new top spec Porsche you must have owned one or more "lesser" Porsche cars. Rolex is playing this game, so why isn't Morgan? I'd argue that both Porsche and Rolex exist at a different level of quality perception to Morgan and buying a used trad isn't like buying an older pre-loved Rolex or 911. Also, I object to such market manipulation, but it does seem to be a sign of the times.

Enough, stay safe, one and all, keep the black down and the blue up and the hood down!

Peter, I agree with everything you say, the drastic change is a fact, but to where no one can really say. Just for the sake of correctness, I think it was George who shared the example that you had to buy a smaller Porsche (911 GT3?) to get a 918.

An interesting point about the - must have had one to have the next one.

Whilst Porsche have a long existence and established pecking order of badges I don't think Morgan could afford to restrict their market opportunity as they arrive in the £80-100k privilege toy market, meant with love not sarcasm. Given the way they are now focused on that sector they need all the new blood they can find to growout.

The big difference with Rolex, Porsche to Morgan is that the demand for their products outstrips the supply by a huge margin, in Rolex's case even the most humble entry model Datejust has waiting lists, their Daytona waiting lists would match the massively long waiting lists Morgan enjoyed in the 80's and 90's. Many Rolex Ad's have closed their Daytona lists as its almost impossible to satisfy them with current production levels.

By way of contrast Morgan recently had a cut price special during what should be their busiest summer months of production to stimulate demand and probably having an impact in reducing the prices of all second hand cars as a direct result., is not the same demand conditions the Rolex market enjoys. If Morgan were to peg back production, create longer waiting lists and create a pent up demand maybe they might enjoy a a more stable used car price and allow them to manipulate as to what orders they satisfied and when.

A neighbour waited longer to get his new Skoda (at a much lower price point) than you would wait to get a new Morgan.

There is VAT on a second hand car in the UK, it’s only on the margin though, ie costs £9k sell for £10,200, vatman gets £200, inland revenue gets between £250 and £600 from the sole trader, a bit less from a Limited company.
Private seller keeps the lot.