Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Buying a 2012, should I be worried?

Are you sure ? Read Hugo's first paragraph again

Are you a hands on person prepared to work on your M3W or do you have easy access to a mechanic who is prepared and knowledgeable to do the work? If neither of those apply then maybe your quote "avoid at all costs" is appropriate. The Buyers Guide tells you exactly what to look for in a 2012 M3W and what to expect, then you will go into the purchase with your eyes wide open.

A 2012 M3W with its original chassis could be a problem but possibly not for many miles. The cracks in the upper tubes seem to propagate quickly once they start but that is not at any specific mileage. Failures are not catastrophic but usually make themselves know if not seen with visual checks, that all M3W owners should be doing regularly.

Many of the 1027 pre 2014 specification cars produced have had new chassis fitted FOC by Morgan, something that is no longer available, a sizeable customer contribution is now expected. All versions of the chassis produced before the 2014 upgrade are prone to cracking, in the upper forward tubes particularly. If the car you are interested in is priced accordingly or has had a later chassis fitted it could be a good purchase. There are cheaper repair schemes available other than chassis replacement but none are cheap.

There are other considerations with the purchase of an early M3W, things such as oil tanks, rear hubs and pedal boxes were also updated, all for a reason. I would not say, "avoid at all costs" but do be aware of the potential work involved with a "standard" early car. Many owners have updated their early cars to make them reliable and useable. Even owners of the last few cars produced have had to incorporate some modifications to their "new" cars for the same reasons. They still had some of the same design faults that the early cars had that Morgan never bothered to sort out. It isn't about age or mileage with a M3W, it's all about condition. Some well used, upgraded, high mileage cars are a much better buy than an unused, like new "garage queen".

I would also suggest a read of the Buyer Guide, link in the Owners Resource at the top of this forum.

A worthwhile summary planenut.....

If you're prepared to contribute £12k for a chassis renewal and don't mind the car being off the road for an extended period, then go for it.

Otherwise look for an early car that's had a chassis replacement or, better still, a later car.

Thank you everyone. So I have to weigh it up myself really. The car in question is a beautiful trailer queen with very little use. I expect I won't do more than 500-1000 miles a year too. I'm a retired engineer and enjoy the hands on part, am not averse to welding in some additional strengthening gussets if need be. So my only real concern is would I ever be able to sell it again if for some reason I decide its not for us.... And that probably comes down to price. I've seen them from £27-37k. mine is £25k and that's all the budget I have so no expensive chassis changes for me.

At 25K that has to be the cheapest M3W there is

I did manage to speak to the Morgan specialists who serviced the car for years and they confirmed the chassis is original, but was free of cracks in 2022 when last inspected....... I think I'm going to take a chance.
Thank you everyone.

Spoken like a true Morgan owner. It looks like you're going in with 'eyes wide open' and have the relevant skills needed to fix and repair any issues so you should be fine.

Good luck and congratulations!

I once spoke a broker at a car-show in November 2022
he had a 2015 and a 2013
told him to change his pricing
2013: his: 45K, my advice 35K
2015: his: 55K, my advice 65K
he sold the 2015 a few hours later, still has the 2013