Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Trad prices ..versus owners dreams..

Peter, I have no idea on market prices for I have not been trying to buy or sell a Morgan for a number of years. I guess I thought pre Covid my nut and bolt circa Y2K restored to concours condition mid 80`s +8 with circa 35 k miles on the clock, was perhaps worth £30k around the time I was thinking of selling it to buy a tin top sports car... My heart was perhaps not in selling it so only "spoke" about the possibility on here around that time. Today I have not a clue what it might be worth.

For many years I was into a self build project that went on and on and on... Logically my Mog saw little or no use, however I kept the battery charged and would fire it up, and most years if it was not buried under sheets of building materials such as sheets of insulation etc.etc.etc. I would keep it MOT`d and taxed in the hope I might steal some time to go for a drive. One year I did take it for a drive, and boiled the brake fluid, due to a sticking pad.... Yeah I know.. but I was ever too busy and the weather beckoned... Fortunately I live in the countryside so the brake fade created no issues.... All of which prompted new pads pins dust steal and general inspection all round. Also oil and filter changes every couple or so years despite low or no miles, also given it has Strombergs, I thought it best to replace the rubber diaphragms and just bought overhaul kits and replaced all the usual suspects...... Everything works as it should do though it seems best to heal and toe when the box is cold and when dropping cogs if ever pressing on a tad.

Having restored more than a handful of my own sports cars over a few decades I was well aware what I was looking at in the likely amount of time effort and craftsmanship that went into what was to become my +8 at the time of purchase

When Kevin told me his price my first thought was that had I supplied this Mog with 8k miles on the clock which had apparently lain in a shed under a cover for more than a decade, and then asked Kevin to restore it to the condition it was in when I viewed it, I would have had to pay more than Kevin ( a well known Morgan enthusiast and professional vehicle repairer) was asking for the +8, just to have it restored the that condition it was in at the time ...! There was no bartering I was more than happy to pay Kevin`s price and to pay extra for various other spares he had, along with the matching case he had made to mount on the rack..

My good lady and I over three holiday seasons toured in the +8 from central Scotland taking in France and Spain top to bottom and "did" Italy too, down as Far as the Amalfi coast road from our hotel base in Sorrento, having worked our way hopping down through France and Italy from night to night in a mix of Logise, Agriturismo`s and Hotels... That my +8 was of a technical era I was reasonably knowledgeable in the repair and maintenance of, and carrying some spares and tools I was able to attend to the couple of minor foibles that occurred during our trips.

At the time I thought to sell my +8, I think Colin (AKA Spanner juggler) was selling his Morgan, and he relayed all that he had to go through with tyre kickers and dreamers, involving lengthy telephone conversations, and that put an end to me having any serious thoughts on selling my Mog.

If I advertised it as a mid 80`s +8 @ 35k miles 3 owners, last owner 22 years fresh MOT`s ready to go....Oops... Having replaced the tyres due to their age some years back....I need to have another check to see how old the tyres currently fitted are, which are likely to have done less than 1k miles ...so perhaps not so ready to go... Hmm..? Still I ain`t selling anyway..(-: There might be newer one owner cars, some with less mileage and with wooden dash and wire wheels etc etc, that might be far more appealing to some.... but not to me, I like the simplicity of old tec from the era that I was comfortable maintaining and repairing myself...

For someone that does not know a spanner from a screwdriver, perhaps best to buy as new as possible in the hope that if it breaks there will be mechanics...sorry.. technicians... out there familiar with the technology....

Once cars entered the digital age I just gave up messing with them, I had trouble enough with all sorts of leading edge digitally controlled kit in my day to day job.

Modern machinery, yeah even buying new and with few miles on the clock, just trying to book it in for repair can take far far longer than seems in any way reasonable...I could tell you stories, but I feel I have typed far too much as it is...

Anyone buying a sports car, best to buy on condition condition and off course additionally condition... only after fully researching thoroughly that which you might be buying into in terms of marque model and year, and even then it is so easy to be fooled by gleaming paintwork and rose tinted glasses... A HPI check seems wise, as does a PPI by a marque expert if any buyer might not have the knowledge to know what is under the skin..?

I'm at about £35,000 too, that's advertised. But every nut and bolt will have to shine! Showroom condition plus and a good used car policy put on it as well. Some low mileage cars can be more trouble than they are worth as lack of use causes all sorts of issues and can be costly so the 8000'ish miles this one has covered means it's had enough use to maintain a healthy car, but check service history/MOT history very carefully. So many owners really don't believe a Morgan needs servicing if it hasn't been used, the opposite is actually the truth!

If I was buying I'd go over it with a fine toothed comb but would expect to make an offer, For a private sale if all was as above I'd feel I had made a fair deal to both at about £30,000. Think of this when buying.... an excellent Morgan in every way at ten years old generally sells for around what the original buyer paid for it new so, when you're told that they are appreciating investments, well they sort of are! But recent history shows that when that car is changing hands for the same as its original purchase price an equivalent new vehicle is about twice that price. So at best you can only say they are a good investment compared to the stock in trade vehicles we use as daily drives but not so good that they should be locked away and polished!

Perhaps the current owner really wants to keep it!

When I see what these cars are supposed to cost in Germany, I think I'm on another planet. I don't know if these price expectations can be anywhere near realistic, but it's dramatically more expensive than in the UK.

used 4/4

https://suchen.mobile.de/auto/morgan-4-4-gebrauchtwagen.html

used Roadster

https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/search.html?cn=DE&isSearchRequest=true&ms=17900%3B6%3B%3B%3B&od=down&pageNumber=1&s=Car&sb=doc&vc=Car

Plus six, even 2020s are rumoured to cost €100K, but the symptoms are along the lines of the UK, lots of new cars so sitting around.

https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/search.html?cn=DE&isSearchRequest=true&ms=17900%3B6%3B%3B%3B&od=down&pageNumber=1&s=Car&sb=doc&vc=Car

We may be in for a rude awakening soon.

Just out of curiosity what sort of price do people think a low mileage 2015 4/4 should be?[/quote]

£30K, and be prepared for offers in the mid to late £20's. There's almost no market at the moment. Anything over £30k, even low mileage, even if it's gold plated and studded with diamonds.......won't sell.....!😁
As has been said on another thread, supply is high and demand is very low, only the committed seller, a seller who is prepared to sell, to move it on, will be successful.

The market has changed totally in the last couple of years.

From what I've been reading elsewhere it seems that used car prices are depressed pretty much across the board (with the usual exceptions). Some of this seems to stem from a reaction to the Covid bubble but World events, the general economy and uncertainty over the EV future all seem to be playing a part.

What price do I think a low mileage 2015 4/4 should be? £25k.

The dealers certainly have quite a bit of stock these days. Implying a slow market, I'm guessing the wet summer so far isn't helping

Totally concur with this. Looking back at TM postings, it appears that a new 2015 4/4 was around £35k including VAT, although Allon White seemed to be making an offer of around £30k. A bit of confusion over that and exactly what you get for your money. So I think the median value of £28k is about right in current circumstances, but as we know, its not what its worth to the vendor, but what it’s worth to the purchaser!

I'd say you're spot-on. I'd be surprised to see a private sale make £30k, high £20's would be a more realistic expectation in the current market.

On the flip side - the fall in prices has got me looking at trad Plus 8's again

Yes there are a lot of dreamers out there living in the past I think that are in for a rude awakening as Heinz alluded to earlier in the thread Doug.
Realism is beginning to dawn that the ICE is on borrowed time sadly, from my Dickensian view having gained immeasurable amounts of pure joy from them both in the air and on the ground..

This is the thing. Falling prices will increase potential buyers. In 2005, the Roadster was a £40k new buy,.

In 2008, I could only stretch to low £30ks. My available funding dictated what I could consider and that market was basically five plus year old Plus8s, and a limited number of Roadsters up to three years old.

Remember also that buyers can be picky, (me included), on colour, hood, spare, wires, interior etc, so there are always compromises to be worked on.

In the end, it is what it is. Get out there and put some mileage on, is the answer.