Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) What do classic 4/4s actually sell for currently?

I'm in the market for a decent 4/4 2 seater, probably about 20-25 years old.

I'm looking for a 2 seater in excellent condition without galvanic wing corrosion (or any corrosion!) and with comprehensive service history/evidence of careful ownership. There seem to be lots of low mileage examples, which I suppose I'd prefer as long as that hasn't led to its own issues. Some extras would be nice but as far as I can tell they don't have a big impact on asking prices.

My difficulty is I can see many examples online that fit the brief above, in the region of low to high £20ks occasionally hitting £30k. But I can also see none of them are shifting and the same cars have remained on sale for many months. Private sellers are often asking as much if not more than dealers too, although the latter offer a full service, new MOT and guarantee as part of the price.

So my question is does anybody have recent experience (summer 2024) of what the cars do actually sell for currently? I know every one is a bit different so there's some inevitable flex, but I do also want to make sure that I've got my expectations in about the right place (which I think is around £25-26k for a good example from a dealer and a bit less for a private sale?).

Best wishes,

Jon

There are 23 1998-2005 4/4's current on Car and Classic, pretty much all of which seem to be bang in your price range (or just above for the dealers). Have a look at a few, see which one takes your fancy.

The dealer cars seem to be more up around 28-30k but with overheads to meet and bills to pay they might be tempted to come down a bit.

Thanks and yes I've seen them advertised and a couple in person.... The issue is the vast majority of those cars have been on there for months with no takers (and I know one car at a well known dealer that's been there for over a year even though it's at the lower end of that price range).

So the question remains, are any of them actually selling, and if so what for?

If I were putting mine on the market it would be in the region of £19k to £19.5k.
But I'm not ready to sell just yet.

Sounds like it's time to make a few offers and let us all know what they are selling for just like we all had to albeit it many years ago in a far tougher market for the purchaser.

In 50 years of following the market I have never known such an easy opportunity to become a Morgan owner, get stuck in there and enjoy one, warts an all

This is a Plus 8 but representative of what you should expect from a private sale, I would open the discussion at 2k under offer and go from there.

There are some real Dreamers out there.. The 1980 one in this link could well be a very good car subject to inspection, a very realistic selling price.

This isn’t a direct answer to your question but believe it’s valid. The price you pay is obviously important but much more important is the condition of the car, how well it’s been maintained and looked after, how it drives and to some extent whether it has the “extras” you would put on the car when you do make a decision. There are unfortunately any number of cars that have been kept in garages, polished to within an inch of their lives, look absolutely immaculate and need thousands spending on them due to lack of use and or a knowledgeable owner. The cost of adding those extras soon add up as well.
Personally I would rather spend a few thousand pounds more on a car I knew to be a good one rather than going for what seems to be a bargain but could end up a money pit.
Finding that car is the difficult part of course.

Have to admit that I kinda smiled at the idea of a dealer offering a guarantee on a 25 year old Morgan.... As to the worth of that guarantee... Who knows..? I guess much depends on the dealership and EXACTLY the type of guarantee provided, if one of those insurance based guarantees, best of luck with that..

As for a totally rust free 25 year old Morgan, I nearly spat my tea out...(-: My mid 80`s alloy bodied +8 was stripped and rebuilt having covered less than 8k miles from new, circa Y2K by a garage owner with Morgan expertise using stainless steel fixings and high gloss two pack black paint on the chassis bulkhead fuel tank radiator, and as you might imagine the rest of the paintwork was flawless when he finished rebuilding it, thus the whole car was built with more care and attention to detail than perhaps 99.9% or more of the Trad Morgans that ever left through the factory gates.... so much so it won a concours trophy at the Lakes Morgan Weekend circa 2003..

Currently with circa 35k miles on the clock and no surprise to me to find the occasional bubble beginning to show under the paintwork...

There can be a whole lot hiding under the skin.. I think Chris Harvey`s book Morgan the last survivor has some interesting content on issues that can crop up on older Morgans...

As for value, I suspect we may be into at least a couple of years if not more where baby boomers are trying to cash in their Trads, and with the passage of time that number would seem likely to go only one way, thus whatever bargain you might achieve, might be best to expect it to loose it`s cash value with the passage of time, even if you find a perfect unicorn...?

Other than the above, Morgans can create memories and friends galore. What`s more to want...?

Wishing you the best of luck in your search.

I have wondered a lot about such things. My UK car was also prepared in the same way by the same friend of ours in 2005. I know of no better Morgan preparer in the world.
The chassis began with some small bubbles by 2010. I attacked them at once, which is my way. My wings also bubbled but they were new Superforms from the MMC (2006),
a common problem and nothing that would effect your car. We kept it under control...a testament to Kevin's skill. In the end, they were one of the reasons he got out of that
side of the trade. They were hard times for the marque. I used to think rust was someone's fault, due to ungalvanized chassis used up until the early 1990s, but that awkward
frame swap job too often referred to on YouTube dealt with a rotten galvanized car! How did it get that way..albeit living seaside?

[b]But something has always been strange to me. I am, at present, working with my 22 year old MMC Factory rebuild everyday at the moment in Canada. I believe it is the
same age as your tenure with your car. IT STILL SHOWS NO RUST! Aside from certain cherry-picked I chose to leave unchanged rust is a really good natural Loctite.
Perhaps it Peter blessed it with sacred incorruptibility.

1. In my discussion with Mark Aston, he suggested discretely that when re-fitting the engine, (a process done by installing it, marking the engine support holes, removing the
engine and drilling, I take the time to treat and seal the holes as the galvanization has been breached, giving the opportunity for the galvanization skin to act to seal rust in rather
than keeping it out". I did that and have always respected the kin's integrity. I also treat any holes made in the wings.These thing take seconds. No point after the fact though

2. I used to respray my Morgans, in whole or in part, yearly when in use. But that did not include the frame.

3. I noticed that the same parts left on the shelf in the UK rusted, unlike those I left in on the shelf Canada.

All that being said. Feedback from outside of the UK does not unduly complain of rust...even from Vancouver which is far wetter than the UK. Of course, the older cars rot..metal
and wood. Of course, the Pubs are better in the UK. It evens out.

L.

If a car's been for sale for months, then there's only 2 reasons as far as I can see -

Either : The owner's in no hurry to sell and is waiting for the right buyer (ie someone prepared to pay the asking price). I suspect there are many sellers who are used to seeing their cars as an appreciating asset and don't understand how the market has moved in the last 24 months.

Or : There aren't the buyers out there who actually want one of the cars on offer.

The pool of 'hands on' classic car enthusiasts is dwindling, and there are lots of appealing alternatives to Morgans available for much less money. When I bought my Mog in 2000, there were perhaps 5 cars on the market in my price range, and they didn't stay long in the market when they became available. Nowadays there are loads available and not many people who want to buy them. Look at the prices for any classic realised at resent Mathewson's auctions for example. Cars are being sold for less than their estimates or sampling not meeting reserve.

Thanks all for the thought provoking responses. I'm certainly not expecting to go into this with an assumption the car will retain it's value in future - I think that particular ship has sailed and the end of the ICE era won't help future resale values. And I agree that the advent of the modern car means there is a dwindling number of people who now have any idea how to maintain their vehicle let alone repair it. So the interest in cars like Morgans is likely dwindling. To me, this feels like a now or never moment - find a decent example of one of the latter traditional cars and have fun while I'm still agile enough to get in and out of it!