Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax One year on...

I've owned my series 4 Aero for a year this month, so perhaps time for some quick reflections on my experience of Morgan Aero ownership.
1. The car - I've had some ups and downs with X44 ERO this year, which I suppose is only to be expected when you buy a 15 year old car.
On the positive side - I've always felt special getting into the car, starting it up (great sound from the side exhausts) and heading off on a trip. The car still looks great to my eyes, drives nicely (steering is heavy and lacks a bit of feel but far better this than too quick and skittish), does reasonable mileage if you drive it responsibly (6th gear is very tall so perfect for GT work with the engine being very happy to drive along between 1k and 3k revs), but is always ready to be driven a little irresponsibly and you don't get bored of dropping a couple of gears and pushing on - no problem keeping up with the hot hatch in front down the winding B-road! I've had a new set of tires put on (more of that below) replacing the old ones which were at least a decade old, and the ride seems a little more supple although its always on the harsh side over poor surfaces. The hood works well enough although I try to honour the sage advice of Richard at Bell & Colvill when he sold it to me that a Morgan should be driven with the top down whenever possible - top down on the motorway is perfectly do-able despite my being well over 6 foot. The boot - an object of interest whenever I join other Morgan drivers - is perfectly adequate for a trip with wife for a few days, which was I always thought an important teat to ensure that it doesn't just sit in the garage but does some real mileage to justify the expense. Other positives: the brakes are great, the headlights make night driving more pleasurable than in my short-sighted Mercedes daily driver (which incidentally I was very happy to see the back of - not least as its ride was only marginally better than the Morgan on its run flat tires - each of which was twice the price of the replacement Avons on my Aero!)... and my wife loves it!
On the negative side - not the car's fault, but hitting a brick on the M1 coming back from Northampton damaged two tires and two wheels, which caused a long summer interval. No replacement Aero wheels were available from the company (there is a rumour that a new batch may be ordered by Morgan at some point as more Aero owners find themselves in the same position), and I didn't like the look of the alternative from the current model range that was offered. I question whether buying second hand wheels that are already more than a decade old is really that sensible an option as they don't last forever, so a completely new set of wheels was eventually found (by me not the dealer) - a fraction of the Morgan replacement cost, but I do miss the old ones. I've promised a picture of the new ones on another thread and I hope to post that when a suitably picturesque photo op presents itself. The wheels were 2FORGE ZF8 18x8.5 5x114.3 ET30 Gloss Gunmetal for anyone interested and the team at Rimstyle were very helpful and efficient in getting them delivered. The only issue (easily solved) was that the thread on their standard bolts was different from the Morgan spec - but that was a quick and cheap fix. So, it took two months to resolve all that and a full service and MOT - not cheap, which is to be expected, but I had hoped to avoid the minor electrical issues that I've had to deal with since the service (currently the light for the boot opening switch won't go off... and I had a fuse fall off when travelling down to the RNLI HopMog weekend, which caused an AA call-out (but taught me where the kill switch on the fuse box is and how to re-set it (which the manual was not helpful with!). Other than these issues, it has always started on the button and not missed a beat - long may that continue...
2. The club - from the start (membership application acknowledged with a friendly email within 24 hours - not the case with every car club in my experience) I've been really impressed by the communication and welcome I've received. Thanks to all those responsible - some special mentions to Jan, who forgave the fact that I didn't recognise her as supreme leader when I met her at the Brands Hatch Morgan Goodwood day and made me feel very welcome, to Sarah at Brands Hatch Morgan (who couldn't have been more helpful and responsive when I damaged my wheels), to the team at Allon White Morgan (who made me some great headrest covers and who will be putting in some new inner sidewall carpeting next month), and to all the HopMoggers who have made me and my wife feel very welcome and who were great company when we joined them at the reccent (and very well organised) RNLI headquarters visit.
3. The next 12 months - I'll be going to the NEC classic car show for the first time in November and am planning a route for the Aero that hopefully isn't all M25 and M1 (I'll be there on the Friday in case anyone else would like to meet up). I hope to visit the factory next year at some point - and quite fancy combining that with a trip to a Shelsley Walsh hill climb. I'm not sure whether I'll have the nerve to take to the Aero on track there, or indeed at the 2025 Goodwood Day (other than the parade lap), but when I was bored on a rainy day in September I bought myself a helmet to encourage myself to do so...I'm also trying to repress a bit of a three-wheeler itch at present - perhaps I'll try to test drive a 3-wheeler or Super 3 at some point in the next 12 months.
4. The forum - thanks to everyone who has responded to questions, or just sent positive thoughts, encouragement and good wishes - it has been appreciated. I hope to meet with some more Aero owners along the way in the coming 12 months.

So it was a good buy! Nice to hear. She is a beautiful example!

Sounds about right for an Aero these days.

Main parts rock solid
Connectors with a mind of their own
Some parts slightly more awkward than others.

The more you use it the better it is.

Great news and thank you for sharing the specifics on the wheels.

Great to meet you and Alis in Poole

Happy miles in your Aero 8 S4 , nice car

thanks Andy - likewise - we look forward to joining some more HopMog events in 2025!

Nice to hear about an Aero being up and about on adventures - I must make more of an effort with mine!