Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Sigh - what to do ? flog it ?

I don't do long journeys these days now I don't have the holiday cottage BUT I use it for popping into the village for bits of shopping most days. I did sell the KTM 990 SMT as the only time it got used was for the MOT.

I've cut my 8 bike fleet down to 2 for that reason - can't be faffed with moving too much stuff around. The Mog and the MG are on the drive so I can drive straight off, but to use the Harley I have to move my Mrs car onto the road. Not to much hassle as it's electric so quiet and easy to do. However, because the Harley is so wide, I have to move it to get any other bike out, and as I've unlocked the Harley and it's running, I might as well stay on it.

Probably get rid of the ZX10 in the next 12 months or so. Let someone else have the bonkers fun on it.....

I have the original coach house as my garages, with a wall across the centre, dividing it into 2 garages with a door at each end, which meant you could only enter and leave thru the respective garage door for each garage. The one garage exit was a tight squeeze and restricted the size of the car you could park in it. Which caused untold hassle.

The simple answer was to knock the centre wall down so I can get out of either garage end creating greater flexibility and ease of accessing my cars and removed much of the car size restriction..

What was restricting my ease of access was eliminated and it no longer influences what car I take out. I use a cover but I don't garage the Morgan with the roof up as I used too, if I'm only going local I leave the hood etc at home, it just makes it so much more easier to jump in the car and just go, rather than messing about with taking the hood down and then putting up when I come back etc.......spend more time in the driving seat as and when I decide to take it out.

This morning straight out in the Morgan between the showers ,only got about 15 minutes drive in, down the prom and back, waved to a few smiley faces ,all in commuter traffic but still allowed me to exercise the car and myself, felt much better for it.

Exactly the same. My Mog does barely 3k miles a year now. Annual trip to Scotland and a few visits to friends, plus occasional sunny day back-road playing. But it doesn't owe me anything and it's not in the way. I do all the servicing myself so it only cost VED and insurance to keep, around £700/year in total.

I have had my Morgan for seven years now, pure joy. I admit that I do not drive it that much, but I also enjoy it when standing still. I love fettling with it, looking after it, admiring the design, polishing and rubbing. When I bought it I knew I was buying "a cool car", but I did not foresee the tremendous spin-off when I joined the Norwegian Morgan Club. Along with the club I have seen beautiful scenery, historical sites, local factories, cultural events, track days on tarmac and ice rinks (very cautious, though...) etc. etc. I have made a lot of nice aquaintances as well as very close and personal friends. I try to contribute to our club magazine Sliding Pillar and have learned a lot about the quite complex machine a car is. However, apart from the club events I do not drive it much. I think membership in an owners club is crucial, at least it is for me.
By the way, my next project will be fitting exterior door handles. Will the car run better? No. It is needed? Hardly. Is it fun? Definately yes.

Robbie,
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Whilst as you admit you don't drive the car that much it's the old cliché 'the more you put in, the more you get out of something' and it can come in the strangest of ways.

I used to derive a great deal of pleasure/satisfaction from just having a Harley sitting in the garage to tinker with. even though I can't ride them anymore two up, they are just too heavy for me now. But every time I saw it , it reminded me of the past good times.

Sue and I were out in the Morgan over the weekend and it was excellent autumnal Harley riding weather, we both commented on it would have been great on a Harley, but it was more fun in our increasing dotage in the Morgan, especially with the heater on. Still love Harleys but we have moved on, but I'm still considering getting one just to have it in the garage, so I can kid myself I'll take it out some /one day soon. You are only here once. The sun is shinning at the moment, so off out in the Morgan, probably just go local, but its a nice fix after all the rain.

Move the bike and the tin top elsewhere. This will give your Mog some clear sky to escape.

Then jump in and enjoy the ride.

Just do it. You know you want to 👍

In my experience, and awful lot of classic car owners have the same experience as you Bonesie. Whats more so do a lot of boat owners though thats a different issue.

It was instructive to look through the MoTs of my last few classic cars. Same patters of maybe 4000 miles year 1 tailing down to 500 by the end. Reality is that daily grind on camera infested , potholed congested UK roads means you mostly use the family hack - no fun in a classic in a traffic jam.

Classics like boats are really toys to be looked at and pottered with rather than seriously used.

Unless you need the money, keep it

As usual Howard makes good points. For most, the car is a toy, and once the initial novelty of having another car wears off, we use it less, but the important thing, for many of us at least, is that it is in the garage ready to go when we feel like it, of course, if there is no need to use it, then it may just sit there, but it is at least there and available.

I think Howards comparison to boats is very apt, having sold several boats over the decades, I have sworn each time that it would be my last, and after a while I get the itch and start perusing adverts and lo and behold, the perfect boat crops up and before you know it a deal is done. I think toy cars are very much like that. If you sold the Morgan, how long would it be before you started looking for another one?

The thing with a boat is you need to have had a thirty footer to realize how much fun you had in an 18 footer, no lift charges or storage issues and everything is in your control. At least with the Mog no need to bother with tides just jump in and off you go. If your falling out of love with it though maybe time for a change life is short. Em