Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Shocked by Trade in Price of Morgan

Same for my 4/4. I bought it for £10.5k in 2000, it might currently be worth £12k. Over the years I must have spent well over £25k on it but now it's exactly what I want, fast, agile, and fun. Membership of my local golf club over the same period would have cost around £36k so I reckon I've got a bloody good deal. It doesn't owe me anything now.

Obviously having been in the market to buy a Morgan, I'm somewhat pleased by the marked drop in prices, and got myself a bargain, compared to many for sale at the moment. It's had a few teething problems, but I expected that for a low mileage car having been stored for nearly 6 years, now being brought into regular service, In the 3 months or so I've had it I've doubled the annual mileage it used to do, and had it not been such a wet autumn, it would have seen far more under its belt. I wont SORN it, jut use it on salt free dry days as and when, It's had a few minor parking taps since I've owned it, nobody owned up, so I'm decided to be a little less precious about it.

I had a long list of improvements I wanted to do eg BRB, SSL front suspension and so on and I've put that to one side, I'm just going to enjoy it for what it is and not try and make it into something it isn't and use it accordingly. I'll put some new tyres on in the spring and then see how it goes. Too often its too easy to spend a fortune on them and still not get what you want from it, so I'm settling more for what it is and enjoying it all the more for that reason.

Sounds like a sensible approach ... building mine up from scratch I decided it would be a 'using' car not a 'looking at' car and the work (although fine) wasn't done to the obsessive levels I can't seem to break for my motorcycle builds .... so glad I went that way and can enjoy driving the car without unduly worrying about stuff.

Sure you don't need telling but the BRBs are such an easy mod, cheap and effective that I think I'd use a wet afternoon to make an exception to your 'no messing' rule in their case 🙂

Glad you're enjoying your car

K

Having spent my entire 'driving' life worrying about cars, and often not driving them because: 'where will I be able to park it without it getting a door opened onto it', etc, there is something extremely liberating about owning a less than perfect vehicle.

Every car I've owned has ended up going to the next owner in better condition than when I purchased it and it took me nearly four decades to work out how little pleasure that gave me. Cars are meant to be used and enjoyed and I now fall into the 'driven, not hidden' camp.

Life is far too short to own things that create more anxiety than pleasure.

Absolutely.......most of the cars I've owned have always been sold in a much better condition than I bought them......


K......I've always found the BRB's tend to restrict the lock on the car as the tyres can rub against them on full lock, which makes it harder work when backing into my garage.......especially if you have the wider profile tyres........is there any particular way of fitting or particular supplier that alleviates that issue

It depends very much on the car John, and the wheel inset. On my narrow body P4, after very careful marking, I ovalled the BRBs in my vice. It takes a lot of pressure, and the second one cracked my (Chinese) vice, now replaced with a classic UK Vice. If the chassis isn't already drilled, file a corner off the mounting flange and get the bottom fixing as tight inboard as you can.

My 4/4 drives just as I wanted it to in every respect, I had ten years to get everything springs, power etc sorted, with one exception. I would like to have a shorter rear axle ratio, another story. But even as it is, the car is a lot of fun. I have everything nicely balanced and fine-tuned. I resisted the temptation to get caught up in the spiral of increasing performance, suspension and brakes. It's fine the way it is. What matters more is how beautiful the company, the road, the landscape, the dinner, those are the icing on the cake. Of course I enjoy tinkering and the technical aspects of the 4/4, but once everything is sorted it's no longer so centrally important. But back then that was the point where I changed cars to start with a new challenge and new goals, now I'm a bit older and more relaxed and I'm enjoying my 4/4.

Sorry John, can't be much help ....My BRBs just went on and didn't foul the wheels ... it is a '75 with skinny wheels. Bought the (stainless) BRBs when I was buying a blizzard of stuff for the resto so can't remember which of the suppliers it came from.

K

Miscellany, magazine on the Morgan Sportscar club site has an excellent 4 seater for sale which was the show / launch 4 seater from 1999. It comes with the brochures it featured in and has various upgrades. It’s light blue and the owner wants £25k.

I am looking for one, and the owner sent loads of information and pictures. It is good, just not quite what my wife and I were after so the search continues. However it may suit you. Also it’s in Cornwall and I’m up in Cumbria so tricky to see in the metal for me. Happy hunting.

Simon, you're absolutely right and I'm trying to train myself to your way of thinking. I like to drive out as a single car with my wife and although driving in a club group gives great protection to your car i don't love the formality of where and when you do it! As a lone car the attention is different and people certainly have more confidence at poking and prodding at it! I've even returned to my parked car and found someone sitting in It, just trying it for size, he said when challenged!
Looking at it as a 13 year old car is starting to help and I've stopped polishing out the slightest blemish, although I hate dirty cars I'm starting to appreciate that ---just been out look! And its certainly not an asset anymore!

John Harris if you are ever down on the A55 in North Wales near Abergele you are welcome to drop in with your BRB's and we can fit them. If your sport is a wide body then they won't rub the tyre on full lock and a narrow body depends on tyre width and wheel in-set. Dave W explain it well and there are ways over that although you might be interested to know that Morgan were known for wheels rubbing chassis' and were given MOT dispensation for it!