Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms The Ownership Experience

Oh I agree lots of stuff "below average". But I call that "poor".
Nothing average about it.
Average is a whole different level of insult.

Morgan without question (especially around here) experience positive synergy ie the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

As I said, the rose tinted spectacles are well fixed on the heads of all on TM, exactly why it's not the best place to ask for a realistic view on ownership......😆

The styling is unique, the are (were) as English as it's possible to be, a throwback to days gone by.
They are ridiculous and outdated.....BUT...... that's why they are so good....

BUT, you either get them or you don't.....

I think that's completely exaggerated, Julian. Perhaps the reliability depends somewhat on the model. But I've never needed rose-colored glasses around 120000 km with some wear parts and a new head gasket, otherwise always free driving, always very reliable. We shouldn't go to one extreme or the other.

If asked about their ownership experience, almost everyone on TM will obviously rave about continental trips and, trips around the dales/cotswolds/chilterns/peak district etc etc etc....

The 'curates egg' story, a thing that is bad but good at the same time, or that an owner will not see any bad in, whatever others think, applies to Morgans......

I'm really thinking about trads, but, compared to anything post 1960 they obviously can't be called modern....... but that is the point..... they are an unapologetic throwback to days of old.......and surely that's what makes them so special and loved.....!..........My rose tinted glasses are back on................😆

I wasn't referring to the old technology but to the reliability of my Morgan.

Sorry Julian, I to think you made a rather sweeping statement re "all on TM" I have long since discarded my rose tinted specs soon after buying my first tired old Lotus dream car.....(-:

Such is my old sports car history that I sampled quite a few before arriving at Morgan custodianship starting with a Frog Eye Sprite, through MGB`s and other Brit kit, even wondered into REAL GT ownership in the form of a couple of Jensen interceptors 7276cc on radial tyres possibly older than me at the time...(-: Sure in decades of being an avid reader of the classic press, I well knew about Morgans even to the stage where I read in some detail about them, but..Nah... I guess I was too...err...immature at the time.. I bought another problem Lotus...(-:

Anyone who has had CARnal knowledge of MG`s and Lotus cars of many varieties, will have dealt with all sorts of corrosion and mechanical mayhem over the years, unless unlike me, they were in a position to buy them new and trade them in before the usual issues revealed themselves, which in the case of MGB`s could be difficult as many decades back I remember seeing tiny bubbles showing through the paint on the rear wing top joint of a new unregistered MGB in a showroom...

I swapped my Interceptor for a rotted out Porsche 912 during the 70`s fuel crisis...Yup Porsche had corrosion issues as bad as any MGB in the 60`s and early 70`s in my climate, though the quality built into Porsche engines, running gear, electrics and trim matched an early Beetle I had owned a few years previously and which impressed me greatly, but time and tide wait for no man and as I aged it seemed my motoring desires ..err..matured somewhat and I had acquired an itch in need of scratching, more so having followed an old Bentley on a twisting road as it roared along and hopping over the undulations in the Tarmac...I have often related that story in detail, perhaps too often...(-: . The result of following the Bentley was that I saved my pennies and in time bought my +8...It has over the years provided most if not all of the pleasures that fellow TM members have already waxed lyrical on, it has also been super reliable in the circa 35k miles I have covered in it in my 22 years of ownership.... I have excuses a plenty for the low mileage, just that life got in the way, though have made a circa 4k touring mile trip in it and others of perhaps 2k miles, thus have covered some reasonably lengthy trips in it, though mostly roaring around sheep scaring, perhaps occasionally scaring myself on Knockhill..(-:

Today, I would put more trust in my +8 than I would in my 991.1, the latter seemingly requiring me to pay a couple of hundred pounds or so for a session of downloading digits to assess whatever any issue might have been indicated on the dash, and in my case, only if the fault can be proven to down be a manufacturing error, can I avoid paying for the fixed price digital download session, it seems there can be many fault codes to choose from on many a modern digitally dependant motor cars...?

I have never required to pay anyone to work on my Morgan given I can still force myself to change the oil and fire the grease gun, as well as re-tightening a few nuts which loosen off from time to time, and with a CTEK connected to it`s battery being about as much as my mid 80`s +8 requires to keep it ready to go, should I feel in the mood to blow some cobwebs off... (-:

Thus my Morgan experience and expectations from the outset of initial purchase and right through to this day have never been less than I could have hoped for. and now with a store of memories created enjoying it and the like minded friends both digital and real world discovered .. Good old Morgan...(-:

I am going to add a question to the "reliability" discussion (as an Aero owner so perhaps not main stream?)

My Aero's have always been mechanically very reliable, pretty reliable electrically but stuff has rattled a lot. Rattles, and odd bits failed to respond to command but the Aero did not fail to progress. The big greasy bits remained rock solid. Windscreen wipers may or may not wipe, park or clear the expected part of the screen. Engines, gearboxes and brakes have been solid.

Both Aero's have generally worked when asked, but have had more rattles than required. Leading to more bills than required.

Given the Aero was built with the budget of a Mercedes door handle I have adjusted my expectation over time. The Aero had way more complexity than trad trads? So I watch the CX (outside some significant initial borks) gets on.

Julian, could you remind me which model Morgan you have? It may be that yours is so much newer than mine as to be essentially a different car...?
Nick

😁
The only point I've been trying to make (clearly not very well) is, a one make forum probably isn't the the best place for a totally unbiased view on something.......
Perhaps some of the responses confirm my thought......

I'm as big a fan of the the Malvern product as the next person (on TM), but I am, and always have been, realistic enough to accept that, IMHO, they're not perfect....🤷🏻‍♂️ No doubt someone will be along in moment to shout me down and argue that they are, but opinions vary and are a totally personal thing......😁

In terms of my Morgan ownership over the years, I've had a few...........all related to the state of the finances at that point in my life. I'm no expert, far from it, but here's the list as far as I can remember......

Currently... no Mog.... I sold it because I'm building another (money pit) house at the moment, no time to drive it and the money is useful/needed.........😱
3 +4's, 1 Rover, 1 Duratec, 1Gdi.
2 Zetec 4/4's
1 Sigma 4/4
4 1.8 duratec 4/4's
1 2.0 Duratec (75th) 4/4.

More than most, not as many as some........... I've loved each one, and whatever I get next, when the house is finished, I'll love as much as the rest of them........
I'd really like to buy back the first one I had built, an 06 1.8 4/4. It's still my perfect spec, I sold it to help finance another project and I actually do look at the classified adverts.... just in case..... It'll come up again one day.....😆