A bit of a ramble and slightly off topic to some degree...
Having dragged a few of my old sports cars back to life over many years, I thought to share some thinking on a variety of owners and the way they might value their cars...
My first thought is that the Morgan in question is not new but 24 years old and there can be a world of difference to the way any vehicle has been used perhaps abused or stored over those years...though general overall appearance is a guide to the experienced eye, and those who tend to be risk averse tend to pay to have a PPI carried out by someone who has marque expertise..
Having been around Morgan forums for quite some time, apparently much younger Morgan`s than the one in question have displayed paint imperfections in varying degrees some even while still under guarantee from the MMC..?
I bought my Morgan from the owner of a garage business specialised in high quality bodywork repairs on all sorts of vehicles, he was also a Morgan enthusiast, who having come across the equivalent of a barn find mid 80`s +8 which had only circa 8k miles on the clock, set about stripping it down and rebuilding it to create a long life Morgan, in terms of improving on sealing in ALL the areas where he well knew from experience would i have potential to harbour moisture, and give rise to corrosion in time. He did a grand job of it, so much so it must have pained him every time he heard a stone bounce off the paintwork after all the skill time and effort he put into creating his idea of THE perfect Morgan, and one that would keep it`s wonderful appearance for years to come.
Likewise I have a few friends who own a different marque of sports car and I note the way they treasure their machines in a wide variety of ways.... I treasure mine too... Though machine worship can for some remove the enjoyment of driving it to the stage where one can become addicted to being over fussy over the slightest paint imperfection, or even the idea of exposure to the possibility of acquiring a paint imperfection, to the extent that enjoyment in using the machine on the road seems to present just too much risk with the consequence that the machine becomes a garage queen, either partially or fully... For sure some folk can derive enough in the way of enjoyment from their Morgan as garage queens, or used only to attend an occasional car show, cars & coffee morning get together... some might take on sporting events in muddy fields, or travel through Europe and beyond...Nuts or what...? (-:
Yeah well much depends upon the ideals one holds at the time of purchase, it seems all too simple to become a servant of the machine as opposed to the machine being the servant...?
Unless the machine has had a nut and bolt rebuild such as mine had circa Y2K and been very, very, carefully stored, what are the chances it might have a paint bubble or two, mine sure has, it has even has suffered a ding or two over the years... All it would take to get it back to the concours prize winner it actually was, a year or so after my initial purchase of it, is a new owner who might wish it to spent time and money on it to make it a trophy winner again... or perhaps a different type of person who just wants to enter sporting events or head off in search of adventure and carry out whatever repairs and improvements may be required or desired in the passage of time...?
I think the days of "investors" in Morgans and other classics from the point of view of financial benefit over time, looking for a near perfect investment vehicle, have or may be in the process of reassessing the market...?
Buying old cars and perhaps worse still old sports cars is not without a degree of risk, and seeking perfection in such a vehicle can be an interesting pastime, maintaining that perfection whether worthwhile or not...?
Wishing the OP the best of luck in his decision making....
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