Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Trad prices

i'm a huge BMW fan....😁 I've somewhere approaching 20 of them, currently got a 530d touring....incredible thing...!

However........

As morgan never got round to/could never afford to build its own engine they've obviously had quite a few engine suppliers over the last hundred and odd years...... I bet someone will know the exact number....😁

The level of complexity of the the CX cars will undoubtedly make for problems in the future, the amount of tech combined with the usual 'hand assembled' nature of the cars could pose problems...... not so much of a problem in the past with trads and their 'normal' hands on owners, but when the new target owners are paying £100k+ they could be left somewhat disappointed.......

You'd imagine that a seemingly simple car like the 3 wheeler would be well within MMC's skills to build.....but they've had one or two issues with them I think.........🤷🏻‍♂️😆

Perhaps having a huge design team and lots of flash marketing films showing trendy hipster types will make up for it......

It sounds as if Tim was sat in on one of the top level management meetings, I bet it went pretty much exactly like that😂

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Yes they should have uprated the trad. suspension decades ago. That would certainly have broadened the appeal, probably increased the sale volumes and kept the trad in production for a while longer.

The trads were simply too compromised for many potential new owners.

You say that but the Mulfab front end wishbones didn't seem to catch on.

Yes but that was a costly aftermarket option, not an evolution of the trad. chassis by the MMC.

Growing up, a good friend's father was from Texas. When we were over at his house, in our late teens and early twenties, debating like young men do about 'which cars', 'what band' or whatever else we could find to argue about, was the best, invariably, we'd hear the same words of wisdom (said in a Texan drawl) from the patriarch of the family:

"There's no accounting for another man's taste in whisky, women or horses!"

I like to think it was his way of saying 'quiet down' when we were getting too boisterous in our conversation; in other words, argue all you want but it rarely changes anyone because each person appreciates what they do for reasons that are unique to them.

I've always felt that whatever Morgan someone buys, I respect that they've put their money into something they love and appreciate... that in itself is good enough for me.

True

I don't think the “what if” discussion about the Trads' chassis is productive. There were many other reasons why they couldn't be built any longer. Of course, one could argue that if they had been redesigned in the 1980s, they would have been more comfortable for a few decades. However, that didn't stop anyone from realizing their dream of owning a Morgan back then. In that sense, it's all water under the bridge.

In an effort to drag the thread back to the original title of it......😁...... there's a tidy 2000 +4 coming up for auction with Bonhams 'the market' soon. It's no reserve so it'll be another interesting indicator of values......although, to be fair, it'll probably go for very little...🤷🏻‍♂️


Simon's line is probably one that we should all remember when the discussions get heated...... "I've always felt that whatever Morgan someone buys, I respect that they've put their money into something they love and appreciate... that in itself is good enough for me"............🤷🏻‍♂️

They're all Morgans, there all a bit different, quirky, individual...... as are there owners.....😁.......(but....some are a bit better than others.........😂)

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Any sale of a Morgan, new or previously cherished, is a good thing not only for the Morgan-owning community for also for MMC. I particularly welcome used prices falling because there are an awful lot more folks out there who would love a Morgan but have always struggled to afford one than there are relatively well-off people who can't decide whether to go for a Morgan to make a change from their usual Porsche, Mercedes or whatever.

It is also the skint owner community who do the most to keep older cars on the road by figuring out alternatives for components which are no longer available or too highly priced. I'm really looking forward to the posts from owners who say stuff like "I just picked up an older +4 and I've figured out a neat fix for problem X because I can't afford main dealer prices"

Once someone has discovered the Morgan Magic they are much more likely to stick with us for the long haul, trading up as they go.

Whilst it's a nice thought that lower Morgan prices make them more attainable, there is often a sting in the tail. In my experience as car values fall and parts become more scarce or impossible to source and repairing and maintenance costs rise in relation to the value of the vehicle, you come to a point where maintaining the vehicle either suffers or it's just no longer viable option for the owner to maintain the vehicle. We have all seen it happen time and time again, when cars pass the early flush of youth and then start to over time become bangers and not adequately or properly maintained, until for a few they become desirable again and money starts to chase them.

Seen it with eg fast Fords in recent years where often after years of neglect and often amateurish maintenance and repairs, they have to be completely rebuilt. Bangers and Cash restored a Ford Mexico recently, which on the surface looked fine, but underneath was bodged repairs and chicken wire and filler, not structurally sound. Which would have been completely uneconomic to consider rebuilding had there currently not been a strong market and high sales value attached to the finished car. Those cars like the 30's to 60's which are increasingly out of vogue, finish up scrapped or abandoned as barn finds.

At least with the newer Morgans, they are better build and more corrosion resistant, have more galvanised steel, use of aluminium and treated wood, although modern electronics etc may be an issue. Older Morgans suffer much more from the effects of corrosion, and if the costs of rebuilding them outstrip their values within a much smaller market of demand, as current ownership dies out, we may start to see them lost forever.

The number of cars that I enjoyed in my youth, that where unique when new but quite commonplace brands and relatively low maintenance costs eg Vauxhall Viva GT are so rare these days as years of low value and relatively high maintenance costs in relation to their value and the inevitable tin worm consigned them to the scrap yard.

Low buy in costs is not always a good thing, especially for a high maintenance intensive vehicle., with a finite spare support network, All against a backdrop of the ICE is on its way out. It was a very interesting post of Simon with regard to the Aero spares support by model, and how more difficult it is becoming for the earlier models. One shouldn't take a single snapshot in time, but I've noticed more series 1 Aero's up for sale and sticking on the market, than at any other time, maybe a reflection of the poor spares support for a car which is only just over 20 years old.. It could just be a case of me taking more interest in the Morgan market in general that has draw out this regarding early Aero's and it may just be a normal reflection of the market, but Aero 8's seem to be sticking a bit as well and more for sale than I had noticed previously......interesting times

I've seen very few've trad Morgans driven by the younger generation most owners are retired and definitely a dying generation of demand. When it comes to the Morgan magic, I driven open top cars all my life all year round roof down when ever possible, I had just as much fun in Sue's SLK roof down, basking in the sun and the fresh air heading across to Lifes to collect my Morgan, as I did in the Morgan driving back home.