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

So I've seen Roadsters are not selling very well, a couple of dealers said as much too.

Is there any reason for this, they look like the perfect Morgan, plenty of power, noise but I wonder if heavy and higher running costs?

As a Roadster owner since 2008......................

It's not just Roadsters, the whole market is swirling around. My experience of my Series 1 is that running costs are the same as my Plus 4. Trads are not given to big bills if looked after and used regularly.

A Roadster is not as agile as a Plus 4 or 4/4 but lighter than a Plus 8 at the front because the shorter engine is further back in the chassis. But like any Trad, they will confound you with subtle differences over time, and not so subtle differences.

In the end, at the right price, any Morgan will sell.

I am quite drawn to them, justa. couple of dealers said they wont sell, but I think at 45k+ they seem overpriced compared to a mid 30k Plus 4 comparable, for the casual viewer.

However, there are a couple of nice ones online.

Just avoid the ones with the infamous rev-hang and those with the narrower footwells, if you have big feet!

I have had a 4/4, a plus 4, and since 2016 been running a 3.7 Roadster. I agree that the Roadster isn’t as agile as the older plus 4 around twisty country lanes, but oh boy that 3.7 litre engine is a dream. If you can pick one up at a decent price I doubt you’ll regret it.

Roadster 3.7 evolution is not documented too well time wise. I would avoid pre 2015 versions though due to possibility of rev hang which mysteriously disappeared in later production. I say this as it seems MMC never officially recognised it in its worst form, although an alternate ECU was made available for a while at considerable cost to customers.

Around the same time the drivers footwell, on rhd cars at least, had the bulkhead width increased to form a cavity to better accommodate your right foot. See below showing outside of same taking up full width to bonnet catch.



In August 2018 a narrower handed gearbox cover was used with multiple bends in the sides to hug the large gearbox, benefiting driver and passenger footwells.

Perhaps the biggest improvement was the entirely new five link rear coil sprung suspension introduced in April 2018. Brackets welded to the live axle accommodated parallel trailing links above and below axle and each side, with a diagonal panhard rod for lateral location. Coil over dampers provided the actual suspension medium. This was a huge improvement in axle location over the leaf spring setup which in its earliest form employed just one trailing arm as a sop to the massive torque from the Cyclone engine. So much so SSL offer a retro fit version to convert leaf spring models.

A easy fix to the very heavy clutch action on earlier models was to simply remove the pedal mounted return spring. It's simply not needed as eventually recognised by MMC some time before 2018.

Bear in mind that the last of the production run ones with a few options ticked would easily cost the first owner upwards of £65k

Also worth bearing in mind that as a sales boost to the 110 year production in 2019 very many options were offered FOC giving savings of up to £10,000, so without doubt this year of production will be well spec'd.

I think the VED on some Roadsters is also a problem. The VED regime changed at various times so some Roadster are as much as £735 a year VED:

https://www.parkers.co.uk/morgan/roadster/roadster-2004/car-tax/

My 2018 Roadster is only £195.

Yes the later Roadsters, April 2017 on, now only have to pay the VED base rate of £195 once over six years old.