Talk Morgan Forums Thread Like Summary - Is The Seven Year Itch At Play?

Good day All,

While this pertains to my 4/4, I assume it applies to all cars. Or perhaps not?

So, I've had my 4/4 80th for just over six years now have been struggling a bit over the last few seasons in regards to not being drawn to drive it much. The emotional attachment to it hasn't diminished whatsoever!

A bit of background:
It was Easter weekend 2016 when I decided that I wanted to get a weekend/toy car and having been in the UK for a year at that point and settled, it was time. To cut a long story short, I knew it was a 4/4 that I was wanting to order due to budget and was informed by Henry at Williams that Morgan had just announced the 80th Anniversary Edition. He fired over the price list and press release and 5 mins later I placed my deposit. This even before I even drove one!

The whole process was fantastic. From visiting the factory for the first time, to then viewing swatches and spec'ing my car, to countless visits to watch my build in various stages etc. The first year was riddled with a bit of snagging and then the next three had me going on countless drives, attending shows and the pinnacle of the whole experience up until now was taking the Morgan from here to Greece, with visits to multiple places in-between, over three weeks.

The following year had me using my then Land Rover Defender 90 and experiencing green laning, tours etc. The following year had me enter the world of Porsche and the Morgan sat for most of that year. Covid then hit and for the very few times I was allowed to leave the house, it was the Porsche I took. Fast forward to this spring and I sold the Porsche as it was clear having two sports cars for me wasn't working. As mentioned, the Morgan has a place in my heart.

However, I just don't find myself driving it much at all or being tempted to go for a random drive. I do take it out from time to time to keep it moving which normally is a short trip to a cafe for a brew and then back.

Is this normal? I've never had a car this long and question if I'm keeping it just cause of the journey and memories I have in the car or perhaps this is normal and the need/desire to always drive it isn't necessarily important. I've contemplated selling it for a Porsche but I've done that twice already and not as keen as I once was. The Defender 90, previous gen, is a strong pull as well. I know it's not a Morgan but for me it provided that quirky British experience and one that can be had all year round and in all weather conditions. Or perhaps I'm just jaded and bored!

Has anyone else gone through this with their Morgan? Normal?

Thanks for listening!

Perry

I have a different perspective. Crap roads are crap in any car, but if it’s an interesting and engaging road, it can still be a great drive, you just don’t want to be going faster than the road is suitable for. Too many people, big SUVs, idiots, those all tend to use main arterial routes, give yourself more time and don’t use them.
A Morgan is one of very few cars which doesn’t suddenly become naff old junk as soon as the next latest one comes along, it’s always an attractive thing to look at and an object of desire.
Life is indeed short, all the more reason not to sell your Morgan and give up like all the other lemmings rushing around in swarms, oblivious to their ever diminishing time on Earth and the futility of their pursuits. Enjoying yourself is about the most important thing you can do, a bit of selfish enjoyment makes you a better person in so many ways and enjoyment is infectious, you’ll indirectly improve the day of many others around you.

One other consideration, and perhaps this is too whimsical a thought; however, I have purchased vehicles before (from friends) and promised them first refusal if I decided to sell it on again. Perhaps this is worth considering if you're worried about regretting the sale? I appreciate this works better if you sell to a friend or within the community but I'd like to believe that most people would honour that request and offer you your ex-car back should they chose to sell it in the future. Of course there is no guarantee that they'll sell it but equally there is no guarantee that you'll want it back. Just a thought.

I appreciate that this doesn't solve your conundrum but perhaps it alleviates some of the concern about making a mistake?

Morgans do fill a niche that does seem to buck the trend of the constant marketing pressure to upgrade to the latest model; although, I am not certain we won't see a move towards that with future products because of a need to manage the investment / ROI. This is something quite special and definitely a positive in my mind; therefore, it would be a shame to lose it. There is too much in-built redundancy in modern products (real or perceived) and I'm not keen on it.

Perry, you mentioned Porsche, to my mind, you can achieve some of the feel of 'no need to upgrade' and driving something a little special if you look to the 993 and older. The 993 is young enough to not suffer most of the foibles associated with a classic but old enough to feel special. To a large extent, the same can be said for the 964. 1989 and older you move into classic territory but again, if cared for, they are wonderful vehicles. Whether they would fill the place of a Morgan comes down to the individual.

What I do know is that there is no such thing as automotive nirvana. I chased it for many years and the saying 'horses for courses' comes to mind. A Defender 90 does what it was intended to do very well but driving them on-road for long journeys is tiring and the moment a fast section of twisty road unfolds in front of you, a sports car would be preferable. Sitting on a motorway, at 70mph, for hours on end can be done in a noisy low sports car but I'd rather be in an efficient, comfortable, safe vehicle with the ability to listen to music, podcasts or audio books. And on and on but you get my gist. Driving for pleasure is something you have to want to do and my sign of a good car, no matter what it is, is one that you park, walk away from and then take a glance back over your shoulder at it for another look... silly but those are the cars that I enjoy the most.

I've had a lot of Morgans over a lot of years, I do still love them..........however........I sold my last one because the world has moved on too much for a morgan for me now, there's too much traffic, the roads are crap and there are too many dangerous drivers out there. Sitting at the same height as a 4x4 exhaust or wheel hub make me feel too vulnerable.
So many Morgans end up as garage ornaments doing a hand full of miles per year between MOT's.
Don't be scared of selling if you're not using it, there's so many other options out there and life's waaaay too short....!

Park up your other toys and use the Morgan for absolutely everything for a month ... long trips, short trips, grocery shopping, all weathers ... it'll either re-fire your love or decide you to get rid !! 😁


K

I tend to find no matter how well you store something, a vehicle does tend to degrade more rapidly when not regularly used.

I've had to sell my 4 seater Roadster because of a fall at Xmas when I hurt my back, making it uncomfortable getting in and out and depressing the clutch. I was sad to see it go, I had just got it running the way I wanted it to (within the limitations of a Morgan) and to be honest 4 or so months on I don't miss it. I do have access to other convertible cars, so the open air aspect of Morganeering is catered for. Of course they are always a talking point when you stop and the admiring glances, but it wears thin after a while and not always IMHO enough to justify just having a car sitting there and its probably not doing the car any good either

I've just come back from Ireland and to get to and from the ferry port are miles of speedhumps and pretty hard work in a low slung conventional sports car, it would be nail bitingly hard work in a Morgan, which would have me on edge and dreading that part of the journey. I don't need that anxiety in my life.

So If I was you, life is too short, if your head is telling you its time to move on, but the heart is fixed on some former utopian rose tinted glasses view of the past.....maybe its time to listen to the head and find something else to fall in love with, whilst you still can. I've found from experience nothing is irreplaceable and I tend to agree with Talkmorgan a 993 Porsche has the right balance of modern features with still relatively old fashioned engineering and driving feel. that will bring a smile to your face when driven enthusiastically within a much lower performance envelope than a modern Porsche, so you are much more likely to enjoy yourself more and still keep your licence.

What ever you do, all the best., there is bound to be something else out there that will stir your juices and get the excitement back to your motoring.

We have come out of a very strange period. Covid restrictions.
Our regular routines were stopped suddenly. We had to adapt to very strange day to day life.
It takes time to revert to what we did before and yet there are lingering thoughts persisting.
Can I ? Should I? Will I?
During the restrictions we used the Morgan for shopping to keep it running. As restrictions eased it took a while to use it as before. Eventually a return to pre covid normality returned.
Next thing to evolve has been planned future ownership. Getting older means less time to enjoy things as the trip to the ever-after looms. How many people do we know who were unable to enjoy life in later years? The “do it while you can” feeling is important. Less inclination to spend time maintaining an ageing and increasing mileage car. I still wanted a Morgan but to use and enjoy with reduced garage time.
Plumped for a Plus Four.
Expensive but a clear step forward. Comfort, performance, enjoyment. Comparing it on two long trips....Scotland from West Wales. 2022 in the Plus8 versus 2023 in the Plus Four.2023 was a better experience and has encouraged more future use. A 500 mile return journey home with a couple of comfort breaks was no problem and I felt good on arrival.
Used mainly in normal auto mode with a few Sport/S+/paddle sessions and easily 45+ mpg with daily 200+ mile runs, hitting 50mpg on half of them. Do I miss the Plus8? Not really. The refinements outweigh the previous “old school” Morgan characteristics. I seem to have outgrown this liking of the driving an older car and having to consider spending time on keeping it running. Drive and enjoy but cut back on the maintenance enjoyment.
Now, how can I also start fishing again....?

On reading the comments above it would appear that driving the English roads is no longer the visceral pleasure it used to be and one needs to be on the roads the other side of the borders to have that real enjoyment. I am very lucky as just driving to the local shops is via quiet twisting mountain roads with gorgeous views a pure Morgan experience. Then of course we have the open roads where you can drive for hours without seeing many others taking in the sights of the long straight roads disappearing into the horizon with brilliant blue skies and white puffy clouds. Today is a gorgeous day and writing this has stimulated the yearning to go somewhere for lunch, so now which one to take the M3W or the +8???? If you don't have the desire to take the Morgan out or just find excuses not too then it is probably not for you.

Peter, John.....
Covid first. The psychological influence slowed down lifestyles and recovery time to pre-Covid varied from person to person. The changes it introduced are still there with working from home that is still there for some, back of the mind thoughts on where/when/how we travel. Personally I have regained near full pre-Covid confidence with a few “shall I?” thoughts if considering some out of the ordinary trips.
Now the Plus Four. Last year I did the same trip as this year but in the two different cars. Yes, DIFFERENT. Still Morgans but subtle ( more some than others) differences. Comfort and ride quality better. Seats better with more adjustments for length, back rake, pump up bladder. Performance better ( yes due to more bhp and turbo with kick down giving great punch). Economy significantly better. Tank capacity a minor issue as using the 250 mile guide to plan refuelling, doing +/- 200 miles a day meant basically filling up when near the hotel at the end of the run. No big deal. Back home, used for everyday including going to golf etc.. The Plus8 sound is gone but that is no real loss ( heresy I hear you say). The auto option gives easy driving but the manual shift options are there if wanted. I have only done a few short Sport/Sport+/paddle sessions so still learning that aspect. Kickdown gives a punch. I can visualise why some Plus6 test drives ended in disaster for over enthusiastic inexperience might have led to loss of control. Taking your time to build up a feel for the car is the way to go. I intend doing some tests on local known roads for learning Sport/Sport+/paddle driving.
So, John, I think the car in auto is an easy drive with comfort. Well worth looking at for both of you to drive.
The cost! I don’t regret it. It has meant I can stay in Morgan ownership in a modern version.
sospan

I recently sold my Morgan after 6 years plus of ownership. On two occasions I removed the advert from sale worrying about sellers remorse etc. In the end I let it go which was horrible to see it being driven off down the road.

I sold it because the wife would no longer join me in the car, she says it’s too uncomfortable. All was good in 2017 when I first bought it, we went out quite a lot together. Over the last few years I was using it less and less, and I couldn’t justify the value of the car sat in the garage not being used as it should. I know some on here would say it’s ok to go out on your own, but it didn’t feel right for me.

The plan was to buy something else for both to enjoy, but there’s nothing jumping out at me to buy and my garage is still empty.

So far I’m ok with no Mog, ask me in a few months time and I might feel different.

All very interesting, thought provoking and comments that resonated a lot.

I think for me it is down to changing what I find enjoyable for the limited time I have for a drive plus also a desire to make new memories in a different way if that makes sense. I had the privilege of going through the spec process, watching the build etc. At the moment I think others around me get more joy out of seeing it than I do for what little use it gets. If funds could allow I would get the vehicle I am keen to get into but I can not justify having a third car when it's just me.

I've placed an ad on here earlier today and hope it gets approved soon. I know I will 100% have sellers remorse but I can look forward to new adventures.

For those wondering, it's a Defender 90 that I am eyeing up. I had a Puma a few years back which I sold for the 718 Porsche. Won't bore you with the reasoning behind that! However, while I totally enjoyed my stint with Porsche, I never stopped looking back at the Defender I sold and to this day an Aintree Green Defender 90 has me whipping my head to get a look! In a way, it ticks a few boxes that drove me to Morgan. Quintessentially British, hand made, questionable build quality from time to time and flawed in many ways. But the love there is strong!

I know exactly where you are coming from! Every time I have sold off one of my Land Rovers I have ended up looking for another within a year. The present one stays until I can no longer drive. Have thought of selling the 4/4 several times as I hardly use it, but it's now the wrong time of year, so it will get a few runs out before next spring, then we'll see. It mostly boils down to the struggle to exit (no problem entering, hood down) and the necessity of wearing a different set of (narrow) footwear so I won't use it for short trips,

I sold my 2010 Land Rover Puma 110 SX station wagon in February, Owned since new and sadly missed! It was immaculate and only 28,000 miles. I would have kept it but I found everything getting just too difficult to look after, too heavy, although I loved driving it and the flexibility it offered in use. I've been an LR man since the age of 19 and this Puma was always going to be my last.
I probably sold it too cheap as the phone never stopped and at the end I had people racing to see it from all over the place ;and even though I had told them I had booked a viewing three insisted on setting off just in case the chap hadn't wanted it. He did! and was desperately trying to bank transfer the money before I could sell to anyone else, Of course I wouldn't have, a promise is after all a promise!
So I had always wanted a Morgan and quickly I found I was lost without my toy to fettle so I bit the bullet and in some respects I have my Defender back as mechanically they are very similar. Remarkably though the Defender has better build quality but at least I have my toy back! I'm now feeling a little more settled and enjoying the Morgan for what it is, easy to work on, drives with family members and seeing how each gets a different type of pleasure from it, and for me? Well, not having to have a reason to go out in it other than for enjoyment!

RAMBLE ALERT...
This has been a rather interesting thread given the cross section through that which may be the past, and more importantly recent baby boomer experience in things automotive, as well as perceptions of altering values as we make our way through life with ever ageing bodies..

As ever a blue collar type, my earnings were so related. Fortunately for me, I was mechanically minded and machines ever fascinated me from my earliest days.

My first car was a frog eye Sprite and a steep lesson in the way corrosion can affect structural integrity.. As the years passed I came to own an old 60`s Lotus Elan, a Europa, all be it with a Renault engine, for sure MGB and Miget along with Soitfire, hot Mini`s, Ford Escorts and more, all mostly dragged out of scrap yards or saved from a slow death rotting quietly in back gardens and the like, all of which equated to a reasonably wide range of automotive experience gained in time.

I had ever considered the Porsche 911 to be no more than a souped up Beetle, which I suppose was pretty close to the truth..?

I guess my Porsche appreciation eventually came about as the result of reading many articles in the classic press which reported Porsche winning in sporting events as diverse as the Paris Dakar and 24hrs at Le Mans. Thus during the 70`s fuel crisis I swapped my Mk1 Jensen Interceptor (7672cc Chrysler V8..!) for a well rotted 60`s Porsche 912, which I nailed together over the period of a year or so. During that year I came to appreciate just how well engineered the Porsche was, and once on the road the hook was set, thus over the next decade and more, followed the ownership of a 77 911 and then an 82, 911 SC.. Compared to all else I had worked on before these air cooled Porsches felt as if carved out of the solid and ready to go anywhere any time... Corrosion issues...? Porsche had started galvanising the bodies circa 1977 on, though in the 90`s at ten years old I was repairing some corrosion on my SC.... and that was circa 30 years ago, what that car or any of it`s type might be like today...Buyer beware...?

Porsche has been around and ever evolving over baby boomer lifetimes, and as such it would seem nostalgia may play a part in creating our Porsche ideals relative to a particular model year or type..if we have any such,,?

As for the 993, I had the opportunity to test one such and over my favourite roads at it`s UK launch and thought it a wonderfully competent machine, though on climbing back into my then 100k mile SC, I had driven no more than a mile before I came to think that the 993 had evolved to become a GT compared to the sports car which my 911 SC was, and that the 993 required to be driven at a much higher rate of knots to provide the a similar sense of driver involvement as that of my old SC. The 993 was smoother, more comfortable, easier to drive fast, with it`s servo brakes, power steering and new front and rear suspension design, thus gone was the degree of nervousness', effort and degree of skill required to keep my old Porsche out of the hedges, all of which made the 911 a somewhat involving driving experience, more so than the 993. Who was it said relativity plays a part..? Each to their own.

I have oft typed of searching for a more involved driving experience, and ended up owning my rebuilt 85/6 +8, bought in 2002 to enjoy driving around the loch-side roads and through the glens hereabouts, though my good lady had ideas of a visit to Le Mans, then a year later driving down to Andalusia, and home via Portugal. Our next European adventure was down to Sorrento, thus in those early years of Morgan ownership I experienced quite a bit of .. err.. "driver involvement," and perhaps more importantly also learned just how reliable a pre digital Morgan can be, even on such lengthy trips, I suspect even today it could match it`s previous performance, now having owned it for circa 21years..

After those early Morgan adventures I then set about a self build home extension project, which doubled the volume of our house the major part of which took me circa 7 years, and during that time the old Mog lived in the garage surrounded by building materials of all types, and as the project eased off the effect of the works on my 60 + stiffening body, which also around that time had enjoyed the addition of a couple of stents in my heart.... Thus on blood thinners and feeling the cold more than before, the thought of trying to access and egress the +8 caused me to consider selling it and replacing it with a tin top sports car. I did half heartedly mention on here that I was interested in selling the old Mog, which never came to anything, but my tin top thinking came to a head during Covid lockdown when I bought a rather nice Porsche Carrera 4S as opposed to my initial idea of buying another 911 SC or perhaps 3.2 Carrera....

Why the C4S..? My good lady had become used to driving her automatic cars for a few years and as part of the excuse to buy a PDK equipped Porsche was that it could double up as transport for her if/when her car might be off the road... Sandra had driven my SC in the 90`s and enjoyed it, but on arriving home having spent her day with the 991, she proclaimed "this car really suits me, the seat fits perfectly and is very comfortable, I have good all round vision, even in the mirrors, and I like the performance too......RESULT..?

In time we had issues with her car, which on the first occasion took LR three weeks before they could look at it, a similar fault a month or two later and the estimate was seven weeks before they could book it in... Enough was enough. By this time My good lady had become unwell, but still determined to enjoy life, she decided that a Tesla might just be the way to go.... She put a lot of time into researching everything related to all things Tesla, unfortunately she never ever got to drive her Tesla, though we did have one run in it together.

Today I have through accident more than design come to own three cars, both the Morgan and now Porsche have varying degrees of sentimental value attached, and the Tesla suits the old man I have become... Hmm..!

The 991 is far more of a GT than the 993 ever was, and like the 993 is likely to be in comparison, in that back in the 90`s while the 993 was so much easier during braking, handling corners, and accelerating than my old SC ever could be, thus times for the 993 from A to B, even when sticking to speed limits on A and B roads would have been quite a bit less than that of my SC , however in that regard even more than the in the 993, the 991 would again be quite a bit faster A to B at road legal speeds though the 991 is also likely to be even less involved as a driver experience than my old SC as best I remember it.

If you might think the four wheel drive of the 991C4S might make it impossible to enjoy in any way, other than at the very high speeds it`s circa 400 HP can take it to.... think again (-: Should you care to beam up this vid, you might find it interesting...?



While the C4S is a wonderful machine, given the amount of sensors and wiring in it`s makeup, it is unlikely to match the reliability or build quality in some areas of my then 10 year old SC, or for that matter even my old Morgan, given the Morgan had the benefit of a nut and bolt strip down and rebuild by a renown Morgan expert, who was the chap I bought it from..

I would not have bought any water cooled 911 derivative Porsche pre 997.2, given the possible engine issues.

On the other hand, the Tesla fits well into my required usage as a "daily" and used irregularly, only ever charged at home given it`s circa 270 mile Summer usage range, and thus likely to be in use until I may no longer drive as it is so simple to use.

During more recent years the old Mog was hardly made use of from Covid on, and for obvious other reasons, however I did tax it at the start of Sept and had it out for a run on a nice warm day.... Boy did it make me feel alive again, whether driving reasonably quickly with it`s exhaust roaring, or just bumbling along narrow lanes soaking in all that was around me...If your Morgan Porsche or whatever car was once thought of as special, by you, can no longer can provide enough pleasure and sense of well being on each occasion you fire it up.... Then perhaps it is time to look elsewhere to find some sense of engagement that might better fit one`s evolving circumstances.

I wish you all the best of luck in your choices..

Apologies for missing this Ewan.

I've since looked at a few and even put an offer on one that was agreed but after a brew and a think, it didn't feel right so I didn't go through with it. I kept comparing what I was looking at to my previous 90.

So, I took a punt and paid for one of those full vehicle checks various websites offer and ran it on mine to see what I can find out. Said report also included two recent sale listings from this past Feb, along with pics! It was nice to see it was clearly being well looked after. It was then I noticed an odd vanity plate so I googled it and a dealership came up. I took a punt and emailed them to see if they were in fact the seller from Feb and explained how I was a former owner and that if by chance it ever comes back to him that I would be interested in buying it. It turns out that not only was he the seller but he was the one who bought it from the Porsche dealer I did a px with. It went to his mate but then covid hit and it sat hardly used so he bought it back and ran it for two years and sold it to a good customer of his this Feb.

Well, call it fate, but the current owner had been in touch with him the previous week saying that he'd like to trade it in for a camper van. The market has cooled significantly so the current owner is not liking the pill he'd have to swallow if he did sell it and asked for a few days to mull it over. I should be happy that it wasn't an automatic NO.

I've since had a few chats with the dealer arranging it and was told he hopes to have an answer for me today. Fingers crossed this works out!

By the sound of it, you’ve nothing to lose by waiting, other landies will come along and not everyone can be bothered hanging out for top dollar. Added to that, across the board, ransom prices for anything at all can be asked but doesn’t seem to be achieved.

Perry

I think Morgans and Land Rovers make good companions - if nothing else they share the " we start them, you finish them" philosophy. Which I guess is why so many people here - including me - have them.
i
I also share the dilemma expressed on this thread. I have owned my +8 for 21 years now, having bought it from new (my second new car), but in the last few years I have barely done 200 miles a year in it. I should really let her go, but the "pleasure of ownership" factor, right or wrong, keeps it in my Garage, I also still enjoy making plans for developing it though, I initially set it up for touring and commuting, but now I keep planning on moving to a Cafe Racer style, lose the spare wheel, bumpers, set up a cut-down windscreen, permanently detach the hood et al, knowing full well that none of this will actually happen but the planning is fun.

The Defender, also bought new in 2012 suffers from the same mileage issue as the Morgan, Living on an Island 9 * 5 for which I am out of for 4 - 5 months a year, an improving bus service and a decreasing desire to drive just for the sake of driving has meant that it has a mileage of just under 9k and that includes a trip to Spain! . Coupled with the fact that the Defender has to stay outside under trees because I have quite constrained space means it should also be sold. But it is SUCH a good vehicle for the Jersey roads.

I have thought long and hard about selling and came to the conclusion that one should go, probably the Morgan but with my usual dithering actually got very close to buying a 3rd car. But that is another story.

Having said all that we are currently being hammered by Storm Cieran, at about midnight last night we had a flurry of golf ball sized hail stones, that genuinely sounded like someone was hitting the windows with a hammer, it only lasted a minute or so but if they hit the Defender they would have caused severe damage. It is too dangerous to go outside at the moment to check it out, the wind has dropped, but is still gusting to 80mph. Wind direction was to the rear of the house whereas the Defender was at the front so fingers crossed.