Talk Morgan Forums Thread Like Summary - So what do I really think some 7 months on...

As I was sitting in a lengthy queue of traffic on Sunday,roof down in the blistering sun, heading south inching down Blackpool prom, taking us the best part of 40 minutes to travel a couple of miles.......I thought thank goodness, I'm in the CX. The air conditioning was doing quite well to cope under the circumstances, the auto just handled everything as we inched forward,, despite the heat and the lenghty time spend idling, the water temp guage was rock steady, we were listening to Sue's choice of music and all was well with the world,

Had I been in any of my trads, I'm sure I would have reached an entirely different conclusion as to the enjoyment factor of that particular journey.. Sunday. just built on the great journeys I've had in it, eg a few days earlier to and from Lifes, , where the car performed brillantly, felt like it was on rails and it moves when it needs to. Living with it as a daily driver is much less of a compromise, than I expected, even in the depths of winter it was good fun.

Yes, it has a frustrating clunk in the drive train, the wipers for some reason have also developed a heavy clunk when the come to the farest point in their sweep.......nothing obvious no idea whats causing that,or as to what's going on underneath. These type of things would have been really annoying to me in the past, but I've enjoyed the day to day living with the car so much. I'm more than prepared to forgive these 'inconveniences' and will get them investigated in the winter. I've still to sort out all the gaps which create's cold draughts, I'm getting used to them so, maybe it's part of the charm that reminds you, despite all the advancements. it's still a Morgan. The draughts are probably keeping me more honest to the brand.I doubt if I would have been as accomodating and forgiving with my trads, as I would have felt I've already compromised on the ride quality, footwell space, heating, cooling, lights etc...........compared to other open topped cars.

Of course it helps that I enjoy the high specification of the car, the wood dash, consul and steering wheel are so traditional Morgan, I feel at home everytime I get into the car.............don't use it for a few days and I get a welcoming leather smell as I open the door. I'm not known for keeping cars, but this one has hit the spot, I would like a Supersport, but with each passing day I'm not so sure I want to part with this one. It's not perfect by any means, but it comes close.....as Sue says what more do you want or could ask for?


It's a long way away from my first Morgans, less pure, less of a challenge to drive, but it keeps me dry, warm/cool as appropriate, but it does the most important job extremely well and that is keeping me driving a Morgan.

Very interesting reflections on buying and owning a newer Morgan, Jon, your comment about hill starts and handbrake release rang true with me, I have never really got the hang of it, it's just an uncomfortable position added to the silly power available from the V6 engine, I often find myself off down the road at a speed not appropriate to my wishes so we are off today to try out a plus four auto, in the hope that it will prove to be more comfortable, and smoother to drive, my back will thank me I know, as for the knees well that's a different story, getting old is really no fun at all, I am trying hard not to give in, I'm only 18 in my head. This will likely be my last new morgan, next is the electric buggy where I can jion in with the footpath cowboys just off the coach.
I will update you on the outcome of the road test and subsequent purchase or not depending how sharp Dan's pencil is.

All of this must be compared against spending 60-100k on a new car and losing half in depreciation in three years. SiL with his W12 A8 gets 23mpg, tax is ,£790, but depreciation is negligible, because it's so old that it has bottomed out, at least for now, and it's a fantastic car. Same really on my Golf GTD. No depreciation. And low road tax plus 58/60mpg. Why would I change that for anything new?

Keep a car long enough and depreciation melts away. Sometimes reverses!

Simon re the imagined market evaluation of a 993 C2S all be it with 10k miles on the clock.... The phrase..Nuts or what, immediately comes to mind..?

As I suspect I have typed previously on TM.

The UK launch of the 993 took place at Cameron house on Loch Lomond, which I attended in my then 1982 circa 100k mile 911 SC, as ever with Porsche philosophy at the time each new iteration on the 911 theme required to produce both more horse power and improved fuel economy over the model it superseded.

I found the 993 to have become perhaps a tad too modern creating a more comfortable cabin and requiring less concentration to drive at the sort of speeds wherein my old SC, one felt fully engaged.... and given I drove the 993 over some of my favoured roads on the day, I was pretty sure that my ultimate assessment was reasonably realistic....

I suspect an SC in the condition mine was when I sold it in the late 90`s, if available today with circa 100k miles on it, the market value might be at a minimum £45k..... My Morgan despite all the skill, care and attention to detail which Kevin put into rebuilding it to match his idea of a perfect Morgan at the time, today might have a market value of less than half that of the imagined Porsche, even though my +8 has currently less than half the mileage of the Porsche... No point in arguing with the market is there...?

When I sold my SC in the late 90`s for as best I can remember £11k, and my next fun car with a break of perhaps 5 years or so, was in fact the Morgan I still own, which I bought in early 2002as as Kevin`s nut and bolt rebuild of a circa 8k mile mid 80`s Mog Kevin described as a "barn find" when he purchased it, for which I paid £20k with circa 8k miles on the clock Kevin having owned it only for a short time and put very few miles on it..

I suspect the 993 C2S I drove at the launch would be lucky to have had 10 miles on the clock, as it with others were delivered to the hotel by transporter. The idea of even a new 993 were it available today with zero miles on the clock being worth that which the market might value a 10k mile example today.... ? I can only reiterate Nuts or what..?

I suspect one would require to be very wealthy and also a die hard Porsche enthusiast. to buy into any such high value air cooled Porsche, and actually add to the recorded mileage by driving it...?

Not entirely sure about the way my thought process and priorities have altered over the years, when at the time I had given up on a few decades of Porsche air cooled ownership, after spending a day in the company of the new 993, I thought even to begin to feel really engaged driving 993 to the extent required in my old SC, other than the increased low down torque, I would require to be driving at speeds perhaps 30 mph or more over the same type of roads than I would enjoy in my SC, and that would definitely take one into licence risking territory... if I apply the technological "advance" from the 993 to that of my 991.1 C4S.... Yeah to feel engaged in the drive takes in the 991 takes on a whole new meaning... ! No wonder track day driving became so popular for the average sports car enthusiast.... Not that I do track days any more... I have accrued way too much mechanical sympathy over the years, along with the idea of the cost of paying someone else to replace an engine or gearbox... tips the balance towards behaving a tad more akin to the expectations of the pensioner I have become. (-:

Truth be told in reasonable weather I prefer driving my old +8 considerably more so than my I might enjoy driving my C4S, and that in the Mog one feels as if driving at 100mph, when one is only doing 50mph, whereas in the C4S that is completely reversed, and that is indeed licence shredding territory.... There a few other advantages to my old Trad +8 over the 991 thus in general the returns on the "investment" in my Morgan will I suspect ever far exceed any expectation I have in any measure of returns in the Porsche... (-:

I wasn't in the, enviable, position to drive a 993 from new but I enjoyed reading your anecdote about the launch. People who know far more than I have relayed the opinion that the 993 was the last 911 which was designed by engineers, with little to no input from the accountants! Whether this is true or not, I cannot say but I do know that I've spent many hours behind the wheel of 993s, that are now thirty+ years old, and they are both rattle/squeak free and feel solid. I've only owned one late SC (89) and it was similar - very well built and felt engineered, rather than built by committee. The 996 I remember less kindly, whilst the 997 was a more positive step forward again.

I was interested to read your further musings, as to whether you'd still feel the same about the 993, especially after the ownership of your 991, were you to revisit it. Personally, the 993 strikes the perfect balance of classic and modern. Driving one is a sense of occasion, without feeling like a chore. There is more than enough power for the car to feel dynamic and lithe but it remains analogue in the power delivery, without systems needing to intervene to either put the power down or keep the car on the road / driver safe!

As for a very low mileage C2S hitting £240,00+fees and not selling, I'd concur... crazy!