A "MOGGIE" is a Morgan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
You want a MORRIE Minor.
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A "MOGGIE" is a Morgan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Seems it can be both according to Google, though I've always associated it with Minors... and so do this lot, who should know!
www.selfdriveclassics.co.uk/cars/morris.html
And as the OP is on about cheap purchase I think its more likely to be a Minor than a Morgan!
Edited by b308 on 08/02/2010 at 14:23
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Thank you to everyone that has replied so far. I'd just like to comment on a few of the points raised.
I'm not looking to take the test in one, I will be using my instructor's car.
I'd love to hire one to try it out but as I said, I haven't passed my test yet.
I'm not looking to buy a convertible but thank you for the advice.
Crash-worthiness: I really hope I never have to find out.
Just to add a little more: I'm looking for a 50s Minor, I'm looking to spend around £2500 on it. It's not because I think 'awww, look isn't it cute' it's because I like the design of cars up until the sixties and I think something like a MM would be common enough that the parts would be easy to find (or cast if necessary). There are plenty of other cars I'd like but they're all older, far less common and I imagine they'd be far more difficult to drive and maintain.
I'd like to learn how to fix a car and make it run and I think that will be a hell of a lot easier without microchips and complicated electronics getting in the way. I'm not looking for a project but I am happy to have something to maintain and possibly improve. I'm not a 17 year old looking for something super-cheap, I'm 26 and looking for a car that will last me a good few years. I'm well aware that it won't be the easiest thing to deal with having learnt in a modern car but I'm prepared to persevere.
One last thing, all those people saying that 5'1" isn't short clearly haven't had the humiliation of having to ask middle aged women to reach something on the top shelf in the supermarket for them.
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Sir will be aware that various cars are available which have had uprated components (such as disk brakes, engines, transmissions, etc.) fitted. These deny your vehicle a place in the originality stakes, but are useful if you are going to drive the car.
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uprated components
Ah yes BTK, a Minor with disc brakes, five-speed gearbox and (if desired) a Rover V8 engine would be another matter... but might cost a bit if any good.
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What, like this?
tinyurl.com/y9shv4f
Although it might be difficult to see where you are going.
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Crash-worthiness: I really hope I never have to find out.
Unfortunately, the chances are that you will. All new drivers think that they are invincible and that they'll never be involved in a road accident. All new drivers think that road accidents are something which only happens to other people. Insurance/accident statistics prove them wrong.
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A "MOGGIE" is a Morgan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. You want a MORRIE Minor.
Maybe it depends where you live. I've always known it as a Moggie Minor and I've never ever heard the phrase Morrie Minor before
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998 or 1098 cc Minors are the best - don't get a split-screen for a daily driver.
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I've always known it as a Moggie Minor and I've never ever heard the phrase Morrie Minor before
+1
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I've always known it as a Moggie Minor and I've never ever heard the phrase Morrie Minor before
tinyurl.com/ylh27qe
"The much-loved Minor, affectionately known as the "Moggie", was finally phased out of production in 1972 after notching up sales of 1,619,958"
There are many other examples "out there".
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I own a Morris Minor, it is kept in a garage and is used for high days and holidays as a bit of fun. I wouldn't dream of using it as a daily driver.
I think the OP would be better off finding a Ford Fiesta or similar for daily use. Having said that a neighbour of mine uses a Morris Minor convertible for daily use.
Incidentally my Minor shares a garage with a Morgan 4/4, it is agreed that the Morris may be referred to as "The Moggie", while the Morgan is referred to as "The Morgan".
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I don't expect to be invincible but I hope to be careful. I concede that I'll have been driving for a far shorter time than most people on the road, I live in a small town in a rural area with roads that I don't really know so I'd rather take my time to get to know them than race around like a demon. As most of my friends say: Once you've passed your test, then you learn to drive.
As for using it for occasional or fun use, I really don't have that option.
My sister has a Ford Fiesta, it's the only car she's had since she passed her test and she's had it five years. It's served her well but it's had its share of problems including a complete engine rebuild a few years ago. It doesn't have power steering, I have no idea whether or not it has airbags but it's a fairly basic little car. If I'm going to have a fairly basic little car I'd rather have one that I like.
As for originality; while so far the safety aspects aren't enough to put me off, I'm not an idiot. I'd rather have some modern updates because (as was said earlier) that kind of progress has been for a reason. I have no plans to kit it out with alloys or a phat exhaust but upgrading to disc brakes seems like a sensible idea. As I said, I'm quite happy to spend some time and money gradually upgrading a vehicle. If that greatly offends purists then so be it but I don't just plan to be a Sunday driver. It'll be a working car, not a museum piece.
Thank you everyone for your comments so far, hopefully my height (or lack thereof) shouldn't be an issue. If anyone has any further comments then I'd like to hear them, thank you again.
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Go and sit in one, and imagine how you would REVERSE it . . . . . . .
Visibility was tricky for me and I am 6"2" and ours had the large rear screen!
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Billy,
For a novice, you seem to have thought this plan through pretty well.
Don't listen to those who say a Minor isn't up to daily use - a garage I worked for used the pick-up version as a breakdown tender for years.
I'd suggest having a go in one to make sure you can live with the general performance, road noise, etc.
It might not be brilliant on the motorway, although it should cruise at 60/70mph, which means you will not be getting in anyone's way.
You are on the right lines to consider upgrading the car for modern use.
Electrics can be weak and an alternator is easy enough to fit, although Minors start easily enough on the starting handle, thanks to an electric fuel pump.
Brakes is something else worth looking it.
Our pick-up had rubbish brakes, but it didn't really matter because when you are towing with a chain, much of the braking responsibility is down to the towed vehicle.
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Go for something in reasonable condition that's had an engine/gearbox/brake job done already.
Someone'll add to this, but look out for:
Bubbling rust around the headlamps and down the sides of the wings near the doors. New wings.
Cracking/plating around the fromt chassis members where the suspension bolts through.
Rust in the floorpan, especially adjacent to the sills (look underneath!), and the cross-member which has (or should have) the jacking points for the side-jack. Have the car jacked on these to ensure the thing won't collapse.
Carefully examine the underneath of the doors - the drain holes get bunged up, and the bottom rusts out.
Look for rust (rust, water marking on the inside) around the bottom of the windscreem.
You'll probably find a crack in the metal of the doors near the door pull. Oh well.
I'm not very familiar with the rear suspension of saloons, but the bodywork around the spring hangers (rear springs) can suffer from corrosion.
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its not really going to happen is it billy the kid
you live in a small town so chances are all the local time served mechanics that would know how to set the points or change a trunnion are now either dead or sitting in the pub drinking scrumpy
thats leaves the local pewgot dealership that simply doesnt want to know
and er you
hardly a first car for a height challenged novice in 2010
suggest get fiesta and buy minor as hobby and learn how it ticks
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Replying to Bell Boy:
I may live in a small town but there are plenty of garages in nearby towns (including at least one that specialises in older or classic vehicles). There are a lot of older cars around the area, it's not all Ford Focuses and Honda Civics so I'm pretty sure these people must have some way of maintaining them.
As I've said, I will only be buying one car and I won't be buying an extra one as a hobby. Partly due to the money involved and partly due to the space. I don't think it would be in my interests as a new driver to have two very different cars to learn to deal with, I think just coping with one will be enough. I may not be picking the easiest car to start out with, I've accepted that but as I pointed out in the OP, that wasn't the issue I was looking to address in this thread.
If you insist on telling me that it's unsuitable then could you elucidate further rather than just telling me to buy a Fiesta
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f you insist on telling me that it's unsuitable then could you elucidate further rather than just telling me to buy a Fiesta
>.
>>>
its sunday afternoon and you have a puncture
where would you place the jack?
what are the points settings?
who is going to lubricate the nipples every 3000 months and at what cost per hour in labour times
im not trying to be negative but from a personal perspective having spent my life in cars an old car is no fun if you cant maintain it yourself and from my perspective i wouldnt relish having to weld it up etc on a sunday morning if i was a novice
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BTK: bell boy is just warning you that you may be letting yourself in for more than you think. Even if you find, within budget, an example that is thoroughly sorted and not about to require expensive welding, you will still have to maintain it (notably in the area of keeping the ignition crisp). It's not very difficult but you have to know how to do it or know someone who does.
If you are determined and capable and have a little spare cash for emergencies, you can do it all right. But unless you are a certain sort of person you may end up wishing you hadn't chosen this path.
Good luck though whatever you do.
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To Bell Boy:
A point I raised in one of my earlier posts was that I'd like to learn about the mechanical workings of the car I have. I want to be able to learn to do all of those things and I don't want the added complication of modern electronics getting in the way. I don't want to buy something like a Fiesta, learn what needs to be done only to find that I have to take it into the garage anyway because it's an electrical or electronic problem that I have no way of fixing. As I have mentioned previously, I want to learn how to run a car and keep it running in ways other than just turning the ignition key and filling it up with petrol.
I'm not choosing a Minor because it's pretty, I'm choosing it because it's of an era that I like. Of any of the 50s or 60s cars still around it's still fairly common so that parts wouldn't be the issue it could be with something like a Wolseley or a Riley where working or well kept examples are becoming a real rarity. It also has the advantage that there are legions of people dedicated to keeping these cars on the road, people that will be more than happy to help a fellow owner find the parts or services they need.
I'm not looking to buy a Morris Minor because I think it's pretty or cute or kitsch, I want it because I love cars of that era. I know that an older car will take a great deal more maintenance than a modern car and I accept that as the price to pay for the car I want and I'm not going to scream or cry at the first hurdle. Of course I don't know how to do any of those things, I've never owned a car and I grew up in a carless household. These things will all come with time, experience and dedication.
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the local time served mechanics that would know how to set the points
You're joking, it's easy, and may even be in the owner's handbook, I can't remember. Doesn't need doing often, anyway - these things are pretty reliable.
or change a trunnion
Pah.
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FotheringtonThomas while i like your approach i guess you are a little older than billy
it therefore follows that he would need a steep learning curve to attain your abilities of setting points that do go off quite often if you remember correctly
next problems is parts availability ,you cant walk into halfords remember, you have to order things that we take for granted
as i said earlier unless billy can maintain an old car himself then labour rates will cripple him if he needs to maintain a moggy in road legal condition
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FotheringtonThomas .. i guess you are a little older than billy it therefore follows that he would need a steep learning curve
Everyone starts soewhere, and an old Morris is an easy place to start. I think you under-estimate the reliability of these cars, too - OK, they don't go 12,000 miles without being touched; they do need routine tasks doing, but these tend not to be too difficult.
as i said earlier unless billy can maintain an old car himself
I thought that was just what he said he would be doing!
Edit: He's 26, not a teenager.
Edited by FotheringtonThomas on 09/02/2010 at 14:14
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The flip side is that the car is worth spending money on - and worth upgrading over time, whereas the Fiesta will continue to fall in value to about £400, even if you cosset it every weekend.
I've had a Minor, and while I don't need another one, I can see the attraction. The worst case scenario is that after six months the OP will want to sell it, and not lose much if any money so long as he buys carefully.
Go for it.
Edited by oldnotbold on 09/02/2010 at 14:22
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I guess the OP has made up his mind and the more anyone tells him not to, the more determined he'll become to tread his own path. I hope he's got deep pockets and the ability to learn basic skills quickly.
I know of a few people that have been down this path.
1. Desperately wanted an MGB, but didn't have a garage or anywhere under cover to store it. Found one and used it as a daily driver with frequent trips to London, where it always overheated. Lived out in the sticks where it became a liability during the winter. The first year's bills exceeded the purchase price as they couldn't even change a (wire) wheel. Sold at a considerable loss to an enthusiast who got a bargain.
2. Bought an old Vauxhall Victor that had a current MOT. Heavens knows where they found that. Let your imagination run wild - it was much worse. I think they lost their house due to the expense. Again no DIY expertise.
3. Thirty-odd years ago a mate found an Elva Courier. He kept it going with expensive welding for a few years until there was nothing left to weld. It had a £30K rebuild and was then valued around £20k. Little DIY expertise.
4. There's an old Moggie(?) Minor been parked in a neighbour's drive since it arrived yonks ago. It's got rusty holes which are getting bigger as it sits out in the open. I guess good intentions.
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Forget safety features. You only need them when you crash and they aren't guaranteed to keep you safe. The thing to do is not crash.
People do seem to be confused about primary safety and secondary safety. Primary safety, avoid the accident in the first place, secondary safety, have as many features as possibble to prorect you if you don't avoid it. The trouble is that no one can prdict exactly what is going tohappen in a given accident so no guarentees.
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