i seem to have a moggie...

[tu33y]

hello all!
my story is a complicated one but one i feel you will be interested in...

i have a friend in the motor trade who i buy all my cars from (my current main car is an 02 jag x type) and the other week i brought up the subject of classic cars.

in my ignorance i mentioned a desire for either a capri or a landrover.

he went thoughtful and said...

"have you ever thought about a Morris 1000?"

and that is where i am now. he has GIVEN me a moggie to clean up (1963, 4 door, white). i can have it as long as i wish as long as when i sell it i give him the money. seems like a good deal to me! hes had it a couple of years and done nothing with it and would rathe i had a play than leave it to rot (more)

the car itself is no picture. however i have been told the body is "sound" and the engine has been reconditioned. i am assured it is a runner with nothing but a once over.

the exterior (white) has a few nicks and small rust patches (1 cm square or less) on the wings and a few bits here and there but to be honest my old rover 216 had more on it when i bought it.

the interior is a bit rough tho. on the plus side the headliner is mint. the carpet is a bit rough and the front seats are pretty mashed (includes free mouse poo too!).the seats themselves are solid enough but the duotone cover is shredded. rear seems ok. door panels seem ok but "worn"

all instruments are in place and that but the plastic indicator stalk end is cracked.

the glove boxes are in bad shape and have no doors- the moulded cardboard bits are to all intents and purposes buggered.

i also need a rear light cluster.

as he has a garage with his own mech/workshop so if any welding does need to be done it will cost nothing.

what does everyone think? is this a responsibility i should take on?

[bmcecosse]

Depends - you could spend a fortune on it - and then he decides it's to be sold - and he pockets the cash! So - it all depends how ell you know/trust him......... Could easily take £500/1000 to put right all you mention - although of course - you could make it 'presentable' for much less. Concentrate on getting it an MOT first - then worry about the cosmetics later.

[tu33y]

that is indeed good advice but its not the intention to make it a minter... its much more into the "presentable" catagory! basically im doing him a favour and he is doing me one- its a risk free intro into classic cars- he will do the mech stuff and i will supply elbow grease. if i get bored in 6 mths we can just sell it as is. iv wanted an "old" car for ages so maybe this will either start a brave new world or get it out of my system!

[dp]

what does everyone think? is this a responsibility i should take on?

Looks like you can have a taste of Minor life with very little commitment. If you find you love it you could offer to buy him out, go for joint ownership or buy one of your own. If the latter, you'l be making an informed choice. If you don't like it, you just hand it back.

If you enjoy the tinkering as well as the driving it should be fun, if you just want the driving experience it might not be so great, especially if it's going to cost lots of time and money to get to MOT.