Newbie .. Looking to buy my first Morris minor

[Bettie]

Hi,

I have always wanted a Morris minor and am finally in a position to be able to make the purchase (albeit on a tight budget) I want it as a daily runner but also to use to deliver my vintage cakes and cupcakes I bake. Not sure if it's ok to post here but I would really welcome any help or advice on what to look for, what to ask, as I haven't got a clue :/ thanks in advance. Bettie x

[LouiseM]

Welcome to the messageboard Bettie Lots of advice here regarding buying a Minor: http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=37815

If you provide your location we can point you in the direction of your local branch.

[bmcecosse]

Sounds like you will need a Van or a Traveller then !

[The vast minority]

Hi Bettie
Given that you are a baker or retailer, i'm thinking that you are not likely to possess a tool kit for fettling old cars or vans and possibly lack the time and skills to keep an old vehicle on the road yourself?

If your budget is tight (one persons tight budget is anothers vast budget so this can mean anything) then you will find it difficult to run a Minor van as a commercial delivery vehicle. It will always need something doing and most owners fix as they go and can always keep them going but this needs tools, materials and mechanical knowledge.

A business needs a healthy margin as you know already, you can easily blow this on problems with an old van so you should think carefully. If you can afford a fully restored one that is known to be tip top with some modern upgrades, then this would work but a rolling basket-case will quickly lead to a money pit for you.

I used to own a bakery and 3 shops and although I can fix anything, I elected to buy new vans as they are a business tool at the end of the day and need to be cost effective.

I don't want to put you off but if you go this route, buy a good one, not a cheap one.

Al

[les]

Reading the op's post I imagine an older vehicle was thought to be in keeping with the produce. There is a school of thought that says a new vehicle can indicate more concern for image than quality of product. Well at least that was a view held once, now maybe everyone is flash! It's true though, maintenance is a consideration.

[Bettie]

Thanks so much for all your help and advice. Thanks Al your advice is particularly helpful as you've been there & done it so to speak. My business is still getting off the ground and I do have use of a fab Peugeot Expert van (it's my sons) but as I'm a one man band my orders aren't that very big at the moment and I tend to do just vintage cupcakes, personalised and larger celebration/wedding cakes. I think you are all right though in that I could really do with a traveller but I've found them to be almost double the price of the regular minors. My budget is a bit pitiful at only £2000 at the moment so I'm thinking I might be better saving up some more and trying for a better car. I also want the car for personal day to day use, not just for business. Ideally I would have two, a traveller and a regular minor but that's if my business succeeds and the money starts to roll in lol!

What I HAVE noticed is that the cars for sale on here by far are much more superior to those sold on ebay. (I almost bought one on ebay yesterday until I realised all the faults it had after reading the 'what to look for' section here!) So I think I will try and purchase one off here when I'm ready. I was thinking I could always still go for the regular morris minor then trade up for the traveller in a year or so? I watched wheeler dealers yesterday restoring a traveller and all that woodwork stuff terrified me! Lol! But the guy who bought it got an absolute bargain. Hopefully me one day.

Thanks again so much for your help and advice! It's such an exciting time yet scary! Lol! Must go as there's no rest for a baker even on a bank holiday (as you will know Al) thanks again and I'll check back soon.

Bett x

[mike.perry]

£2000 will buy you a hobby rebuild project, not a car whch you can depend on to start first time when you have an important delivery to make. As for a Traveller, start at £4000 and a van even more. You should also go for the laterst spec ie 1964-71

[Trickydicky]

A good place to start would be to join the MMOC, the club magazine has a good selection in the For Sale section.
Good luck finding a car and with your business

[mike.perry]

beware of road humps when transporting cakes, Minor suspension is considerably harder than that of a modern car, you do not want to be scraping the icing off the roof lining

[irmscher]

Telescopic shocker conversion Bettie and a traveller will get your business noticed .I have seen some reasonable priced cars on ebay but take someone with you who knows the cars maybe join your local MMOC club

[Bettie]

Thanks so much Richard, it's exciting times with the car as well as the business, scary too though! Lol! I've definitely decided to wait and save up some more so that I have a better budget. I really couldn't manage if I bought one that needed too much doing to it so my plan now is to keep saving until I reach at least £6000 and hopefully that will get me something half decent. I can manage easy enough at the moment with my regular car and my sons van, I'll just have to wait a bit longer to get the vintage look I'm hoping for.

Mike you're right I'll need to be really careful over the bumps, it's bad enough now in my regular car with good suspension! :/ I've ordered a sign for the back saying 'wedding cakes in transit' so hopefully people will be patient when I'm crawling over the bumps at 2 mile an hour! Lol! I love making cakes but I hate transporting them, it's the most dangerous part of the job and hours of work can be ruined in just a few minutes :/

I'm hoping that once I'm up and running with my vintage vehicle (whether it's a regular morris or a traveller) I will be able to attend the shows and rallies and maybe you can try some of my cakes I'm really busy at the moment but as soon as I have a week or so free I'm going to make a morris minor cake! I'll be sure to upload pictures here! thanks again for your help and advice guys, if I'd not been coming here I'd have bought a shed by now I'm sure! Lol! xxx

[mike.perry]

With a bit of woodwork you could build compartments to put each cake in to stop them moving about.