Morris Minor Owners Club

bolehaps wrote:just want to have a look mechanical wise to see if its solid

You probably know this already, but on the whole mechanical stuff tends to be easier and cheaper to fix than bodywork/chassis problems

wibble_puppy just wondering how much that paint job set you back mate, looks really nice

Glad you like it! My therapist says I should try and suppress the memory of how much it cost. I spend my ill-health retirement money on it

haha ok mate, looks nice regardless of the cost suits it too, and yeh i generally mean solid as in solid alltogether mechanical electrical engine wise and body/shell/chassis

Here's to solidness

What you should be asking is "Will the Morris Minor love or hate me?"
They have a knack of sensing when there is a new driver behind the wheel and will try to break down at the most inconvenient moment. You have to show it who is in charge and after a couple of weeks you will get along fine.

haha that sounds about right, ill just have to come up with some sort of star chart plan for when its a good car, im really happy to see the local meet (wandsworth) is only down the road from me, also a two minute drive from my sister and dads houses

If your 'good friend' works there - surely he can arrange an evening or Sat morning viewing/test drive for you ? But do let's see the pictures - and get them to put a parts AND labour warranty on the car - at least 3 months although try for 6!

Only bought and driven my first Minor recently, amazed at how "normal" it seemed -I'm sure you will love it much more than any eurobox! It's so old that it's quirkyness will be seen as "cool" by your mates, It'll do anything a modern car does, but in it's own way. And yes no problems using it as a daily runner, though things like alternator, reversing/hazard lights and of course Wolseley brake upgrade are all useful, especially this time of year!

that parts and labour warranty sounds good, but as he works there, if anything goes wrong he will sort it out for me hopefully, and im going to try arrange a viewing for sunday if not then next saturday, will get some pics up monday hopefully

Just be aware that the brakes need more effort to work than the modern servo'd brakes. You do get used to it very quickly

Yeh i drove a car with normal manual breaks the other day, was an old Fiat x-19 was very different but as u said, i got used to it within a few minutes

things like alternator, reversing/hazard lights and of course Wolseley brake upgrade are all useful,

I'd agree exept for the alternator - if you said Altenrator + breakdown recovery then maybe worth having ;-) Dynamo's may produce less output but mile to mile are more reliable.

rayofleamington wrote:

things like alternator, reversing/hazard lights and of course Wolseley brake upgrade are all useful,

I'd agree exept for the alternator - if you said Altenrator + breakdown recovery then maybe worth having ;-) Dynamo's may produce less output but mile to mile are more reliable.

Seconded!!

My daily car is running a dynamo but the van & my modifed car have alternators, so our ratio is 3/5 in favour of the dynamo!

My Traveller runs an alternator and the Series MM runs a dynamo. Never had to touch the alternator but I have a stack of expired dynamos in the garage. I know which is easier to fit a new wiring loom to.

Thanks for all the help and kind words so far, im going to look at it this saturday so fingers crossed for then

Ok update, im going to take a half day today at work so i can go look at this car, hopefully ill come back with good news later!!!

Dont buy it just because its a Minor, look at it with a critical eye and make sure its proper! Its much more worth waiting to find a good one than to buy the first one that comes to light.
The minor will be a great first car as long as you have a bit of mechanical nouse and dont mind getting your hands dirty.
If not buy a Peugeot 306 D turbo 2 litre, Ive got one of those and insurance is dirt cheap and they shift!

well, i had a look and it wasnt in as good condition as i thought, but i still would like to get one in the future, so ill be sticking around for a while guys hope to be a member sooner than later

there are lots for sale in the club magazine minor matters

Hi bolehaps, I have done what you are contemplating. I originally became interested when I saw that I could insure one for £650 third party, which is amazing for a 19 year old. Looked at modern cars, loathed the soulless, clinical feel of them and then settled for the minor.

My time with the moggie so far has been varied, Moggies have numerous plus points, cheap insurance, exempt from road tax, you won't have any problem obtaining parts and they'll be cheap, you will learn masses about car control, I can get the car sideways around any corner, the chassis is very responsive and has a lot of feel. I have a very competitive relationship with a friend and I love seeing his face when I execute prefect heel toe double de-clutch, You become a competent mechanic owning one, it will look so much cooler next to anything your friends will have, they don't depreciate, every time you see another on the road you get a friendly wave. Also the community here is amazing, everyone is always so helpful and friendly.

Moggies also have negative points, because it's an old car things will break, in my case for the first few months a lot will break. It will requite alot more attention/servicing than a modern car, they are quite slow (my scirocco feels like a weapon after driving the moggie around), by modern standards the brakes are rubbish (for instance there's a hill around here that I can't go down on a sunny day because my brakes fade too much, and yes the brakes are properly adjusted and the fluid is fresh) Some of the parts you get from the suppliers are shocking quality.

In hind site, I did make the right decision. I love the little moggie, driving it on a sunny day is such a joy. I haven't taken it on the motorway yet though!

ebay is also a good place for classic cars and original parts