Morris Minor Owners Club

I also used to use my minor every day, and when she comes back from JLH she'll be back as my main car, other daily drivers have included a 1974 & a 1975 DAF 44, and a Vauxhall Viva. Of all of them, the Minor was the most reliable...

aupickup wrote:well I use mine everyday, around 200 miles a week to work and back and its fine

Me too, been doing that for, erm, 17 years or so.

I can recommend the ~ £10 solar charger from Maplins to keep the battery up! Are you sure the dynamo needs changing - not just a slack fan-belt, or perhaps needing a set of inexpensive brushes??

Mine will be an every day driver (:

Most cars were built with daily use in mind. They just require more frequent attention when used daily. I don't use the MGs in bad weather unless I am committed to something.

I don’t use the Traveller daily because I ride to work on a bike. However I recently took my father to collect the retrimmed seats for his MG Midget, which involved a 250 mile round trip in changeable weather. We used the A roads for the outward trip and the M5 & M50 for the return trip. The Traveller held 70mph without a problem. The worst thing is the assumption on the part of other road users that Morris Minors are old bangers that can barely go. One jerk, in some sort of Toytown 4X4, pulled alongside at some traffic lights and was in the turn right lane. I realised that he probably intended to barge across in front of me when the lights changed, so when the lights changed I left him standing; no wheel spin though (Must be all those hillclimb starts ). Someone else tried to overtake into a roundabout but braked sooner than me. I don’t think it hurts these clowns to find out that Minors are not the mobile things they assume them all to be. I don’t mind if people wish to pass safely but I won’t be pushed off the road.

Before and during the Second World War my grandparents lived in Southall in Middlesex. They used to visit the family in South Wales in various Austin 7s, Morris 8s, (He may have also had a Standard 8 ) even a Wolseley Hornet. However, having a car in those days was a luxury (As a fitter in the A.E.C., he was at least capable of maintaining the car; we still have some of his white metal bearing scrapers) and my grandfather didn’t use the car for work (Like me he used a bike). It spent most of the time in his garage (During the war he took the wheels off the spare the tyres, as there was no petrol) and was used purely for pleasure. Here a photo, taken in North Wales during the 1930s, which shows the Hornet being used in that way.[frame][/frame]

Everyday users here!
Van out in all weather for work often towing a trailer, & trav with dogs in the back.
Today I was in the trav towing a motorbike trailer as part of the back-up team for a classic bike run. Glorious weather and for once I didn't have to pick up hubby's bike, it went all the way round

I use my mog everyday - used to be a trip all the way round the M25, but now its just a toodle up to the nearest tube station - about 5 miles. (oh, and the odd shopping trip).

If I may, as I have been driving an old, and hard used moggie everyday for nearly 7 years now, can I venture some advice? Here are my Ten Golden Rules for Everyday Moggie Driving

Rule One: When in icy and snowy weather, it is advisable after you get home to give the underside of the car a hosing off. It gets rid of as much salt as possible before it starts eating into the metal. May not be conveient every day, but at least once a week is advisable. This way you know you're doing your best to combat the dreaded salt as that really is death to Moggie's undersides!

Rule Two: If you really want to keep your chrome tiptop, even in wet and snowy weather, then my father recommends an old technique his father used on classics back in the 50's - give your chrome a nice coating of Vasaline to stop it absorbing moisture. It works wonders on human lips too, though I recommend you don't share! Treat moggie to a tub of his own!

Rule Three: Understand how your car drives. May sound obvious to seasoned moggie drivers here, but some new moggie drivers underestimate the difference of a rear wheel drive car. This is especially important in wet and icy conditions, especially steering, where my mog's rear wheels have had a tendency to push me towards the nearest hedge!

Rule Four: Keep an eye out for leaks. Both my moggie saloon used every day and Trevor the Traveller who only comes out on show days have leaky windscreens - and leak in very different places. Despite every attempt to seal the rubber, it still leaks when the rain really comes down. My best advice is try and seal the rubber with silicone, and invest in very good rubber mats. That way, you protect the carpets from wet and muddy shoes, and also if the windscreen leaks, it will puddle on the rubber mat and not soak through the carpet and rot away the floor. Another worry point is the rear screen, which is harder to detect if it's leaking. The best way to check is during wet weather, just place your hand on the back carpet, just in front of the back seat, if it's damp, start worrying. Also, you can easily pull the back seat out and have a good feel around. I have sound deadening under the back seat and recently found it was soaking.

Rule Five: Security. Not a high priority when you only go to shows, but if you need to commute and particularly park Moggie in any available space close to work, you must consider that some people are born cruel and will take great pleasure in removing Moggie from your possession. My father is quite cunning, and has connected my redundant floor dip switch (I use a column dip switch because I kept getting my foot stuck) to the ignition, so I click the button when I leave Mog parked up, and that way she's that little more difficult to start. Obviously, the more persistant thief will get around anything, but I think an urchin looking for a joy ride will struggle to work out why she won't go. Also, a good steering lock is advisable, mainly as a deterrent. But deep down, you must accept that Moggie stands out from the crowd. Some people do not like others who are different and I became a victim of that when I got back to the station and found that someone had egged poor moggie all over the windscreen. No damage, but still not very nice! I've also had nasty notes stuck to my screen. BUT for every nasty person, I have had at least twenty people tell me how lovely she looks and how happy they are to see her on the road.

Rule Six: Make moggie more comfortable for everyday use. This may mean installing a good radio and CD Player, warm seat covers so you don't freeze (or in summer, stick) to the vinyl, or buy some heated screens (I got a heated rear and front screen from Easy Sussex Minors for a real bargain). Make sure you have everything you need to make Moggie as user friendly as possible (I've also added cigarette lighters for Mobile Phone Hands Frees and Sat Navs).
The reason for this is simple - if you start to find Moggie doesn't have all the mod cons you 'need' to make your journey convenient as well as enjoyable, you won't be happy, and you'll think it's all moggie's fault, but really, a few extras and moggie is as good as any modern car.

Rule Seven: Maintenance. Yes, we've all said it, but it really is true. Check oil and water regularly, check tyre pressures and investigate any anomolies immediately. If Moggie starts making a funny noise, and just feels different to drive, try and find out why, don't just forget about it, as a small fault could develop if neglected.

Rule Eight: Road Side Assistance Cover. Some people on here will probably frown at this, but my AA cover has been a godsend. My father is a mechanic, and my mog is regularly serviced, but no mechanic can forsee when the engine is going to drop a seat, or a piston is going to break, or the half shaft is about to snap, or the head gasket is going to blow. Yes, all these have happened to me whilst I was away from home and the best thing is the AA trailered her home everytime. As a lone female driver with very limited mechanical skills, knowing help is just a phone call away is worth the money everytime.

Rule Nine: Don't be bullied by other drivers. You have your road tax, you have insurance and an MOT - YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE ON THE ROAD. I get annoyed when people pull out on me at the last minute so they can beat the slow old Morris Minor, and there's nothing worse than seeing a large car filling your rearview mirror, but don't let them harrass you. Generally, modern drivers can't wait to push past classics that are maintaining the speed limit, but are quite happy to sit behind a Honda driven at 20mph by a nervous driver - just because its more modern doesn't mean it's going faster! Just keep your cool. I have a friend who won't drive his classics because of other people's abusive behaviour, but that's just wrong. Do not let them force us off the road.

Rule Ten: Enjoy. This is the best rule of all. Sometimes Mog has been particularly naughty and needed major repair (she's currently off the road while she gets a complete retrim and respray) and in return, I get to drive my dad's Renault Megane. The Megane is great - it's fast, easy to park, warm, comfy, doesn't get bullied on the road, economical, efficient and completely, utterly boring. I quipped to my husband that if the car was involved in a major crime, not a single witness could tell the police it's make or model - it's just so bland, you don't even notice it. I've lost count the amount of times I wander aimlessly round Tescos' car park looking for it, only to find I'd walked past it twice! I never get that problem with Mog. For all her faults, I would not drive any other car than Mog. I was tempted with the scrappage scheme to get rid of my dad's Megane and get a Fiat 500 to drive everyday. But as soon as I sat in the Fiat, with all it's bells and whistles, I knew I would never be happy. Mog is drafty, noisy, very moody (once, she refused to shut the driver's door!), and often unreliable, despite maintenance. But, I built her from the ground up when I was 17, and I love her with all my heart. We've been through some good times together, and it doesn't matter how bad a day at work I've had, as soon as I slide behind the wheel and drive home, I've got a smile on my face. I wouldn't drive anything else.

Great advice there Vicky. Especially Rule 9 struck a chord with me. Recently I was told by a "Tie-in-a-BMW" to remove my piece of **** from the road. I smiled and waved him on.Needless to say I pulled in behind him some half a mile later at the traffic jam and gave him a parp-parp with the horn and a wave ! Great feeling I must say.This chap couldn't get me down for the simple reason that for every negative experience whilst driving there's ten good ones that redress the balance.There's far more admirers than haters out there....

I'd have told the brat in the Bratmobile that my piece of **** will still be going long after his phalic chariot (I don't wish to sound offensive but that's the raison d'etre behind most of these inadequate windbags) is full of baked beans. What an arrogant little upstart . I'd like to "Teach him some manners" and I wasn't even there .

I love the tailgaters you get on the M25 it makes me smile that all they have better to do in their huge 4x4s or the top of the range Beemers is to sit on your tail and try and make you go faster. It's almost as though they think the engine will explode if it goes above 60mph and that's on the inside lane

Still little things please little minds

I remember using the M25, the day it was opened fully in October 1985. I was on the way to Brands Hatch and didn’t know the road wasn’t finished. I was near Leatherhead at about 5am and suddenly I had to leave the motorway (There were no signs telling me how to find the next bit ). On the way back, the weather was foul and I kept thinking I would have to run the gauntlet of the incomplete section and that the road was now full of maniacs . I plodded along at 40 in the Mini, expecting to have to take to the verge at any minute, as the way people were driving (Visibility was very bad), I was expecting to find a huge pile up blocking the road and for all the maniacs behind me to go ploughing into it. Unknown to me the road had been opened that day, so when I got to the M4 I was very relieved.

My next visit to Brands was in 1986 and again I remember the M25. I was driving along the nearside lane (There were four lanes), there was nothing in the second lane and the outer two lanes were bumper to bumper. I don’t know how fast they were all going but I was going faster than them. It was almost as if I was on a different road to them .