Morris Minor Owners Club

Yes, its a bit of a minefield. And its very rare to buy a car that doesn't need anything doing to it, either immediately or a few years down the line. I suppose the most important thing is to check/have someone knowledgeable to check the car thoroughly and not get swayed by over-enthusiasm or 'love at first sight'. There have been a number of posters on this forum over the years who have learned this lesson the hard way

myoldjalopy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 26, 2025 10:21 am Yes, its a bit of a minefield. And its very rare to buy a car that doesn't need anything doing to it, either immediately or a few years down the line. I suppose the most important thing is to check/have someone knowledgeable to check the car thoroughly and not get swayed by over-enthusiasm or 'love at first sight'. There have been a number of posters on this forum over the years who have learned this lesson the hard way

Absolutely! I’m determined not to fall into that trap. I’m sort of a little bit in love with the car I viewed at the weekend, but she’s my first so I’m trying to keep a level head til I’ve at least seen a couple more

It may be worth your while to type in 'buying a Morris Minor' in You Tube - a few videos will come up showing the areas to check out, though I'm not sure how many owners would allow you to remove the sill kick-plates as one vid suggests. But then again, bear in mind that you will not find a car in absolutely perfect condition, unless you buy a guaranteed concours example. And that will cost you plenty.......unless you are loaded you will have to go for the middle ground - the best example that you can afford. Be prepared to travel too - the days of finding a good one in the local paper are over, sadly.

myoldjalopy wrote: ↑Thu Nov 27, 2025 5:02 pm It may be worth your while to type in 'buying a Morris Minor' in You Tube - a few videos will come up showing the areas to check out, though I'm not sure how many owners would allow you to remove the sill kick-plates as one vid suggests. But then again, bear in mind that you will not find a car in absolutely perfect condition, unless you buy a guaranteed concours example. And that will cost you plenty.......unless you are loaded you will have to go for the middle ground - the best example that you can afford. Be prepared to travel too - the days of finding a good one in the local paper are over, sadly.

With that in mind, I appreciate I was extremely lucky to find such a nice car, within my budget, and literally up the road from me! Not sure I’ll get better than that to be honest! There is a very strong possibility still that I’ll buy her, but as the seller isn’t rushing me I will take some time to consider my options.
Good point about the YT, I’ve been trying to educate myself as best as I can with regards of what to look out for… I’m also lucky to have a knowledgeable friend who is happy to view cars with me… I definitely wouldn’t be confident to go it alone!

I’m going to my local club AGM on Sunday which I’m really looking forward to. Be good to make some contacts and perhaps somebody may know of something coming up for sale!

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With that in mind, I appreciate I was extremely lucky to find such a nice car, within my budget, and literally up the road from me! Not sure I’ll get better than that to be honest!
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If you feel that way about it, don’t wait too long !

les wrote: ↑Thu Nov 27, 2025 7:35 pm

With that in mind, I appreciate I was extremely lucky to find such a nice car, within my budget, and literally up the road from me! Not sure I’ll get better than that to be honest!
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If you feel that way about it, don’t wait too long !
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I won’t don’t worry, the seller will let me know if there is serious interest in her, he admitted that due to the time of year he hasn’t had much but if that changes he’ll tell me

Ah well, if he is going to tell you of other interest, no rush then.

My Mother took the risk of buying her camper van from eBay, it looked so good (and was!) that when she said she was going to buy it and would contact the seller later. I said you'd better click the "Buy It Now" button now or you might lose out to someone else deciding to buy it before you've contacted them if you're certain.

As it turned out, we were told that another person was already enroute to see the camper van in person with a view to buying it outside of eBay, the seller got notified about the sale and had to send an apology to the person who was on the way to view it that it had just sold.

The seller included free delivery, and was happy, if she hadn't been happy with it, to drive off again, no deposit or money for their troubles required etc. but it really was in such excellent condition for the price being asked.

So, sometimes you can be so close to missing out on something without even knowing.

Are you guys trying to make me buy this car

I just quickly went to check she wasn’t in ebay with a ‘buy it now’ hahaha… she isn’t!

Chief wrote: ↑Thu Nov 27, 2025 10:38 pm I think she's on to us !

Tbh there is a very good chance I will buy her… I certainly don’t think I could go wrong with buying her but seeing as the seller isn’t rushing and actually encouraged me to look at other cars before I decide, I may as well take advantage of that. I can tell he is attached to the car and I think the right home is more important to him than a quick sale

I hope we’re not seen as trying to make you buy, it’s more a case of reacting to reading your glowing reports of the car. In saying that you’re right to be sure and by making up your own mind.

My advice to OP - if you really like the car, make sure someone who knows what they are looking for inspects it carefully and explains the result of their investigation to you - how good/bad things are, if any remedial work may be required, how much that might cost, and the longer-tem prospects for the car.
As explained before, these cars do need periodic attention but it really pays to make a careful purchase to avoid any disappointment/nasty expense later.

Oh I wasn’t trying to imply that you guys were trying to push me into a decision! I appreciate the feedback.
I’ll see how I get in at the club AGM on Sunday, someone there may know of other cars for sale. If I am still tempted by this one, I’ll go see her again and give her a more detailed inspection. I did take a good friend with me who gave her a good going over and was impressed with that he saw, bit admittedly I was in a bit of a bubble myself and didn’t really ‘look’ at anything in detail

Definitely need a revisit when my head isn’t in the clouds!