Advice Please

Post by **ZENTAOADVAITA** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:10 pm

Hi, I fancy running a Moggy again( last time was the summer of Love)

So how costly is it to run and maintain one of these old guys.How mechanically savvy do you have to be.
It would have to be a working vehicle not just for weekend jollies.I have lots of questions .
Where to start?
Glad of any input.
Thanks

Post by **PSL184** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:17 pm

My advice would be to buy the best one you can afford rather than a cheap MOT failure, at least until you start to get to know your way around them. Take someone with you who knows what they are looking at also as rust is a major problem and it can easily be hidden from the unwary. Mechanics are probably about as simple as you can get. Parts are cheap and you can buy just about anything off the shelf, so no need to worry about car been off the road whilst you wait for an illusive bit. The folks on this forum will also help out with their very in depth knowledge on all thngs Minor related. I've run Beetles, Landrovers, Mini's and assorted Triumphs in the past and as long as you buy carefully and be prepared to get your hands dirty now and again you'll not regret it..... Welcome to the World of Moggie's

Post by **bmcecosse** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:41 pm

Unless you need new kingpins which are not available at the moment!
Buy the best BODY you can afford - mechanical stuff is all cheap and easy. Bodywork is always hard going. With free tax and cheap classic insurance - my Minor only costs me £110 per annum to have it on the road. Thats £35 for MOT and £75 for insurance. Of course if I want to move it i have to buy petrol - that's when the real expense kicks in!

Post by **StaffsMoggie** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:36 am

As all have said, body condition is paramount. A worn engine can be swapped in an hour, as can a gearbox or rear axle. Rotten bodywork however takes a lot longer to repair. As for Travellers, forget them. The woodwork is a liability.

The easiest of the lot to live with are the vans and pick ups. The separate chassis helps a lot.

My 4 door costs 62 a year to insure and with petrol being far cheaper than diesel it costs less to run it daily than the escort diesel van I had.

My Mog averages 45mpg. How many new petrol cars can do that?

Post by **bigginger** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:40 pm

This statement caused some debate which wasn't very helpful to the OP, so I've moved all of it to a new topic, 'Easy' restorations in General Discussion