Morris Minor Owners Club

Note the on the road bit.
Well, how many model Ts do you see daily?
Rust/parts/mech/legislation all take their toll. How long do you give the 1000 before we just don't see them daily any more?

Phil.
(PS based on nothing more than personal observation, I reckon a half life of about 6 years, ie/ in 6 years time there'll be half as many left & so on)

What a depressing thought. We've got these little cars through sixty years I'm sure another 6 will be a breeze. Here's to the next 60!

There used to be a bunch on my area. Now there is one, which you hardly ever see out and about. Plus the Beast, of course. So round here, you already don't see them daily any more.

I agree, phil, the numbers do seem to be dropping off badly.

It's taken me 30 years to get my Series MM restored and resprayed, I intend getting more than six years more use out of it.
It's not the age of the cars that concerns me, it's the age of the owners

Of course individual cars will last longer than 6 years!
My point was that, on the whole, we will see numbers drop over time - I reckoned on about halving every 6 years.

Several factors will eventually kill off the minor

1) Lack of important parts.. such as the swivel pin, will just render cars becoming someone elses bits.

2) Reducing numbers of fans.

3) Sadly street cred, unlike a Stag, MG, TR2/3/4/5/6 or Beetle etc the Minor can be looked upon as a joke to a lot of motorist.

I think it's a long way away yet as there is a very good parts back up service supplied to the enthusiast. I believe while we still have several large businesses doing this, it is a good indication of the strength the Minor brand has looking forward.

My line of thinking is, the more the cars are used, the more the demand for parts, therefore the more the demand for those parts to be economically manufactured and supplied, the more the business for those supplying those parts

PS I thought you said you would be using 'the beast' all the time WP?

we have only had our Minor since April this year and its not been on the road in that time but thinking back, there used to be a few known cars in the area (ours included) now there is just one other that I know of.

there's still loads in Leamington Spa (not the ones rusting in my back garden)

I don't believe you can use the half life principle for cars. The life of a Minor depends not when it comes off the road but when someone scraps it and it is broken up.
I have put cars back on the road that were off the road for up to 30+ years! One of mine has been off the road for 37 years (soon to be 38 )!

Therefore the Minor will be around as show cars, hobby cars, project cars or gathering dust / rust for decades...
Unless the government introduces dumb schemes like the RAC proposal to give a cash incentive to scrap all 'old' cars!

It's an interesting theory - but I think most of the Minors that are 'on the road' today will remain on the go pretty much indefinitely as 'runners. However - of those 'resting' maybe half will make it to the road one day, pretty much balancing out the runners that fall by the wayside - the rest will perish!

Aye ... there are a growing number of younger minor owners too ... I'm only 36 and I intend on always owning and driving at least one minor.

as a 22 year old i think that the minor doesn't have the same street cred as, say, a beetle. simple thing being, i moved my friend up to london to uni, and people in his uni would comment on how nice my beetle looked. so i simply say i don't own a beetle! the thing im trying to say is that people see the car and think its something else!! your average kid knows what a beetle is, but doesn't know what a minor is. i Do see this a as a problem. but...all my friends love my car, even ones who weren't fussed on it have come around in the end!
It seems to be a problem, older people(not all of you obviously!!) don't drive your minors every day so your average person wont see them. its all about coverage! oh yeah...and beetles had bigger engines, also a bit of a problem with a minor! your average 17 year old wont want to drive with comfort at 55 on a motorway. yes there are things you can do to make it cruise at higher speeds, but if you aren't mechanically minded, it's not THAT easy. a beetle comes complete with 1300 or 1600(most of them) so they already have that over the minor.
BUT...i hold firm that i much prefer a modded minor(motherofgod im talking to you!!) to a modded beetle. but i just think in standard form, the minor is just a bit of a chore for a younger person who can only afford to have one car.
to conclude this rather horrible essay...
i think the minor will die out before the beetle/mini/mg's because they do not appeal enough to younger folk. styling is good, nippy they aint! unless they are seen they are not appreciated. my best friend wants a minor pick up based on seeing my minor and what it can "become". so there is hope...but us young folk need your cars!! i'll take a couple of comcourse ones and a couple of rodded ones thanks...

I 2nd Judge!! The more we use our Minors the more demand for parts there will be and the more parts continue to be supplied, infact when my van will be ready it will be a daily runner!! unfortuntly even here Minors have decreased a lot! you just see some on a Sunday run

Thanks Frank.

I think this sums it up nicely, and was something I stated very clearly at my MMOC Committee post interview.

callyspoy wrote: .... unless they are seen they are not appreciated.

Judge wrote: I thought you said you would be using 'the beast' all the time WP?

Yes, I did say that, and I will be doing so - once it's got its MOT

and so will i do with mine

wibble_puppy wrote:

Judge wrote: I thought you said you would be using 'the beast' all the time WP?

Yes, I did say that, and I will be doing so - once it's got its MOT

This time next week...

So sunglasses @ the AGM!

alex_holden wrote:This time next week...

Statistically, we are probably already well into the 'long tail' of an exponential decline in numbers if you think how many were made. I wonder if we can get the numbers left on the road / SORN'd / scrapped from the likes of the DVLA? Practical Classics seem to be able to get hold of the numbers of a marque left onthe road.

The purpose of me playing Devil's advocate seems to have been fulfilled, with lots of promises to 'get out there' with your cars - this seems to be the best way to 'Promote the preservation and use' as they say.

Phil.