Morris Minor Owners Club

There is a 1954 split screen, black 4 door for sale a few miles down the road from me. The buy it now price on E Bay seems a little high looking at the pics and its previous listing ended with a high bid of £520...below its reserve.

Dont know if I am supposed to post links to E Bay (some sites dont like it) so apologies if this is against the rules.

I am going to ring in the week and toddle down for a look, any pointers as to what I should be looking for in relation to defects etc, any common weak points.

The car in question is Here

the description sounds ok and he says he will mot it

still check the centre cross member and ends
check the rear spring hangers and chass and front chassis legs

make sure doors shut ok and do not drop on there hinges

This site is very strict, but links to ebay seem to be allowed.
Check the cills for rust also the floor where the rear of the seat frame sits, and make sure the metal around the windscreen surround is not rusted.

If you can, it might be worth contacting your local branch and seeing if there are any kindly members who will come with you to view the car ... before I bought my first minor I read all the guides on what to look for, misunderstood them completely and purchased an utter lemon of a minor!

Nothing beats the wisdom of bitter experience ... sigh!

He says he can MOT it but I would suspect that he's expecting the purchaser to pay the MOT otherwise it would be done already. Also. WHY isn't it MOT'd already? The pictures are rubbish and the inside looks tatty for a 2K asking price. Also the front lights are wrong and so possibly a lot more wrong with it but because the pics are rubbish you can't tell too well. Engine is definately wrong for a 54 car - It's a 1098 fitted which didn't come into production until 1962 and also its been off the road since 1998 according to the DVLA..... As said above - Take an expert with you cause I think this is someone looking to make a fast buck or two !!!!

The car may be worth £2k but not possible to say anything from those photos or description.
I'd agree that it's a massive risk unless you can get it inspected by someone who knows their Minors very well.

what I should be looking for in relation to defects etc

Structural / body rot that has been repaired with bodges will be the first thing to look for.
Structural rot that has been repaired to a good standard is not such a bad thing but means the car will be loosing points in concours competitions (if that is any interest - personally I like rescue projects just as much as concours cars)

The interior on an early car has had to last a few more decades and is likely to show that!

The engine has been replaced with a later ojne - this makes the car far more practical but certainly not original. Same goes for many other features so if you want originality, m,ake sure you get it inspected by a real anorak.

Does seem a bit expensive, but if its solid enough its probably ok. If it bothers you it is an age related plate (assuming I'm looking at the same car on ebay), which normally affects the value a little. Even if you're not bothered it will put off some buyers which is significant if you resell.
Photos are poor, and you really need to see it to assess body condition and paintwork - the expensive things to put right.
Interior, I'd accept as being characterful for an early car.