Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi,

I'm doing some research for a buying guide on the Morris Minor for Classic Car Weekly magazine and I'd like to get some real world opinions from owners.

I'd like to know your thoughts on the highlights/biggest appeals of the car, the crucial things to look out for when buying one and anything else that you think might be worth a mention. Prices based on age/model/condition and reliable technical specifications are also welcome.

I also need to photograph a car for the feature. It's only static photography, so there won't be any high-speed moving shots or anything like that! The car doesn't have to be immaculate, just in reasonable condition.

I'm based in north Essex, so anyone nearby is preferable, but I'm willing to travel so I'm keen to hear from anybody.

If you can help, then please post below or alternatively, feel free to contact me on jack@carenthusiast.com. I'll include a link to MMOC in the feature in exchange for your help.

All the best,

Jack

Buying guide depends greatly on what your looking to buy such as a restro project and degree of work you want to undertake, daily runner, concourse. and prices vary from free to 10k.

Hi there as said it depends on the varient and the year of the car. I did a very brief guide on

http://www.mmoc-ni.co.uk/clubs/buying_a_minor.htm

And there is another one elsewhere on the club site. But these are the worse case scenerios when looking for a car, sills, inner wings, chassis legs and spring hangers are the major points to look at.

They are great, reliable cars. Just look at any pictures of them, whats not to like?

Hi Jack,
The club press relations are handled by Rosie Hamilton - generally they can find any contacts you need via local branches.
However if you can get hold of Essex MMOC branch, they may be able to help directly.

As for the appeal of the car - it appeals to all! You can buy and run a Minor on a shoestring, and on the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of Millionaire & celebrity owners. There are the old granny drivers who can't manage 30mph, and the likes of Nick Mann...

Hi Jack,

There are a few things to watch out for when buying an LCV which are different from saloons - mainly to do with the most likely rust spots. You might want to contact Russell Harvey at the LCV Register for a low-down on that side of things. He'll also be able to give you tech specs and probably a price guide.

As far as I'm concerned, if you're buying an LCV (I'm not interested in saloons) then the key thing to watch out for is the condition of the chassis. Almost every other part of the vehicle is available new - although you'll often have trouble making new panels fit properly - but no one is currently making the chassis. For the same reason, if buying a van you need to make sure that the van back is in good nick - the gutters (inside and out) are the most important guide to condition. It is possible to mend them, but extremely costly if you pay a professional and very fiddly and time-consuming if you are skillful enough to do it yourself - and it does take a good deal of skill to replace van gutters properly. Oh, and it's very hard to find new LCV fuel tanks - although of course there's no law that says you can't fit a saloon tank, with appropriate mods to the support bars etc.

Personally I love the robustness and relative simplicity of the Minor in general. The huge engine compartment makes it easy to work on the mechanics and carry out routine maintenance. I appreciate being more aware of things around me as I drive - the road conditions, the scenery. Small details of the design are good fun - the solid wheels, the light on the indicator stalk, the foot-operated dip switch, the big thin steering wheel. The interior has an especially nice smell, too. For me the main appeal of the vans in particular is the delicious shape; they are very practical as well, in that they have a very large load area for such a small vehicle - and with the seats folded down you can even sleep in them

Good luck with the article; if it is published online I expect we'd all like to see it

wibble - diehard Minor van fan