Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi, I am new to the Morris Minor world and I am in the market to buy a Traveller. I want it to be a surprise Xmas pressie for my wife. It has been her dream car all her life and having recently passed her test I want her dream to come true. However I'm not sure how much I should spend on one which will be a daily runner for her. I can't afford fully restored/concours and i'm not mechanically minded to restore a tatty one. Can anyone give me any tips about what exactly I should be looking for and how much i would be expecting to pay that has fundamentally sound bodywork and mechanics. Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice.

Hi Ian, welcome to the messageboard! Not sure if you have any previous experience of older cars but the thing to look out for is rust and rot on the chassis & bodywork and as the woodwork is structural on a traveller, look out for any soft or rotten wood. Mechanicals are reasonably cheap but welding and wood replacement can be very expensive especially if you pay somone else to do the work for you. Don't be taken in by a car just because it looks nice and don't be tempted to buy the first one you see as there are still plenty of Minors about so take your time in finding the right one. If you're not sure what to look for when viewing take someone along with you who has experience of Minors. Sound travellers with a long MOT but maybe needing some comestic work tend to be around the £3,000 mark as a 'ball park' figure. And I know that you want it to be a surprise for your wife but has she actually driven a traveller before? Older cars can seem very different to drive to someone who has just passed their test and is only used to driving 'modern' cars so it will be worth her having a test drive first. I've heard of people who have bought a car to surprise their partner only to find that it sits on the drive because they don't like driving it! Another thing to consider is storage. Do you have a garage or will the traveller be parked on the drive/road? Because of the woodwork travellers should ideally be garaged but either way you will need to regularly treat the wood to keep it in good condition. I'm sure some traveller owners will be along soon to give further advice

You haven't posted your location but it might be worth contacting your local MMOC branch to speak to traveller owners there who will be able to advise you on what to look out for and may even know of a sound car that's for sale locally.

Pretty much what Louise says.

Do you have any indication of budget? 3k should be able to buy you a good (but not perfect) trav.

The two critical things on a traveller are the structure and the woodwork. If either of these aren't right then be prepared to walk away (unless you want to learn to weld, or be a chippy)

Where in the country are you? (use the "user control panel" above to set your location, it'll show with every post then) It might help us find you someone who can offer local advice

Thanks guys, have put my location, West Sussex any local help would be greatly appreciated.

Might be worth giving ESM a call? http://www.morrisminorspares.co.uk/esmcars.php thats the current stock they have advertised.

if it fits in with my schedule, I'd be happy to tag along to have a look at a car with you. I'm frequently travelling up and down the A27 at the mo...

Thanks Dan, that is so kind of you. I may well take you up on it. I had a look at their website and unfortunately at the mo. they don't have anything that is appropriate but I will book mark them and keep an eye out.

What an absolutely brilliant present for your wife. Good luck!

But remember that a Minor is for life, not just for Christmas

Having looked around myself earlier this year for a traveller I found that it pays to probably spend a bit more upfront as you seem to get better value in the long run (as long as the car is good). There are a lot of cars out there with recent recipts for work in excess of their asking prices. Find someone local on here and go and have a look at their car if possible so you can know a bit more about what you are looking at (I found this VERY useful). If you find one that looks great but has been garaged for years and rarely used allow for the fact that it might have only drvien short distances on sunny days, ie might leak and have ancient tyres! All things you will find out once you try and use it on a daily basis.

Good luck, and what a fantastic xmas present, I hope she doesn't buy you some socks....!