Buying, owning, running a Minor for eveyday use.

[AndrewJBurtonEsq]

Hello All,
I'm new on here so please forgive me if this has been covered before.
A cousin of mine is contemplating buying a Moggy Minor as her everyday car and so I wanted to gauge peoples opinion on here about the feasability of this. I have restored a couple of classic cars before, mini's, Land Rovers and so have no problems with mechanicals, welding, etc and I will probably be the one who she turns to for help if if needed. She's probably looking at a two or four door from the mid to late sixties. She definately wants to have seatbelts front and rear so if she doesn't find one with them fitted I would fit an aftermarket kit, preferably the retractable variety asuming you can fit them (I have searched and read about fitting them to the rear but not the front).
Are there any points that you experts think should be taken into account if she wishes to use it as her everyday car, are they reliable enough for this or would you advise against the idea?
Any help, points or information will be greatfully recieved.
Thanks,
Andy.

[youngcamper]

DO IT !

a standard moggy would be fine, preferably get one with a 948 or 1098 engine because they're more usable as a daily, getting one built after 1964 will mean it has proper indicators ( not traficators or flashing side lights ) but many built before then have had them retro fitted, some people recommend fitting bigger brakes such as wolseley drums or Marina disks but good 8" drums are fine really. I would reccommend fitting some better seats, such as metro ones for a comfy drive. buy on the condition of the bodywork and chassis not the mechanical as the good old A series is easily tuneable.

Best of luck with it.

[Fingolfin]

A-series engines go on forever, so to speak, and as our friend Young Camper says, they're easily tunable. Minors are among the simpler cars ever made, mechanically, electrically, and structurally -- if you've restored other cars, you'll have no problem with a Minor, except perhaps with the sills which can be confusing. Get some books about the Minor if you're going to have a go of it.

Seatbelts are easily found, and cheaply too, at the usual Minor suppliers, Bull Motif or East Sussex Minors. A Google search will return them immediately. Spares for the Minor are in VERY good supply; there's almost no piece of the car you can't buy.

[chrisryder]

i use my minor daily and it's a peach!

i do find myself working on her most weekends, but half of that could be my own desire to tinker, not necessarily fixing things! didnt help that the previous owner was a bit of a bodger!

which brings me onto making sure you buy a good one! if you're not sure what you're looking at, take someone who is! you could do well to find your local MMOC branch and befriend someone to look over any prospective purchase.

if the car is going to be doing a lot of miles, electronic ignition (contactless) is a good way to go. i got my kit from 'a series spares' for £35, which is about half what other kits seem to cost. i wasn't that confident it would last at that price, but it's been on for 10,000 miles now and hasn't given me any grief! these kits do away with points and condenser in the distributor. a good thing as points require checking to make sure the gap is right, and new condensers don't seem to last a week sometimes.

[AndrewJBurtonEsq]

Thanks for the replies guys. I've completely rebuilt and modified several A seies engines with the Mini's I've built so the mechanicals are of no worry and my step mother had a traveller for a couple of years when I was a kid so I have been around them, albeit a few years back now. We were at the Tatton Park Classic Car show yesterday and my cousin came with me. She really seemed to fall in love with the Moggies and marvelled at the fact that they qualify for free tax and the fact that her insurance is about a third of what it is for her current car, a Toyota Yaris! I said it's a much more enjoyable thing to own a classic car instead of a eurobox the same as everyone else's, just annonomous motoring is what I'd call it! So, we chatted about it and she had a couple of worries so I've told her to join on here and so would I so that we can get some real world answers to her worries and you guys are backing up what I've already told her.

[chrisd87]

Sounds like she's got a very useful cousin to call on! Just a word of advice - if she wants to use the rear seats regularly then I'd recommend a 4-dr over a 2-dr, as it makes life much easier (although the front doors are shorter). Also, if she's keen on inertia seat belts, the front upper seat belt mountings on the 4-dr are in a much more conventional place on the door pillars. 2 door cars have the mounting on the bottom of the rear window, which makes inertia belts quite uncomfortable.

[RobMoore]

Having run a minor for the past 12 months as my daily driver I can tell you based on my experience.
You would not be likeley to lose much if anything when selling it on.
You have to keep on top of it, keep the underside protected.
They are very easy to work on mechanically and are also very very reliable.
rust is your enemy dont be afraid to poke about in nooks and crannies when looking at potential buys.
Focus on finding a car that is structurely in resonable nick and not falling apart, do not worry to much about mechanicals as these are really easy to maintain.
A minor is more than upto the task of being a daily driver. consider finding one with a 1275cc lump in will make keeping up with modern traffic easier.

[Kimthorley]

Hi guys, I am the aforementioned cousin of Andrew and Ive just read all of your replies. You have been a big help as Im a complete novice when it comes to driving classic cars. Having a 3yr old daughter that I have to ferry about to nursery every day means that safety is a big thing when I look at cars, and all the more reason I was worried when I looked at the 'moggies'. Also being rather old (the car not me) I was also worried whether it would break down all the time and cost me more in repairs than the car itself! And to top it off, Ive never even sat in one, let alone drove one.

All that said, having seen them up close and all done in their sunday bests (Classic car show), I quite fancy the idea of owning one.

So I guess now I need to find somewhere near me where I can test drive one (if thats possible?) with a view to purchase.

Thanks for all your help!

[ASL642]

Only thing I can add to the above is a suggestion that as you have a child to get in and out of the car frequently go for a 4dr rather and a 2dr otherwise you'll spend your life lifting them in and out across the seats (the front in a 2dr do tip up) but you still have a difficult lift out of the child car seat. Also for everyday driving you might consider swapping the traditional seats for some from something like a Rover 100. This will give you a bit more back support and a headrest.

[scotwood59]

I say go for it!!

I have only had my Moggie for a month now but I am already hooked.

It is such a pleasure driving him and you don't need to change the brakes. I have had a servo fitted but that is only becuase I have a dodgy knee and back and trying to brake was causing problems. Now it is easy as pie!!!

Everyone on here always has lots of excellent advice and there is a thread that list points to remember when looking at a potential buy but I can't remember where it was!!

Good luck and hope you find your "dream car"

[AndrewJBurtonEsq]

Thanks for all of your replies, so, in your learned opinions, do you think you can get a useable 4 door post 64 Moggy for around £1850 without buying either a rot box or a money pit?
Cheers,
Andy.

[rayofleamington]

Also being rather old (the car not me) I was also worried whether it would break down all the time and cost me more in repairs than the car itself!

I've known a lot of people (not always female) thast have spent small fortunes on garage bills when running a Minor.
The cars are simple and will be reliable if well maintained - but unless you (or a friend) can DIY the maintenance and make occassional repairs, then cost wise you may be much better off with a dull 8 year old japanese car. When doing regular maintenance it is important to 'have a good look' at everything on the car to limit the amount of breakdowns.

Minors make excellent everyday cars - get one after 1963 and it'll have front belts, bigger brakes and 1098 engine and better gearbox as standard.

beware of making modifications until you really know what you want. My daily driver Minor has 1275 engine, with bigger exhaust and carb. Some would love this, but personally I'd rather have a 1098 with nice quiet standard exhaust and better mpg...
Better brakes are hard to argue with (although the 8" drums on a standard late saloon are actually fine when you get used to them) but don't think modifications are essential.

[AndrewJBurtonEsq]

Yeah, with Kim not being mechanically minded she would turn to me for help as I've restored a few cars so far (Mini's and classic Land Rovers) and so I can weld, spray, rebuild pretty much anything mechanical so in terms of the general running I would be able to help her out but it's more a case of not buying one to then have to spend a load of money putting it right, she needs to get one that she can get on and use and then just keep on the road.
Andy.

[ASL642]

You should be able to get a decent 4dr with a year's MOT for £1800. Keep and eye on Ebay it's quite a good guide for what the cars go for. Go and inspect some and you'll soon get an idea of what would get for your money. If you're prepared to settle for a a few scratches on the bodywork, but the car is sound mechanically and has a full MOT you should be able to pick up a really nice car.

[digger64]

hi! i got my minor about 18 months ago and i was exactly like you - i'd never driven one and the last time i was in one was when i was 2 or 3 years old!

my 4 year old girl loves morrie, as do her friends at playgroup!- i would definately get a 4 door, i've got front and rear inertia seat belts fitted, disk brakes and an alternator. other than that a 'normal' 1968.

from a saftey aspect, in my personal opinion, they are just as safe as a modern car - so long as it is regularly maintained - servicing is so easy to do.

however - you will need to get used to people looking at you all the time! (you will never be able to pick your nose in the car again!) and people getting quite annoyed that you have passed them!

so...

GO FOR IT!

jenny.

[autolycus]

I think that one or two notes of caution need to be sounded in all this near-evangelical fervour. Don't get me wrong: I like and admire Morris Minors, and many other classics, but it's easy to get a bit carried away on a bright Sunday afternoon in a field of classic cars.

Modern cars are quicker, quieter, have a more comfortable ride, better seats and interior appointments, better washers, wipers, and heaters, and usually have far better fuel economy. Their primary safety is better (except, perhaps, that it's harder to get a Minor to a dangerous speed), and their secondary safety is far better. I know that someone will come up with survival anecdotes, but the big makers don't spend all that cash on crashworthiness development, interior design, and impact testing, just for fun.

Maintenance and repairs, while relatively easy and cheap, and a source of pleasure to many on this messageboard (me included), are required far more frequently. Scrambling round the grease nipples, or finding which bullet connector is the corroded one, is fine at this time of year, but less so in January, especially for anyone without a garage or even a driveway.

Insurance on a Classic policy is cheap (my Midget costs £50 a year, comprehensive), but see many previous threads about the disadvantages of classic policies (no NCD preservation or accrual, no business use, need another car, limited mileage) in many cases.

I have a diesel Astra estate for carrying loads, the Tesco run, and getting from A to B quickly and cheaply (55-63 mpg) in all weathers. For 8000 miles, I'll use less than 650 litres of fuel - say £850. How much, in mixed use, including motorway at 70 mph and traffic jams at near-zero, would a Moggy use? (Answers only from people who do proper sums, please, as against guesses) The classics are for pleasure in summer (and the wedding car business).

Kevin