Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all, just wondering how often your classic(s) get used? What sort of mileage you doing? Problems you experiencing?

At university my old Austin Allegro 1300 clocked up 10,000 miles mainly on the motorway, never had a breakdown but it needed a lot of running repairs/adjustment.

I know the Minor is not exactly a motorway car and the body tends to rot away before any significant mileage is covered.

However, there are cases of mega mileage cars, impressive on such old vehicles. There was a Morris Oxford MO sidevalve on ebay recently, owned by the same person for over 50 years, featured on TV which had covered over 250,000 miles.

A chap in America has a 1960's Volvo 1800 coming up to 3 million (yes - that's MILLION miles).

Generally what is your experience of daily driving? I find the car ceases to become a novelty but it is better maintained as there's always something to adjust, grease, oil, top-up etc.

Currently daily driving a 1956 2-door splitscreen. (Trafficators, crossplys, no seatbelts - but going to have them fitted - and absolutely orignal specification). Absolutely love it (!)

I've been doing roughly 1000 miles a month recently in my minor, driving to Coventry and back every day for uni. The miles really do clock up, and it's especially noticeable when you're filling up twice a week!

Greasing the suspension every month and changing the oil every 3 months is a bit hard-going too!

I've started driving the much more palatable 4 miles each day to the train station, and making my travel time half an hour longer by getting the train. it works out slightly cheaper comparing tickets to petrol, but the wear and tear is far outweighed!

As for the novelty wearing off, i can't say it does. It's always a treat to see pedestrians and other road users smiling as you pass!

1000 miles a month is pretty cool, but in which Minor ??

I like maintaining my car, it connects you with it and you get to know it properly, unlike modern ones where all you can do is check the tyre pressures, screenwash etc.

As for your fuel consumption, just screw the carb adjusting nut up pal!!! No modern car can boast adjustable fuel consumption - nut down for sport mode, up for thrift mode!!

I do all my miles in the only one with an MOT, Bluey

Weakening the mixture would make the engine run hot, plus I still like to drive it quickly (which is probably why it drinks a lot).

Having said that, it's not using a lot of fuel from poor economy, it's all the miles! I still get about 40mpg with mostly motorway use.

Having just fitted the 1098 with a 1275 head, i'm yet to find what affect that has on my economy.

Robin McStay clocked up 250,000 miles at the Cowley show in Oxford in August in his 1967 Minor which he has owned from new and is still on its original engine

....... and don't forget another of our branch members, Tony Miller, who has only ever owned one car, and that's the Morris Minor that he still has in everyday use!!!

The question of daily driving crops up quite often. As long as you are happy with the maintenance (don't forget to grease the trunnions) then I've always found that 12,000 - 18.000 miles a year in a Minor is no problem at all, and have been using the cars for around 30 years on all sorts of roads.

My morris was bought with the intention of me using her daily to get to work (20 mile round trip). Its worked out so well that my wife and i are currently on the search for another to take her to work (44 mile round trip) after the demise of our mondeo. Also my morris has become our only car until we do buy another.

The thing which makes me cringe is the gritter going past. I always blast under the wheel-arches with the hosepipe to get all the salt off. That is the only drawback I see to using the car all year round.

I do about 6000 Miles a year, I used to use it day in and day out but then because I now go to uni, it gets used most weekends daily and the odd week day, although the gritters have trashed my paint work