Morris Minor Owners Club

Hello all,
I am a new member and I hope to gain advice and an expert eye to look over a blue (if poss') split screen Mo for my wife if a good one turns up eventually, I was thinking in region of £3,000 and it will be needed to drive a couple miles daily to ferry our daughter to school and shopping trips etc.
Any help would be nice.

Clive.

hi and hello,you will great advice here.Have you joined your local moggie club ?

Hello and Welcome

Welcome Clive, the book "Morris Minor and 1000 the essential buyers guide" by Ray Newell is useful, you will get a used copy on the net cheaply enough.
£3k will buy a good 1098 I would have thought, probably the most useable engine (in my opinion) wait for the flack

Hi and welcome - there may be members on the forum near you..
If you fill in your location in profile (and press submit.. I think) we'll have more of an idea ;-)

Your local branch could be a great source of help either for recommendations or for advice.
The club mag has a lot of adverts, but a very limited audience (i.e. most members have their cars already) so this can be a good place to start looking.

The best advice I've seen (on here of course) is not to buy the first one you see. Be prepared to look at a few until you get a feel for what you really want. If you're patient and ask the right questions you can get a better car for less money.
Reading books is not a bad place to begin, but when you need a second opinion on a car, a knowledgeable person is valuable.

Age (e.g. MM / SII / M1000) will be a factor in how the car looks (e.g. series MM and series II have front splitscreen).
Also worth considering is engine, gearbox & brakes which vary by age. If your wife will be driving in rush hour, then the later running gear and good brakes will be a bonus!
However it's fairly common to find early cars with later running gear / upgrades. These are a great compromise and apart from a small minority, most people will appreciate the car for what it is.

Don't be put off if you come across someone who seems a bit frosty (especially online - some people are very different in person!) - they are in every club / sport / association, including the MMOC, but almost all here are very friendly and extremely helpful!

Hello!
Welcome to the forum,
Go on get a split screen, they have more character and they feel so much older, try and get a solid one, if you see one for sale, go with a club member, I am sure they will be willing!
I am in the south, so happy to look at cars if you are nearby.
I use mine all the time, so regular use is a good thing, you can update lots on a minor if you wish, or leave it as it is.
good luck,
Phil

The 803 engine, with its dead slow acceleration, doesn't matter too much in traffic.

Hello and welcome, I have run a split screen side valve for 36 years and as long as you get a solid one they are no more problematic than any other car and a lot simpler to work on. Good luck. smithskids.

Thank you to all who answered my post, and thanks for the advice rayofleamington, mbo145, moggiethouable, Daddybear1984 , lambrettalad, I'll fill out some details on my profile and think about buying the book but to save some time for now, I live in Essex but I'm willing to travel almost anywhere if its a bargain, it seems my wife just keeps getting sidetracked on all Morris Minors she looks at lol, she tells me a 4 Door Trafalgar blue split-screen saloon is what she wants but I think she loves them all lol.
The car I'm after must be reliable and a good runner and safe because it will be used a little every day with my loved ones in it and if it looks good all the better!
I'm a bit overwhelmed by the numbers and variety of Mo's there are out there and as they seem to run on an elastic band the engines are beyond me/before my knowledge lol
Some help in searching and inspecting will most likely be needed and rewarded if it proves fruitful.
I'm sure she will love any little moggie that turns up on our drive one day but I'm hoping to get her one close to the above description if possible.

Clive.

You will pay relatively more for a split screen car - and it originally had terrible wipers, a poor heater (maybe), a very low power engine and a long pudding stirrer gearlever - oh and very basic brakes. Other than that - it's a great wee car!! A later Morris 1000 has better wipers and heater, decent gearlever, more powerful (but don't get too excited) engine - and the last of line had an even better engine and bigger/better brakes. Overall - they tend to sell for less money than a similar condition split-screen car. So I suggest you don't limit your search to split screens. Personally - I think the Traveller is best by far - but does only have two front doors.....and another two at the rear of course!

If you have kids surely you want a van? Open the rear doors, chuck 'em in and shut the doors again

In all seriousness I agree that you should not limit your search as the split screens do go for more than the later ones.

bmcecosse wrote:You will pay relatively more for a split screen car - and it originally had terrible wipers, a poor heater (maybe), a very low power engine and a long pudding stirrer gearlever - oh and very basic brakes. Other than that - it's a great wee car!! A later Morris 1000 has better wipers and heater, decent gearlever, more powerful (but don't get too excited) engine - and the last of line had an even better engine and bigger/better brakes. Overall - they tend to sell for less money than a similar condition split-screen car. So I suggest you don't limit your search to split screens. Personally - I think the Traveller is best by far - but does only have two front doors.....and another two at the rear of course!

Hmm. Wipers cope just fine with the one speed. A trifle noisy but they all were back then. Performance depends on the condition of the battery & charging system. Smiths circular heater has a massive core so is very toasty. Brakes are adequate for this model and engine size. Gear change is accurate and pleasant providing it isn't rushed.

Also, to the OP, split-screens were never available in Trafalgar Blue, this being a late-60s/70s colour.

Just in case you want to be full of knowledge on what style/part/engine came when....

http://potteries.mmoc.org.uk/Identify.htm

bmcecosse wrote:You will pay relatively more for a split screen car - and it originally had terrible wipers, a poor heater (maybe), a very low power engine and a long pudding stirrer gearlever - oh and very basic brakes. Other than that - it's a great wee car!! A later Morris 1000 has better wipers and heater, decent gearlever, more powerful (but don't get too excited) engine - and the last of line had an even better engine and bigger/better brakes. Overall - they tend to sell for less money than a similar condition split-screen car. So I suggest you don't limit your search to split screens. Personally - I think the Traveller is best by far - but does only have two front doors.....and another two at the rear of course!

travellers have it
real cool

Lol you are going to love this, the wife said the "Trafalgar Blue" is more important to her than the split screen! lol
Now is that a girly thing to say or what lol
OK so now I guess more options are open to me and on better cars! yipee! lol

So I'm looking for a 4 door Trafalgar Blue moggie for up to about £3,000
Surely that makes things easier for me to get one now?
Any suggestions chaps?

Clive.

Does anyone know if this forum is out of date or anything:
w.morrisminorsforsale.co.uk/for_sale/all.shtml ?
I have seen the moggie I want for the wife on it but I'm not getting a reply and I notice that none of the posts have a date on them and in one of the adverts the pics are dated 2010 ?

Clive.

Best idea would be to email the site owner.
support@MorrisMinorsForSale.co.uk