Morris Minor Owners Club

I posted something similar in the "Ages of MMOC Message Board Users" sticky, but as it is a bit buried in there please forgive me for repeating the question. I've only recently looked at that thread and found that at 64 I'm in the oldest 12% of those forum members who completed the survey. This surprised me a bit, as I thought we were all old farts!

It got me thinking though. I'm close to the youngest age at which you could have been driving while Minors were still in production. I was driving my first one in 1971 when production ceased, but it wasn't new. Are there any of the small band of over 63s who actually bought a new one?

Mark

I didn't buy a new one although I passed my test in 1965, and I did regularly drive the new 1964 BLG 375B and 1966 FVU 396D travellers my family used for driving instruction at their Flixton School of Motoring business near Manchester. They also had an earlier 1960 traveller THP 150. I also had a 1952 sidevalve minor KWF 904, which I eventually put back on the road later, after some work.
I have lived with, been grounded on, and enjoyed Minors ever since!

Anyone who had a Minor new would have to be I their early sixties as they stopped production 44 years ago. My dad had three Morris Minors two saloons and a convertible. The two saloons were scrapped but the convertible he sold in about 1978 and is still on the road the reg was AMP533A.

I never bought a brand new Minor but did drive plenty of brand new Minors when serving my apprenticeship in the BMC main dealership garage.
I am 67 and my one any only Minor was bought when I was about 18/19 years old and she was about 8/9 years old and cost me £152 -she is till with me but not as original
I have known my Minor since new as she was local to me and two genuine lady owners before me as well.

I had Phil down as the most likely of the "regulars" to have had a new one! £152 for an 8/9 year old - no wonder it lasted at that price! I paid £40 for my 1957 four door in July 1970, but it went to the scrapyard a year later so not great value, but great fun. Jealous of Busguy's fleet of new Travellers - I never got to drive a remotely new one myself, so trying to make my Trav as much like new as possible if I ever get it finished.

I inherited a fleet of about 10 newish travellers, 40 to 50 vans, and a pickup when I started as Transport Manager working for International Combustion in Derby in April 1972. The last delivery of around 20 H/J reg travellers/vans vehicles was in 1970, the last of all being ERC307J the pickup in Dec 1970/Jan 1971. There were H reg Morris Oxfords, and G reg Austin 3 litres, too. They moved on to standardise on a Ford fleet after those deliveries. All were supplied from Major and Barnes or Kennings in Derby.

Knowing how they came from the BMC factory (pre delivery examination was always greatly more than a spit and polish) I would never have bought a brand new Minor anyway even if I could of afforded it.
On a £3.15s a week / 1965 apprentice wage there was no way that was going to happen.
Even before I bought my Minor I had my eye on her and made sure that the chassis legs front and back were filled with a paraffin/waste oil mixture on a regular basis and that is why the front and rear chassis legs have never had to be repaired or replaced.
Phil

the newest I had was a 4 year old van which cost me £30.00

There's a nice article here about a man that bought his Minor convertible new in 1959 and is still driving it regularly, at the age of 95

http://www.guildford-dragon.com/2015/10 ... 000-miles/

Read the story Louise it must be nice to have that kind of history

Fabulous story! If I've another 31 years of Minor driving in front of me, I'd better fill my legs with a paraffin/waste oil mixture. I'll do the car's legs as well while I'm at it.....

Bought my 3 year old Old English white convertible in 1967 but can claim to have got a 'brand new' wife later in 1970 (after 3 years courting in the moggy) kept the car until the very early eighties when the children grew large , still have the same wife though and now also the 4 door saloon !)

We were an Austin family with grand parents' Austin GS1 10 and A40 Cambridge when Dad swapped his Austin 12/4 for his one and only brand new car, a split screen 2 door Minor in 1956. At 15 in 1967, I was still faithful to Austin and bought an Austin 7 to restore whereas Dad's '56 Minor had been scrapped and he was onto his second Minor, a 61 2 door. As the petrol-head of the family, it was my duty to source a new car for Mum in 1969 and dismissed Anglias, Vivas, R8's etc and decided on an A40 Farina. I was thoroughly disappointed to find that there were none left, the last 50 incomplete cars having been sold to a company in Manchester who wouldn't sell us even one! We reluctantly ordered a Minor 2 door in Almond Green and I arranged for it to be delivered to my friend's garage where I spent a week coating it underneath with red lead paint (the bright orange stuff that was about to be banned for its health risk). Mum didn't see her new car for a week and wasn't allowed to drive it for the following 3 weeks as I had just got my provisional licence and insisted on driving us everywhere until my test. With my licence and my Austin 7 on the road, Mum was allowed to drive her first and last new car which she did for many happy years. It never rusted underneath but every panel suffered with her driving and was pretty desperate when she sold it. I then defected to a Morris 8 Tourer and a split screen Traveller before coming back to Austins (Farina A40's, 10/4, Devon, Princess, Maxi etc..). I have never had another new car, have now defected again to Morris, most of the A40's have rusted away but I wouldn't have it any other way with brilliant spares availability and such a great group of like-minded Minor nuts!
John

Hi There ! well "yes" and "no" started work straight from school with Shipside's Nottingham the main BMC agent - theyt had a open flat roof full of Morris Minors ! all models as a apprentice l was trusted to fetch them from the roof storage into the workshops - and then the dreaded Pre - Delivery inspection this is where the important degreasing procedure took place - next door to us was of course the Post Office full of Morris Minor vans - loads of them - l then passed my driving test in the company van (yes a morris minor) my father had one which l got married in and then honeymooned in too ! a few years later after being at a ford agent for some years l moved to Mother Pride Bakery - transport - and guess what yes back to Morris Minor Vans - Cars - so have never owned a new one but prob driven more new one s than most people ? and still l own one - Just cant beat them can you ?

A member of our branch bought his M1000 new in 1967, clocked up 250000 miles a couple of years ago at a local classic car rally and is at the moment fighting his insurance company which is trying to scrap the car after an accident which is perfectly repairable. It could become a convertible!
Another branch member bought his 1964 M1000 in 1970 and it has been his only car ever since

mike.perry wrote:A member of our branch bought his M1000 new, clocked up 250000 miles a couple of years ago at a local classic car rally and is at the moment fighting his insurance company which is trying to scrap the car after an accident which is perfectly repairable. It could become a convertible!

Shame he wasn't with RH Insurance, as they actually give you the salvage if the car insured with them is written off. Also they pay out the previously 'agreed value' too!

Actually he is with RH but as this is an on going case there will be no further comments

mike.perry wrote:Actually he is with RH but as this is an on going case there will be no further comments

Message received and understood.

My Grandad had two new Morris Minors through the ministry of pensions. One was a lowlight and the other was a blue two door saloon reg PXE449F.