Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi Morris Minor folks

I am on my second Morris Minor and so far the closet I have gotten to driving one is sitting in the drivers seat and making car noises.

I was able to ride in one when I was out to visit my son in Kansas, the lady was nice enough to take me for a ride in her Woody Morris Minor...

She kept saying while we rode along a back road "There is nothing finer than a Morris Minor". I come to find out she grew up with these cars I did not. My family was a Mercedes Benz family. People thought we had money but actually we did not...my dad would pick up none runners and fix them up himself and make them daily drivers for our family.

I know they are not a modern car anymore but as far as taking one out and about how do they actually react and feel when you drive them?

I really love the looks of them a lot...so much happier to look at than the angry looking cars we all daily drive nowadays.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

MikeC

I drive a modern Hyundai amd my Traveller. The diving experience is different for each car. The Traveller is more relaxed and brings a smile to my face even after 47 years of ownership. You can't be in a hurry and be fully aware of the car's deficiencies, particularly with the breaking. Leave a bigger gap between yourself and the car in front. Learn to read the road and drive defensively. The steering is OK and the visibility is excellent, especially on the Traveller. On major problem is parking. Be prepared to spend extra time talking to people who want to reminisce about the old days. I wish I had a pound every time I hear someone say "I had one of those!". Best thing is enjoy the experience.

I think how you will find driving a Morris Minor depends on what you are used to.

I learned to drive in my Morris in 1989 when I was 17 but I did have some lessons in a Nissan Micra. My Morris was 21 years old then and to me it felt like an antique. I suspect my car felt rather outdated even when it was brand new in 1969.

Having been a passenger in one, you know that they are not fast cars. Having said that, my standard 1098cc is perfectly adequate around town. It just doesn't like motorways much and neither do I.

The brakes are fine if well maintained but with no servo they do need more pedal pressure than a modern car and they are not marvellous brakes so a bigger gap to the car in front and greater anticipation is required. Engine braking is recommended when descending steep or long hills.

As the engine is not very powerful, there's a lot of going up and down the gearbox especially in hilly areas. There is no synchromesh on first gear so you cannot change down into first whilst the car is moving (unless you double-declutch).

The steering is rack and pinion and feels precise and direct. It can be heavy whilst parking at low speeds and conversely a bit twitchy at high speeds. You have to be a bit careful manoeuvring until you get the feel of the car's size as the wings stick out and you cannot see over the bonnet. In most car parking spaces it's actually very easy to park because the car is small and the spaces are designed for much bigger cars.

With leaf spring suspension at the back, the axle will "tramp" if you really fling the car round corners. I did do that in my youth but I would not drive like that now. The tyres are skinny and it will slip around quite easily on wet leaves and the like.

One thing that does catch me out going from the Morris to a modern car is that the indicator stalk is to the right of the steering column. My modern car has the indicators on the left so I sometimes end up turning on the wipers when I want to indicate.

All told, I find the Morris tremendous fun to drive and I always smile each and every trip. It is so pleasant to drive a car with no modern driver assistance whatsoever and to drive a car that has to be driven absolutely every second. Even if I won the lottery and could afford any car I wanted, I would not sell my Morris!

Best of luck!

Stephen

A Minor in good condition is a pleasure to drive, as reported by many reviewers - responds well, and you feel in touch with the road. And its fun. Of course, you have to respect its limitations but that's all part of learning to drive sympathetically and safely. I don't drive anything else and I don't want to.

I purchased my first moggy after driving a modern manual for 20 years and due to not having a manual licence I was not able to test drive a moggy before I bought one, it was a case of buy the car, get myself insured on it and teach myself to drive it (with supervision of course!)

I won’t lie, the very first time I drove her I had a horrifying ‘what have I done’ thought as unknown to me she was in need of a bit of a tune up so she was very jerky and juddery. Since doing that, and practicing I find her really really fun to drive. She’s a 1275 so bit more lively than your typical moggy, although even with a larger engine she doesn’t like hills.

I’m actually amazed at how quickly I’ve adapted and although I’m yet to tackle the big fast roads I’m quite happy driving her round the town where I live, she’s nice and responsive and not too heavy on the steering. I have servos fitted to the brakes so Nellie’s brakes aren’t too bad but generally the brakes aren’t great, you need to really get used to reading ahead and not brake last minute.

I actually prefer driving her to my modern car (which is an automatic) if I’m honest!