The Big End - Buying a Morris Minor

Today buying a motor vehicle is all too easy, especially when it is tempered with attractive discounts and the inevitable special aftercare services. More often we hear of absolute cut to the bone offers which are very hard to ignore when calculating running costs etc, but the overriding fact is that in most cases what you get for your wad is a depreciating lump of metal which when cashed in returns far short of what has been invested. This is the absolute fact when considering such moves.

With any purchase, modern or classic car, no one likes the smart salesman approach, especially if it's hard sales talk and ends with slick extraction of your money.

What about the classic car. Is this a better bet and will it retain its value? Well, depending on what vehicle you intend to involve yourself in for the next few years, I can without recourse state that it depends on condition, its collectible status and ability to retain its value. Many classic cars fall far short of the latter two. Desirability is a personal aspect and one to be treasured.

Before I go on, you must say - "what am I looking for". You must calculate a for and against list when comparing a modern eurobox opposed to running a classic car everyday. The running cost will differ widely and can in several areas come down in favour of the modern alternative.

Consider the Morris Minor of today and the various types that can be purchased. There is of course a standard resale value for good examples, but here again one can fall into a trap. This is because of the age of the vehicle and in most cases its unknown history and record of service. There is a dwindling stock, which is accelerating by the day, caused in many cases by vehicles poorly maintained and or becoming uneconomical to repair. That is without investing very large sums of money to bring the vehicle back from the precipice of oblivion.

An investment of £10,000 into a Morris, would alternatively buy you quite a nice modern car. On the down side this would place you much the same as any other kid on the block, a grey unattractive prospect which will be tempered with a situation similar to burning a sack full of pound notes, especially when you have to trade up after a couple of years just to keep some value and find out how much has been lost from the original investment.

Then again could this be the same for the Morris. Maybe. On the plus side, over a period of years, a true return could be made which could be advantageous, especially if the vehicle gains more in collectability etc. On the down side, after any major cash outlay, when trading up on a short time basis a good return is not foreseeable as the resale value will far below your original investment.

You take your choices and the devil may care. If you are set on the purchase of a Morris, what you should be looking for first and foremost is a good service record, coupled with authentic documentation that forms the vehicles prominence.

Next of course is condition. Here we must be very thorough. As I have stated in previous articles, some clever bodgers are about, and its amazing what can be done by application of a piece of rubber backed carpet or a bucket of pollyfiller coupled with copious amounts of underseal. In the area of inspection of good structural condition. It is in the first instant far more expensive to attain against any mechanical condition, for example, an engine is far cheaper than having a new chassis welded to the vehicle.

With the mechanical condition again care should be made in inspection of the essentials like brakes, steering and suspension which may have problems in the pipeline. Other obvious areas come to light such as the interior trim and finishing parts such as chromes etc. Take a good look at the paint work, much can be hidden here and repairs again can be expensive. Above all caution must be made by this very important procedure. If you are in any doubt stop and reconsider your situation. Better still employ a proper engineer to survey the vehicle and have a written report to study before committing yourself.

I've said this before but it is true in all respects. The seller has but need of one set of eyes the buyer of Ten.

© Chris Street, January 1999