Cost of Morris Traveller

[olivia]

Hello

I am looking to buy my first Morris traveller and I would be very grateful if you could give me an idea of the price bracket in relation to the condition. So for example how much should a poor, good, excellent example of a Morris Traveller cost?

My thought is that I want to buy a traveller that has been really well maintained and is in good condition because at the moment I know nothing about how to repair or maintain the car.

Secondly, I want to learn from scratch how to maintain and repair the car. I have absolutely no experience with engineering or mechanics... do you think it is possible for me to learn to do this through looking at manuals and utube video clips? Is there anyone in the Bristol area who, for a fair exchange, would be willing to teach me these things?

Many thanks.

Olivia

[SteveClem]

Hello Olivia,
You'll get lots of opinions on this and there really isn't a right or wrong answer. It's down to what you want/ can afford!
I bought a fully restored traveller many years ago from Charles Wares in Bristol and it's been totally reliable. Their backup ( service parts etc) and general advice has been fabulous. But you pay for that! I'm happy because the car is as capable as a modern hatchback and is lots more fun. Also it's not depreciating in value.
Lots of people love to work on their cars as a hobby and can save a few pounds doing so. They also have the satisfaction of knowing how the job has been done. I must say that the fun of that has waned for me with increasing arthritis! I now use a fabulous local garage who have proved amazingly good and very reasonable in price.
As regards price, travs and convertibles are expensive compared to saloons. Budget on £6k for a good trav... More for an exceptional one or one that has been sympathetically upgraded for daily use. Yes, these cars are quite capable of daily use and high mileages,but they need more regular oil changes,greasing etc than modern cars.
It really boils down to your personal choice, lifestyle,budget etc but there is a Minor for everyone..hope you find yours!

[olivia]

Hi Steve

many thanks for your reply. I am currently interested in this one (see link at bottom).... what do you think of it? Do you think it is fairly priced? Apparently there is no rust and it has been very well maintained by the sounds of things and kept in a garage. There were no advisories on the last MOT. Rust proofing on the bottom of the car was done 5 years ago so might need to be done again soon. I am thinking about going to look at it with a print out of MMOC check list.

Is 83,000 miles very high for a Morris... as far as I understand everything is original.. including the engine.

Olivia

http://www.gumtree.com/p/other-cars/mor ... 1128993375

[SteveClem]

Looks like a really nice car. You would really want to check the underside and hidden bits for corrosion. I would suggest contacting the local owners club for support, someone may be able to go with you to see the car. I really wouldn't worry about recorded mileage on a car that's coming up to 50 years old,how the engine is running is more important. Again a knowledgeable 'assistant ' would be helpful.

[The vast minority]

As above, mileage isn't relevant, in the way that it is when buying a modern. It could be a replacement clock anyway as they do fail. I wouldn't give mileage a second thought. Why? Because everything on the car that wears out will have been changed many times in its life anyway. Many cars have even had multiple gearboxes for example (mines had 4 in its history) so the important thing is what is the car like now. When they were current production cars, a minor with that mileage would have been well knackered, the same isn't true now. The price seems very fair but take someone with you.

Clearly it's a nice example and the engine has been out, you can tell this because the engine lifting lugs are still there on top of the engine. Some enthusiasts leave them fitted and whip the engines in and out for treatment of engine bay fairly regularly.



Good luck

Al

[olivia]

Thank you both so much for your reply.... this is all really helpful plus is adding to my knowledge base!
Olivia

[bmcecosse]

If you want to check the mileage ask to see all the old MOT certificates. But as above - it's really not important. Much more important is a list of repairs/maintenance carried out with bills if possible !

[irmscher]

Olivia the MMOC have training days With Rob Thomasson which might help and his contact details are in Minor Matters magazine .The club has a couple of videos in the shop you might be worth taking a look at

[bmcecosse]

Did you get the Traveller???

[irmscher]

Any pictures

[SteveClem]

My trav is a bit grumpy at the moment. I heard that the weather forecast for this winter was dire and used it as an opportunity to convince the boss that we needed an old Land Rover. Spent the last few days fussing over it and the other old girls are looking a bit unhappy.