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How Far have you driven?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 7:38 pm
by rjt1951
We all know these little cars are made of strong stuff and built to last. I have just made a little jaunt down to the west country and back and it has done the Morris the world of good. No issues during the 360 mile trip, no oil used, no water loss, everything as it should be. Even those steep Devonshire hills he took in his stride. So my question is how far have you driven yours on a single trip.
I am sure many have been half way round the world but would be interesting to know who holds the record?

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 7:53 pm
by SteveClem
Did Holy Island and back in the Trav a few years ago. About the same distance as you.
If we'd have had the time I would have avoided the motorways, some folk won't give you the time and space that you need.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 9:02 pm
by Chipper
When it was a daily driver, my 1970 Traveller would be used on regular runs from Canterbury, Kent to Southend, Essex, a good 70 miles each way. Longest drive in one day was probably up to Gaydon near Warwick for an MMOC National Rally event a few years ago, approx. 168 miles (2 hours, 45 minutes) each way, and boy did my back feel it afterwards, though the car made it OK! :lol:

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 9:54 pm
by simmitc
Essex to Falkirk, about 430 miles one weekend and back the other way the next.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 10:27 pm
by ManyMinors
It won't be a record but we drove down to the Mediterranean once some years ago. That was about 800miles (and the same back home again a week later) but we did have an overnight stop each way. We covered 1800miles in the week. Not bad for an old Morris Minor which I'd paid - if I remember correctly - £80 for.
I did do a bit of work on it before we set out though.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 10:51 am
by myoldjalopy
I once drove a Minor from Truro to Leicester and back one weekend and I drove my present car back from Gillingham, Kent when I got it. The indicators packed up on the way down but, fortunately, it had trafficators as well so I was able to use them for the rest of the journey 8)

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 7:52 pm
by rjt1951
Seems like we do get about a bit! Very interesting how other road users treat us. I tend to stay on the side roads and where possible will pull in to let a build up of traffic pass. Most road users seem to be happy to see Morris and many leave a good distance behind but there are always some who drive right up to your back bumper and get very steamed up, even when I am doing 30 in a 30 zone. I have also noted that the older drivers are often the most impatient. Filling up at a garage always produces comments from people about having had one years ago or learning to drive in one, just adds to the enjoyment of owning a little piece of motoring history.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 10:14 am
by minijojo
just back from a tour form Wedel (near Hamburg) to Schneeberg (Erzgebirge) one distance 335 miles. Driving around there and came back with a total of 967 miles.
one highlight was the visit of the Horch Museum in Zwickau

http://www.horch-museum.de

The Morris is not really a car for hillclimbing, and there are many roads with up to 15% slope, but "Miss Sophie" got it all and we came back without any malfunction, just petrol stops an a few pints of oil

Joachim

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 6:12 pm
by morris van
I don't go far in mine only to work and back which is about 15 miles. Its only done 60000 miles from new and have got a lot of MOTs to prove it. It originally came from the Isle of Wight which isn't very big.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 7:05 pm
by SteveClem
Do you think recorded mileages matter on these cars? My 1955 A30 has 47k on, all shown on mot's etc, but I don't think it makes much difference. All about condition really.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 10:02 pm
by Myrtles Man
Just bought my first ever Moggie and drove it 510 miles back home to Surrey from Fife. Not planning on making that sort of trip a regular feature of ownership though! :o

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 2:43 pm
by Blaketon
I think my longest trip, in the Traveller, was from Tredegar to Sutton on Sea, in Lincolnshire and back in a day. An old friend if my father's, who had done National Service with him, was dying and we went to see him. It was a foul day but the Traveller got us there and back. Indeed, my father's friend (Although only a few weeks from death) asked if I'd like to sell the Morris, as he though it would suit his son or daughter (I forget which now). He was in a wheel chair but he took us out to see his MG TD (Which he had bought as a last fling and I think he only drove it once) and his MGB V8 and he also wanted to see my Traveller (A type of car he had used to tour in France). Unlike me, he had owned many cars, from Austin 7 sports to Aston Martin DB5s but he didn't keep many that long (I think the MG V8 had been with him a good while) and just liked to broaden his experiences.

I know my parents have done South Wales to Grantown on Spey each way in a day in what is now "My" MGB GT V8 and I did Civray, in France, to home in less than a day (Including the ferry from Caen to Portsmouth. I must say that the V8 was ideally suited to the trip and that when I got to Caen, I didn't feel in the least fatigued and I was relieved to have made it with plenty of time in hand.

Most of the time, including the year of the French trip, I cycle more miles than I drive, so I don't think I will ever win prizes for distances driven in a car.

One trip, that I well recall, was Brands Hatch and back in a day. I was in my second Mini (Bought to relieve my MG Midget of regular use) and I had gone to see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlSu6xKrqwk . Aside from it being Nigel Mansell's first F1 win, it was the day the M25 was finally opened all the way around London. One the way up, I had to negotiate the unsigned gap, near Leatherhead and on the way back (In atrocious weather), I wasn't looking forward to this and when I saw the M4 sign, I was pleasantly surprised (Unaware that the last section had been opened during the day). The standard of driving (As could be common after a Grand Prix, especially at Brands Hatch) was appalling on the M25, with total lunatics going like hell into a fog of spray. I stuck to the nearside lane, at 40mph, as I expected having to drive up the bank at any moment, to avoid a pile up and then being rear ended!!

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 9:08 pm
by Nickol
Nice Topic!

We have been to Freiburg in Breisgau a few times last year there and back @ 375 km each way. A couple of years ago a round trip in France to Nantes and then up to Caen for the Ferry to Portsmouth and thence home via Harwich and Rotterdam. How far was that? I do not remember, maybe 2000km + round trip ? It blew a head gasket a few weeks later though.

This year we shall hopefully go down to Italy, Imperia. that will also be at least 2000km. Love it!

The Long trips help to amortise the cost of the 3,89 diff ! Cruising at 100 + is no Problem any more.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Sun Mar 17, 2019 10:14 am
by TDV102
North Yorkshire to Portsmouth (305 miles) on one tank of petrol. Included replacing a fanbelt on the A34 at 3 in the morning.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Sun Mar 17, 2019 1:38 pm
by Myrtles Man
Not that this is a competition of course (perish the thought!) but, if it were, we've clearly already found the winner:-

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=69682 :o

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:44 pm
by SteveClem
Bet she had a numb bum when she got there!
I loaned my Traveller to a FT journalist at the last election, he took it all over and returned it serviced and MOT'd. About 3k miles in 2 months, and only broke down once... Got lots of interesting photos of the car with certain politicians of all varieties. Well, the car looks interesting, not sure about the politicians :wink:

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 9:20 am
by Blaketon
Myrtles Man wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2019 1:38 pm Not that this is a competition of course (perish the thought!) but, if it were, we've clearly already found the winner:-

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=69682 :o
I think the winner of a mileage competition would have to be the 10000 mile Goodwood test or (If stops allowed) the 25000 mile test in Germany.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 9:20 am
by Blaketon
Trying to delete this duplicated post.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:27 pm
by King Kenny
We once took a touring holiday from our home in Trowbridge, Wiltshire through London and on to Dover. From Calais we drove through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and on to Bitburg in Germany. Our return trip was through The Nederland's and on to Dunkerque, then Dover back to Trowbridge all in five days. Our 1969 Traveller never missed a beat. Years later we took the same trip in a Vauxhall Astra and we broke down in Ghent.

Re: How Far have you driven?

Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:31 pm
by IslipMinor
Le Havre to Biarritz in a single day/journey - ~560 miles in September 2009. At that time we still had the standard Minor seats as well - they were replaced with Newton Commercial 2-3 years afterwards.

Not the original intention, as we were booked on a 24hr Brittany ferry from Plymouth to Santander in northern Spain for the start of the 2009 MSA Euroclassic run. 2 days before we were due to go, Brittany Ferries went on strike and cancelled the ferry, so we had to get an overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre, drive to Biarritz straight from Le Havre, stay overnight and drive to Santander the next day for the start of the run (only a further 150 miles, so just down the road by comparison!).

Apart from the alternator adjuster bracket that broke by its mounting hole about 2 hours from Le Havre, which set up a bad vibration over 3,000rpm, the journey was otherwise uneventful, but having to keep to <=60mph (100kph), i.e. 3,000 rpm max, was exceedingly boring! Also prompted lots of enquiries on our arrival, as a number of cars passed us, which is usually the other way round.

BritAssist, the support people on the run, welded the bracket the next morning, and towards the end of the run, a week later, the alternator failed (probably didn't like the vibration very much). Again BritAssist came to the rescue with a new alternator.