Morris Minor
1965 MORRIS MINOR CONVERTIBLE
My MoT tester’s comment of: ‘Well done, you are under 100 miles for the year’ got me me thinking. Was it time to part company with my Morris Minor?
‘Surely not!’ was the general reaction around my part of Sussex, but what’s the point in having three classic cars when I rarely drive one of them? I’ve owned ‘Daisy’ for five years, but still needed to convince myself that it was time to say ‘goodbye’.
The figures spoke for themselves: we travelled just 1512 miles together in all that time and I treated it to three oil changes and two full services. Replacement parts (often required due to lack of use) included a new brake master cylinder, battery and wheel cylinders, plus paintwork and recommissioning when she first arrived. It may never have let me down, but I decided to bite the bullet anyway and advertise it.
Why do most enthusiasts want their classics to go to a good home when we are only too happy to dump our daily drivers on the first buyer who shows interest? I almost wanted to vet potential buyers.
As it happens, Daisy is retiring down to the English Riviera with a new owner whose parents owned one, who understands classic cars and will hopefully enjoy every moment of it. I prepared the car for its new home by double-checking everything, collecting all the years of paperwork and giving it a wash and polish so it was presentable on arrival. It destination was a few hundred miles from here, and while I had little doubt that its 948cc motor would achieve journey’s end safely, the buyer’s low loader option at least saved him from getting a numb bum.
As my wife and I gathered for the send-off, it did cross my mind that it felt like saying goodbye to a member of the family. We plied the driver with tea and biscuits and received a guarantee in return that he would take the upmost care of this classic cargo.
A week later the new owner got in touch to say that Daisy was behaving faultlessly and being enjoyed every day. A bitter-sweet moment.