Morris Minor vs. VW Beetle - which would you choose and why?

[BellyBuilder]

I've had many beetles over the years, but recently the good old 3-door Moggy has been teasing me, almost daring me to buy one! I will keep resisting as long as possible

If you had the choice now of say £5k max to spend on an original car, which would you choose and why?

I know the earlier versions of both cars are attracting quite large premiums (especially the VWs) so if we say that £5k is the max, it should allow quite nice drivers from both manufacturers.

If you fancy posting up any current cars for sale that have caught your eye....

[brachunky]

A criteria for me one be the availability of aftermarket bits to modify it.So the beetle would be the one!

[dan]

5k on a minor will get you something really nice.
You also get a choice of Traveler, 2 or 4 door Saloon, Convertible, Pickup or Van.

Here are a couple of lovely Series 2 minors in 2 & 4 door flavour in the right colour and a nice cab

link
link
link

[lesgrandepotato]

Do you go to garden centres? Then the moggie is for you.

[tineca]

You can get everything for both cars. I like the moggy engine accessibility at the front but, if you see a moggy on the road folk say look at that old car, if they see a beetle they say wow cool. So it's a different scene if that matters. Throw a saab 96 in too so you have another option. I might sell my moggy now its done as need something to distract me and chill me out after work.

[tineca]

Ps that bottom link is a fake add. One of them new ones that is cheap and classified.

[urbanaw]

Beetle, any day. I think you can make a good enjoyable driver's car out of a VW where it would be more difficult with the moggy.

[jonk]

I think Tineca hits the nail on the head above. I owned a 1000 and forever had older people coming and talking about it. It had such a positive reaction everywhere but not in the same way as a beetle does. My friends didn't like the look of it at all, whereas they all loved another friend's beetle.

My brother has a beetle and along with the other beetles that I've driven it seems louder, lower and a bit more bumpy than my old 1000. I remember the minor's handling being quite a lot sharper than the beetle and the ergonomics being better too. With a 1098 or modified 1275 engine you won't be too much slower than a beetle I'd guess. They're really nice to drive.

It'd would be interesting to find a contemporary road test of them both.

I read that the minor prices are going down a bit as their supporters die off, whereas the beetle is obviously scene taxed. I guess this could be a plus or minus depending on your perspective.

[tofufi]

May 15, 2020 13:07:29 GMT urbanaw said:

Beetle, any day. I think you can make a good enjoyable driver's car out of a VW where it would be more difficult with the moggy.

I've owned both (Beetle 15 years, Moggy about 5) and I'd say the Morris is more of a driver's car. It's sharper and has more entertaining handling, whereas the VW just grips until it tries to throw you into the scenery, backwards. I'm confident in pushing the Morris through corners, less so the Bug.

For me, the Beetle is my favourite. It's better built, better at long journeys, and more comfortable generally. That said, the Moggy is a better prospect in cold weather (until it snows, then the Bug is probably better for traction) as it's got a better heater/demister.

Parts are available for both, but cheaper for the Morris on the whole.

My bug:



My Moggy (in a picture which flatters it!):

[mrbounce]

I had three choices for my first car back in the early 90s: A Mini, a Beetle or a Minor. I ended up with the Mini and have never regretted it. However I am sure I would have been happy with any of those 3...

The Beetle has SO much aftermarket goodness and following (plus "scene tax", remember), and let's not forget they made over 20 million of them. The Minor is much more seen as an old fuddy-duddy's classic car, and lacks the "cool" of the Beetle. That, in my eyes, makes the Moggy way cooler by far. As Matt Tomkins in Practical Classics is demonstrating, you can make it quick without changing too much - a 1275 a-series running a supercharger.

If it was up to me I would go for a Minor pick up or van and look at dropping a K-series into it.

Here's a lovely saloon I took a pic of back in 1990 and a van I saw a few months ago.

[comfortablynumb]

Two words
Nurse Gladys
End of argument. 😀

[tofufi]

May 15, 2020 14:03:18 GMT mrbounce said:

Here's a lovely saloon I took a pic of back in 1990 and a van I saw a few months ago.

Still taxed and MOTd today

[urbanaw]

May 15, 2020 13:58:38 GMT tofufi said:

May 15, 2020 13:07:29 GMT urbanaw said:

Beetle, any day. I think you can make a good enjoyable driver's car out of a VW where it would be more difficult with the moggy.

I've owned both (Beetle 15 years, Moggy about 5) and I'd say the Morris is more of a driver's car. It's sharper and has more entertaining handling, whereas the VW just grips until it tries to throw you into the scenery, backwards. I'm confident in pushing the Morris through corners, less so the Bug.

For me, the Beetle is my favourite. It's better built, better at long journeys, and more comfortable generally. That said, the Moggy is a better prospect in cold weather (until it snows, then the Bug is probably better for traction) as it's got a better heater/demister.

Parts are available for both, but cheaper for the Morris on the whole

Very interesting. I would not have thought that.



I thins only shows/proves my bias.

[pseudonymous]

May 15, 2020 14:42:15 GMT comfortablynumb said:

Two words
Nurse Gladys
End of argument. 😀

Don't act like you don't like Gladys Emmanuel, just a little bit 

I voted Beetle, despite the awful driving position but there isn't a lot in it, it's just a style preference. I'd be happy with either, to be honest and at least with the Moggy you can avoid the 'scene' and it's tax.

[comfortablynumb]

May 15, 2020 15:58:26 GMT pseudonymous said:

May 15, 2020 14:42:15 GMT comfortablynumb said:

Two words
Nurse Gladys
End of argument. 😀

Don't act like you don't like Gladys Emmanuel, just a little bit 

I voted Beetle, despite the awful driving position but there isn't a lot in it, it's just a style preference. I'd be happy with either, to be honest and at least with the Moggy you can avoid the 'scene' and it's tax.

That’s just it, I LOVE Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, dddddddddddddon’t I? 😀

[BellyBuilder]

That's a lovely bug! Sea blue? Just trying to work out the wheels though, as you've got flat caps on them not the usual for that era domed version? I see it's a late 65, so 66 specification 1300. Does look cool. Very nice to see a standard height beetle for a change.

[vader]

As a proud Brit it’s the minor for me. Never driven either but the minor.

[Davenger]

Morris minor.
I just prefer the way they look

[duggers]

The Minor, it has a proper heater and can be had in a number of body configurations.

I've driven both and wouldn't have either myself as they're not my cup of tea , but preferred the Minor to drive.

[strikey]

Everyone has their mog vs bug tales...here's mine.

1st manual car i ever drove? Caledonian grey spilt screen mog at the age of 9 or so.... up hill after my mum had popped her packet of enbassy no1 behind the rear wheel... "you better not roll back & squash those!" rings in my ears over 40 years later (and no i didnt squash those damn fags..wish i bl00dy had though)..perfect take away first time!!!

Worst car ever driven?
Undoubtedly my sis-in-laws 1300 beetle. Only drove it about 300m...which was about 295m too many...it was a stinking , rotten , nasty , foul , p.o.s. Yup...i didnt like it at all.

Moggy all the way...and and no scene tax to pay!!