What do I do with my 'collection' now?

[Scouse]

As some of you might know, I'm into Morris Minors in a decent sort of a way.
I have around 30 cars, some driveable & on the road but most are parts cars. There's around 5 restoration project cars amongst them too - these are in my shed. There's other cars/vans floating around the place besides Morries but they're used as storage for parts.

All but 4 Minors are at my Dad's place outside Sydney. He has 21 acres near Tahmoor/Bargo & been living there for 25 years or so.

It's a longish story but he's decided to sell his property this year & downsize to a regular house block in Mittagong.


Now, what do I do with my cars?
I live on a regular suburban block so there's no room for any more cars. As it is, there's 8 cars there now.


I've worked out a few ideas so far:

Buy some acres myself with (or build) a shed & store everything there. We were looking at buying some recreation land some years ago but went with an investment property instead. I am in a position to probably afford to buy some acreage within 1 1/2hrs or so of home. It would just be used for storage for a few years until Little Scouse gets bigger, then used for recreation (I hope).
Buy my Dad's place. We can't afford to buy his place & keep ours so we'd have to live there. It's not practical to do that with our work arrangements though. Leslie's also worried about the bushfire threat.
Scrap the wrecks & sell off the project cars.
Buy another house on a decent size block of land, store the decent cars there, scrap the rest & rent the house itself out. I could afford to do that (I think).
Some cars need to go anyway & I have been getting rid of a few lately. There's a couple of rare project cars that I would really like to keep though but the oldest known Minor in Australia can go.

I really like the idea of a recreation block. That's what my Dad's place was originally until Mum & Dad split up. We used to go there every weekend, ride motorbikes & drive paddock bashers around generally have fun.

Fortunately, it's not on the market yet so I have some time to play with but it's still a problem that I need to sort out ASAP :(.

[dullbird]

move move move.......dont know about your dads place but we are not in a high risk area....

there is 5 acres for sale up the road from me too...dont know how much though.

[isuzutoo-eh]

Buy a share in a multi-story carpark?

[Redback]

You can't afford to buy his place?? or can you do a family swap?

Baz.

[dullbird]

mmmm Mittagong, Liverpool, Mittagong, Liverpool I know which one I would rather live in:D

[Scouse]

move move move.......dont know about your dads place but we are not in a high risk area....

there is 5 acres for sale up the road from me too...dont know how much though.It'd be about the same risk as your place I would imagine. It's surrounded by bush & while he's never had a fire within a couple of km of home, it will happen one day. Thirlmere's had a few close calls in recent years too.


You can't afford to buy his place?? or can you do a family swap?

Baz.I couldn't live there. It would mean a 90+min each way commute for me & 3+hrs each way for Leslie.

[MickS]

Go with option 1 mate...that way you and the wife are still close to work....Little Scouse is not uprooted as such...you have the recreation block and storage for cars and bits...and somewhere to go to get away for a weekend...put a decent shed on it - with bathroom/toilet facilities etc - you have a "home" away from home and something that will stay in the family.

[Chucaro]

Get a place in the Mittagong distric and start a LR business, for sure there are plenty ne RR there, special at Bowral and Burradoo :)

The schools are very good at there and one of the best spots to live.

[Bundalene]

Buy a "recreation" block and build a shed. Then over the next few years you can build a small cottage - Little Scouse can be a big part of the building as well, as he grows up. He'll learn a lot, believe me.

Giving your children a place to go to "let off steam" so to speak - as they grow up, is wonderful ....... You know, learn to ride motor bikes, learn to drive (Landrovers:D) and acquire general bush skills as well as gain an appreciation of the Australian bush/nature etc.

It's better to have bush retreat that the children can escape to, rather than have them heading into the City/night clubs etc. when they're teenagers.

Encourage them to bring their friends along for weekends away. It's great fun.

It worked with us:D:D

[p38arover]

What about a factory unit - somewhere to store and work on the ones you keep?

Add a hoist and you're right.

[dullbird]

It'd be about the same risk as your place I would imagine. It's surrounded by bush & while he's never had a fire within a couple of km of home, it will happen one day. Thirlmere's had a few close calls in recent years too.

I couldn't live there. It would mean a 90+min each way commute for me & 3+hrs each way for Leslie.


oh sure there are plenty of charred trees in the area I know a bush fire has been through....however I have one tree next to the house I think that's why are house is considered a more lower risk I guess or at least easier to defend:)

the commute would be the killer though I reckon get your self a plot and put a shed on it...
I would if you could get it in an area where you have people near though if you cant get up to it all the time you want people to be able to keep an eye out on it, unless your thinking really remote

[Mick_Marsh]

I'm in a similar position (although not as many cars). I'm currently looking for some bushland with cleared areas and maybe a dam or two.

I'll build a shed (or house) to live in, a workshop and garage.

I'll then pour some concrete footings and rent them out. Many people have storage problems for their loved ones, so they can buy containers and place them on my footings. I have several people wanting to do this and are eagerly awaiting the purchase of the property. There is a fellow who wants to store a railway carriage on my property.

Other friends will be using the bushland part to ride their motorbikes on. (size permitting of course) There are a few groups interested in doing this.

Just an idea.

regards
Mick

[JohnF]

How about a number of shipping containers on top of each other, say 3-4 containers high, may hold quite a number of Morris Minors. So you may need less ground space than you think, if you think vertically. Look at some wreckers who have shelving with cars 4-5 high. Okay, you need to get them up and down, but you would put up the ones kep, but rarely used. A local business was selling a used forklift for $2000. And their are much cheaper options for forklifts.

Parts cars could be completely stripped, and many of the parts stored inside other complete parts cars, greatly reducing tjhe number of for parts cars.

Who can drive 25 cars. But we sold a Peugeot to a guy who had over 200 of them peugeots. And he is coming back for three wrecks we had.

Remember the movie staring Herbie, the VW beetle--the love bug. If any one comes out with a Morris Minor like Herbie, they will be worth enough to cash in, and buy your dads place. So start telling the scipt writers to make such movies about Morris Minors :D:D:D

hope this helps.

[frantic]

As someone has already mentioned you have 2 options at the moment,
1; as you stated buy some land and move the cars a fair distance away with a possible rec area for the family in the future.
2: At the moment you may be able to buy a largish wharehouse/ workshop reasonably priced that you could subdivide and rent out half and use the other half for storage ( get some pallet racking cheap from graysonline) in a short distance from home.,

[rangieman]

Sell me a good one , Id love a Morrie ute to do up ,A 2door sedan would do me;)

[Pedro_The_Swift]

I think Little Scouse would love to go to the "Weekender",,

You could name it "Morrie Heaven"

:cool:

[banjo]

I recon i could fit one in somewhere..make a great first car for the daughter...

[Rangier Rover]

Some times I don't realise how lucky I am here:eek:.
You really to move to somewhere that suits your life style if you keep projects. Be a hard choice:( Maybe some members here could help store a few till you sort things out.;) I would but bit to far for you:(

Good luck with it all. Tony

[Shonky]

Maybe you should move to Morrie-set, or UMinor or other such Northern town... :D

[Scouse]

1; as you stated buy some land and move the cars a fair distance away with a possible rec area for the family in the future.
That's the way I want to go. I loved going to my Dad's place when I was in my mid-teens.
Looks like I'll be spending a few weekends looking around for somewhere now.



Sell me a good one , Id love a Morrie ute to do up ,A 2door sedan would do me;)Sell?? - I can't give 'em away :(. I have a nice 4 door sedan ('nice' as in very little rust, not looking 'nice') that I couldn't give away a couple of years ago.
There's a few rusty vans that will be going too.



I think Little Scouse would love to go to the "Weekender",,

And me too !!
The problem is finding somewhere 'interesting'. A lot of land in my price range is subdivided farmers paddocks - flat & open. I'd like mostly bush with a few features.
Hey, maybe AULRO Park would be on the cards :D.

[MickS]

Hey, maybe AULRO Park would be on the cards :D.

That's my idea :) And I know where i want it...:angel::angel:

[Yorkie]

i would go the recreation block idea, but as you say somewhere with interesting terrain and not all flat.
you would need a car transporter to get them all shifted over to the new site.



or bury them around your dads place the ones not worth keeping, imagine in 100yrs when they go to dig the foundations for the m20 or new westfield.... :angel: archeologists will be baffled. :D

[Scouse]

you would need a car transporter to get them all shifted over to the new site.That's the least of my worries. I can fit 2 Morries on my trailer & where I'm looking it is only 1hr away from where they are now :).

[abaddonxi]

I like the stacked containers idea, park them outside of Ron's place.

His home is his castle, but it need battlements.:D

[korg20000bc]

Just an aside- I saw photos of a Morris Minor on a Land Rover chassis in a magazine. Ever thought of doing that?

[Scouse]

Just an aside- I saw photos of a Morris Minor on a Land Rover chassis in a magazine. Ever thought of doing that?That's one of the projects waiting in the wings but I'm not in a hurry for that one. The Traveller (woody) is next - the boot on sedans is just too small :(.


I've been trawling the 'net & will be doing a bit of driving on Sunday. There's a few places that seem promising :).