In Texas we had a ’93 Plus 8 (Moggie I) as a member of our family. We had lots of fun and shared many memories with her. She was also an excellent conduit for meeting many wonderful people from Houston (MOGMOG) and Dallas (Morgan Motor Car Club). We even hosted several Texas Hill Country road, BBQ, and wine tours for our fellow Texas Morganites. But, after many years of being of having Moggie as part of our family, circumstances beyond our control caused her to move on.

At first we didn’t miss Moggie. But, as time passed, the pain of being a Mogless family became apparent. And, as time passed with moves to Iowa and Georgia, we decided it was time to fill this void in our family. We searched around and, lo and behold, found our beloved Moggie, but, alas, she was and is happy and content with her new family in Colorado. So, we went on the hunt, so to speak. But, the new addition had to fit within our budget (we already have an Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce, a MINI Cooper, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle not to mention the family truckster (Chevrolet Suburban Z71).

We searched in vein for a Plus 4 or 4/4 as we wanted a later model (90’s or newer) and these were proving hard to find, much less in the color combinations the Mary sought. But, shortly after joining MOG South and we received an e-mail about a Morgan being offered for sale. It contained a short helpful message saying, “FYI A Plus 8 For Sale in FL.” Mary read it and said to me, “a Plus 8, no way.”

But, being one to not pursue a lead I sent the owner a quick e-mail. He replied with data and a photo. It was an unmolested 2003 Morgan Plus 8 (35^th Anniversary Edition) with less than 3k miles on it. Mary took one look at the Lotus Steel Blue color with Muirhead Nutmeg leather interior and SWMBO knew this was the car. It didn’t seem to matter to her that it was a Plus 8 and that it far exceeded the budget we’d allocated. So, we grabbed a couple of AirTran tickets and flew down to Miami to see the car. Her first look at the car and she was in love. She really knew this was the one. The deal was sealed and I now was charged with getting the car (Moggie II) back to Atlanta.

I had less than two weeks to get the car up here or wait until September when the owner returned from vacation. I tried several auto transport companies, but could not get any to give me a guaranteed pickup before the owner was to leave town. So, I had two choices: fly down and drive it back or drive down and trailer it back.

On emog.com, the consensus was to fly down and drive it back. Being an adventurist this was also my first choice. But, upon good advice from SWMBO, I opted for the more prudent approach, namely to drive down and trailer it back. I quickly “boned” up my skills on using an auto transport trailer, hooked it up to the ‘burb and drove down to Miami. After about 12 hours I arrived in Miami, spent the night at the owner’s place, loaded the car up the next morning and was back in Atlanta late that evening. No adventure (sorry, e-mog), but no problems either (thanks, Mary).

On my return, though, it had to pass Georgia emissions. Unfortunately, I learned that the On Board Diagnostics (OBD) interface was incorrectly wired on all 2003 Plus 8 cars by MMC. Fortunately, the Morgan community is full of very helpful people and I was given the correct wiring diagram and assistance in rewiring the interface. Moggie II passed emissions, was registered and on the highways and byways with a Georgia plate hanging from her rear. Next, was the process of personalizing her.

I’ve simplified the process of losing and finding a Morgan, but I don’t want to in any way simplify the help from all the wonderful people in the Morgan community who made this possible. Special thanks go to Randy Johnson for pointing me to the car; Super Dave Bondon for advice on what to look for; Mark Braunstein for offering me his home in Florida should I need it; Lorne Goldman for “gomog.com” and his assistance over the many years in mentoring me on the Plus 8; David Poole for his seemingly bottomless pit of knowledge and unending helpfulness in sorting out the car; and finally to our dear friend Bill Wally who knew that we needed a Morgan to complete our family.