I posted this question earlier and got some very helpful feedback. Someone mentioned adding some pictures, so here are some pics of the Innocenti I'm considering buying. Let me know what you think! Thanks so much for all the help! The car is here in the states and the seller said it will need about $500 in engine work, but it does start and run well. The body needs a bit of work too, but is in good shape overall. Thanks for any feedback on what this mini might be worth. Its a '73 Innocenti.

 

www.minimania.com. They have the best listing of classic Minis for sale, so you can compare shop. They also have the sold ones on the list, so you can see what was bought, and what was not....

Matt

My first though was "As little as you can get away with" but that wasn't really very helpfull!

 

There isn't sufficient detail to make any accurate guess. What does $500 worth of engine work mean? Also, "body needs a bit of work too?" Photos are deceptive and the car is always worse than you think it is. A small rust bubble on a sill can be just that, or depending on prior work (or bodges) can mean serious repairs. Only an experienced Mini owner can tell. Any Mini groups around you who may be able to help you?

 

a very good inspection is needed before pricing it out........the 74 Innocenti im restoring did look that bad until we sanded the car down and saw how much bondo was holding the car together.......it also had newwer sills on it but they were just welded on over the rusty ones.......like minimad said a small rust bubble can be more that it seams........when you go to sand it out the small spot usually blows out to a large whole

example......this was a pin hole/surface rust untill sanded

 

does anyone have any preference on seeing the car before you buy it? Do you feel comfortable buying online?

 

Since I am still looking to buy myself, I would want to see it in person. It seems like there are many Minis out there that could have potential rust problems, that people just paint over. Pictures can help, but they may not always show you everything you need to see.

Since I am dont have much of a budget, I would want to know exactly what I am buying.

 

I posted this original question and wanted to ad a few more details. The car is for sale for $5,000. All I really want to know is if this is a good deal or not, or if I should keep looking. The car was re-painted about 5 years ago in Italy before being shipped to the US. The body parts it needs are a new grill, headlight rings and rear bumper. These parts arent bad, but have dents/blemishes. The engine work it needs is a new carb and distributor. It runs ok now and starts reliably, but to make it very dependable, it would need those new parts--according to the seller. Again, all I really need to know is if this is a good price of an innocenti, or if I should keep looking. Thanks again to those with helpful feedback!

 

Without being able to see the car... as described $5K seems to be a pretty fair price. (That said it could range from a great price to a money pit depending on the actual condition.)
Do you have any history on the car (ie how long has the current owner had it, reason for selling etc) Also where is it? Depending on where it is you may be able to have someone in the "Classic" community have a look at it (we tend to be a helpful bunch... misery loves company )

 

WOW looking at the mini that you are going to buyit looks pretty good from the outside. The one that I am currently investigating looks worse on the outside and has rust. I am trying to figure out how much the one that I am looking at is worth

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MEWA:IT&ih=001

Seriously you need to look at or get detail pictures of the floor and boot and underneath, on MiniMania there are lists of the most common spots to look for trouble, get a compression check too, and ask billions of questions. depending on the location someone from the forums will take a look for you, Good luck.

 

if the pics he sent you are up to date, the car looks like a good deal for 5k......but you never know what your getting into without investicating the car and looking it over......

 

Unless I know the person I would *never* buy another Mini sight unseen. I bought my first car from a California dealer (who now only does consignments) and paid too much. Car had some problems, but overall we loved it.

My suggestion would be to find some Mini folks in your area (either on here or over on MiniMania) and ask them to check it out with you. I've been "into" Minis for about 6 years now and I still run across stuff that I don't know about or don't feel completely comfortable with. That being said, they're fairly easy cars to work on. Unless you find a fuel injected car there are no computers or whiz-bangery to fool with!

 

keep in mind that a rebuilt motor will cost you another 5k.

 

A seller that’s confidant in their vehicle will be more than happy to let you take the car to a mechanic. A pre-purchase inspection will let you find out what you’re really getting yourself into (well worth the $100). It’s also a great way to start a relationship with someone who can answer those random questions and talk Mini with. I don't know where you live but I live in a city of only a Million people and we have 3 different British car shops.

 

+1

My main experience is with Volvo 1800's, but this applies to basically any classic car that is prone to rust problems (most of them). Unless the car is really cheap (under, say... $2000 or so) then I would definitely want to see the car first. If the car is cheap enough, I will have low expectations about the overall condition.

Given the current prices of Mini's (I've been spending the better part of the last 3 years watching Mini prices), I would expect a "driver w/ minor issues" to be around $5000... Less if rust is more obvious or it needs immediate work... Basket-cases seem to go for $2000 or less depending on model, condition and general completeness. $10K and up for a solid "needs nothing" car.

The $5K to $10K range is scary... You might find a deal on a good driver, but it's equally possible to end up paying too much for a car with rust issues and a quickie paint job... This is where seeing the car in person first and knowing what to look for is mandatory.

Unfortunately, even having the car looked at first is no guarantee... a local PA buddy recently bought a heavily modded 1275 Mini from CA and had a friend out there look at it first... who apparently was so smitten by how fast the car was overlooked a lot of other issues that my friend must now take care of before he can drive the car.

 

Just to set exopectations, my car cost me $6K and for that price I got:

Engine: Mechanically sound, everything works. Has run as a daily driver for months and has endured several 200+ mile highway road trips. Had to replace a rod change oil seal and repair a busted electric fan bolt with a zip tie.

Interior: A bit scruffy but no tears/rips. No fusty smell. Carpet is servicable but will need replacing soon (it's the cheap stuff and is pilling, but is not stained or torn). No defects in the dash rails and all gauges work fine. Had a window rail drop off (rusted out) but repaired it with a tube of silicone fishtank goo and a liberal dose of curse words, but now it works great - so much so that I'm considering doing the same treatment to allthe OTHER rails...

Exterior: Some window seals are cracking just a bit but not enough to let water in. Minor rust blsiters under the paint on the LH headlamp wing. Minor bubbling in the RH and LH door skins. Minor rust inside the rear pockets and rear shelf beneath the rear wondow is rusted through (not visible). All the rest of the red paint was oxidized but polished up well with a Porter Cable and little TLC.

Undercarriage: FLoor pans intact - one welded plate repairing a rusted spot (previous owner had the work done). No other visible rust, but I have a thick undercoating layer which could be hiding something. Rust up inside the wheel wells - will invest in some Waxyol or other rust eliminator/sealer over the winter (when I will garage the car except for nice, sunny days).

Bottom line: I still feel like I got a great deal. I see cars with more body/sill rust than mine going for $8k or $9k all the time...

 

Hi guys,

I was looking at the 74' this website is sellings for about 10,000. Is that too much. Check it out and let me know. I'm looking for a daily driver for city street driving.

The site is called:

www.classicautoimports.com

I can afford a 10 grand car but can it be a daily driver?

 

Daily driver? Can you? Depends... How far do you have to go every day and on what kind of roads? Unless you're a glutton for punishment, I wouldn't take it on a 40-mile-each-way superhighway commute, no. The Mini engine is fairly dependable (assuming you get one in good mechanical shape) and is relatively easy to work on when it does fail, and it's wonderful on gas (I routinely get 37-40 MPG) but there are other issues...

For one, the seats really don't compare well against modern interiors, and the car will be laboring a bit when you get around 65-70 MPH. Plus you have to remember that you're in a teensy tin box with no airbags or stiffener bars or any modern safety features and you're commuting with people in Suburbans and Jeep Liberties and Hummers that are talking on cell phones and eating breakfast and changing CDs in the stereo and fiddling with their navigation systems and yelling at their kids in the back of the minivan while shoving a bottle in the baby's mouth and putting a new Barny DVD in the player... You get the drift.

Please don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to talk you out of it. You're an adult (I assume) and know your limitations, but when I drive my classic I really do feel most comfortable when I put myself mentally in the same space as I used to be in when I rode a motorcycle everywhere - I assume that every time I run across someone turning in front of me or following that they will do the wring thing and try to hit me - it's my job to not be in their path since I'm the smallest thing on the road and I WILL lose. That paranoia saved me more times than I can count on the bike and it's already spared me at least one accident. Not being a drama queen (I hope) - just realistic...

 

I might stir up another issue I have seen in other threads, BUT..............

I have a "75" that has been upgraded to a '93.......1.3 fuel injected.

I have been driving it around all over town and on long weekend trips. It starts, runs and feels reasonably reliable. Recently I got the chance to drive a older version with the 1000 motor and was quite happy driving on short stints at low miles around corners, but was looking for more on the straights. Much slower than mine. Would I trade for an older version? No, but I am not really a collector. With my current set up on my car it will run at 140kmh on the expressway when I need to get out of the truckers way. The Old version I drove seemed to struggle to get to 100+kmh.

So, all that being said, what is it you want from YOUR Mini?? Classic style is a given, older style power? More speed? Reliability? Ease of repair? Carb vs. EFI? Authentic originality?

Personally, I would look for the car that answers the wants/needs that I have and decide how many fit that mold and what the best value is among the options available. All Minis seem to have rust to some degree. I think it was a factory installed feature.

Good luck with your search and enjoy whatever you select regardless of what you paid. It is only too much if you think you paid too much or you can't afford what you spent, but, if it meets what you want and there is nothing else around that is like it, then, maybe it is priceless......to you.

At first I questioned my purchase price, but, I have yet to find anything like it here in the Midwest or even in the States. It could stand improvements and it will get them, but, right now it is still Summer and the corners are not tight enough on the roads around here.

No Rain this weekend in the forecast and I am looking to burn some fuel.....So I will have to travel really far!! Ha!

 

I bet my friend's 1310 pulls harder than your EFI

 

OK-

 

Thanks guys for your imput.

It's always dicey trying to buy a new classic especially when you expect to drive it often. My brother drove a outwardly immaculate Karmen Ghia convertible but the car was crap. He really didn't know what he was doing and ended screwing that vw sewing machine engine more than it already was...

So thanks

 

Hey emillkim,

I just looked at the link you provided. Nice mini! Odds are it is probably a year 2000 MPI model reVIN'ed as an older car so it could be exported to the US. I don't know if too many people are updating older cars with airbags, etc. If it is an MPI model, and depending on where you live, it could prove to be very difficult to service if and when ECU problems arise.