You have no idea how pumped I am about this. I have been watching the classifieds here and aother sites for some time. Waiting. Watching. And I don't mind waiting a little longer. The main reason I am interested in this mini is that it is 15 minutes from my home. I live in Oklahoma. There are not many classic minis here. I have been emailing the seller and will see/drive the car tomorrow.

I want it for my daily driver. I have a BMW mini now that I will likely sell if I buy this one. I am open to all input. I have read some about not having a classic for your daily driver and will try it out for a while. I could always buy a second car if the mini isn't dependable.

http://http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mini-Classic-Mini-850-1971-Classic-Mini-850-right-hand-drive-with-1275-engine-/261014452883?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3cc5ac7a93 #ht_1208wt_948

 

I see rust. Make sure you know where else it is, as that gets expensive quickly.

 

Thanks. What's your opinion of what this car is worth?

 

I drove a '61 Triumph Herald daily for a year, a couple of years ago. Frankly it was a pita. If British cars were not a hobby it would not have worked at all. Almost every weekend and many cold evenings were spent fixing things. This Mini looks good but I think you might start missing the modern amenities pretty quickly.

My $0.02 , YMMV :-)

Ken Gano

 

Sounds a lot like my R50!

 

IMHO, it's extremely unlikely to be dependable enough to warrant selling your other car and having this as your _only_ vehicle. I won't try to debate this since it's been *beaten to death* on this forum. Take a few minutes and run some forum searches for classic Mini daily driver and hopefully you'll find some helpful information.

I can understand the excitement of wanting a classic Mini ... I went through that 4-5 years ago. I scoured the Internet looking for classic Minis for sale in neighboring states (I live in Arizona and was looking in AZ, CA, NV, NM, and TX) and looked for about 6 months before I found the one I wanted. I would not limit yourself to the availability of classic Minis in your neighborhood. My advise is to expand your search area and find a car that is what you want. There are many things to consider - dry/wet suspension, basically stock to significantly modified, 850cc to 1380cc, and a _ton_ of other things that you will realize are very important after you have put coin down on your new Mini.

In the past two years my Mini has been gone over with a fairly fine toothed comb to address all driveablility and mechanical problems. Whenever there's a problem (my most recent was/is bad ball joints) the car becomes undrivable and must be parked while I wait for parts and time to do the repairs. Being a classic Mini, you can't go to the local parts store and expect the parts to be in stock, let alone even being carried by the parts stores. So I have to order from one of the classic Mini specialists in the states. Oh, and the parts are expensive. And I do _all_ my own repairs.

Good luck with your hunt. Let us know what you buy when you finally take the plunge.

Cheers,
Jeff

 

^^ What he said. There's always something you're going to have to do to the car. Like right now I have a bad turn signal relay, broken exhaust hanger, bad headlight ground and my suspension is going out. They're great for driving on the weekend but I would never rely on one as a daily driver unless you're only going a mile or so to work...

 

Your suspension is going out MINI XB? Where's it going?

I think this is a pretty good base to start with, but remember you're buying a 40+ year old car - there is no 40 year old car that's not going to need periodic work. if you aren't capable of doing your own repairs, you'll never get to drive it and it will just sit - which is harder on it than using it.

There will be rust - I don't know why the seller thinks it's OK that the rust hasn't broken thru the paint - by the time you can see it like that it's way way way too late! it's not like it's the paint that holds the car together!

You're very best bet on a n old car like this is to buy one that's already been restored by someone who knows what they're doing and does the job right - of course very few people can afford or wil spend the money for that quality of car.

if it's local, have someone you know and trust look it over for you - someone familiar with classic Minis, if they says it's OK, then go for it.

But, if you don't have a garage and tools and the ability to work on a car, do not get rid of your daily driver - unless you like to walk!

 

If you really want a range of opinions here's one....go buy a Scion iQ as a daily driver. It's reliable (Toyota), innovative, extreme wheels-at-the-corners, and the same length as a classic Mini. Yes, it's not a Mini (or is it?), but it has ample safety equipment, stability control and other amenties. Add a rear sway bar and have some fun. Just an alternate perspective...

 

I attend a bunch of car shows with my 79 .... and I track prices loosely .... so I can respond to folks who routinely ask "I want one" . . .

IMO if you pay $7000 for a Mini you get something ready to receive another $3000 to make it SEMI reliable ... if you pay $5000 .... do the math . . . don't expect it to run long . . . $7000 can get a weekend car

The last guy I know who got a 'great deal' ($2000 for a MK1) has the car in parts on his garage floor, it ran two days......

If you want mine and have $12,000 pm me. You can price out $8000 just from Mini Mania after market parts.....

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I decided to pass on this one. It had a bit more rust and I couldn't talk the wife into it. I got him down to $5,500 but couldn't sort it on my end. It sold for just over $7,000 this morning. That made me want to kick myself as I didn't feel I had much to loose at $5,500. I could even keep my modern mini at that price! I will continue the search and thank you guys for all the valuable input.

 

great for the selller

we'll wait for the buyer to show up here

 

Don't kick yourself. That car needs some serious rust repairs...rust never sleeps. My advice is to keep your MINI (assuming you are happy with it) and when you get your Mini, use it on the weekends. I speak from experience. (See my gallery.)

 

for what it is worth

and that's probably nothing

body rust is an easy fix as compared to sub frame issues, suspension issues, even many engine isues. but a bad body suggests a strong look to the others . . .

 

Capt oh Capt... Tailing on inputs from everybody here, you point out some good issues regarding frame and suspension. I purchased a '68 from a guy on Craigslist in 07'. As you mention, I paid $6000 for it and have thumped probably another $3k into it with new suspension (which sits in my living room), yada yada. However, it has been sitting for the 3 years I have been here on Oahu because everytime I drive it around the block something new breaks on it.

Cutting the the chase, I was going to make it driveable and somewhat road worthy so I could sell it before leaving island at the end of the month, only to discover when changing the suspension out that the entire frame is garbage, most of it being held together by paint and that sound blocking tacky board. The old subframes are garbage with mostly everything to include drum brake assy's seized. The engine needs rework too. Should I just junk the car? Sell the car for parts? Or keep the good parts myself, and look for a suitable frame when I get back stateside?

Anyone's suggestions are welcome. This car is a pita, and I named it Frankenstein because it is a mish mesh of variety of MK's. Thanks!

~ Janelle

 

Down.

 

Unless you are fortunate enough to live less than a mile from Graham and the great people at Heritage!!

I love my Classic. Starts right away, drives excellent, lots of looks from people on the street. It is paid off and the gas mileage is great.

My experience is not nearly as great as others here, but the biggest hit to the pocketbook seems to be fixing the crap that the PO did to the car. The car is back at the shop today because the PO bypassed the radiator with the hose routing when he removed the heater and the car runs like it has demon blood when it is hot. I am also having some little things fixed while it is in that do not affect the drive-ability of the car.

Although it is my DD, it is not my only vehicle, that would be insane.

Find a good one, treat it well, whisper sweet nothings in her intake and she will treat you well.