Hey all,

I'm the proud owner of a 2008 MCS and love the thing. I know before I die, I want to own a classic Mini so now I'm doing some research on them to get up to speed (no pun intended.)

Just a little background: A classic Mini for me would not be my daily driver. This would be a second car for weekend fun and short trips to the market, etc. I also like a mostly standard stock Mini. (Not a Moke, Clubman, etc.) Since this would not be a daily driver, I don't need upgraded amenities. Just want it to be a fun. I'm not looking for a full-on restoration project, but have no problem tweaking a few minor things myself. (EDIT: I'm looking to spend in the $10,000-12,000 US range.)

Anyway, to the classic mini owners on this forum:
Are there any things you know now that would make you do things differently when you purchased your classic Mini?

For example:

• Any specific years or makes/models to avoid or to seek out?
• Recommended engine type?
• Anyone buy from overseas and have it shipped to the USA? Work out or a horrible experience?
• Best place to buy? (Locally, eBay, Minimania classifieds, etc.)
• Any other tips/recommendations you can advise for the first time classic mini owner?

I just wanted to throw out a few questions to those here who already own a classic and may be able to help me in my decision-making process. Really looking forward to the responses, and thanks for any info!

 

$15,000 and you can have mine .....

What are you planning to spend? IMO to get a 'driver' you need to spend $7000 or more. Spend less and the car will be an oil puddle maker in your garage in a month - the seller got it running to sell and it dies in 3 weeks. Being in CA you have even higher peaks to climb than most as CA is still UGLY on registering even 'classic' cars.

Mine came from overseas and was found to have a bad head gasket on arrival . . . on the other hand, shipping a car from UK to FL cost less than trucking a car (Miata) from Miami to San Fran . . .

I've a very modified 1979 Saloon 1000 that sports Cooper S disk brakes, an A+ 1275 with LCB and an HIS-6 1.75 carb with K&N and proper needle, 10x6 MiniLight clones with good rubber, Cobra Classic seats, 6 point Safety Devices roll cage, Rokee dash, debumbered, debadged, glass front clip, MK1 grill boot lid and tail lites . . . . more and more

The more of those that mean nothing to you are all the more reasons you want to do some research b4 you buy.

MiniMania.com is where many US Mini folk go to sell their cars.

Find someplace that sells MiniWorld magazine and you can see what they sell for over there . . .

http://www.miniworld.co.uk/

I bought mine for $7k 8 years ago and probably have another $7k in it by now . . . you need a full tool box and skill set or plenty of $$ to pay others. After my first two tries at hired repairs I took welding classes and auto body repair lessons and auto painting lessons and bought ALL the equipment needed .... and feel I came out ahead . . .

it is a TON of FUN if you can support the hobby . . . but 9 out of 10 bail after a year. we old retired farts with big pensions tend to be the majority of the group at club meetings . . .

 

There are a LOT of things to consider/learn when buying any classic or collector car. Much of that revolves around your personal expectations (originality, reliability, condition, etc.). My #1 Tip would be to start monitoring the UK based Mini forums. http://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/

You'll quickly get a better understanding of what it takes to restore and maintain a classic Mini. Armed with that information you can set or adjust your expectations.

#2 Tip - Don't even think of buying a classic Mini without inspecting it thoroughly. Even a little bit of rust can start to cost you $1,000's.

#3 Tip - Try to buy a Mini that is a close to what you ultimately want. It's easy to dump $1,000's into both maintenance and/or accessories. Let the former owner bear that cost, if possible.

#4 Tip - Daily Driver or Show Car - This gets back to expectations. If you want to go to shows and take home the Gold, then you might want to hold out for an early Mink (Mk 1, Mk 2, Mk 3). If you just want the FUN and LOOK of a Classic Mini, you can save a pant-load of money with a later model.

#5 Tip - BEWARE - KNOW what you're buying. Because it's so easy to swap out Mini parts from new to old and old to new . . .it can be difficult to tell what you're really buying. Clones are fine . . .but you don't want to pay a premium price for it!

I've been trying to document some of my experiences with "Paddy" a 1973 Retro/Mod Mini Cooper S Mk 1 clone - http://www.OurMini.com

 

I'll bite!! Note that I'm speaking as someone who researched and bought a Mini in Europe (Ireland) and when I moved to the US I left it there.

• Any specific years or makes/models to avoid or to seek out? Personally, I would recommend a post 1996 'sportspack' (easily recognized by the 13 inch wheels and the factory wheel arches).
• Recommended engine type? I'd stick to the 1275cc MPI - some people swear by the SPI and claim that US mechanics either can't or won't work on an MPI . . which is BS.
• Anyone buy from overseas and have it shipped to the USA? Work out or a horrible experience? I looked at shipping my one from Ireland to the US - it wouldn't have been too expensive but I would have needed to 're-VIN' it. As a practicing attorney I couldn't risk having problems with US customs, so I decided against.
• Best place to buy? (Locally, eBay, Minimania classifieds, etc.) Here in Seattle I've seen some good ones on Craigslist . . but the owner needs to know exactly what the car is and have proper service records. If you see the phrase 'I think its a 1999 car but the title says 1967' stay the hell away from it.
• Any other tips/recommendations you can advise for the first time classic mini owner? Rust, rust, rust. If a car is coming from the UK it will have rust on it - whether you can see it or not, there'll be rust. Best ones, if you can find them, came from Japan (they have factory AC and are RHD). There's also some good ones from Germany and Holland (which will be LHD, and usually blue or green).

 

Absolutely fantastic tips from all of you.
I really appreciate it.

I'm the type of person that loves doing a TON of research before buying, so I would think my buying time frame won't be for another 6 months at the earliest. Tips from this thread will greatly assist me in my research.

 

remember that to be a legal import the car must be 25 years old

MPI models won't pass that test yet

unless they are a re-vin aka a grey market car.

one online source says:

Mini's made between 1959 upto about 1992 used a carburetor,

Then 1993 to about 1996 used single point injection (SPI),

Then 1997 - 2000 used Multi-point injection (MPI)

I might not have the years 100% correct, but it's thereabouts.

I further understand that when SPi WAS introduced, not all models came with SPi, there were some with carb's. SPi began with a dizzy that was "semi-electronic", similar to a Lucas 59d with a Pertronix insert - no points but still has vacume advance etc. The MPi went to an electronic ignition system ... no dizzy.

by the rules, 2013 - 25 = a legal car today must be a 1988 or earlier . . .
(these are the federal rules for importing a vehicle not otherwise legal to import)
on the other hand if the 'illegal' car is already in the states and has a title and registration, transffering those are typically not a problem.

+++++ with regards to getting an injected car worked on here in the US .... one suggestion I have is to look up the cost of the ECU for an MPI, and compare that to a big SU or even a Weber conversion.... I don't have an injected car but have been contacted by several people who bought one and soon found themselves searching for a mechanic that could work on one. Finding a Mini familiar mech is hard enuf, finding one for a motor not legally sold in the US for another 9 years is a different issue all together. The Mini IS very easy to work on, up to a point but few US mechanics have ever SEEN an SU carb. My opinion is stay far away from SP and MP, but we all know what value opinions hold. Final data point however, I seem to recall a recent issue of MiniWorld had a tech article about replacing the MPi system with carb' since it is such a common path for people with failed MPi systems. I'll have to dig in recent issues and see if I can locate that one.

If you are going to chew on your decision for a while I HIGHLY recommend a subscription to MiniWorld. Not cheap since it must be mailed from UK but I learn something from EVERY issue. Their tech articles are very easy to follow and their Q&A section has hit just about every question I've ever seen posted on the classic section here.

 

Here in CA I'd recommend a car that is 1975 or older. They will not be required to be smogged... Continue to do research homework and be conscious of any alterations that may have been made over the cars life, to ensure you really know what it is you are buying. Please feel free to PM me and we can talk on the phone if you're still looking and would like to chat. All the best.

 

'Mini Magazine' is also a good monthly from UK.
http://www.minimag.co.uk/

 

Just touching on what Noonzio was saying, but you cannot legally import or buy a classic mini newer than 25 years, which would be about an '89 at this point.

That said there are a number of cars newer than that running around the states......how? Well, some states aren't very strict about licensing, however this is a federal requirement - they can still take the car off the road if they want. Some newer cars were re-vinned, which means they had a vin from an early model car attached to them and were imported under that number.

I'm neither telling anyone not to buy one of these cars or commenting on the morality of buying one, just caveat emptor.

Edit: I see Capt Bj touched on this in his post too, sorry - I missed that before.....

 

random point to ponder for the week . . .

Mini was built in MANY countries by different companies. Sometimes the country/company bought virtually everything from UK and just assembled the car locally (New Zealand), sometimes they bought some and made their own for other parts (Italian Innocenti) and sometimes made more of it still yet - like the South Africans who made body panels and Chili who made entire FIBERGLASS shells!

The more 'not-UK' the car then larger the potential parts problems and even references. We've see here folks searching for answers to the wiring differences in the very popular Innocenti models . . . Haynes does NOT cover these differences!

Just another data point to keep in mind . . .

http://forum.minicooper.org/forumdisplay.php?f=101

 

Again, just wanted to say a big thanks to the info shared in this thread.
JBC4317, thanks for offering your ear via a PM if I have any questions. too!

All help is appreciated everyone! Thanks.

 

^^ You're more than welcome to contact me anytime... If you have not already done so, consider picking up a copy of "Orignal Mini Cooper and Cooper S, The Restorer's Guide"' by John Parnell. It illustrates the history of the Mini Cooper very well, focusing on the MkI, II, III, those built overseas and the Rover.

Best of luck and enjoy the search!

 

Where is a good place to find a classic mini for very cheap. It does not need to be running and minimal rust is ideal. I am looking to find one that can be a donor car for a z cars kit build.

 

wow ....

did u even read THIS thread?

consider Craig's List . . .

or the ads in the back of MiniWorld . . .

 

I'll have to look into mini world. For the most part finding just a shell / chassis seems to be difficult. Most that are for sale are nice cars.