http://www.turkys.com/

This guy apparently imports a bunch of classics from New Zealand: all rust-free cars!

A local Philly classic is a NZ car and it certainly is rust free.

He has a bunch of other British RHD cars that are pretty cool as well.

Prices don't seem too bad.

 

Just a word of warning - Before spendng your hard earned money on New Zealand cars, do a little research. Try posting on www.minimania.com forum and ask for personal experiences with Turk (or any other dealer, such as Monte Carlo or www.miniuy.com ) and with NZ cars. Request that people respond by personal email so you get the truth.

 

There is one "you couldn't build for the price."
Probably not. Two maybe or three.

 

Love that 2CV!!! Not sure about owning one though.

 

He is right. I have well over $20,000 in receipts toward building my '68 - and it is still not 100% finished! All of these cars need some amount of work and the parts & labor add up very quickly, far exceeding the value of the car in many cases.

 

This goes without saying. I'd take for granted needing to redo most, if not all, of the mechanical systems on a old Mini. But personally, I'd rather start with a rust-free car if I can. I hate doing body-work and few things scare me more than the two words, "fresh paint"

 

Don't take anyone's word on the condition of the car, or a dealer. Remember ALL Mini dealers ARE used car dealers.

Unless you're buying cheap and can afford to risk a little money, buy a plane ticket and eyeball the car yourself (if you know what you're looking at) or take an expert.
I agree, buy the most rust free shell you can find or one that's been redone properly. The mechanicals are cheap & easy to fix.

 

Yeah, even swapping an engine is easy

 

I saw a 2CV driving by today. It would be fun to have one just for the extreme body roll alone, quite a novelty to a MINI owner. If I had a garage where I could do most of my own work, I'd have a classic Mini in a heartbeat. Since we are currently a 1-car, park on the street, household those dreams will have to wait a bit.

 

Reason for NZ cars being mostly rust free compared to UK ones; in winter they use black volcanic sand on the roads to provide traction, whereas Britain uses rock salt which is corrosive.


I've owned classic Mini's and 2CV's in the past. The 2CV is a hoot to drive and easy to maintain. You have to be careful not to slam the doors though because you could cause it to roll over!!