In my search for an affordable classic mini (and wow there is a ton of stuff out there) It gets to be a little confusing. There are so many types and I saw on the miniguy site a bunch of minis, that are termed look-alikes or replicas. What does that mean? I noticed on e-bay as well people posting to beware of scams trying to sell cars not legal ect.. So how can you be sure you are getting your mini from a reputable source? And for me I would like to buy one that is close to original. But what is considered original???? To much confusion for this girl which is why I just wanted a new one, but alas my bank account is not that full!! LOL

 

brn2mtr,
Aloha and welcome to NAM. It is tough to figure out what is going on and often the classic minis have older VIN numbers put on recent bodies just to get them imported into the US. Some minis are replicas and some are Rover minis.
Some history-
http://www.minicooperclub.org.uk/
http://www.bmwhow2.com/mini.cooper.htm
http://www.nobcc.com/historyofcoopermini.html

You can ask questions on minimania's forum about the various classics
http://www.minimania.com/web/startre...msgthreads.cfm

Good luck. If you see a classic for sale you can always ask when it was built.
Classic mini dealers/sources-
http://www.minimania.com/ClassDealers.cfm

 

Believe me, I have owned several classics and in order to correctly maintain one for daily use, you bank account will be much less full than if you bought a new MINI.

 

There have been a few discussions of differences in the classics through the years, like in this thread : https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=20058 ... where some of the changes from the Mk.I's to the Mk.II's and later cars were listed, as well as what a "re-VIN'ed" car is ... but some later cars (post 1968) were imported legally without switching VIN plates - just check to see if all the paperwork is there if that is an issue for you.

As far as how much you need to spend is concerned, if you start with a relatively clean original classic Mini or Mini Cooper and avoid the high-priced Cooper S's , you can throw a lot of cash at it to get a restored, reliable, daily driver for a few thousand less than you would spend on a new MINI ... that is, if you are handy with a wrench and can do some of it yourself ...

 

My personal feeling are if you don't want to work on a car every couple of weekends then you should stay with the new Mini the Classic is great but they will always need maintaince..Just my opionion......BB

 

Check out this website, a fellow club member collects and sells Minis. A few nice ones here: http://brittsminis.com/CarsforSale.html And yes, these older British cars need lots of TLC. Don't buy one unless you have tools, a garage, and the skill to perform lots of relatively involved mechanical work that's required on a regular basis to keep these things going. If you don't have the skill, etc., you'll have to pay someone else to do it for you. Skilled and reputable (reputable being the key word here) Brit car mechanics are not easy to find, also.

Don't let this info deter you if you wish to have one. Just do your homework and be prepared to do a lot of routine maintenance. If you do, you'll have a VERY fun car to drive!

 

Thanks all for your help and opinions. I do have some mechanic skills for a girl, and I do know a few people in the right places. I used to help my dad fix up old cars. I do have a thing for classis cars, so we'll see. I am saving my $$ either way. When I get enough it'll either go as a down on a new one or towards a classic. Still debating. The classics are really cuter.

 

classics are cuter...no arguement

but my worries on the 02 are which rattle will p/o me today

on the 79 it is: will it start!

I have 2 drivers at home and had 3 cars
BEFORE we added a classic Mini (if you consider a 79
a classic)

DO NOT CONSIDER a classic as a primary
vehicle unless you plan to spend $15k ++++

on the other hand, if you want to join the classic
Mini greasy finger-nail club...... GLAD to shake your hand!!!!

 

when they say replica, they mean it is not a Genuine Cooper S, or Cooper.
You see, you could get a non Cooper Mini, and make it to look like one. For example, I could go to England and buy a MINI ONE, 30 years down the line, after the S bonnet, and supercharge engine install, 17" s-lites, I could BS some young kid and say, oh yeah, this is a genuine Cooper S, but then I would be talkin out my ****.

hehehe... thats why you get teh nicer S to begin with, /kisses Camel. mah baby.

 

When we had our 2002 MINI Cooper S, it spent somewhere near 45 days in the shop. My 1971 998cc car was *much* more reliable.

Then again, what Rick is saying isn't untrue. They're older cars, and unless you do a lot of preventave maintenence on them...stuff is going to break.

 

LOL - I know what you're saying - My '68 Mini Cooper is the backup vehicle around here for when the "reliable" cars break down. I've de-Lucased it and replaced the electrical components with Japanese stuff and it is super reliable now.

 

I went for a re-Vin'd 1998 Cooper S Replica. What this means is that the car was built in 1998 by Rover (probably in Germany). It has Fuel injection, Air bag and the extra bars in the doors. It looks very much like the Classic Minis, but it really isn't.

The guy trying to sell it in the US found an Old '68 Morris Mini in the junkyard and took the Vin off of it and got a copy of the Registration documents. He sold to me for $9,500.00 and I had it shipped for around $1,100.00. You see, as of the 70's, none of the Mini manufacturers sold cars in the US, so they may or may not meet US DOT guidelines. So you cant legally import a 1998 Mini into the US. BUT, if the car is over 30 years old, its concidered a classic and does not need smog or safety checks. So, my 1998 Rover Mini Cooper S Sportpack Mark IV is registered in the US as a 1968 Morris Mini.

I'm a workaholic and a big Mini fan. I didn't want to spend alot of time in the garage or taking my car to the shop so I thought this was a good alternative. It looks like a classic, but isn't. I use it as my daily driver in Los Angeles traffic and I love it.

As of a few months ago, I didn't understand any of this either, so I thought I'd spell it out a bit (at least the part about fake "classic" minis).

Paul

 

Hi, I bought this Christmas morning, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ME:B:EOAB:MT:6

I'm just not sure if it's a re-vin or what ?, the grill is the half round with whiskers, small wheels but the door hinges are inside, fuel injected 1275, auto & air, I sold this last month, http://www.xked.com/?car=1R42998BW so Lucas and his quirky friends are no stranger to me, but I'd like to know what I've actually got ?, opinions please ?, my girlfriend can play the piano but she can't drive a standard shift, hence the auto and the Jag had no air and we were tired of sweating all the time, I live in Alabama and it gets hot and muggy,
Manuel

 

The car is a Re-vin. It is a '93 with an old whisker grill attached to the front. Enjoy!

 

Manuel, you got a deal.

 

Re-vining is totally illegal over here in the UK. A lot of people and garages are being caught and either fined heavily or put out of business. You can also risk having your car taken back.

I'm not saying I'm against it, cos it's one way of people in the US and Canada getting a Mini. But it is an illegal practise.

Just be aware, and be careful on Ebay, there are so many Mini's on there now due to people learning fast that they're collectible classics, that there are a LOT of unscupulous sellers. They'll tell you anything to sell the car, especially if you live overseas, because they think they can get away with fleecing people.