A lot has changed over the past year or so. I've thoroughly enjoyed working on my Mini and driving it too but I'm at the point in my life where I can start realistically looking at getting one of my dream cars. My wife is open to the idea, but only if I get rid of my Mini first.

There's absolutely no way whatsoever I'd get any type of value out of trading it to a dealership - that's a given. Ideally it'd be great if I could trade up for one of a couple of cars that I'd like to have that needs a lot of work + cash or something, but I'm not even sure anyone other than a Mini enthusiast would appreciate everything that's been done to it. I'm trying to figure out how much I realistically could expect to get for my car and thought this would be the best place to ask. This also is by no means going to be an immediate thing so I've got time to find the right buyer/trade too (I also need to clean it up and finish the few projects that are in progress on it).

2004 Mini R53 MC40
110k-ish miles
Facelift xenon headlights
New power steering pump
New alternator
New belt tensioner

Valeo solid flywheel
Powerflex LCA bushing
17% SC pulley
Literally every gasket anywhere has been replaced
VT upper and lower engine mounts
M7 CAI
Invidia catback exhaust
Vorshlag camber plates
Koni yellows
TSW lowering springs
Zimmerman rotors
RMW 500whp axles
Hotchki's RCL's
WMW 25.5" RSB

Seibon carbon fiber hood
JCW carbon fiber dash kit
JCW ebrake handle
JCW carbon fiber trunk handle
Double-din mod with navigation
Black interior pillar swap
Black headliner
Spec D LED taillights

There's so much more that I've done to it too that I'm just forgetting. I mean I practically rebuilt the entire front end at 100k miles (tie rods, ball joints - you name it).

KBB value obviously doesn't do it justice ($2500-$4500 is depressing) and I've seen some other MC40's around for $4,000-$5,000 recently but hell, I've put as much if not more into the car than that.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated :D

 

I think you might be able to get $8,000 for it from the right buyer. That might be a bit high, but I think that's the ball park. You might think about putting it on bring a trailer. Modmini's R53 is there right now, It's similar mileage, a bit more of a famous car, but it might give you a decent idea of what is possible.

 

Your problem with advertising/selling it as a MC40 is that you've done so many mods that it's no longer a limited-edition MINI. The MC40 package was appearance only and yours no longer looks like an MC40. You've done an amazing amount of work and I'm sure it's an amazing driver but now you simply have a heavily modified 2004 MINI.

 

^^^This

The problem with any big car project is the same. Your gonna lose money when you go to sell it. Ask anyone in the hotrod community. You see cars all the time listed for half of what the owners have invested.

If you want to make your money back, you'll have to part it out, and return to stock. It saddens me to say the Lighting community suffers the same problem.
Best of luck figuring it out

 

The link for those like me who just had to look. It's up to a whopping $2550 in 4 bids, three days in and five days left in the auction. Turns out it's not ModMINI selling it though, it's the guy he sold it to just last year. He does weigh in from the comment section though, along with the usual tire kickers that hang out there.

BIT has really blown up over the years for collectibles but wondering if auctions are more generally a dying venue now for normie cars and driver tier classics. Everything on EvilBay seems to have gone push-button drunk buy / make offer and classified ad formats. Not that many actual bid-and-wait auctions; it just feels like watching paint dry.

People looking for bullet proof reliability buy Toyotas. People shopping for one of these (or any BMW) already know the issues and love them anyway. It's also why they don't hold their value over time. Your car is obviously well loved and maintained though, with all or most of the hardest work done; that's definitely attractive. Maybe try old school - sign in the window, park it and drive it places with plenty of eyeball traffic, show it at your local Mini chapter meetups, etc. Put a flyer listing all the features and work done on the dash so people can read it and photograph it. Or leave a stack of them under the wiper blade, kind of like they do with houses.

The right buyer will come along; after all, once upon a time you did.

 

Only a MINI enthusiast will appreciate the car and give you anything near what you think it's worth, and even then you have to find the buyer who's looking for a MINI that's modded the way yours is. To everyone else it's just a 16 year old hot-rodded MINI. Try listing it here and on BAT, but don't be surprised if there's a big spread between what you've got into it and what you get out of it. Contrary to what a lot of people might want to believe, spending money on personalizing/modifying a car is not an investment, it's an expense. I know. I made the mistake of tallying up what I've got into mine. My ad would read something like: Free MINI with purchase of my mods. Good luck.

 

What are you looking to replace the MC40 with? Also does it have all the normal checks like a clean title, etc?

Good luck!