What should I expect to pay for a running example that will pass an MOT? I'm not after a show car by any stretch. Just one that works!
Any other advice on common problems or what to look out etc?
Thank you.
Mr T
Rust rust and rust,everything else is irrelevant,tinworm is the killer of these cars on the body and subframes,as for price anything goes,my advice is buy the best you can afford.Avoid the 850 as its underpowered,the 1000 can go well and revs nicely and the 1275 is a torquey little beast with a bit of help letting them breathe more easily.
a couple of shots of mine,work in progress,all the black bits are carbon fibre...
I ran 1981 Mini City (850cc!) for a year in 1991-2 when I was in France.Originally Posted by Mr Tetley
It cost me £400. Sold it 1 year later for £50.
From my limited experience, The common problems are...
- rear subframe - make sure it's been looked after or replaced
- engine mounts - engine rocks back into the bulkhead and makes a clunk sound on gear change
- rust on top edges of front wings
- 850 cc engine used a bit of oil so needed top ups every ~2000 miles.
I know this as my oil light came on on my epic 1 week 2000 mile trip around France
From memory it went like this...
Day 1 Salford - Southampton (ferry to Cherbourg)
Day 2 Cherbourg - Poitiers - via a visit to Mont St Michel
Day 3 Poitiers - Toulouse
Day 4 Toulouse - Narbonne Plage
Day 5 Narbonne - Vichy
Day 6 Vichy -Dole
Day 7 Dole - Belfort.
All on the route nationale not the autoroute - as I was in my early twenties and skint!
...& no breakdown cover either - as I was 21, skint & stupid.
Other than that it was quite fun for the 12 months I owned it. It was all about maintaining momentum with the 850, so I'd approach corners at full chat & just hang on !!!!
In the end mine was a bit of a mess by the time I'd finished with it (see 2,3 & 4)
z
Last edited by zelig; 27th May 2014 at 20:01.
Agree with previous comments; 850 is slow and the 1000 isn`t that much better.
Before committing to buy one, I suggest having a good test drive.....you either like 'em or you don`t. Back in 1975 (aged 18) my first car was an 850 Mini. It was slow, noisy, rusting, had a thirst for oil..........I regretted buying it after the initial fun factor had worn off.
Rust is the big enemy; subframes rot away and it's a long job to swap one. The sad thing is that BL (later Austin Rover) never improved the corrosion resistance..........the later cars rotted just as badly as the early ones.
Paul
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 27th May 2014 at 22:26.
Thanks for the replies. I appreciate the good advice from all.
I look forward seeing yours finished Thorpey, it's great looking already. Unfortunately that would beyond my price range and ability!
I've had a look and prices really do vary. I guess you get what you pay for! At the minute it's looking like a mini with plenty of "patina" for me!
Thanks again.
You might want to pm bongo . I think he has had a few in his time.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Love the Mini!
You will be looking at £3.5k to £5k for a fettled one in good condition.
Down to scrap value for basket cases,
and up to £9k plus for showroom condition.
Our 1997 R-reg mini is used every day, and has 114,000 miles on the clock.
The agreed value with the insurance company was £3,500.
After purchase - expect to pay a few hundred pounds per year for parts and repairs.
It depends on which model you want and from which era. Obviously, Mk1 Cooper S are the most valuable at £30k+, followed up by the Mk 2, then the ERA turbo curiosities and the very last of the Rover Mini Sports, which are £10-15k now. But in between those, you can still buy a good car for £4-5k, usually 80's cars. If you get a 1275, it can fairly easily be tuned to give up to 90bhp, which is plenty.
The biggest problem, as stated by others, is rust. They all rust as soon as you look at them, but the later Rover cars are the worst. They rust from inside out so the paint is usually the last thing to show signs of issues.
The late Rover cars with the fat wheels also handle poorly, much better on the narrow 10in. as intended.
Having said all that, I still often think about getting another. A regular lowly model and spend a few grand to make it fun.
My first mini... Can't remember the engine size... Didn't really matter to me at the time
Did a steady 55 - 60 on motorways but it flew round corners... Nearly missed one of my A levels in this bad boy as with its inverse engine it always cut out in the rain!
Also, it was always a good idea to park it on a hill as as it required a jump start on most mornings.... Synchromesh was buggered too (soon learnt to double de-clutch)
Loved it
Last edited by Wolfie; 28th May 2014 at 00:38.
I've had a fair few "proper" Minis in my time, I still have one in bits in the back of the garage awaiting the day I put her back together.
Rusty subframes are a given (I used to fit galvanised ones), but also watch for corrosion where they bolt to the bodyshell.
If there's a joint between shell panels, it will rust.
It WILL rot in the windscreen corners, it WILL rot under and around the headlamps, it WILL rot down the A pillar, etc.
But it's a simple task top cut out and replace these areas.
Rover-era ones were "the fancy new ones" in my time, and seem to be even worse for rot and other general build quality. Stick with a nice simple 10"-wheeled Mk.III-Mk.V (pre-1990) before they really started faffing about with things.
Day-to-day things, keep the carb dashpot topped up, keep the electrical connections clean, check the water and oil on the weekend, basic old-car maintenence really.
As for what to pay, well I'm a couple of decades out of date it would seem. I paid £600 for my last one (1978 1100cc Mini 1000*) in 1992ish, and that was top whack then.
I remember not long afterwards BMH first started offering new bare Mk.IV bodyshells and thought they were a bit steep at £1750, now they are in the £5000-£6500 range!
* Yes, a factory-fitted 11H 1098cc engine from new, as the regular 10H 998cc engine production line was on strike when she was built. ;)
My 1st car was a denim blue 1275GT VEN 826T. I then had a 1965 MKI Austin 1275 Cooper S Type DRX 191C and a then 1968 MKII 998 Morris Cooper.
I wish I had the S and the Cooper now. I really do need to scan the pictures I have of my old cars.
I still have countless books on Minis, including the David Vizzard bible, how to modify your Mini.
Last edited by vRSG60; 28th May 2014 at 08:27.
Oh yes.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
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