What should I look for when buying ?
Discussion
I'm sure others will comment, but my 2p worth.......
Don't rush into a purchase as there are a lot of bodged up old wrecks out there. Fair enough if thats what you're after and the price is right, but often a coat of paint, some chrome and some bling wheels cover a world of hurt. Don't buy "sight unseen", that ebay auction may look tempting with a few hours to go, but if you're looking on ebay at least contact the seller and go for a look. Don't forget even the very latest minis are 8 years old now and they too are starting to show the signs of being an almost 50 year old design.
The main area to be concerned with is rust. Now every panel is available and the mini is a fairly simple car to repair, but not easy to repair properly. The old favourites are sills, rear subframe and it's mounting points on the back of the sills, the scuttle area at the base of the windscreen and the area underneath the dash where the air-vents poke through, the front toe or heal board where the bulkhead joins the floor in the front, and the floors themselves. These are the areas which are critical to the mini's structure, or you have to pull off other panels to fix them properly. Things like rusty wings, A-panels, front panels, door skins etc will make the car look crappy, but are not so much of a pain to replace, but all things are relative !!
Pretty much all the mechanicals are fix-able by any reasonable mechanic, although gearboxes are a bit of an art. Engines are tough and simple and last well so long as the oil has been changed regularly. Lots of people have upgraded to 1300cc engines from Metros, which is great in one respect, but depending on how the engine has been "converted" for mini use can cause a couple of issues, but nothing too serious. A bigger engine will of course effect your insurance, and should be correctly registered on the V5c. Electrics can be problematic, mainly through neglect, but again they are simple although the later injection cars can be a pain if the wiring has suffered neglect, the battery is knackerd and/or the various earths are in poor shape.
Not wishing to cast aspersions on what we've got here I'd look at the mini-oriented web groups for some guidance. For example try this : http://www.minifinity.com/images/techteam/NewsArti...
as a guide. I'm sure there is an equivalent on just about any of the other web sites like http://www.theminiforum.co.uk/ and others not to be biased. Take a friend who is knowledgeable on mini's with you, or join one of the local clubs and ask someone to go with you. Be prepared to walk away if you don't like the look of the car, there is always another car to view !!
Phil.
Don't rush into a purchase as there are a lot of bodged up old wrecks out there. Fair enough if thats what you're after and the price is right, but often a coat of paint, some chrome and some bling wheels cover a world of hurt. Don't buy "sight unseen", that ebay auction may look tempting with a few hours to go, but if you're looking on ebay at least contact the seller and go for a look. Don't forget even the very latest minis are 8 years old now and they too are starting to show the signs of being an almost 50 year old design.
The main area to be concerned with is rust. Now every panel is available and the mini is a fairly simple car to repair, but not easy to repair properly. The old favourites are sills, rear subframe and it's mounting points on the back of the sills, the scuttle area at the base of the windscreen and the area underneath the dash where the air-vents poke through, the front toe or heal board where the bulkhead joins the floor in the front, and the floors themselves. These are the areas which are critical to the mini's structure, or you have to pull off other panels to fix them properly. Things like rusty wings, A-panels, front panels, door skins etc will make the car look crappy, but are not so much of a pain to replace, but all things are relative !!
Pretty much all the mechanicals are fix-able by any reasonable mechanic, although gearboxes are a bit of an art. Engines are tough and simple and last well so long as the oil has been changed regularly. Lots of people have upgraded to 1300cc engines from Metros, which is great in one respect, but depending on how the engine has been "converted" for mini use can cause a couple of issues, but nothing too serious. A bigger engine will of course effect your insurance, and should be correctly registered on the V5c. Electrics can be problematic, mainly through neglect, but again they are simple although the later injection cars can be a pain if the wiring has suffered neglect, the battery is knackerd and/or the various earths are in poor shape.
Not wishing to cast aspersions on what we've got here I'd look at the mini-oriented web groups for some guidance. For example try this : http://www.minifinity.com/images/techteam/NewsArti...
as a guide. I'm sure there is an equivalent on just about any of the other web sites like http://www.theminiforum.co.uk/ and others not to be biased. Take a friend who is knowledgeable on mini's with you, or join one of the local clubs and ask someone to go with you. Be prepared to walk away if you don't like the look of the car, there is always another car to view !!
Phil.
Very littel to add but! All my top 10 would start with Rust. Look at the car in good day light, tack a torch and look under the carpet and anything in the boot. Drive the car and test as much as you can, lights heater etc. I also like to get a years MOT if I can. It dose not! give you a garranty the car is ok but it is a starting point and any car on the road should be able to pass one no problem. Hope this helps.
Make sure the car works electrically. Make sure the body is as solid as possible. Running gear and engines are easily remedied.
Avoid cars that look too good for their respective age and be suspicous of recent resprays unless it comes with a big fat wallet of photo's proving what has been done. There is no excuse in this digital image age.
What lies beneath etc...
Personally I'd look to buy from an enthusiast (and there are plenty of us) rather than from a faceless garage or out some random Autotrader add (gems do pop up occasionally tho').
Most of all, do your research, get under the cra and get dirty and don't buy the first thing you see or fall for.
Avoid cars that look too good for their respective age and be suspicous of recent resprays unless it comes with a big fat wallet of photo's proving what has been done. There is no excuse in this digital image age.
What lies beneath etc...
Personally I'd look to buy from an enthusiast (and there are plenty of us) rather than from a faceless garage or out some random Autotrader add (gems do pop up occasionally tho').
Most of all, do your research, get under the cra and get dirty and don't buy the first thing you see or fall for.
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