mini... good choice ?

S.I.R

Hello folks ,

ovver the last number of weeks ive noticed a mini not been driven for a while , its got cosmetic rust on the front wings and the bonnet but the paint is ok.

the interior is mint but it has a flat..

what kinda price would i be paying ??

it looks like the bog stanard 1l model and its also a 1988 though its age isnt a big player in price is it ??

1275gt

theres no such thing as cosmetic rust on a mini have you inspected underneath? get in under the carpets and check the floors, give the subframes a belt with a screwdriver to check for rot. get into the boot and have a good root around. a mini of that vintage would have had to be restored in the not to distant past, so check for quality of repairs and try the old magnet trick, expecially under the windscreen and the A panels and wings.

if the car is good an solid and hasnt been fillered to death, i reckon its worth between 600-800, but with minis its the old saying 'its worth what somebody is willing to pay for it'

S.I.R

ahh i was thinking of doing something like that... and i did , had a quick peek underneeth and its solid enough though the exhaust needs replacing ( which i can do myself with a mig welder...

will try contact the owner and give him/her 4-500 for it if its driving which id say it is...

milod

I started my motoring life in 1986 (old man story coming up...) with three Minis in a row. In my experience you need to check the following:

Sills especially under doors - these can hide a lot of rust. Pull back carpets internally and look through the slotted holes
Floorpan - especially round the cross members between sills where the seats attach.
Battery box in the boot - can rust through (I dropped my battery onto the road on one occasion).
Subframe mounting points - especially in the rear (the front and rear wheels/suspension etc sits in two subframes front and rear that are attached to the body).

Finally it's worth measuring the wheelbase and track width to ensure everything matches - I crashed my second mini and it ended up nearly an inch shorter on one side - which made attaching a front panel quite difficult...

as for what it's worth? I wouldn't take one free nowadays! My sentimentality was thoroughly eroded by the reality of ownership...

macplaxton

Cosmetic!

Rust on Minis is like icebergs, you only see 1/10 of it!

I had a Mini once. Rust in every panel, even the roof (where they put foam blocks in the corners). The only thing I think that has more rust traps is an ADO16 11/1300. Also check the subframes line-up properly. If I had a quid for every one I've seen crabbing down the road!

Great cars if you've small hands and like welding.

I wouldn't pay a lot for one. If it needs work, I'd be very hard pushed to part with €500.

kona

is this mini up on collins avenue??:)

just bring one in from japan, no bother with rust.

check all previous advice,
then check for oil leaks, if its been sitting up, you will have to free up alot of seized bits too.

i doubt you will get it cheap, minis are very expensive at the moment, even ****ters are fetching 2k.

tbh, it has a potential to be a money pit:(

Sids Not

Guy in Bray selling mini jap imports for around 6 grand, all immaculate too...

S.I.R

kona wrote: »

is this mini up on collins avenue??:)

just bring one in from japan, no bother with rust.

check all previous advice,
then check for oil leaks, if its been sitting up, you will have to free up alot of seized bits too.

i doubt you will get it cheap, minis are very expensive at the moment, even ****ters are fetching 2k.

tbh, it has a potential to be a money pit:(

its sitting up at the Bank of Ireland building about 2 mins away from baggot street

no luck findingthe owner and id love to import a mini but dont have the money

just want one as a friend of mine moved to austrailia and i could make a turbo mini pretty cheaply ( parts wise )

but still i dont care what anyone says , all cars break , all cars rust , luck of the draw tbh

if the car needs some rust removed ill do it , needs a new engine , i got a 954 cc 1 liter from a pug 106 which would fit in the front easy ( or the boot which is what id like )

i still have no luck finding the owner but ill keep trying....

1275gt

S.I.R wrote: »

no luck findingthe owner and id love to import a mini but dont have the money

hey man, can you get a snap and PM it to me? I'll see if i can track down the owner thru the mini fraternity. We're awful nosey buggers

S.I.R

eh sure , ill do a full description ( in graphic detail ) and pm you it with reg and all the usual mubble jumble aswell as pictures if i get a chance.

kona

is it a silver mayfair?? little crash damage to the front?? if it is, its a lady who owns it, she livrs just off baggot street, she said a mechanic near or on baggot street did the work

S.I.R

its a silver'y gray with tax/insurance in the window aswell as L plates...


all the edges of the body work are rusted through aswell as the engines sump seems to be leeking oil but i can get a replacement engine and fit ti myself cheap'ish

Boardsbud

Hi folks, I've noticed that mini around the area for a while. Was moving around/parked in different places along the canal for a while but has been in its current place for a good few weeks and seems to be deteriorating. Has it been abandoned ?
Far more interesting cars around there like the beautifully restored classic mark I (?) Cortina thats often next to said mini and there's a Figaro that seems to be in good nick parked up on the opposite side of the canal with a big for sale sign on it for the last few weeks.

S.I.R

Boardsbud wrote: »

Hi folks, I've noticed that mini around the area for a while. Was moving around/parked in different places along the canal for a while but has been in its current place for a good few weeks and seems to be deteriorating. Has it been abandoned ?
Far more interesting cars around there like the beautifully restored classic mark I (?) Cortina thats often next to said mini and there's a Figaro that seems to be in good nick parked up on the opposite side of the canal with a big for sale sign on it for the last few weeks.

there is but the cortina's a wreak and the little nissan dosn't deserve the steam off my p***

the mini has been abondonded for a while now but theres still a test and tax on her so i cant exactly take and claim ownership...


her farside is wreaked , needs alot more work then i first suspected... i'd still take her though.

going to drop into the BOI building there and leave a note in aswell as on the windscreen so the owner can contact me... :S

kona

S.I.R wrote: »

there is but the cortina's a wreak and the little nissan dosn't deserve the steam off my p***

:D:D:D so true

S.I.R wrote: »

the mini has been abondonded for a while now but theres still a test and tax on her so i cant exactly take and claim ownership...


her farside is wreaked , needs alot more work then i first suspected... i'd still take her though.

going to drop into the BOI building there and leave a note in aswell as on the windscreen so the owner can contact me... :S

nothing a welder woulnt solve, if its the mini i think it is, the engine is ****ed:mad:, there was a leak on the passengers side, im going to have a gawk at this again tomo:D

1275gt

kona wrote: »

there was a leak on the passengers side, im going to have a gawk at this again tomo:D

leak is nothing dude, its a gearbox seal or its leaking from the sump itself. be very surprised if its dead. they are tough little lumps. probably needs a freshen up with some proper oil and a good long drive.

S.I.R

1275gt wrote: »

leak is nothing dude, its a gearbox seal or its leaking from the sump itself. be very surprised if its dead. they are tough little lumps. probably needs a freshen up with some proper oil and a good long drive.

screw that , save up and by a yamaha R1 motorbike engine.... more fun then poking mary harney with a steak knife !!

but yeah ill make my way up after 4ish and take a peek...

check the far side as the body work will cost me a pretty penny to set straight alone... ( painting and sanding and all the usual rubbish... ) but still i could drive it around rusty... would bring back memorys of my uncles fiat 131.... more rust then a ginger feastifal.....


but yeah , if anyone could located the owner that would be pretty handy !

kona

1275gt wrote: »

leak is nothing dude, its a gearbox seal or its leaking from the sump itself. be very surprised if its dead. they are tough little lumps. probably needs a freshen up with some proper oil and a good long drive.

suppose so, but this was a year and a half ago i saw this, so unless that leak has been fixed, could be flintstones time:D:D

a oil leak isnt too bad, but when i saw it there was ALOT of backpressure coming up from the valves/rockers, so there is a seal problem somewhere, not sure exactly tho:D, and the oil level was too low:mad:

but for free, i wouldnt complain, afaik she wanted 4k for it??

woop

mate youd never get that 106 engine in, just go to traynors well Id say its injection and the confusion of an ecu jesus, and mounts and everything, and gearbox..... gives me a headache thinking about it but more power to you if you can
however I shall be making a mini purchase shortly so Im interested in all this mmmmmmmmini!!
Id prefer a carb but Ive my eye on a spi in england............

actually 1275gt?
you seem to know youre minis, I got a question for you....why does the spi mini accelerate quicker than the mpi version?counter-intuitive it seems

DaveCol

The difference in acceleration is due to different final drive ratios. The SPi has a 3.1 diff and the MPi has a 2.7 which is not as good for acceleration but will cruise at lower rpm. It was all to get the Mini past the drive by noise regulations

S.I.R

well it can be dont , but would a motorbike engine do the job as i seen a mini or two with R1-R6 and 1200 fireblade motorbike engines in them... no good for going up a hill but great for pulling away at the lights with...


she wants 4k ??

if she said that id die from laughter.

Boardsbud

Hey S.I.R. did you manage to track down the owner ? Passed today and noticed the mini gone. Thought of you, did you get it ?