I'm starting to look around for a project Mini to work on and get into good-enough-for-weekend-drives condition. How much should I expect to pay for a car that has, for example, bad paint, some rust, a crappy interior, but with a mostly running engine? The first estimate I got from someone selling British cars on Craigslist was about $3500 and up. Does that sound about right?
Thereabouts... I've seen them as cheap as $600 all the aay to $5000 (which is steep for a project car). It really depends on what it is - if it's a true Cooper S, expect to pay big $, and if it's a Sprite or other "general purpose vanilla mini", expect less. I got my Mini Sprite with basically nothing mechanically wrong and only lightly oxidized paint for $6k, and started driving it around immediately, but I had to look for months to find that deal - if I'd paid $8k or more, I could have had it in a week. You can always post particulars here and the knowledgeable folks will give you their opinions.
What part of the country are you in, ImagoX? Did you have to travel to get your Sprite? So far I've found a few leads in the Northeast (I'm in NJ) on the internet but most seem to be already-restored and upwards of $10k which isn't what I want. In fact, budget-wise, $3500 might be about as much as I can spend if I want to be able to afford the restoration :crazy:
"Restored" (which can mean almost anything) will cost more, yeah... Mine was NOT "restored" but it was in good hape anyway - does that make it a "project car"? Who knows? Are you watching the Mini Mania classifieds? That's the best source IMHO. You'll probably have to be vigilant however, as everyone wants (or at least think they want) a cheap "project car". I'm in Ohio but found my car in NJ (Princeton) - I ended up driving out and flat-bedding the car home, as I wanted to check the motor out before driving any serious distance. You can do most of the research (photos, questions) over email but eventually you'll need to go look at the car - be ready to walk away if you find something not disclosed.
I think you could "restore" an original Mini, but the next generation MINIs haven't been around long enough to be considered a "restored" vehicle. Maybe "repaired" would be a better word. Dave
I think he's only talking the classics, not the BMW MINIs. Totally different beasts. PS - I made a link over on the old NorthAmericanMotoring site (hope it's OK to post here) - see reply #10 of this thread for a really good PDF download of MiniFinity's AWESOME "Mini Buyer's Guide" - this is a great thing to have on-hand while asking prospective sellers for photos as well as to have printed out and with you when you go to inspect a car: MiniFinity Ultimate Buyer's Guide - PRINT OUT if inspecting a possible purchase... - North American Motoring NOTE: If anyone has any suggestions about how I can just upload this file to this site, so I don't have to cross-link back to NAM, I'd appreciate it... -Matt
We were chatting at MMW about getting a Classic. Price really seems to depend on 1. Condition (rust paint, ect) 2. Correctness (the cars that have been smuggled in from Canada can have some paperwork issues) 3. Location (it seems that the Coasts have better pickings than the MidWest). That said 3k will get you a pretty ratty, rusty car out here. 8-10 is a good price for a correct and clean but not perfect car. But that's here on the Left Coast. Good Luck and keep us up to date!
Depends on what you want to do as well. It is almost always cheaper to buy a car that has been worked on and is well sorted vs. buying one and then restoring it. I think that holds true even if you want to and are able to do work yourself. There are many a Mini owner who will likely never get their "investment" out of the car (me included.) I would recommend buying the best car you can and then make changes/upgrades on your calender while enjoying the car rather than having the schedule dictated to you by the condition. Just my two and a half cents.
I totally agree with this, and it's what I would suggest to most people myself. I'm hoping to ride the line a bit, however - to get a car that is in good enough condition to be able to drive home but will have enough "character" to let me enjoy the challenge of working on it and solving problems. I have a daily driver already, so if I get hung up on a problem for a certain amount of time, that's okay with me as long as I get it worked out eventually. It may sound masochistic, but my "itch" is for something new to work on with my hands. I'm a computer systems administrator, so even though I have problems to solve, I don't get to do much manual work.
Does anyone really goes through the individual forums? All I ever do is click on "new posts" and look for interesting titles. Dave
Start here - this is a GREAT book that covers all the basics (bodywork, interior, engines, etc.): Classic Mini Cooper - MINI RESTORATION MANUAL BOOK (PORTER/HAYNES) - www.MiniMania.com
Or from Amazon for much less... [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Purchase-Restoration-Lindsay-Porter/dp/1859604404"]Amazon.com: Mini : Purchase and Restoration Guide (9781859604403): Lindsay Porter: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517qmYpARsL.@@AMEPARAM@@517qmYpARsL[/ame]
Off-topic: Does Motoring Alliance have an affiliate code with Amazon to get a cut from every purchase made through links on this site? If not, they should...