I really fancy buying an old classic style mini for the odd commute to work. Looking at the last of the models around the rover mini era.
What apart from rust should i be looking for?
I have no mechanical knowledge and cant help but think its going to be a money pit. They’ve been 1 of the cars i’ve always fancied but never had and as i probably won’t do many more than 1000 miles a year, now may be the time to get one.
Whats your experience?
Any pics?

If you buy a good one it need not be a money pit – no idea how much a good one costs!

Overpriced, old fashioned, noisy, uncomfortable, thirsty & liable to rot.

But I still love them & was lucky enough to around the development of the last ones….
Had a lot of classic Mini’s though currently without.
I’m looking for a nice LHD one (as I live overseas these days) but they are even more expensive.

As an enthusiast I will certainly have another but you need to love them to overlook the weaknesses in comparison to modern cars.

Check the sub-frames for rust and the sub-frame mounting points/bolts on the body. If either of these needs work it will be a major PITA. Apart from that, all the usual checks for rust/electrics/engine. To be honest, if the body is sound the mechanical parts are easy to work on. Built/restored three Mini’s up from clean body shells – about as simple as you can get to work on!

Do it!

As mentioned get one free of rust in sills, A panels, sub frame etc.

I had a 91 rover cooper, last of the carb ones, stage 1 upgrade and rolling road tuned. masses of fun. Really really loved that car.

Sold due to rust and too much motorway miles.

They have held their value frighteningly well though.

Definitely do it but not to commute in IMO.

A minor commuting accident with a cyclist could see you with a broken leg etc.

I had an 81 mini mayfair with spots and a sunroof.. best fun ever, did so many handbrake skids over the time I had it that the brace actually started tearing from the frame 🙂

Just don’t crash – cos you will die

http://www.theminiworks.co.uk/

Speak to the Shrew. One of his minis will be on Top Gear soon doing a remake of the Italian Job through a supermarket. He’s a mountainbiker too.

Had one about 14 years ago.

Check

Sub-frames for rust and for “crabbing” -they bend
Sills for rust

I paid £300 for mine and replaced

Both subframes
Sills
Steering rack
Starter Motor
Radiator
All wheel bearings
Brake drums
Pretty much anything rubber and bushing related
and most of the panels had more fibreglass filler in them than metal.

FUN FUN FUN to drive, PITA when they go wrong.

Make sure your will is up to date.

Here’s James May in the one of the Shrew’s Cooper Ss

I always thought that cos they’re a monocoque, they’re actually pretty strong? (ref crashes?)

Check the sub-frames for rust and the sub-frame mounting points/bolts on the body. If either of these needs work it will be a major PITA

It is a really easy and cheap job really (it just seems expensive when you are a 17 yr old).

I bet a new subframe wouldn’t cost more than about £400 fitted now.

Compare that to the £600 repair we have just had to have done to fix a faulty ABS on a 4 yr old, 25k Mazda 3 with full service history….

Ok i dont want to die, but the personal injury side of it doesnt worry me too much as my other option is to bike, so i imagine i will have about the same amount of protection! All tho the mini maybe capable of going a bit faster! Hopefully i wont arrive at work quite as tired or wet and cold if i go by mini. 😀

I was coming at sub-frame issues from a DIY perspective – if you’re prepared to pay someone who has the hoist equipment to drop the subframe out/lift the body up in one go and experience of doing it regularly, then it prob isn’t too bad a job and costs will reflect this.

Hopefully i wont arrive at work quite as tired or wet and cold if i go by mini.

Depending on how far the commute is and/or how reliable the car is….. I wouldn’t be so sure of that statement!!

I can only echo the “don’t crash” message – believe me, it’s not fun.

Rachel

Just get out their and buy one, it really is worth finding a local specialist or club member that is happy to look over a potential purchase. Don’t worry about not being mechanically minded you will soon learn. I am currently trying to free up enough space in the garage to takle and early mk1 / mk2 mini project.

Mini’s are lush, I really like de-seamed ones -here’s one I found on google.

my other option is to bike, so i imagine i will have about the same amount of protection!

Except bikes tend not to encourage you to razz around flat out all the time.. or if they do you are always going much more slowly 🙂

Toys that looks like a Nissan Micra at the back 🙂

If i found a restored clean looking car, will it be happy sat on the drive way with a cover to help keep it dry or Will it still dissolve to rust dust in front of my eyes?

They all rust. I had a 1976 mini1000 which I uprated a few bits(LCB exhaust, bigger SU, heated inlet manifold etc, more fun but still very slow by any modern standard) on. Still have a set of wide steel cooper 10″ wheels in the garage if anyone wants them. If I was buying now I’d probably go for an early 60s Cooper S for loadsa money or a 1.3i Rover Cooper, and not bother with anything in between, unless it was something funky like a pickup or countryman. If I didn’t have somewhere to work on one, I wouldn’t buy one full stop.

I really like de-seamed ones

Ohh so do I – I once knew a daddy’s boy who was bought one and painted up in pearlescent white with red and blue stripes on it.

All the kids at school loved it and my (then) girlfriend’s dad nearly bought it for her.

If I didn’t have somewhere to work on one, I wouldn’t buy one full stop.

Sound advice….. I did a conversion with a friend who fitted an MG Metro turbo engine to his car (structurally, surpisingly straight forward – just needed an extra cut out/welding in the front bulkhead to accomidate the turbo) – when it worked it was a whole pile of fun…. when it didn’t it seemed to be on the axle stands for weeks.

M_F – very, very nice…..

Mastilles thats exactly what i like.

Agree about being overpriced, cannot belive how much they go for now!

Had two a 850 shed for £70 lasted less that a year, then latter bought a nice 1275cc Coooper, one of the last carb versions, which was so much fun at under the speed limit speeds to drive.

Do you have a dry place to store or work on it? It is a oily fingers car to own, if you want something a bit more hands off, then look at the BMW version, still great fun & price wise, might even be cheaper to buy!

bristolbiker… that’ll be because Metro turbos used the same engine… and it’s what was installed into the ERA mini’s. I always found the turbo’s a little disconcerting as you could change lanes on the motorway without having to steer… just put your foot down and use the torque-steer!!

nosemineb… as has been said above, you definitely need to be happy getting your hands dirty with a Mini, as they do need a reasonable amount of love and attention to keep in good nick, as is evidenced by mine which has been neglected for far too long, and is sat rusting on the drive!

But, I keep it as it was just the best car to drive… and it will one day live again…

@bristol and @nosemine

Yep – always wanted something like that – subtly customised but not over the top. Unfortunately I could never afford to do it so I had a bog-standard Mini 1000 and then a Clubman 1275GT.

It might pay you to buy some wealding plant and learn how to use it if your buying an old car. You could save your cost in one MOT fail.

@funkynick – yes aware the Metro used basically the same A-series lump. I think I still have few spare blocks/heads/piston sets kicking about in the garage. Biggest hastle was mating the slightly more complicated electrics of the turbo engine to the very simple wiring loom. That job was supposed to be a dry run for fitting a Daihatsu 3 cylinder turbo diesel engine, but time/funds never permitted in the end….. happy days 🙂

bristolbiker… the only extra wiring that I can think might be there would be the electronic ignition.

It’s quite surprising what you can fit under the bonnet of a Mini… the 2 litre Vauxhall Eco-tec was always popular, as was one of the Honda v-tec engines as well, the 1600 I think. And then there was the guy I knew who stuck a v8 Landrover block in a Clubman… that was interesting! And I just thought, he used to be invovled with the bike racing in Kent… is it PORC? Someone on here must know Spag…

But, I haven’t heard of the Daihatsu conversion… there was talk about using the Suzuki Swift 4×4 setup though…

Mini’s:

Brilliant bit of design work packageing the A-series lump into a small car by putting it sideways.

Or a monumental c***-up by the designers as it put the dizzy out the front of the car, right in the firing line of any spray or rain. Ohh well, at least it discourages people from driving them in the rain and stops them rusting!

Yep – integrating the electronic ignition was the biggest game. Was learning as I went along though as a nipper of 15/16 years old at the time 😉

Or a monumental c***-up by the designers as it put the dizzy out the front of the car, right in the firing line of any spray or rain. Ohh well, at least it discourages people from driving them in the rain and stops them rusting!

IIRC, that was a very late change to the design – the engine was rotated through 180-degrees as it was found that the carbs froze in cold weather if at the front of the engine. That’s why the A-series engines have a characteristic ‘whine’ as an extra idler gear had to be added so that the gearbox still turned the output shafts the right way with the engine the other way around.

See also adding an extra 6″ to the width of the Morris Minor – hence the ridge in the bonnet – as further evidence of late change madness 😉

The dizzy hasnt been a problem since the early 90s due to injection engines. If its for commuting type driving the buy an SPi or MPi.

Rust on the other hand always is a problem 😕

Heres my last of line Cooper Sport, bought from new. Might be available for the right money as it doesnt get used due to now having loads of kids

I always thought that cos they’re a monocoque, they’re actually pretty strong? (ref crashes?)

I crashed quite a few (including rolling one) when I was younger and found them pretty strong.
The beauty of an older car like a Mini is the amount of tweaking that you can do yourself, I currently share a 1981 City with my son and so far we’ve:- lowered it (Hi-Lo’s), adjusted the rear camber and toe-in, fitted adjustable front tie-bars and bottom suspension arms, 6″ x 10 alloys, Cooper S disc brakes, and a 1275 Metro GTA motor with K&N filter and a LCB manifold with matching exhaust.

This was my pick up with a 1400cc engine. Basically a go-kart. Great starter classic.

Ohhh, if your planning on playing arround under the bonnet, get one as old as possible (even if its not a 1275), then fit a 1275 (or a bored out version), and it’ll be much easier to get through an MOT with stuff like motorbike carbs/TB’s+megasquirt, straight through pipes etc.

ferrit32, That does look lovely. Out of interest, how much would you be after? Mail me if you want. Mail in profile.
Thanks for all the comments.