Classic Mini: A Problem

freeferrarisdonotexist

freeferrarisdonotexist

I'm not stupid - I'm British!
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
1,143
Location
Somewhere in the South of England, UK.
Car(s)
Yamaha YBR125 (touring), FG 29er touring bike
Well, I have lately found myself looking at a classic (1960s-1990s) Austin or Morris mini to use as a daily driver during my (frequent) trips to the United States. It costs too much to ship my MX5 overseas, and to be frank the rentals I get are automatic, heavy shitboxes with the throttle response of a glacier. A sprightly little mini would suit me just fine.

Here is my question: for those of you in the US, are there any Minis in mechanically sound (don't care about creature comforts or interior, can fix it myself after the sale) condition for around $1000-$2500? Particularly in the Texas area?

I know my budget is not very big, especially with the dangerous exchange rate between $ and ?, but I still think it might be possible to buy one for that price.

I don't mind if it's not original (ie, kit car) as long as it is sound. I also don't mind trading for another car (most likely my friend in San Antonio's old Ford pickup).

Any advice on classic Minis would also be appreciated.

Thanks.:)
 
Oh you had a PT Cruiser as a rental then? To be fair it does what it says on the tin. ... But if you want fun cross it off your list.
 
Cobol74 said:
Oh you had a PT Cruiser as a rental then? To be fair it does what it says on the tin. ... But if you want fun cross it off your list.
Click to expand...

:lol: I know. It was ugly as hell. When I walked up the the rental shop, I think it was hertz, I started begging the salesman for a Camry... just a Camry.... please....
 
:lol:

I had on last couple of weeks the roads are not "challeging" in Florida so it was OK but I would not like to try it out on a B road. And the lock was aweful too, Oh the auto was not particularly clever either, Drive a VW 6 speeder and you will know what I mean then one of those is a bit pricier.
 
I was unlucky enough to get the soft top, so i could imagine extreme body roll in corners more than 30mph... ugh.
And my particular automatic had an annoying habit of changing into third after first and ignoring second. Either that or second gear in a PT convertible starts at 1300rpm. :dunno:
The only good things about it were that it was a convertible, which was rather nice on the motorway to San Antonio, and mildly comfy. Apart from that one of the worst things I've ever driven- and I've driven a Pontiac MPV.
 
Minis are rare in the US and command high prices. An empty "restorable" body shell alone can go for $1000 or more. Parts supply is also an issue. Your chances of finding a usable Mini in your budget is almost nil.

However, you can find some of the Japanese cars from the 80s and 90s that were much the same idea in your price range (some of which you didn't get in Europe) and are at least as much fun to drive without the headaches of BMC/BL produced heaps.


Alternately, you could buy a Miata over here and store it when you're gone:

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/1046090131.html
 
Last edited:
I would just buy a Miata here, as Spectre mentioned. In my 33 years of life I have seen one original Austin MINI.

ONE.
 
I have seen 7 mini's... They were all in a barn in New Hampsire.. I think a miata or something similar might be your best bet
 
I have only seen one original Mini, and there is at least one of every car in Dallas.
 
Alright, I know I am being bullheaded here... but I still want a mini classic.

So taking it into account that I am an [expletive] idiot, how would I go about getting one? I did some research, there are about 10 for sale in san antonio in varying conditions. I know about rust problems, but from what I heard apart from that they are reliable, and when not can be fixed with a brick and a shoe (damn simple things).

If I postpone my trip to the summer rather than spring and save some money, I could probably get my budget up to around ?3500. Also, to clarify what is said above: no need for aircon, creature comforts, etc. If it has a seat, a boot, an engine, a clutch/transmission, a body shell, lights, gauges, a steering wheel and pedals, i'm OK.
(Got used to basic transport while restoring my Miata- I installed the stereo, comforts and interior last. Drove it for about a month with nothing but a seat and a wheel).
 
i think your best bet to get the questions you are asking answered would be a mini forum... the only one i found was HERE but then most of the internet if blocked to be because i am at work.

As for legality since they are already street legal in the country it will just be a matter of registering it in whatever state you are going to be visting most. This may give you a hard time since you are not a legal resident (maybe register it under your friends name) also insurance could be interesting as well depending on state requirements.

Another think you may want to take into consideration is parts availability. The original mini may be simple as fuck to fix but if all the parts are $$$$$$$ then it will still suck you dry again i think a original mini forum based in the states will be your best bet for info there.
 
As stated above, though a classic mini may be cheap to run in GB, here parts are few and far between. Though it may be simple. The act of finding replacement parts would be very difficult. If you want something that is cheap to repair, look for a 73-87 GM truck.
 
Well, after having reviewed a bit more, I have found a few that I can afford.

The only question now is parts availability; I need to either set aside ?1000 and buy the lowest-priced one or just try to find the parts most likely to break, buy them, and put them in a carry-on for my flight to the states :)

Also: thank you all for the suggestions, but i don't like trucks very much.

EDIT: Found one, bit of a banger but I think the seller is overestimating the rusting problem. A few patches, and a few minor repairs and it looks like this one could manage. Obviously, the interior is trashed, hubs are missing, and paint is messed but apart from that not too bad, I believe the ruined comfort/paint/embellishments drove the price of this one down. http://www.miniguy.com/Consign1?id=cf73c9d5452addc549422d0861bbe8f7
 
Last edited:
Yeah, any Brit car short of an MGB is expensive to keep and run in the States, with few exceptions (my Series III being one of them because it left the factory half-stuffed with GM parts anyway). The rarer the Brit car, the more expensive and longer you have to wait for parts.

To put it bluntly - you will not find parts for a Mini in most car parts stores in the US. If anything breaks you are down for 1-2 weeks while the part is shipped to you, at a minimum. That's assuming you don't have to send back to England for the damned thing. Also, NO, the seller of a Mini (or any other Brit car) *never* overestimates the rust problem. Ever.
 
Last edited:
How about another British make? MGs for instance are plentiful and dirt cheap over here.

Edit: Spectre beat me to it. Seriously though if you want a small British car, get yourself a MGB or Midget. Cheap to fix, parts are plentiful, and you can just toss it when you are done with it.
 
Last edited:
argatoga said:
How about another British make? MGs for instance are plentiful and dirt cheap over here.

Edit: Spectre beat me to it. Seriously though if you want a small British car, get yourself a MGB or Midget. Cheap to fix, parts are plentiful, and you can just toss it when you are done with it.
Click to expand...

Nah, I'm looking for something that won't break as I drive it :p. Are there any MGs that are reliable? I'll be looking to keep the car, and store it. If not, what about a Volkswagen Beetle? Same concept as the mini, just a wrong-engined German version. And if I'm not mistaken, more popular and reliable= cheaper to run.

Thoughts?
 
Beetles are desperately cheap to buy and run, but they do tend to burst into flames at distressing intervals, are slow and may overheat and die in Texas summer city traffic (think "North Africa" and you've got the idea.) Much of these problems can be corrected, but that takes time. You can also forget about AC or heat in a Bug. This can be a problem in the hot summer sun here.

Late mark MGBs are somewhat cheap to run and parts are strangely plentiful, but you will need to perform many reliability upgrades to them to correct the self-destructive tendencies they have. However, I would not recommend one be stored undriven for any length of time as it will get angry at you and decay while you are not looking.

You might get lucky and find a Honda CRX that's been unmolested. Other options might include the Corolla FX16. I'm assuming you're looking at the smallest car class on the theory that you would be more nimble in traffic, yes?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top