A mini Question (ok - a long one or two)

[Mossess]

Hello one and all.

I’m very very tempted to step into the Mini world but have a million and one questions I was wondering if any of you could shed some light on.

1 – The initial cost of a mini seems to be 1000 euros upwards. But this is just the start. I’ve seen some amazing looking minis on sites, only then to read down through the threads to see all the work carried out on the them, and then see the end product. And all that is great, but I’m guessing pricey. I have no place to work on the car myself, and no mechanical experience. So if it broke down it would probably end up going to a garage.
So, to the actual question, What would be the realistic costs involved in getting the car, possibly purchased for under 2k, roadworthy?

2 – Insurance. It would be a second car so I’m thinking classic car insurance. Generally how much is this? I’m an average chap mid 30s with a million years no claims on my main motor.

3 – Are there generally any stipulations surrounding Classic car insurance? (Age of car, days it can be driven, annual milage?)

4 – I once made a near fatal mistake, I bought a Land rover Freelander. It broke my heart every time it broke down. It broke down more often than I’ve had hot diners. It cost me a small fortune, no, a massive fortune keeping it on the road. I couldn’t go through that again. Every month 2 to 3 things would brake: wiper motors on the motor way, in the rain at night. The window winding motor cables all snapped. The gearbox had to be reconditioned, something on the drive shaft went, something on the fuel tank went. I could go on.
The mini wouldn’t be like that would it. Every month a breakdown and a massive bill from a garage?

5 – Extras – Are extras pricy? (a roof rack, spot lights, that sort of thing)


Thanks for the time and the answers
Mossess

[kona]

buy a mini at e1000 and it will break you.

being honest they are not reliable at all in modern standards, they need more maintenance. They IMO are not something to buy unless you can afford to spend e6k + on a mint , low mileage, with full service history.

Just a example mine cost me e4.5k , ive every reciept for what ive done to it, the car stands me around e7k, and its currently in my driveway, needing a new piston, which is going to cost me another 1k. I do all the work myself, if i had to pay somebody id be well over 10k i reckon. Ive had the car 3 years.
It also will need welding this summer on bits and pieces.

Minis are not cheap.

[mmurfee]

Hi Mossess, welcome to the forum.
lots of questions and i am sure they will all get a reply,prices of minis vary alot depending on condition but it is possible to get a car close to the price bracket you are considering,with a full nct.reliability,yes they are reliable many of us use our minis as our daily driver with little problems,this can be vouched for by any club members who have completed the mtm in their mini,which is an average of 1000 mile in one weekend or any member who has attended the imm ,the international mini meet which is held in a different european country each year.with regard to the cost of extras normal wear and tear parts are relatively inexpensive compared to modern cars and any part can be purchased for all classic minis.feel free to contact me with any questions. Martin Murphy,IMOC. Eastern Rep.087 6977407

[mmurfee]

i hope a few members and mini owners will back me up and support our love for our cars.

[macker]

look to spend about 2k upwards for a decent mini, the more work already done to it the better off for you,

for reliability they can be quite reliable and i don't think Kona will mind me saying that the the main reason he is having problems is that his engine has been modified, modified minis tend to be a little less reliable the more they are modified unless professionally done!, this is due to the engine being put under more stress,
having this done professionally can cost €k's, and it can turn into a never ending cycle once you're bitten by the bug,

parts wise they are quite cheap in relation to more modern cars and parts are not too hard to get,
additional add ons can be a little pricey but it would depend on what you are looking for, most times somebody on forum will have something they are willing to part with,

insurance can be quite cheap for classics, a classic policy can be obtained for most minis these days once the car is over 20 odd years of age, classic tax (€48 per annum) can only be gotten once the car is over 30 years old,
some classic policies come with restrictions of use and/or storage stipulations, but shop around for the policy that suits you,

hope that's of some help to you

[kona]

Mine i modified, however the engine was bang on reliable for the most part, until the piston went which is probably my own fault for driving the nuts off it.

However, Ive replaced shocks, cones, trumpets, doors, window mechanisms, knuckle joints, ball joints, bottom arms, tie rods, rear wheel cylinders, handbrake, drums, radiator, water pump, wheel bearings, engine mounts, x2 coils ,engine steady, clutch, primary oil seal, gear selector oil seal, driveshaft oil seal, inner cvs outer cvs.

my to do list is:

Floors, rear valance, a panel , wing , boot floor, rear subframe, get steady bar mounts welded back up as they have cracked, engine rebuild.

Now most of my costs above are inflated because when I replace parts I buy the best and upgrade. All this is within 3 years, I dont mind doing it, I get enjoyment from it, and passing the NCT was a seriously good feeling after all the hard work.

My mate has a 2000 Mpi and he has spent a fortune too!

Minis are great cars but just be aware that while Ive only been left at the side of the road once, the cost on ongoing maintenance is huge, especially if getting a garage to do it.

Im not trying to scare ya but thats all Ive done to my car and yet it hasnt moved since september and its my daily driver so Ive been bussing and biking all winter!

But I wouldnt get rid of it, I love it and it will always make to expense worth it.

There are good cars out there , the last year has seen some super cars in the for sale section, make sure you have around 6k and you will get a really really nice car.

[kerryminigringo]

I have been at both ends of the spectrum as regards spending on Minis,my MKII cost a 5 figure sum and my van was in the high 4 figures and both have been very reliable.However I also bought my Clubman estate for £800 and while it needed some bodywork and a little TLC I have driven it to IMM's and done MTM in it and it is a lovely car to drive.Yes they can be expensive if things go wrong but really good cars are down to the 3-4K mark.A lovely low mileage MKIII sold on here for small money given the car and money spent on it so my advice to a first time buyer would be to be patient and keep looking for the right car and when you see one that ticks the boxes post up pictures here we will help point you in the right direction.It is no use looking for advice after when things start to go wrong.Happy hunting,you wouldn't regret it when you finally get one.

[des]

Welcome Mossess, I guess everyone will have there own experiences and stories, I've always had old fords, mostly late 60's anglias and cortinas, about 20 over the years. minis are quite new to me, having bought a 1973 one about 2 years ago, and adding a 1998 about a year ago (my daily driver). In my limited experience of them, the minis seem as reliable as any other car from there period, with much the same weaknesses, but they have the huge advantage of a massive parts industry, as well as known (and solved) issues. I was stunned to see the amount of parts that are still manufactured for them, usually there are several different options for every part you need, coming from the Ford world it's incredible. Even things like windscreens are easily available new (and very cheap only £36 for a new one), which was always a problem with other old cars. I know some people will disagree, but I think the price of new parts is excellent, my last purchase was a brand new steering rack, cost was £42 (a new Ford Focus steering rack is about £260). There are a few 'proactive' things you can do to improve the reliability of a mini, electronic ignition ( $75 approx), new leads, splash guards for the distributor and things like that. As with all older cars, buy the best you can afford. The club is a great resource there are loads of people who will help you when your stuck, and if your interested in learning how to look after a car, a mini is an excellent choice.

[DAVEY_C]

if your buying one mate bring someone who knows minis because its easy to buy a bad one for that price and unless you can understand how a mini works a bad one will break your heart or worse, possibly turn you off them altogether. all winter (even at -14) my current mini was on the button, never had a problem starting and very reliable. i got it about last september and found some butchery since then, what apeared to be an imaculate mini has a cuple of holes and since needed a new rear subframe because it was doctored to sell.... this car cost me, including car and parts since to get it mot'd, aprox e3000+.... but ive had mini's years and can do it myself but unless you can to i would sujest a bigger budget. their a great car and lots of fun to own but small things will go.

keep looking because you can get a good one for about 2500+ but its pot luck at that.

[keith]

ditto everything said above. I keep the cost down by doing as much as possible myself. regular servicing and care goes a long way to keeping the car reliable, inexpensive and fun. when i started with mini's i had no experience either: i skinned my knuckles and broke a few things along the way.

insurance: i have mine on a 5k mileage limit, also they wanted to see club membership (not pumping the club here, i guess any club would do) and its under 200 each car; i'm an old guy with gazzilion +1 no claim bonus.

Usually for classic its 15 or more years old, sometimes 20. Talk to the broker/insurance company.

parts are usually cheap, compared to some other classics... if you had a Land Rover you know the score with parts for UK cars.
the great thing is that everything tends to be small!

[Mossess]

First off I just want to say thanks to everyone for contributing. I think my plans of having a low budget, low stress hobby have been sunk for the time being. But in saying that it’s better to find out beforehand. So, the plans as they stand are to up the budget, push back the time frame, and get some sort of welding/mechanics course done in the meantime.
Thanks again