Brun

Driving along today i spot a very tidy looking Mini for sale outside a Wedding shop. I stopped off and spoke to the Lady inside who put me on the phone to her husband. It turns out the car was refreshed ground up and has had the usual fat wheel/arch combo fitted, new interior and is totally mint to look at. It's on a C plate (forgot to ask mileage), has the std 1000cc engine and has full t&t. The car was basically built to promote his shop and doesn't get any real use.
I know this is all very vague but he is asking £3500ono. Does this sound reasonable. He sounds like he isn't short of a bob or two and tinkers as a hobby so i would expect he might take a £3k bid.
Not really sure what i would do with it other than a weekend toy as both me and the Wifey have always fancied one.
Into the future it would be nice to Vtec it but i'm unsure how much that sort of thing would cost? I'm handy with a spanner if it's the sort of thing you could do in your gararge?
I ask on here as there are so many Mini sites out there so maybe someone could point me in the right direcion

Mikee

I may be wrong but if you PM 'Shiver' he should be able to help out.

lozgti1

Bought a T plate (99) classic mini cooper 1.3mpi for £3000 that had had £5k spent on it. About a year ago.Still got it

Fantastic fun (when its not overheating,although that might be me)

Wife loves it,kids love it.Classless cars (it is a third car btw)

Buy something like mini world mag....classic minis aren't cheap now....looking at ours as an investment as well as a bit of fun

Flathead

Started buying them for the kids as i started out in mechanics and new how to fix them. Glad they have all moved on since great cars but wouldn't want to crash one at speed though. Sold mine about 3 years ago for £1300 see pic.

prodriverules

iTrader: (52)

Only trouble with the 1 litre is it wouldn't pull you out of bed
As long as the main area's such as sub frame mounting area's/rear pockets by back seat/front inner wings/sills/wings and boot floor are up to scratch or been done in the last 2/3 years it should be a good buy as they hold good value theses days.

hodgy0_2

sounds a bit steep to me

(I still have my 1965 Cooper S)

birchy2010

iTrader: (12)

I had a mini and ny sister still has hers. The values on these has gone up so much recently. vtec conversion is very doable but really you need full cage etc first. Brilliant little toys.

prodriverules

iTrader: (52)

Now there's a little gem my friend,what condition is she in mate?!

lozgti1

Darc174

iTrader: (13)

i have a mint 1998 1.3 MPI Cooper for sale

half leather interior 40k on the clock

give me a shout if interested

darcy

Trout

iTrader: (1)

With an early Mini like that (C reg) get yerself a 12G295 head on it, skimmed a little, with nicely cleaned up valve seats. Add at least 20bhp overnight.

Plus a nice cam, a gas flowed 1.5in SU and off you go!

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

..and the obligetory LCB, aah those were the days - Vizard's book is still in the bookcase

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

If it has had a proper restoration then it might not be a bad price. Depends on colour etc.

Check to see how it has been done, are there regular spaced drain holes in the sills? If not it has had oversills welded on instead of the real thing. Not too much of an issue depending if they cut the old stuff out but a note to make sure you keep looking for other things.

Is the front slam panal original? Unlikely but worth looking. How does it run etc etc? Subframes are as someone said very important and the wide arch kit is likely to be the sport pack one which isn't too well loved really. Can be used to hide a rusty wing so again, double check that.

Engine wise you can fix most stuff ok but make sure the head gasket is ok after that length of time. Be interested to see if it has had electronic ignition added too.

5t.

Matteeboy

Lovely - apart from the No Fear sticker!!

Flathead

It had the No Fear sticker in it when i got it !

500

I sold a 1979 city for about 800 last year, siezed everything on it having been stood for about 15 years so the price sounds about right if everything has been done to it.

Vtec can be done at home, have a look at 16v mini club, most conversion parts can be bought

lozgti1

Vtec conversion looks amazing!

Agreed about wouldn't want to be in one if it crashed!

Still the most fun I've ever had with 63 bhp

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Oh the memories. I once took off on a humpback bridge - yumped down the road and crushed the LCB flat!!

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Go the whole hog.

Seam welded (massive difference on the Mini) and de-seamed.

Nicely worked wheel arches.

Minilites

LCB

RC40 exhaust

Twin tanks

Corbeau seats

chris666

knew a bloke once who had a large collection of classic cars (around 40)
one of which was a mini.unregested said it was one of the last off the
production line

lozgti1

Reckon that would go for about £15000

Don't know what it cost him then(2001 last ones?) £7/8/9k??

Great investment though

hodgy0_2

Trout - I am impressed, RC40 exhaust (from Mini Spares) is proper old skool mini tuning straight from the annuls of the great David Vizard

twin tanks -- off course, standard on a post 66 Mini Cooper S, mine were a dealer fitted option

Corbeau -- bit nouveau mine has Restall Recliners

12G295 -- without consulting my reference material, that is a 998 Cooper performance head, the proper 1275 was a 12g 940 (to get really technical the 12A 185 and AEG 163 were the ultimate perfomance head for the Cooper S but due to large valve sizes were prone to cracking)

Scooby Arthur

iTrader: (2)

If it has been restored properly then that is a pretty good price, they just seem to get more and more expensive.

A good check to do is to see if there is a gap between the scuttle panel and the wing, often if the car has just been resprayed then the gap is filled. Look all round the front, round the indicators and lights as this is often the first sign of the rust.

A couple of pictures of mine, just get a few jobs to do to get it ready for this years events, already got tickets for London to Brighton, cant wait.

yellowvanman

Must have read his 'How to Modify Your Mini' book a few hundred times, was the definitive manual, back in the early 80's when I built my first truly tuned car. (1400cc 45 weber, Avonbar stage 3 head, 649 cam, flip front!)

Scooby Arthur

iTrader: (2)

There is a Z cars Supercharged VTEC in this months Miniworld, 284 bhp!!!

Mind you its not really a mini without the A (or A+) series in it.

hodgy0_2

yep exactly, and his follow up Tuning the A-Series Engine, I have the 649 cam btw, with twin 1.5" SU's -- not the best but do look the dogs danglies