Mini First Timer Help! - Some Questions
Discussion
New poster to this section so go easy on me 
I’m after some advice as I’m seriously considering buying a (real) mini. Its been a long time dream of mine to have one of these cars (Mini mad I’m afraid
)
The car in question belongs to a very good friend of mine, his dad has bought it as something to make a bit of money on. It’s a 998cc Mayfair (forgot the year...Oops) with 51,000 miles on the clock. The car was bought by the previous owner for their son’s 17th birthday present. Now 21 he never drove it because he wasn’t particularly interested in driving.
So for 4 years it has stood on a driveway not moving. I’ll be blunt, the bodywork look crap. At some point in its life it was repainted in a darker shade of blue (the original was a light metallic blue, as seen inside). A close inspection of the body shows the usual rust, I’ve seen worse, but quite a lot of bubbling. But overall the body is strong, it’s not flaky or fragile.
Underneath it seems quite sound, apparently the subframes seem in good order, and at some point someone did car for the little thing. It had a brand new Miltek (I think) exhaust, and it sounds lovely! The brakes have also just been rebuilt by current owner.
The engine bay looked tatty, but its been given a good service, and has been tidied up (repainting/ restoring parts). .
So. Some questions.
1. How much roughly would it cost for one of these things to be fully resprayed in the original metallic colour?
2. Does anyone have any experience of the fibreglass front ends? As I am thinking of buying one so the front end is a whole lot more accessible and also it doesn’t rot.
3. How are they to work on, I’m a real armature mechanic so I need something to tinker with and learn the basics on. Is the Mini a good car?
4. Interior – Can’t say I’m a fan of the 80’s interior of these cars. So I want to change the dash to a more modern one? Is this possible? How much to do this? Also I will probably want to do sprints and similar driving events in the car so where can I get a roll cage that meets the expectations of the event holders.
5. Parts – I know of all the usual parts websites, and aside from eBay can anyone suggest websites where I may get interior/exterior parts bit cheaper of second hand?
6. Insurance – The BIG one! – I’m 18 and have been driving for a year with my full licence. I have 1 years no claims, but only as a named driver on another car. Is there anyone who has been in a similar situation but got some good quotes. Had ones in the region of £1500, which is one of the cheapest, need to do approx 6000/7000 miles a year and pref under £1000 (I know of 17 year old on a spitfire 1500 for £975/year!). Does being part of a Mini club give you a discount?
The car will be offered to me around the £500 mark or so (they bought it for £250!) so a nice bit of profit for them and a good deal for me. Im just worried about the insurance and maintenance. Hopefully the extensive knowledge of PH will help me
Many thanks in advance
Phil
Over to you.
I’m after some advice as I’m seriously considering buying a (real) mini. Its been a long time dream of mine to have one of these cars (Mini mad I’m afraid
)The car in question belongs to a very good friend of mine, his dad has bought it as something to make a bit of money on. It’s a 998cc Mayfair (forgot the year...Oops) with 51,000 miles on the clock. The car was bought by the previous owner for their son’s 17th birthday present. Now 21 he never drove it because he wasn’t particularly interested in driving.
So for 4 years it has stood on a driveway not moving. I’ll be blunt, the bodywork look crap. At some point in its life it was repainted in a darker shade of blue (the original was a light metallic blue, as seen inside). A close inspection of the body shows the usual rust, I’ve seen worse, but quite a lot of bubbling. But overall the body is strong, it’s not flaky or fragile.
Underneath it seems quite sound, apparently the subframes seem in good order, and at some point someone did car for the little thing. It had a brand new Miltek (I think) exhaust, and it sounds lovely! The brakes have also just been rebuilt by current owner.
The engine bay looked tatty, but its been given a good service, and has been tidied up (repainting/ restoring parts). .
So. Some questions.
1. How much roughly would it cost for one of these things to be fully resprayed in the original metallic colour?
2. Does anyone have any experience of the fibreglass front ends? As I am thinking of buying one so the front end is a whole lot more accessible and also it doesn’t rot.
3. How are they to work on, I’m a real armature mechanic so I need something to tinker with and learn the basics on. Is the Mini a good car?
4. Interior – Can’t say I’m a fan of the 80’s interior of these cars. So I want to change the dash to a more modern one? Is this possible? How much to do this? Also I will probably want to do sprints and similar driving events in the car so where can I get a roll cage that meets the expectations of the event holders.
5. Parts – I know of all the usual parts websites, and aside from eBay can anyone suggest websites where I may get interior/exterior parts bit cheaper of second hand?
6. Insurance – The BIG one! – I’m 18 and have been driving for a year with my full licence. I have 1 years no claims, but only as a named driver on another car. Is there anyone who has been in a similar situation but got some good quotes. Had ones in the region of £1500, which is one of the cheapest, need to do approx 6000/7000 miles a year and pref under £1000 (I know of 17 year old on a spitfire 1500 for £975/year!). Does being part of a Mini club give you a discount?
The car will be offered to me around the £500 mark or so (they bought it for £250!) so a nice bit of profit for them and a good deal for me. Im just worried about the insurance and maintenance. Hopefully the extensive knowledge of PH will help me
Many thanks in advance
Phil
Over to you.
1. How much roughly would it cost for one of these things to be fully resprayed in the original metallic colour?
First you will almost certainly need a load of replacement body panels. How many depoends on the state of the rust, but be prepared for a lot of new panels and MIG welding. Then you'll need a re-paint. After the bodywork is done, allow about £1000 for a re-spray.
2. Does anyone have any experience of the fibreglass front ? As I am thinking of buying one so the front end is a whole lot more accessible and also it doesn’t rot.
GRP front ends are not really advised as they may leave you with a much weaker front end. The car may also need an IVA test as you have modified the basic structure of the car by cutting away some of the monocoque structure. An insurance company may not like it either.
3. How are they to work on, I’m a real armature mechanic so I need something to tinker with and learn the basics on. Is the Mini a good car?
Minis are pretty straightforward and there is a lot of help to be had on here. You do need a good toolkit.
4. Interior – Can’t say I’m a fan of the 80’s interior of these cars. So I want to change the dash to a more modern one? Is this possible? How much to do this? Also I will probably want to do sprints and similar driving events in the car so where can I get a roll cage that meets the expectations of the event holders.
For competition you'll need to meet the requirements of the MSA as shown in what is known as 'The Blue Book'. You get a copy with your competition licence. read it before you start working on the car.
Safety devices do what is probably the best roll-cage, but an approved one is not cheap.
5. Parts – I know of all the usual parts websites, and aside from eBay can anyone suggest websites where I may get interior/exterior parts bit cheaper of second hand?
Ebay seems the best, but as always, 'buyer beware'.
6. Insurance – The BIG one! – I’m 18 and have been driving for a year with my full licence. I have 1 years no claims, but only as a named driver on another car. Is there anyone who has been in a similar situation but got some good quotes. Had ones in the region of £1500, which is one of the cheapest, need to do approx 6000/7000 miles a year and pref under £1000 (I know of 17 year old on a spitfire 1500 for £975/year!). Does being part of a Mini club give you a discount?
I'm told that the British Mini Club have negotiated a good deal with Footman James, but I have no details. Remember, you have to declare all modifications, including the roll-cage and any other mods you do to make is able to compete in sprints, etc. That may cause a big problem.
First you will almost certainly need a load of replacement body panels. How many depoends on the state of the rust, but be prepared for a lot of new panels and MIG welding. Then you'll need a re-paint. After the bodywork is done, allow about £1000 for a re-spray.
2. Does anyone have any experience of the fibreglass front ? As I am thinking of buying one so the front end is a whole lot more accessible and also it doesn’t rot.
GRP front ends are not really advised as they may leave you with a much weaker front end. The car may also need an IVA test as you have modified the basic structure of the car by cutting away some of the monocoque structure. An insurance company may not like it either.
3. How are they to work on, I’m a real armature mechanic so I need something to tinker with and learn the basics on. Is the Mini a good car?
Minis are pretty straightforward and there is a lot of help to be had on here. You do need a good toolkit.
4. Interior – Can’t say I’m a fan of the 80’s interior of these cars. So I want to change the dash to a more modern one? Is this possible? How much to do this? Also I will probably want to do sprints and similar driving events in the car so where can I get a roll cage that meets the expectations of the event holders.
For competition you'll need to meet the requirements of the MSA as shown in what is known as 'The Blue Book'. You get a copy with your competition licence. read it before you start working on the car.
Safety devices do what is probably the best roll-cage, but an approved one is not cheap.
5. Parts – I know of all the usual parts websites, and aside from eBay can anyone suggest websites where I may get interior/exterior parts bit cheaper of second hand?
Ebay seems the best, but as always, 'buyer beware'.
6. Insurance – The BIG one! – I’m 18 and have been driving for a year with my full licence. I have 1 years no claims, but only as a named driver on another car. Is there anyone who has been in a similar situation but got some good quotes. Had ones in the region of £1500, which is one of the cheapest, need to do approx 6000/7000 miles a year and pref under £1000 (I know of 17 year old on a spitfire 1500 for £975/year!). Does being part of a Mini club give you a discount?
I'm told that the British Mini Club have negotiated a good deal with Footman James, but I have no details. Remember, you have to declare all modifications, including the roll-cage and any other mods you do to make is able to compete in sprints, etc. That may cause a big problem.
Gassing Station | Classic Minis | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff