Some Mini advice, please...
Discussion
My first car was a 1978 Mini Clubman which was pretty rotten when I bought it. I'd had motorbikes before then, and I never liked the Mini. I was never sure if mine was just a bad example, but it didn't handle well, it was slow, and it seemed to need constant maintenance of the brakes and points. My brother did a nice job replacing the rear sub-frame, but we later found out we'd been sold the wrong 'rubber trumpets' so that might not have done the handling any favours! Having said all that, I still love the look of Minis, and I'm almost contemplating buying one!
However, are they really expensive now? What sort of price would a decent example cost? I'd prefer a car which wasn't going to need a restoration, but I don't suppose I could afford a mint example. I don't mind spending a bit to maintain it, but I wouldn't want something which required lots of garage time.
If I were to use it year-round, is there anything which can be done to keep rust at bay?
Is it possible to reduce the maintenance schedule? I don't think the drum brakes were balanced, nor self-adjusting, and I had to jack up the car and manually adjust the brakes with a square spanner. There were a few times when I experienced an almost complete lack of braking power, and I wouldn't want to go through that again!
I drive a Land Rover Defender so I'm okay with cars which have a bit of 'character', but because I didn't enjoy my first Mini I'm not completely convinced a Mini is for me.
I can't remember what happened to my old Clubman. I know I sold the registration plate for a few quid, and I think I might have scrapped the car after that. The car might have been worth a few quid now, although there probably wouldn't have been much left by now!
However, are they really expensive now? What sort of price would a decent example cost? I'd prefer a car which wasn't going to need a restoration, but I don't suppose I could afford a mint example. I don't mind spending a bit to maintain it, but I wouldn't want something which required lots of garage time.
If I were to use it year-round, is there anything which can be done to keep rust at bay?
Is it possible to reduce the maintenance schedule? I don't think the drum brakes were balanced, nor self-adjusting, and I had to jack up the car and manually adjust the brakes with a square spanner. There were a few times when I experienced an almost complete lack of braking power, and I wouldn't want to go through that again!
I drive a Land Rover Defender so I'm okay with cars which have a bit of 'character', but because I didn't enjoy my first Mini I'm not completely convinced a Mini is for me.
I can't remember what happened to my old Clubman. I know I sold the registration plate for a few quid, and I think I might have scrapped the car after that. The car might have been worth a few quid now, although there probably wouldn't have been much left by now!
It's a long long time since I used a mini as my every day transport, and my current one is off the road at the moment due to a fault, so it will have been a couple of years since I last drove one. But I can recall enough about the experience of owning and driving a mini to say;
Minis handle well. What they lack in power they make up for in entertainment due to the minimal body roll afforded by the suspension set up and the comedy bouncing up and down and banging your head on the roof!
There is always something that needs doing to a mini, I don't think you can escape it. They are a car from a bygone era where on going maintenance and short life spans were common place. If you're not greasing nipples or replacing wheel bearings you're chasing out and rectifying the rust.
When in my youth a mini was my sole mode of transport I was paranoid about rust. My car was pressure washed everyday in winter or when there was salt on the road. It was put up on ramps every year and waxoyled. It still had rust creep out from the seams! I don't think you can stop them rusting, unless you start with a new shell and build it with rust preventative measures from scratch.
The mini I have stewardship of is rust free, but has only done 3000 miles in the past 25 years and has been garaged since it came into my familys ownership.
As the owner of a Land Rover you are probably well aware of the foibles of driving an anachronistic vehicle. I wouldn't choose to drive a mini everyday anymore but as a 17 - 21 year old it was great fun.
Minis handle well. What they lack in power they make up for in entertainment due to the minimal body roll afforded by the suspension set up and the comedy bouncing up and down and banging your head on the roof!
There is always something that needs doing to a mini, I don't think you can escape it. They are a car from a bygone era where on going maintenance and short life spans were common place. If you're not greasing nipples or replacing wheel bearings you're chasing out and rectifying the rust.
When in my youth a mini was my sole mode of transport I was paranoid about rust. My car was pressure washed everyday in winter or when there was salt on the road. It was put up on ramps every year and waxoyled. It still had rust creep out from the seams! I don't think you can stop them rusting, unless you start with a new shell and build it with rust preventative measures from scratch.
The mini I have stewardship of is rust free, but has only done 3000 miles in the past 25 years and has been garaged since it came into my familys ownership.
As the owner of a Land Rover you are probably well aware of the foibles of driving an anachronistic vehicle. I wouldn't choose to drive a mini everyday anymore but as a 17 - 21 year old it was great fun.
Thanks very much for that!
I've had a look at a few Youtube videos. and some people have fitted disc brakes, so perhaps there are ways to reduce the necessary routine maintenance.
I don't understand the suspension arrangement - it looks like some Minis have Hydrolastic suspension, and others have the rubber 'trumpets'. I downloaded a catalogue from a Mini specialist, and they also seem to sell standard shocks and springs, so it looks like there might be multiple options.
The rust would be a worry. I remember visiting a kit car factory when I was passing through Southampton years ago (probably in the late 1980's). They made a fibreglass mini convertible body shell which was very similar in looks to a standard Mini. It was called the Domino Pimlico. I think it was of decent quality. You'd think there'd now be a market for something like that - a Mini which didn't rust!
The Heritage body shells seem to be expensive, but I imagine they'd be a worthwhile investment for an enthusiast if it were possible to prepare them so that there'd be no risk of them rusting.
I've had a look at a few Youtube videos. and some people have fitted disc brakes, so perhaps there are ways to reduce the necessary routine maintenance.
I don't understand the suspension arrangement - it looks like some Minis have Hydrolastic suspension, and others have the rubber 'trumpets'. I downloaded a catalogue from a Mini specialist, and they also seem to sell standard shocks and springs, so it looks like there might be multiple options.
The rust would be a worry. I remember visiting a kit car factory when I was passing through Southampton years ago (probably in the late 1980's). They made a fibreglass mini convertible body shell which was very similar in looks to a standard Mini. It was called the Domino Pimlico. I think it was of decent quality. You'd think there'd now be a market for something like that - a Mini which didn't rust!
The Heritage body shells seem to be expensive, but I imagine they'd be a worthwhile investment for an enthusiast if it were possible to prepare them so that there'd be no risk of them rusting.
I have had a few Minis and still have a couple but not daily drivers. Prices are strong now for Minis, a complete project is now £1000+ but usually a good usable car can be had for £3k + but will probably need constant work.
Hydrolastic suspension was stopped in the early 70s, even now a lot have been converted to “dry” suspension which is rubber cone in the subframe and shock absorbers.
If you were using it every day disc brakes are a good idea, if you want 10in wheels you would want Cooper S brakes but Minis with 12in wheels will have discs on the front as standard.
There are still sensible priced cars around but not like it used to be, But they hold value. If you want minimal rust look out for a jap import and wax oil it to slow the rust!
I love mine and would never sell, but I wouldn’t go back to driving it every day! Mine is tucked up until spring now!
Hydrolastic suspension was stopped in the early 70s, even now a lot have been converted to “dry” suspension which is rubber cone in the subframe and shock absorbers.
If you were using it every day disc brakes are a good idea, if you want 10in wheels you would want Cooper S brakes but Minis with 12in wheels will have discs on the front as standard.
There are still sensible priced cars around but not like it used to be, But they hold value. If you want minimal rust look out for a jap import and wax oil it to slow the rust!
I love mine and would never sell, but I wouldn’t go back to driving it every day! Mine is tucked up until spring now!
There's a dealer in my area who stocks good examples but they are all around the 8 to 10k mark. https://www.silverlinkspecialistcars.co.uk/
Thanks for all the info.
That place in Bedlington has a good selection. I'm in the north of Scotland, but Bedlington is do-able in a day, so I might take a trip down there next year. I'll speak to the guy who rust-proofs my Land Rover, and see how hopeful he'd be about preventing rust in a Japanese import!
That place in Bedlington has a good selection. I'm in the north of Scotland, but Bedlington is do-able in a day, so I might take a trip down there next year. I'll speak to the guy who rust-proofs my Land Rover, and see how hopeful he'd be about preventing rust in a Japanese import!
Some good advice. I have owned at least 4 minis and my son has owned two. He had a city from when he passed his test and then bought an MPI Cooper. Great fun. But as a daily driver, hard work, you need to know your way around a set of spanners, something always needs doing. The car is gone now, but over our 6 year ownership, we must have spent in excess of 5k on replacing bits, panels, paint and mechanical failures. I have all the expertise for mechanical bits, but I don't have any welding or spraying skills or anywhere to do it, so every time rust came along the car had to go to an independent. Everything couple of years we used to joke, we were paying for the mechanics skiing holiday as MOT time was Dec. Just go into it with your eyes open
Bought my 2000 Sportspack from Silverlink. Paid top dollar & discovered it hadn't been serviced or Mot'd as advertised, but it was all amicably resolved & the car's a beauty. They import a lot from Japan. Try & deal with Paul the boss if you can.
Edited by rsv696 on Sunday 9th December 22:03
toon10 said:
There's a dealer in my area who stocks good examples but they are all around the 8 to 10k mark. https://www.silverlinkspecialistcars.co.uk/
Do you know if this dealer has ceased trading? I was hoping to go and see their Minis this summer! However, their website now seems to be diverted to some sort of dealership group. ph9 said:
toon10 said:
There's a dealer in my area who stocks good examples but they are all around the 8 to 10k mark. https://www.silverlinkspecialistcars.co.uk/
Do you know if this dealer has ceased trading? I was hoping to go and see their Minis this summer! However, their website now seems to be diverted to some sort of dealership group. Gassing Station | Classic Minis | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff