33 replies to this topic

[MiniMe01]

Looking for some advice people.......it seems im having never ending bad luck when it comes to my mini what with getting completly ripped off when i bouight it.........first off my water pump went so i got that fixed when i had it in the garage i asked them to do a fuull look over of the mini they then got back to me with a huge list stating that it needed the following doing to it:
N/S Top and bottom swivels worn
O/S top and bottom sxivels worn
O/S rear radius arm worn
F/S/frame broken
top tie bar bushes worn
O/S + N/S front sub frame mounts
front panel corroded O/S
Boot floor corrosion
suspension tie bar brushes worn
corrosion lower R/valance
handbreake travel excess
exhust system rattle
so i took one look at the least and thought hmmm expensive but worth it and was going to gradually get it done.....then a week ago drivinng home when all of a sudden the mini was reving really high nd felt like it wldnt move anywhere so i pulled over and discovered that even though i was acelerating the mini was moving no where so got towed home on the way my breaks went.....got someone to look at it tonight they said it was the stering colum that was asolutly wasted away..... and basically sed that i can spend countless amounts of money on my mini and it will never look nice!! very gutting to hear as you can imagine!! he gave me a very good offer to do a restore on it which i wld pay him monthly and looking at about spending over 3000 at the end of it maybe more...so now i have the choice as to what to do????? im really not sure i love my mini but is it worth it??

[HARBER07]

Answer - YES!! Its totally worth it! Ive spent countless amounts on mine to be frank and yet nothing shows for it visually. But slowly im getting the car to how i want it, mostly the work is done by myself though. I recently put a post up as i was tossing with the idea of selling and getting something more "sensible", but that soon changed after the engine swap, and having a random VW enthusiast come up to me and saying "is that a weber? the mini sounds sweet!". Yes it wont be cheap but its still worth it, even after bad months! I know ive had my fair share!

[blacktulip]

minis do need looking after bud, i know its a gutting feeling but sometimes you have to be brave enough to decide whats best with your head rather than your heart. if you can afford it then do it. im sure there will be things you can do yourself.

[RetroRay]

Stick at it ! wish i could ive spent countless amounts of money on my minis only to sell them for something else mainly down to me getting bored but if i had spent what i have already on one mini it would have been mint ! ..... put it this way the amount of money ive spent on 5 minis in a year and a bit i could have had a proper restoration on one mini !!! thats what im starting to do now with my project as im seeing sense

[MiniMe01]

Answer - YES!! Its totally worth it! Ive spent countless amounts on mine to be frank and yet nothing shows for it visually. But slowly im getting the car to how i want it, mostly the work is done by myself though. I recently put a post up as i was tossing with the idea of selling and getting something more "sensible", but that soon changed after the engine swap, and having a random VW enthusiast come up to me and saying "is that a weber? the mini sounds sweet!". Yes it wont be cheap but its still worth it, even after bad months! I know ive had my fair share!

i wish i could do it myself but being a girl i wouldnt know where to start all im good at is polishing it up lol.....i really dont want to get rid of it as for a start i dont think anyone woud really buy it unless i sold it for £50 lol and id rather keep it everyone keeps telling me to scrap it but id rather it sit in my garden then scrap it and have another mini of the road lol....im thinking maybe getting another mini and use parts of both of them and see how that goes ...the guy who sed he wld do the restore on it sed he would get a completly different shell for it as the one i have is so awful with doggy welding down to it etc

[1987_ParkLane]

In the end it will be worth it, I'm hitting the £4k, and yes I could have bought a perfectly good car for that, and I know there are people who have spent more on here, but it will show in the end .

[MiniMe01]

Stick at it ! wish i could ive spent countless amounts of money on my minis only to sell them for something else mainly down to me getting bored but if i had spent what i have already on one mini it would have been mint ! ..... put it this way the amount of money ive spent on 5 minis in a year and a bit i could have had a proper restoration on one mini !!! thats what im starting to do now with my project as im seeing sense

thats a very good point.. i was talking to a few people about it tonight and they sed what are you going to do then just save up and spend like 4000 on a mint one and jjust skint yourself out in the process or gradually pay to get the restore done and have a bloody nice...next to new mini out of it!

[MiniMe01]

In the end it will be worth it, I'm hitting the £4k, and yes I could have bought a perfectly good car for that, and I know there are people who have spent more on here, but it will show in the end .

i suppose at the end of it ill be able to show people all the hard work and money that has been put into it and i will proberly appreciate it more too not that i dont already.. i think its more fustration too as if i have the restore done its looking at a year minimum and going to the mini shows just arent the same without my mini "sob" lol

[HARBER07]

I dont think i could sell mine because of the sentimental value involved But yeah, stick with it and you will have a car you appreciate so much, and get it looking how you want!

[leaky]

I know how annoying this is. Things keep going wrong with my car and its hard to keep spending money fixing it. Im paying for my driving lessons at the momnet as well. Iv even thought about selling my mini for a saxo. At the end of the day even though im now always broke and I cant even drive my car casue is broken all the time I still dont think I could ever sell it though. I guess I love it to much.

[mintom]

Sounds like you're going through the wash there. I guess the garage will be looking out for their business a little, they've been asked to do a full inspection, and there are probably things on that last that are more critical, and those that are a lot less critical.. e.g. it might be worth thinking about prioritising the TLC in advance, do as much as you can yourself, spread the cost..

Things always go wrong with them.. I'm with blacktulip and the threads I've read from others so far .. I think it's the unwritten law of mini ownership, I've got my fair share of tales that's for sure!!

Stay sane!

[jaydee]

.. it needed the following doing to it:
N/S Top and bottom swivels worn
O/S top and bottom sxivels worn
O/S rear radius arm worn
F/S/frame broken
top tie bar bushes worn
O/S + N/S front sub frame mounts
front panel corroded O/S
Boot floor corrosion
suspension tie bar brushes worn
corrosion lower R/valance
handbreake travel excess
exhust system rattle

Those are very little things, apart from panel repairs, can be done in no time and all parts you need arent expensive. Radius arm can be reconditioned spending about 15 quid and an afternoon of work.
Dont give up.

[Danuneek]

Ive bought my car last summer for £2900 and since then have spent about £1500 on it. I've always got little niggley problems with it, like at the moment its leaking oil for fun which is from a gasket and the steering from slow too stationery is really stiff and making a harsh rubber grinding noise (which I dont know what it is if anyone has any suggestions?) but my point is your not alone, tend not to think about the costs but more about the enjoyment you get from it. This week alone I've have 3 people stop and talk about the car.

Edited by Danuneek, 01 July 2009 - 10:30 PM.

[danny1]

In the end it will be worth it, I'm hitting the £4k, and yes I could have bought a perfectly good car for that, and I know there are people who have spent more on here, but it will show in the end .

4k lol

im nearing the 6 k ahaha, stupid minis are money pits. and i wish soem oen ahd told me before, but i woudlnt swap her for anything.

really you got to look at it yeah minis need treating with love and care but at teh end of the day your gonna have a stunning car not matter how it looks.

keep goign with it it will eb woruth it in teh long run and you will only look back at this, and wish you hadnt sold it if you do.

i think every oen on this forum has gone through a stage were they think i cant be assed with it.

so chin up and keep going

[Ethel]

You buy a Mini in installments - with other cars you fork out hefty wedge and watch it dissolve in depreciation, Mini's start cheap(ish) and gnaw away at your savings - but at least they hold or gain value, so if you can ever bear to part with one you stand a chance of getting some of that cash back.

You should have a good think before pouring money into a car if the shell isn't half decent. Always try and get a second opinion before spending getting a garage to do work, particularly if they identified it, they are there to make money after all. Why not see if there's a local owner's club most are a good source of free advice and there's likely to be a few amateur mechanics who will work for pocket money. Being a girl is no excuse for not picking up a spanner either - everybody who knows anything about anything started out knowing nothing.

Reshelling a car and keeping the same registration number could land you in trouble with the law if the shell isn't brand new.