49 replies to this topic

[littlemo72]

Hi there,

I have a Rover mini cooper 1.3i 1995 which has been very reliable engine wise and I have spent a fair bit of money over the years (I have had it for 5+ years) when work has needed doing. Regrettably now however I do not own a garage to keep this in and due to wear and tear (it is used daily) during it's MOT last year (June) I was told that due to excessive corrosion it would be unlikely to pass it's MOT this year and a guidance note to that effect was put on the MOT Certificate itself. It is suffering from severe condensation inside the car and mould appears I am ashamed to say.

As I said it is a good runner. The garage I use (with a good rep) said it could keep running if the entire body shell was replaced but would not give me an estimate as they said it wouldn't be worth it. I presume that's on account of labour costs as well. Does anyone have an idea of what realistically a new body shell and labour should cost me? Also i guess what price it could achieve if that was done?

On the one hand I can't afford to replace my car, due to lack of funds in general, but also I love driving her and would love to see it not go to scrap. Also do not see how anyone would purchase it in it's present condition body wise.

Any help and advice is greatly appreciated!

[Ouster]

Sell it quick, buy another mini.
New body shells from Heritage are expensive.

[Bungle]

if it's a car you want to keep them yes its worth spending the money on a new shell

problem is if you sell this one the next one is lightly to be as rusty

[feybrand]

whatever condition its in someone will buy it if you dont want to or dont have the knowledge to fix it ive seen people on here restore cars that have rust everywhere so any cars restorable you could sell it and get the buyer to keep you up to date on the restoration
a shell costs 4-4500k so very expensive and to fully strip the first shell and rebuild the new one will probably be the same again

[Punts]

You might be able to find a shell that someone else has done the work on and has to sell i.e. unfinished project.

[bmcecosse]

Generally - new shells are used to revive really old Minis - which have 'tax free' status - and so the car goes on, and the free road tax over the coming years helps to offset the cost of the shell. As above - new shell is ~ £4.5k - and then you need to seal it and paint it - and may as well put a new rear subby and all new brake lines in as you go. Generally only worth doing if you DIY it! It's not difficult -I did one 40 years ago in a very few weeks - including the spraying!

[Ethel]

I can't see it being that bad if it passed a test less than a year ago. Even so, if you're reliant on paying for repairs it may well be cheaper to sell it and buy another.

[Bungle]

Generally - new shells are used to revive really old Minis - which have 'tax free' status - and so the car goes on, and the free road tax over the coming years helps to offset the cost of the shell. As above - new shell is ~ £4.5k - and then you need to seal it and paint it - and may as well put a new rear subby and all new brake lines in as you go. Generally only worth doing if you DIY it! It's not difficult -I did one 40 years ago in a very few weeks - including the spraying!

they don't make MK1 or 2 shells

[bmcecosse]

Of course not! But the car goes on - just a small upgrade!

[Bungle]

but doesn't the shell have to be the same spec (like for like)to keep the registration ?

a MK1 mini with MK5 shell isn't a MK1 mini

[Guess-Works.com]

For the purist yes, but from a technical point of view, no, the replacement part for a mini shell is a heritage shell....

Many parts over the lifetime of the mini have been superseded by another part.

[CaptainBland08]

my mates got a pretty clean shell going with all the welding done... looks manky... but he only wants 350 for it.

[Dan]

For the purist yes, but from a technical point of view, no, the replacement part for a mini shell is a heritage shell....

Many parts over the lifetime of the mini have been superseded by another part.

The law does state a 'shell of original specification' actually.

Using a second hand shell to rebuild your car isn't permitted.

[willydc26]

For the purist yes, but from a technical point of view, no, the replacement part for a mini shell is a heritage shell....

Many parts over the lifetime of the mini have been superseded by another part.

The law does state a 'shell of original specification' actually.

Using a second hand shell to rebuild your car isn't permitted.

heritage shells aren't considered second hand though, because they were never assigned a VIN. that fact, is what makes the heritage reshelling fully legal and legit.

[Ethel]

I think Dan is just pointing out it won't strictly be an original specification shell if you put your Mk2 into a Mk7 (or whatever) shell. But that is what Rover would have sold you as a replacement so it's a debatable point and ultimately the decision of the DVLA.