8 replies to this topic

[bensheward]

Hi all,

I have been out of the mini scene since 2012 having sold my '99 cooper to help fund my first house purchase, the money I got for it certainly helped but as with all my previous 3 I have had, as soon as they go I have been after another and have continued to attend the odd show here and there.
I spent quite some time & money on my '99 cooper including a new front end, doors, a-panels and full respray and it was my dream mini. Please see the pictures below.

However having now purchased my first home and sourced a garage locally to store it I am now in a position to be able to fund a weekend toy and it was always going to be a mini. I have a budget of between £3-3.5k absolute max and have the following criteria

-Must be a Cooper
-must have a good few months MOT
-Preferably an Spi or Mpi
-For my budget there is going to be rust. But would prefer surface to holes in floor pans and major cosmetic issues.

I'm really hoping this is going to be a forever car and over time as money allows I will look to bring it up to the standard I want it be at, however I want it to be usable and in a reasonable condition, to allow regular use for at least a year or two before considerable work is required.

My question really is do you think my criteria and budget are reasonable?
Or do you think I should look for a tatty cooper, look to bag a bargain and spend some money saved from my budget to get it reasonable and usable?
I have been looking for nearly two months now and there just is such limited stock available unless you are paying £4K plus!!

Pictures of my last mpi as promised.

[/URL]







Ben.

[Van13]

If your handy and like fiddling by rough have the enjoyment fixing it up then you know what's been done and done right

Or buy newer and as we all know from our own little bundles of rust find the bodges that have been covered up

Example a mate bought a mk3 from a reputable mini restorer top penny's year later rust coming through on door steps when sanded back turns out they only put 2 small tacks both ends then filled
Any way welcome back to the scene good hunting

[bensheward]

Thanks for the feedback. Was seriously considering this one-

http://www.ebay.co.u...kwAAOSw9NdXrMKL

Good price but holes in the boot floor and foot wells rotten however a fair price I suppose. Mainly put off by only a few weeks MOT and not having the cash to spend until early next year on any work required,

The hunt continues....

[Ethel]

I'd sooner have rotten floors and boot than elsewhere. They will all be rotting there to some degree, at least you get to start afresh, and there's no expensive paintwork necessary. Of course, rotten floors don't mean they're rot free elsewhere either.

[mab01uk]

Thanks for the feedback. Was seriously considering this one-

http://www.ebay.co.u...kwAAOSw9NdXrMKL

Good price but holes in the boot floor and foot wells rotten however a fair price I suppose. Mainly put off by only a few weeks MOT and not having the cash to spend until early next year on any work required,

The hunt continues....

 

Why not ask for some photos of the boot and floor rust?

Previous MOT below had some issues......

https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/

 

• Test date 25 July 2015
• Test Result Fail
• Odometer reading 2,082 miles
• MOT test number 8471 2610 5271
• Reason(s) for failure
  
  Nearside Headlamp aim beam image obviously incorrect (1.8.A.1b)

  Offside Headlamp aim too low and too far to the left. (1.8)

  Rear fog lamp missing (1.3.2a)

  Offside Front Bonded suspension unit attachment damaged and seriously weakened (2.4.F.1c)

  Electrical wiring insecure (1.9.2a)

  Nearside Front Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)

  Offside Front Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)

  Nearside Rear Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)

  Nearside Front Upper Suspension arm has excessive play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)
• Advisory notice item(s)
  
  Nearside front brake fluctuating, but not excessively (3.7.B.3)

  Offside front brake fluctuating, but not excessively (3.7.B.3)

  Nearside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

  Offside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

  Nearside Front Vehicle structure has slight corrosion (6.1.A.1)

  Offside Front Vehicle structure has slight corrosion (6.1.A.1)

  Offside Rear Vehicle structure has slight corrosion (6.1.B.2)

  Offside Front Steering rack gaiter deteriorated (2.2.D.2d)

  Nerside front wiper split ends

  Hazard switch faulty intermittent

  Boonet stand insecure

  Fuel pipe/s corroded

  Oil leak

  Boot floor hole offside

Edited by mab01uk, 01 October 2016 - 05:13 PM.

[bensheward]

Thanks for the replies. I have requested and viewed some pictures of the boot and floor pans and it is very rotten, that combined with the above mentioned advisories on the last MOT it's just more than I would want to take on, or if I did, would need quite some discount to get it MOT'd within my budget.

I must admit the cash has been burning a hole in my pocket these last few weeks especially with the cracking wether we have been enjoying.... Need to wait for the right one to come up though. If anyone knows of anything reasonable coming up for sale drop me a message.

[Dom31]

The mini cooper on the ebaylink is a cat d had a look at it myself

[bensheward]

No way, I thought it was hanging around. Thank you for letting me know.

[minisprint]

 image.jpg   130.98K   8 downloads
Got this coming from Japan can source many others
 image.jpg   130.98K   8 downloads