16 replies to this topic

[Jimbo1998]

So the day is fast approaching where I am to head off to auction to take a look at 3 possible minis.

From the pictures (which we all know can be misleading) they look well maintained and the descriptions issued claim much important work has been done to them. 

Over the last few months, I have devoted a lot of time to really learning the ins and outs on the technical workings of these cars, and will be taking someone with me who knows his cars too. 

My Question is, would you guys risk it? Not test driving a car and buying on what you can see (and question the owner on) alone is obviously far from ideal conditions.



   Thanks for all your help down this road guys, its really confidence boosting to have such a knowledgeable helpful community behind you to help you break new ground!   

[robminibcy]

to be honest the way mini drives is the least important thing for me if I was buying. the bodywork is the main concern as this is what is expensive and time consuming to fix whereas mechanicals are fairly simple and cheap.

[Carlos W]

Buy the car with the best body you can find. Everything else is easier to fix than bodywork.

 

Check for oversills and any other bodges.

 

Set a budget and don't get carried away

[Mervyn]

Classic minis?

Familiarise yourself with the buyers premium before bidding and set your max price on each vehicle before you start. As a private punter the fees are £££

Use the MOT history checker online to look at what it's failed on in the past

Stand by the car and listen to it fire up. Look for smoke etc and when it drives away look for leaks on the ground .

That's about it.

Merv

[wile e coyote]

If cheap then yes I'd risk it - get into the yard if you can in advance of the auction and have a rational and considered look over - body condition is everything - ignore shininess - pay special attention to the floors sills and scuttle. Be practiced at spotting how the car should sit, panel gaps etc.If no internal release pop the bonnet....

Be accompanied by someone expert in mini's - with limited inspection opportunity gut feel is everything..

Set your max bid and stick to it...mini's are one of those cars at auction that will either go cheap or astronomical - doesn't seem to be a sensible mid point.

The question is why are there 3 in an auction? Is this a general or specialist one??? ....claims of money spent should always be treated with suspicion.....

[DomCr250]

Depending on the auction you can sometimes have a good look round the cars hours or even a day before it goes under the hammer.

As Merv said above the crippling thing is the fees and top of the fees they add VAT to the fee.

Also get there early and watch the crowd who are bidding, at my local super cheap car auction almost every car is purchased by a handful of professional dealers.

You probably know that most auction houses require you to pre register and pay a returnable deposit, it's normally £500, once again do this a day before as the auction office is a bun fight on the actual day.

For a morning or afternoon out you cannot beat it, better than a TV show, so enjoy it whatever you walk away with.

[MiniJosh92]

Really just got to bid thinking when you get in it and drive it you might find the gearbox needs a total rebuild etc. I find at these classic car auctions minis always tend to sell for far too much money really, often more than you would pay privately and you get a proper test drive etc especially when you add on the buyers fee + VAT.

[miniseven61]

I went to an auction last year to look at several Mini's that were listed as low mileage good examples, they were all junk, they had obviously been tarted up very badly and I wouldn't have touched them for any amount of money. Look at them all very carefully and if in any doubt leave well alone, there are plenty out there even if you pay a bit more, it's worth the wait. Service history is good to have.

[ukcooper]

take a magnet if it sticks it metal if it don't it filler check every where , my 2000 mpi had a hole sill made of filler did not know till it got cut out must taken days to do having the other side done now just in case ..hope ya taking it hoe on a trailer or get the rac to check it before you drive it

[Mito]

take a magnet if it sticks it metal if it don't it filler check every where

assuming they haven't mixed iron filings in with the filler. ;)

[absx2]

On three separate occasions I have bought minis from car auctions and all three times second gear had a crunch but maybe that`s my bad luck.

 

Usually the more shiney the paint is the more people go mad and pay far too much as they don`t want to lose it for and few quid that turns into a few hundred quid.

 

I recently attended an auction that a 1990 mayfair was for sale. Wrong older engine, loads of filler, door skins flapping, body kit ) and loads of rust. The quickly blown over but very shiny paint work was going to erupt in a short space of time and the badly done filler was obvious from the moon.

Bidding started at 3000 and it sold for around 5000. 

[Cooperman]

There are bargains to be had at classic car auctions, but it is very much a case of 'buyer beware'.

I once went to an auction and I made bids on 2 different cars - a Rover 2000 and a Capri GT - but didn't get either.

Then an 850 Mini came onto the block, so I bid for it and got it. When I got it home and checked/drove it I discovered it had a bent front sub-frame. It was not noticeable on basic inspection. I heated up the tie-bar ear (which was slightly bent), pulled it forward a bit, re-tracked the wheels and really cleaned it. Then I put it back into a different auction a week later and made a nice little profit. That was just luck and it was my own fault for buying without doing a close inspection.

But, auctions are FUN!

[mikal]

What exactly defines a classic Mini? The reason I ask is all round noses here in Oz are Mk1's (last one built was 1971) so I suppose all ours are classic in the true sense otherwise it's a Clubman. By "classic Mini" do people mean anything pre BMW? Pardon my ignorance...

For what it's worth, I wouldn't feel comfortable buying any car unless I could take it for a spin unless it was something really special....

[cal844]

What exactly defines a classic Mini? The reason I ask is all round noses here in Oz are Mk1's (last one built was 1971) so I suppose all ours are classic in the true sense otherwise it's a Clubman. By "classic Mini" do people mean anything pre BMW? Pardon my ignorance...
For what it's worth, I wouldn't feel comfortable buying any car unless I could take it for a spin unless it was something really special....

Any mini pre 2000, however you can buy a heritage shell and build a brand new car with all new parts and get it on a 2018 reg

[mikal]

"however you can buy a heritage shell and build a brand new car with all new parts and get it on a 2018 reg"

 

Probably be cheaper and more enjoyable to come to Oz/ NZ for a holiday and buying something to ship back to the UK. Oz at least it would be a Mk1 and we don't know what oversills are. They corrosion you guys experience is unheard of over here...