Mini Mad
Posted 24 April 2019 - 08:09 PM
Looks like I might get a GREAT deal on a 96 cooper in the Netherlands... but transporting it to Rome is fishy and eats into my discount.
Am I crazy for really considering driving it down? It is just a 16 hour drive, breaking it up into a couple of days is VERY doable. I used to drive that same thing in the US from Miami to DC every few months.
Thoughts? What would you do?
Camshaft & Stage Two Head
Posted 24 April 2019 - 08:19 PM
Depends on the condition of the car but if it's half decent, take some spares and some tools with you and go for it. We used to do stuff like that before we had mobile phones and it was fine. It'll be an adventure. If the car manages the first ten minutes it'll probably do the whole journey. Get some breakdown cover too in case it doesn't make it.
Mini Mad
Posted 24 April 2019 - 08:37 PM
Depends on the condition of the car but if it's half decent, take some spares and some tools with you and go for it. We used to do stuff like that before we had mobile phones and it was fine. It'll be an adventure. If the car manages the first ten minutes it'll probably do the whole journey. Get some breakdown cover too in case it doesn't make it.
any advice on what exactly to bring? I will have to purchase it all before the trip. I came here on vacation.
Moved Into The Garage
Posted 24 April 2019 - 08:38 PM
Stage One Kit Fitted
Posted 24 April 2019 - 08:42 PM
Speeding Along Now
Posted 24 April 2019 - 08:43 PM
Stage One Kit Fitted
Posted 24 April 2019 - 08:45 PM
Depends on the condition of the car but if it's half decent, take some spares and some tools with you and go for it. We used to do stuff like that before we had mobile phones and it was fine. It'll be an adventure. If the car manages the first ten minutes it'll probably do the whole journey. Get some breakdown cover too in case it doesn't make it.
What he said... These things are actually quite reliable. If they start and drive, then there aren't all that many things which will stop you in your tracks and be completely irreparable without a garage.
If you do enough homework before you commit, try to rule out the really big stuff, If you're comfortable working with cars, there shouldn't be much you cannot fix, or at least bodge on the way with enough tools and spares. I once managed a 4 hour drive with Gas tape holding the cooling system of a Montego together, have also done a few hours in a loaded Transit with no clutch, both were great fun :)
I'm jealous!
Breakdown cover is a good call. Go for one which guarantees to get you home (if they do that across borders in europe) and be careful, as some will not let you use it for the first day or two. Probably to stop people in Italy buying cars from the Netherlands and getting a free tow if they break :)
Speeding Along Now
Posted 24 April 2019 - 08:55 PM
Should be pretty doable, there were plenty in the club over here who drove to IMM in Portugal last year and that was a fair bit further. Make sure the car you are buying is good, try getting it checked over by a Mini specialist before going home. You can send me a PM if you want a suggestion for a specialist in the Amsterdam area.
Camshaft & Stage Two Head
Posted 24 April 2019 - 09:01 PM
Get breakdown cover !
I have heard of people faking breakdowns to get there classic bikes/ cars transported home for free especially when such long trips are involved ;)
If anyone fakes a breakdown to avoid driving a Mini they're not really a Mini enthusiast.
Mini Mad
Posted 24 April 2019 - 09:04 PM
All great advice guys, thanks! This Breakdown cover is a new thing to me, coming from the states. Seems like AAA but like actually useful.
The car seems really nice. It has a lot of miles but has been well maintained, as cars in the netherlands have to pass MOT every 2 years and it is much stricter than the versions in other countries.
It actually failed MOT this year because of an exhaust leak, and the guy just wants to get rid of it instead of pouring more money into it.
Moved Into The Garage
Posted 24 April 2019 - 09:08 PM
To probably echo what other's have said, sounds a great drive and adventure.
How ever you do go about it, allow loads of time, just in case,,,,,,,,,,
Although,,,,
It actually failed MOT this year because of an exhaust leak, and the guy just wants to get rid of it instead of pouring more money into it.
This is always my concern. All too often, a seller is 'sick' of the car and just wants it gone, with their head of steam for it running out about a year or so before they put it up for sale.
Is there a way you can have the car properly and professionally appraised before buying it?
Speeding Along Now
Posted 24 April 2019 - 09:24 PM
Is there a way you can have the car properly and professionally appraised before buying it?
A pre-purchase check is fairly common here, just pop over to any Quick Fit or similar and they should do one for you, do make an appointment first!
It actually failed MOT this year because of an exhaust leak, and the guy just wants to get rid of it instead of pouring more money into it.
This is somewhat worrying indeed. You won't be allowed to drive it with a failed MOT (APK) except to a service station/garage for an MOT check. When you buy the car and have the title transferred to you will have to suspend the registration (schorsen) immediately or face a very hefty fine (I should know, they tried it on with me when I bought my Inno, it had been off the road for 20 years and they still tried to fine me for owning a car without an MOT). You might have to trailer it home, or at least get it fixed before setting off. Try to get a full list of items that caused the MOT to fail, if the exhaust has rusted out then odds are other parts might be equally rusty, structural rust is an MOT fail over here.
Mini Mad
Posted 24 April 2019 - 09:36 PM
Is there a way you can have the car properly and professionally appraised before buying it?
A pre-purchase check is fairly common here, just pop over to any Quick Fit or similar and they should do one for you, do make an appointment first!
It actually failed MOT this year because of an exhaust leak, and the guy just wants to get rid of it instead of pouring more money into it.
This is somewhat worrying indeed. You won't be allowed to drive it with a failed MOT (APK) except to a service station/garage for an MOT check. When you buy the car and have the title transferred to you will have to suspend the registration (schorsen) immediately or face a very hefty fine (I should know, they tried it on with me when I bought my Inno, it had been off the road for 20 years and they still tried to fine me for owning a car without an MOT). You might have to trailer it home, or at least get it fixed before setting off. Try to get a full list of items that caused the MOT to fail, if the exhaust has rusted out then odds are other parts might be equally rusty, structural rust is an MOT fail over here.
Thanks for the info.
Yeah, he took it to APK and it is still at the garage, so I can get more information while I am there. They have a nice handy chart of everything it failed and it is basically a checklist of things to look for. Very handy that NL is so thorough with the inspections. I know what to look for, so I am not that worried about the car. If it is crap, I will gladly walk away, as I have another one back home that I might pick up instead.
According to what he has said to me (very big language barrier by the way) the car needs to be fixed within 20 days of the failed APK, and when i deregister it from the NL system at the RWD, they give me 14 days to be able to drive the car on public roads with a temp tag to get it out of the country.
So even though it might not be fully legal to drive and own in the NL, it should be legally ok to export from the NL to another country. Italy will then take the deregistration papers and create a new registration for the car in Italian.
Still trying to get that insurance coverage for a car that isnt registered anywhere (technically it is registered for export in NL) for the ride down to not get into any ****.
Mini Mad
Posted 24 April 2019 - 11:37 PM
A few years ago I drove my '67 Mk 1 to Bali Indonesia from Melbourne. About 9000 km including some ferry crossings. Car did not miss a beat, not even a puncture on some atrocious roads.
Go for it!
Edited by mikal, 24 April 2019 - 11:39 PM.
One Carb Or Two?
Posted 25 April 2019 - 02:33 AM
I bought a Clubman Estate sight unseen in Baltimore, and drove it to KC in 2 days - 1100 miles one way. I didn't even take any tools with me (hard to take them on an airplane these days) I had no issues - at least none that kept me from making it home. The car on the other hand had PLENTY of issues! But I still made it!
After I repaired everything I sold it a couple of years later, that guy did 5,500 miles in the MInis Take the States that summer - No issues, didn't even use a quart of oil on that whole trip!
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