12 replies to this topic

[campbell]

Hi there,

new to the forum here and looking into buying my first mini.

I have always been a fan and wanted to buy one for years.

A friend is selling a 1990 mini 30, 135k on the clock, bit shabby inside but looks quite tidy on the outside.

I took it for a test drive today for a good hour and really enjoyed driving it.

The car needs some cosmetic work which i am prepaired to do. I plan on storing the car in my garage while its being worked on.

I popped it into another friends car garage ( he repairs vehicles ) and asked him to look it over. The first thing he noticed was that there were obvious signs of rot under the drivers side rear arch and also the rear bumber.

I dont mind the rot on the bumper because I would get a new one anyway, however, the rot under the rear archway is an issue. Could anyone estimate how much this would be to get repaired ? I understand this obviously depends on the extent of the rot and exactly how long it has been in this condition but any help would be appreciated.

I understand that repairing this rot will be labour intensive and time consuming

Thanks

[bmcecosse]

If it's rotten there - it's likely to be rotten elsewhere too....... Either have the car fully surveyed - or walk away. Mistake to buy a Mini from a friend..........

[Alex_B]

rot in the rear arch suggests that the sills are gone and the inners are likely to have gone too if its traveling up to the rear arches, places to check are sills and floorpans under carpet and in the rear bins as thats likely to have gone, which could mean the heel board where the front of rear subframe is rotten, under rea bumper could mean rear valance and boot floor is due some attention, and always check front end seams for any rust bubbling as a general rule :)

[tiger99]

If possible, get someone who really knows Minis inside out to have a good look. You may be able to go through the restoration threads on this forum and see for yourself how it is constructed and where it rots. Always assume it is 10 times worse than it looks, that way you will not be disappointed.

It will not be too far gone to repair, because nowadays Minis have some value. But it is possible to be too far gone to be economic to have professionally repaired, which is why many of us are likely to suggest learning to weld and doing the bulk of the work yourself. The cost of the equipment and consumables used while learning will probably be less than the cost of having a couple of outer and inner sills and doorsteps done professionally.

[waddle]

the only way to find out gow rotten it is is to give it a good going over with a screwdriver, the wont mind unless its rotten

[Alex_B]

My rule of thumb, if you think or are worried about rust, it has it.

and if its in one place then unless there is a specific reason as to why then it will be elsewhere :)

[Cooperman]

In that year expect rust in front wings, front panel, A-panels, screen scuttle panel, inner & outer sills (inc. jacking points), Heel board, rear bins, lower quarter panel rear valence, boot floor, door skins, in fact just about everywhere.

[campbell]

haha

nice advice, looks like i wont be buying this one then !

onto the next one

thank you

[Cooperman]

As an example, a couple of years ago my Grandson bought a 1997 MPI with 8 months of MoT still to run and 6 months tax. It was advertised as having 'a few minor bits of rust bubbling'.
We got it for £1600 and it was exactly as we expected. It needed:
New screen scuttle panel plus front bulkhead repairs, new front wings, new MPI front panel, repairs to inner wings, new A-Panels, new inner & outer sills & jacking points, new boot floor rear flange, new rear valence, small repairs to rear quarter panels and one new door skin. In fact exactly what we had budgeted for.
All the bodywork we do ourselves except the re-painting. So panels cost around £550, plus £1000 for repainting.
We also did an engine re-build as at 90k miles it was getting a bit tired, plus all new suspension bushes and new dampers. Lovely car now.
If we had not been able to do it all ourselves at zero labour cost it would have been uneconomical for us.

[minidaves]

mini 30's i think i have only really seen 1 rotten one so that means 3 or 4 to find a clean non messed up mini is difficult end off.

[Tamworthbay]

What is he asking? Don't immediately be put off by rust, most minis have some. Look at it and get someone who's knows to give a price, if it is going for sensible money it MIGHT still be worth having.

[Cooperman]

The key thing when buying a Mini and if you are not a Mini expert is to be sure to take someone along who knows exactly what to look for.
A rusty Mini can almost always be fixed if enough cash/man-hours are spent on it. The problem comes when someone spends all the cash they have allowed for spending on an apparently rust-free car, then finds it needs £300 of panels, 50 hours work and a re-paint which could easily cost £2500 or maybe a bit more. That has happened so many times.

[Ipod]

i had a little bit of rust round my headlamps a few years back...£3.5k later I got a rust free mpi....expect the worse and X by 10 and add 4 and you'll be right lol
Its a mini at the end of the day, they rust you fix them, they rust you fix them... see where im goin with this