6 replies to this topic

[Skyedog19]

I bought a 1994 Mayfair for my son to learn to drive on but he wanted something more modern. Now it is my toy! It is pretty solid with just a few bits of rust around the sills and has an unmolested 1275cc engine. The interior is original and a bit dated.

 

Now I have some options. I could sell this one and buy someones completed project or I could have the current car restored - get the rust sorted, have the engine upgraded and get a new interior. But which?

 

I do not have the skills or the time to do the work myself and it seems I can spend as much as I like pimping the car up. I don't want a rocket ship or a mint machine - I want my Mini to look nice, be fun to drive and be a nice place to sit. Any advice on the pros and cons of buying someones project? I have seen loads of adverts for a Mini at £5000 with claims of twice that spent on getting it restored. It does beg the question as to why anyone would sink so much into a car and then sell it at such a loss. The advice of the more long term Mini sufferers would be greatly appreciated.

[dyshipfakta]

I would always say restore. Far far too easy to buy a lemon. If you have something that is even half decent send it to someone who knows what they are doing ask around on here and have it done properly. I have seen some "restored" cars done by classic specialists for top dollar and I wouldn't buy them put it that way. I have done lot of the work on mine and got a local mobile welder fabricator to come and do the bits that I couldn't and it's not worked out too badly and I have learnt stuff along the way.

[Spider]

If you can't do the work yourself, it's nearly always to cheaper to buy a restored ones, as long as it's been done properly, so to that end, I'd only be inclined to buy if I was certain of the workmanship, photos that they may have taken along the way can help a lot in that regards.

 

But, keep in mind, that no matter how well restored, there are bound to be things to resolve and sort.

[fenghuang]

Agree with Moke Spider, obviously. (You'd be a fool not to.)

I would restore though, if you're not short of cash: buying a car that's been done is a nice idea, but if you don't know what you're looking at, you could just as easily buy an expensive money pit. If you get things sorted on a car you already own, at least you know what shouldn't fail next week.

[Ben_O]

I would never buy a restored car unless it could be proved that the work was carried out to the highest possible standard.

 

Yes you could inspect it thoroughly BUT there are so many places on a mini where bad repairs can be hidden that it's hard to see how well things have been done without removing trim.

Easy done on a standard original Mini but with the craze of using dynamat and gluing carpets down makes it difficult to really see.

 

If you already have a mini in reasonable condition, then restoring that one will be your best bet. Then it can be built to however you want it, you can work closely with the garage doing the work and keep a close eye on the standard of work as it goes along and then you can be certain that you have a car that is safe and will last.

Any garage that does the work properly will have no problem with this at all. In fact they will see it as a chance to show off how well all of the hidden work has been carried out, the things that Joe public will not even consider.

[Cooperman]

I bought a Mk.1 850 part restored and with a shed full of Mini parts from the widow of a Mini enthusiast.

The shell was alleged to have been restored to a high standard.

I ended up fitting new inner & outer sill, plus floor repairs, a boot floor repair, new lower rear sides, new inner & outer front wings, front panel repairs, new inner & outer A-panels, rear bin repairs, new door skins and a door frame repair (to remove about 3 mm of glass fibre filler from the 'restored' door).

However, I sold off a lot of the bits I bought with it and have ended up with a fully restored Mk.1 shell with absolutely no rust and properly done and it stands me in at nothing. I also have almost all the parts to complete it except a rear sub-frame, wiring loom, brake pipes and paint. Plus the parts for an engine & gearbox re-build.

The moral here is restore it and see it being done, so you know it's done properly.

[Skyedog19]

So the consensus seems to be restore. I took the car to Dorchester Mini Centre last week and they are giving me a series of quotes - for the exterior rusty bits, a full restoration, to get an engine upgrade and to do the interior. The whole lot is going to be about £6000 which is twice what I paid for the car. However the idea of creating a beautiful silver mini with a black interior and a fancy dashboard does appeal. Also I rather fancy whizzing round the track at Castle Coombe next year. 

 

Now the next question is what to actually have done. The sills need to be sorted and there is a bit of rust elsewhere. It also has nasty black plastic wheel arches that need to go. That is about it for the exterior. The interior black seats, black door trim and silver handles and peddles. The dash I would like is brushed aluminium but they are apparently really hard to get hold of so we might need to compromise there. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

My biggest conundrum is the engine. I have had three minis over the years and all, including this one, are gutless. I am not looking to go racing and have been told that some upgrades make the car hard to drive on a normal road even when they are street legal. The guy at Dorchester Minis said he had some ideas but any advice on that score wold be gratefully received. I do have some money to spend but hate getting ripped off. Any feedback on Dorchester Minis, Paul Higgs Cars and advice on other specialists I could get a quote from would be very useful.