3 replies to this topic

[jonhen01]

Hello Everyone! I'm Jon.

I recently acquired a 1986 (or 1992?) Mini Mayfair, Nightfire Red, 998cc engine, Left-Hand drive, manual transmission. 

I live in Austin, Texas, USA. According to the seller, this car was originally sold in Italy, and then brought over to the States by a military service member "at some point in the 21st century" :) It has a little over 73,000 miles on it, and as far as I can tell, it's almost completely original, save for some parts that have clearly been replaced as they wore out.

I'm planning on enhancing this lovely little car with an a new (or completely refreshed) interior, upgraded externals, and cleaning up and tuning the engine by adding a Stage 2 kit.

Mini parts and service here in the States (especially in my area of central Texas)  are in very short supply, so I'll be ordering everything from suppliers in the UK and waiting patiently as it arrives. And learning how to do everything myself.

I've wanted a classic Mini for most of my life, so I'm so happy and excited to have one. Driving it around the streets of Austin makes me so happy, and I love seeing the reactions of Texans in their giant trucks smiling and waving as I drive by.

This forum seems just the ticket. I've already found a great deal of useful information and links.

My first question! Is there any way I can find out the actual year this car was made? The VIN is SAXXL2S1S21505740. The seller told me it was a 1992. But when I decoded the VIN, that seems impossible, as the VIN series shows "1985 to 1990". The boot lock date stamp reads "41 94", which I assume means the 41st week of 1994 - which also doesn't fit. And when I called BMW and had them search their records, they guessed it as being 1986! I'm attaching a photo of the VIN plate to this post, and if anyone can give me guidance, I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

Thanks to all and happy motoring!

 

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Edited by jonhen01, 04 June 2025 - 06:09 PM.

[DeadSquare]

Slight shame, that you couldn't find a bit Red Carpet to roll out for your Mini.

[Same]

Welcome Jon!

I can't help you out with aging the car (I'm new to minis too) but yours looks great.

[stuart bowes]

I believe the wiper motors have date stamps on them, and that's possibly less likely to have been changed than the boot lid (and/or boot lock) over time

 

I'm sure someone will help you narrow it down, all the things they don't know on here could be written on the back of a matchbox

 

looks lovely though whatever it is, good luck with it. shame about the ding on the bumper, can probably get that straightened out though

Edited by stuart bowes, 05 June 2025 - 10:09 AM.