The plan is to have a mini in time for the London to Newquay run, which I accidentally happened upon last year and was the cause of my renewed attempt at mini ownership.I've had two minis previously, but neither of them got very far. First was a 1971 example that I bought on impulse without viewing first. Structurally it was actually quite good (thinking back), but the mechanics were a mess. The engine wouldn't stay running for more than about 5 minutes at a time, the brakes didn't work at all, the lights seemed to have a mind of their own, and my subsequent amateur and misguided attempts at DIY repairs made it even worse. Off to the scrappy it went (if i knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have let it anywhere near a scrappy)
The second mini was three years later; I found a gray V-reg mini van being sold at a scrapyard in Kent for £80 (hopefully the previous mini was also sold like this!). It wasn't in very good shape, but I'd seen a lot worse. We got a list for the MOT, and all the parts and panels for the job, and a friend of a friend began welding and fitting while I went back to uni. This time my plan was scuppered by my bank, who refused to give me an overdraft, despite having been granted overdrafts before. I couldn't afford to pay for the welding on what I had, so the van was sold to pay for the work that had been done. I can only hope it went to a good home.
Twice bitten, quadrupally shy, you might think, but 9 years later and I'm hunting again! I'm really trying hard to ignore the cheap 'could do with restoration' minis, but I can feel my will weakening already.
At least this time I can (almost) afford to pay for work to be done, and If a DIY job can't be done with a spanner and a screwdriver, then I'm making someone else do it. My plan for the mini isn't totally set in stone. If it's a saloon, then I'm going to attach 13" alloys (maybe dark grey minilites, maybe revos), group 5 arches, some suspension upgrades, maybe some chrome stuff, and (when I can afford it) a respray to light brown with a white roof. After that's done I'll worry about the interior and engine. I may end up with an estate (I cycle a lot, so the extra space would be great), which would be similar but with a different colour. I don't know what colour yet.
Anyway, wish me luck in my hunt!
Edited by spatuluk, 20 March 2007 - 05:20 PM.
