33 replies to this topic

[A362 TTU]

So between now and August i will be (attempting) to get my first Mini (and my first car, age 17).

I am looking for a 1.3, aged 1990-95 and NOT a Cooper. Max purchase budget is £2500.

Question 1.
Between 90 and 95 they seemed to change from Carbs to SPI, Is there any reason why i should want one over the other?

Question 2.
Where do i check for rust?

Question 3.
how much rust is too much rust?

Question 4.
What else should i be looking for?


I imagine these are asked very regular but i am wondering if there is anything specific to the age i am looking at.

Thanks in advance.

[CMcB]

Rust is your single biggest enemy.

If you can weld or know someone who can weld on the cheap for you, then perhaps it might not be so much of an issue.


If you cannot weld and dont know someone, and don't have money growing out of your ears, then find a Mini with the least amount of rust (or preferably none!) and go for that one.

SPis and MPis are the ECU controlled Minis which are a lot more complicated to fix unless you have the right equipment, but there is nothing wrong with them if they are set up correctly.

Check for rust everywhere - lift the carpets up, check in the rear bins, under the car on the subframes, all along the body, - everywhere basically, no joke.

Ask to see the last MoT certificate and notes if available. But the best way yet, is find a Mini friend to take along with you.


There's much more to look for and I'm sure this an FAQ Buying guide on here if you have a look.

[oli8925]

Can I ask why 1.3 only, and why 1990-95?

At a young age and with insurance prices these days I would have thought you'd want all the help you can get. 998's are fast enough to keep up with traffic and you don't need any more.

And the cheapest Minis tend to be 80's and early 90's, so you seem to have already rejected most of your target market.

With that budget you should be able to get a decent Mini, but as CMcB said rust is what to look out for. Therefore it would be worthwhile looking for anything straight and solid as your priority. Mechanical issues can be sorted fairly easily whereas bodywork not so much. Similarly, don't worry about whether the car has wide arches and wheels or a loud exhaust either. Those things can be easily added if you want but there's little point if you don't have the metal to attach them to.

[rwerry]

Question 1.
Between 90 and 95 they seemed to change from Carbs to SPI, Is there any reason why i should want one over the other?

If you're mechanically-minded and want to tinker with tuning/performance and servicing, go for the carb model. If you just want to enjoy the car and have it serviced professionally, you'll find the SPi more like a "modern" car.

Question 2.
Where do i check for rust?

Everywhere! But especially round the subframe mounts, sills, A-panels, boot floor, front floor and bottoms of rear companion bins.

Question 3.
how much rust is too much rust?

For 2.5 grand, anything that is structural or going to require a complete panel replacement is too much. However, you're very unlikely to find anything at that price that hasn't got a few rust bubbles under the paint, particularly below the headlights, around the windscreen, on the A=panels and on the door bottoms. If possible, look for something where this is not too advanced, on a car where the rest of the paint is good, and budget on having it professionally repaired and spot-resprayed. A small hole or two in the floor, possibly caused by a leaking door seal, is also relatively easy to repair, but avoid anything worse than this.

Question 4.
What else should i be looking for?

Engine not burning oil (no black smoke from exhaust when suddenly revved had). Ask the owner how much oil it's using (hopefully you'll get and honest answer!). Anything more than a pint every 500 miles is too much.
Quiet gearbox with smooth crunch-free changes in all gears (note: an unobtrusive whine from the gears is normal on a Mini).
Brakes with a firm pedal that stop the car in a straight line.
Smooth clutch take-up with no unusual noises.
Evidence that the car has been greased regularly on all eight greasing points.
No serious oil leaks (most Minis leak a bit!)

Shop around. 2.5k should get you quite a good car of this vintage, so just be patient until you find the right one.

Best of luck!

[AVV IT]

Max purchase budget is £2500.

Question 3.
how much rust is too much rust?

With the classic mini market as it is currently, then virtually any amount of rust would be unacceptable with a £2.5k budget. At that sort of figure you should be looking at a virtualy mint shell currently. The only models that are currently selling for over that price are those that are either highly tuned and modified, or are rarer or very special models. Unless you're buying through a dealer, then a standardish early 90's example should really be in very good condition at that sort of price, in fact you should be able to get yourself a reasonable example with full MOT for more like £1,800 - £2,000 these days

i am wondering if there is anything specific to the age i am looking at.

As others have said, at your age you really ought to consider a 998 though, as opposed to a 1275. The insurance for a 998 will be much more reasonable and also when you consider that a classic mini weighs in at almost half the weight of most other cars, a 998 really isn't as underpowered as you may think. You will probably also get a better car for your money as 1275's tend to be a fair bit more expensive than 998's, you can always transplant a 1275 engine in after a few years, once you have built up some no claims discount and your premium has reduced. The other upside with a 998 is that generally speaking you will be looking at an 80's model or earlier, as most 90's models were 1275's. The earlier models tend to have better build quality and were no where near as prone to rust as the later 90's examples.

Edited by AVV IT, 22 April 2011 - 08:57 AM.

[A362 TTU]

Thanks for all the answers guys:

Reason i said 1990 - 95 is because i presumed that newer would be better for quality. Reason pre 95 is so i can get classic car insurance

Reason i said 1.3l engine is because on some rough quotes i got it would only cost me £50 more a year.


After reading what you have said you think i should go for a 1l made in the 80's to get best value for money (which is what i want). i cant believe the newer ones are worse made .

Thanks to all.

[Bungle]

have you seen the buyers guide in the FAQ section ?

[A362 TTU]

have you seen the buyers guide in the FAQ section ?

i cant find it i ran a search and it didnt come up.

[Bungle]

http://www.theminifo...p?showtopic=645

[wardyxxx]

i cant believe the newer ones are worse made .

Mines a 96, and have a look at how bad it was:

http://www.theminifo...x...=162120&hl=

[miniman1969]

Newer ones seem to be poorer build quality, certainly in terms of rust. My local Mini specialist has a 2000X Sportpack in the yard and it is absolutely rotten, looks like its been dredged up from the bottom of the sea. Pre rubber mounted front subframe models seem to be the best of all

[mab01uk]

Question 3.
how much rust is too much rust?

Beware...........a seller won't appreciate you digging away at any rust areas and then not buying his car, however what looks like only a little rust at a glance can often turn into a very much larger area of rot that falls to bits when you get it home and start attacking it, for what were thought to be minor repairs. The MOT tester is also restricted on what he can do and access to check so don't assume any Mini even with a current or recent MOT is rot free!

[TfcIan]

Question 3.
how much rust is too much rust?

Beware...........a seller won't appreciate you digging away at any rust areas and then not buying his car, however what looks like only a little rust at a glance can often turn into a very much larger area of rot that falls to bits when you get it home and start attacking it, for what were thought to be minor repairs. The MOT tester is also restricted on what he can do and access to check so don't assume any Mini even with a current or recent MOT is rot free!

I think that differs between who you are buying it off. I took my dad with me as my mini expert and the first mini we went to view, the seller was starting the engine and talking about how it had a nice tickover etc. My Dad was more interested in checking for rust which the seller didn't look too pleased about. On the other hand, the car I did end up buying, the seller let my dad check everywhere, he was a nice bloke and understood why we'd be checking for rust. Funnily enough, there was very little rust on that car compared to the first, I think some people don't like you looking because they think you might find something. What's the point of going to view a car if you're not going to do just that, might as well take a punt on ebay if you're not going to check out what you're buying first.

Reason i said 1.3l engine is because on some rough quotes i got it would only cost me £50 more a year.

Do you mind me asking what quotes you've been getting? TPFT or FC? I was quoted only about 250 more for a 1275 than a 998, although a cooper would cost about £1000 more than a 998. Only difference between a cooper and any other mini with a 1275 (apart from injection) is a name, but they want £750 more...

[A362 TTU]

Reason i said 1.3l engine is because on some rough quotes i got it would only cost me £50 more a year.

Do you mind me asking what quotes you've been getting? TPFT or FC? I was quoted only about 250 more for a 1275 than a 998, although a cooper would cost about £1000 more than a 998. Only difference between a cooper and any other mini with a 1275 (apart from injection) is a name, but they want £750 more...

This was done on a quick run through on Confused .com . Kept everything the same except engine size - And the cheapest quote (which was still in excess of £4000) for a 1.3 was only £50 more than a 1l.

Allthough when i am actually looking for insurance (when i have a car and cash to insure) it will be classic car insurance.

[TfcIan]

Ah ok. It might be a bit more than £50 using classic car insurance, but still be alot cheaper than £4000. I couldn't even get a quote on my mini through confused.com, so you've done well there