9 replies to this topic

[Knuckles]

Hi all
I'm not sure if this is the right place for this topic
If it isn't I apologise now.
I'm weighing up my options whether to sell the mini in its current state which is in need of bodywork restoration or get it restored at a great cost.

The mini is a 1994 spi cooper originally
106k on the original block
New mg spec cylinder head
New rear subframe , drums , shoes , shocks, cylinders etc
Genuine rover sports pack arches
Sports pack alloys , yoko tyres
Hi low front adjustable suspension
Refurbished front calipers.
Original rover half leather seats / red carpet interior
Lcb manifold , stainless complete exhaust system
Thousands spent at mini spares.

Bad points...
Car bodywork has seen better days
Both front floor pans need attention
Front wings need replacing
Front panel, A panels
Scuttle panel , outer sills , inner sills
Rear lower quarter panels scabby , rear valance needs attention
Tiny hole - spare wheel well - small hole - o/s/r inner wheel arch




I've been quoted best part of £4k to do all the bodywork
Or sell up to someone more suited to do the work & put the money toward another mini.
Bit gutted after owning it since 2010

Any idea what the average price for a cooper in this condition is ?

[Black.Ghost]

Unfortunately, I think you will struggle to get the 4k repair bill back when selling it in its current form. People increasing want originality these days. If the wings are due to be replaced anyway, this can still be done. If they are genuine arches and wheels, you can make a little money back there but I think you will do no better than breaking even. 

 

Are you looking to turn a profit if you have it repaired, or to keep it and use it? If keeping it, and you have a garage or somewhere to store it, then learn to weld. Even the cost of a course if you don't believe you can teach yourself will be far cheaper than paying someone else to do it all for you. 

 

If you sell up and buy another mini, you may still not know what you are getting. There are some great, well looked after minis around, but it is easy to buy one that a year down the line needs work as well. Freshly restored cars are a minefield - they look shiny and welcoming, but you have to be sure of the standard of work - which usually means photos. It may also be that a freshly and well restored car costs you 4k anyway. 

 

I think you are better off keeping what you have and working with that. If you buy a new car, you will either have to take a hit on savings or borrow the rest of the money to get the new one. The good thing doing a resto over a bit of time is you can for it over a few months/couple of years which might help a lot.

 

Get welding! You'll appreciate the effort that has gone into it so much more as well, but you do have to be really motivated. There are plenty of people on here who have started with the best intentions and then lost interest and sold up. 

 

Does the car have an MOT? If so, keep driving it through the summer, and get the welding course/practice in and then do it over winter.  Just one idea, anyway. 

[wile e coyote]

In current condition - bearing in mind engine is fairly senior the only worrying item on the list is the scuttle panel - that's one that invariably exposes more rot - and assuming it wont pass another MOT as is then personally I'd pay no more than £1K......admittedly that's a cruel valuation - as the headline is old engine and rot irrespective of what tasty parts it has on it..- to my mind (sorry)  they have zero value on the car if the cars "life" is limited .....but.....that little list doesn't need doing an a single hit - you can stage it quite easily - and learning to weld isn't too hard and very satisfying once you've got it cracked...... that said that quote does seem awfully high - for that I'd expect zero patches and heritage full panels used throughout and perfect paint recitification........

 

I think - stress think, that if you asked for another quote from somewhere else briefing running effective repairs you may be a little pleasantly surprised - by no means recommending bodging (and am fully aware of how 90's shells rot) but decently welded patches are fine - and you may get lucky and for example be able to replace scuttle corners rather than the whole thing.....

 

Best of luck with it!

[Knuckles]

Thank you both for the replies both very helpful.

In reply to the questions
Not looking to turn a profit - I never bought a mini to make a profit - I bought it because of the love of the car.
Always had a soft spot for the original mini. I'm also into classic fords.
I do have a garage for the mini which I'm renting but it's away from my house with no power facilities to it.

I've always wanted to do the body work myself but never had a roof over my head to do the work. All my mechanical work is out in the open in all weathers.
I did think that if I sold up and bought another I could be buying a whole new can of worms which needs bodywork.

The car has mot until mid December only due to the fact I got a over sill put on as a temp measure on the N/S and i fitted a new rear subframe.

The £4 k quote I got was from a local mini specialist - using all genuine panels including a full respray. Replacing two complete floor sections leaving the centre tunnel , inner sills & outer sills , rear valance , boot floor repair , lower rear quarter panel repairs , and rear O/S inner wheel arch. Possibly more once stripped down.

I have already purchased front panel , front wings , inner sills - heritage so have some panels.

[Knuckles]

OS front floor wheel arch split


N/S front panel


O/S wing - scuttle panel


O/S wing is the worst I've ever seen thanks to fresh air pipe keeping mud up against panel


O/S door step letting water in


Boot floor hole


Both rear quarters have bubbling from sill upward

[wile e coyote]

Good grief there's some fairly spectacular rot there - some that I've never seen before - the front wing! But and going just by pics, the floorpan , boot floor and step are relatively simple repairs and although the scuttle looks decidedly ugly - thinking positively a repair end may do the trick - wing needs doing anyway ....

 

Your initial quote makes more sense now! But effective running repairs should cost far less...

 

Just a suggestion but take a very long hard objective view of the whole shell and let that inform your course of action - where else are there initial signs of (or as yet non penetrating) corrosion - are the other sides of the car where you have definite issues going the same way????

 

Car seems generally Ok  - barring a bit of crispiness - worth saving as 90's cars appear to rot at half the pace of 70's alfa's - so there probably won't be may left in another 10y!

[Cooperman]

I would agree a market valuation of c.£1000 for it 'as is'.

The silly thing is that if you had the facilities & equipment to DIY it would probably cost around £400 in panels and £1000 for the re-painting.

At that mileage expect it to need an engine re-build some time soon, plus possibly some gearbox & suspension work.

Most of us on here can only afford our classic cars by doing everything ourselves and, of course, we try to help others to learn how to do most things.

[Mike hudson]

Just coming to the end of a restoration on a 95 SPI me thinks the estimate you've had is fair & the best route. If you don't have the experience and a kitted out garage it will take you years to complete.

Value wise if restored right IE fully stripped repainted & rebuilt to concourse type standard by your local Mini Specialist the car should be worth double your £1000 current value & £4000 to restore.

The car will be at your restoration garage for a few months & you can pay as they complete. Make sure they keep you informed with any adverse findings (plenty of photo's) and allow for a bit extra (think long term). Good Luck

 

 

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[spiguy]

Probably a choice between DIY and the 4k. If it is a proper resto for the 4k, then at the end of it you would have a car in a condition that you would need to spend 4k or more (probably more) to get again, with potential 'surprises' to emerge down the line. You would probably get approaching 1k for the car as it is, the only other suggestion I can make, and it is what I have done, is to source a Jap import. I got one for less than your 4k which is mint. I did spend about a grand on new suspension, steering components, brakes (10" setup), new mounts all round and different wheels but that was my choice to do so  - it wasn't essential (apart from the steering rack and cones) and all I had to do with the bodywork was cover it in bilthamber wax and say a prayer that it keeps it in the condition it arrived at me in.

[Carlos W]

This isn't the valuation section.

 

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