Hi all
As some of you may already know, my 1991 Mini Neon was sadly rear-ended on Saturday, and I'm starting to come to terms with the fact it's quite likely going to be written off by the insurance company. With that in mind, I'm wanting to come well-armed with information to the negotiation table in terms of getting a fair payout for the car, as no doubt they'll try to lowball me as much as possible.
So I'd be keen to gauge an idea of what the Mini community would deem a fair market value for the car as it was before it got hit up the arse by a BMW X3...
About the car before the crash:
- Previous owner had it resprayed in original metallic Nordic Blue after replacing the scuttle panel as part of a light restoration, also opting to add the black roof and stripes. Aside from this and the Rover 12x4.5 Minilites in place of the original steel wheels, it was otherwise a completely standard limited edition Neon, with its original 998 A+ engine. Currently on around 120,000 miles or therabouts (the speedo was swapped at around 107,000 so can't be 100% sure down to the exact mile). It hasn't got the pink stripes it originally would've had but these are readily available to buy brand new for around 30 quid or so if a more original look is desired.
- I since purchased it in February 2020 and have spent a lot of money and time on it, including the following upgrades and mods (all meant to be tasteful, and where possible, reversible back to standard quite easily).
- Full stage 1 kit - twin box RC40 1.75" exhaust, Cooper freeflow manifold (Maniflow), Minispares torquemaster inlet manifold, K&N filter element and stage 1 carb needle, tuned to suit.
- All brand new suspension - KYB gas shocks, Evolution cones, and brand new genuine HiLos all around.
- Replacement rear subframe (genuine second hand item), which was blasted and painted in 2 pack black
- Repairs to some rust in the rear - new boot floor repair panels professionally welded in by a Mini specialist, along with new rear valance and closing panels
- MOMO Prototipo Heritage steering wheel (I still have the original Neon item as well)
- Alfa Romeo GTV black leather seats fitted to front and rear using original Mini mounting points - no holes drilled anywhere or butchering of the crossmember etc. I still have the original Neon seats in good condition which can be swapped back into the car in a matter of minutes
- Brand new Falken 165x60 R12 tyres all round
- New clutch slave cylinder
- Removed the Special arches and replaced with full length Deluxe chrome trim
- Probably a couple of other bits I've missed
I've also been keeping a build thread up to date since I bought the car available to read here if you want to see more of the history of the car: https://www.theminif...1991-mini-neon/
Overall it's not a show winning car, but a very solid, very usable '91 Mini which has had thousands spent on it. It passed its last two MOTs with zero advisories and runs beautifully, I've consistently outdriven 1275-engined Minis in this which is a testament to how well the little 998 runs, and how well the suspension allows it to handle around bends. It's been on 250+mile trips with no issues, and has actually been used as my daily driver for the best part of a year, so I've not spared any expenses when they've been required and kept it serviced with regular oil changes as needed.
Anyway, pictures speak a thousand words, so here we go:
Sorry I can't find any photos in my Imgur album of the engine bay, but it's a fairly grubby albeit standard looking 998 engine bay, aside from the stage 1 manifolds visible at the rear of the engine.
Sadly, this is now how it looks, but as I mentioned I'm more looking for a valuation "pre-crash" so I can get an idea of its true value and make a case to the insurance bods. Yes I know, I should've gotten agreed value insurance (lesson well learned!), but now with the situation I'm in I'm just hoping for the best possible outcome.
Thanks all.
Jack
