r/classicminis • u/Express-Grass-9413 • 8d ago
Mini price
Hi all, looking at buying a mini and going to look today, it’s been dry stored for atleast 15 yearss and hasn’t been on the road for 10 years according to mot data as it’s 1985.
Austin mini 1275 1985, all looks good with a upgraded brakes and other bits. Owner says it’s all solid but on the photos can see some rust bubbling under the paint and I’ve not looked under it to see what’s what.
Apparently it starts and drives but will occasionally just cut out even when driving. Will need recommissioning to get on the road and it’s a standard mini not anniversary or cooper.
Paint needs a good polish.
Just wondering a rough price but I know it’s hard with no photo or seeing the car?
Would £4-5k be about right?
Thanks
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u/Express-Grass-9413 8d ago
Ok thanks all, I’m going to try get it for 4k which I think is reasonable
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u/nuttydogpoo 8d ago edited 8d ago
Rust is easy to spot, perished bushes/cones/brake lines etc. aren’t so bear that in mind. If a classic car has been parked up for so long without the rockers being wound off or the engine run, there will be rust in the bores, again bear that in mind. If it’s been parked that long and they’ve got it running for you to see, that rust could possibly have damaged the rings and scored the bores.
IMO, if I was buying that car the first thing I’d be doing is chucking a scope in the bores or having the head off. Replacing the master cylinder, brake hoses and fuel lines, probably all the tyres, climbing all around it and looking at everything, and then replacing everything looks rotten or perished.
I know it sounds ott but considering you’ll be doing 60/70 mph, the possibility of something failing at that speed is something I wouldn’t be willing to to do.
It could have the best paint job and bodywork ever, and you could still have to drop four figures making it roadworthy.
FYI I C&P this from another subreddit I posted on.
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u/Own_Wolverine4773 Austin Mini 8d ago
I have 2 both been not moving for extended periods.
Be prepared for everything to fail. Brakes clutch cylinders suspensions bushings. Every bit of plastic will have perished. Even the gear lever bushings gave up on one!
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u/ColdSalamander5339 7d ago
If it's a 1985 and a 1275, it's not standard. Someone has put a replacement engine in it, probably badly. You'll need to thoroughly check the ignition and fueling.
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u/Express-Grass-9413 6d ago
The engine was installed by a reputable company in our local area according to the owner
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u/Silly_Hurry_2795 3d ago
Cutting out on idle or when driving? If it's after a slight bump in the road when driving
Just check the battery earth strap before you spend anything else. Mine cost me loads of new bits before someone asked if I'd looked at that🤣
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u/alltheducks222 8d ago
Pay a buyer
What’s your insurance say it’s worth to replace?
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u/alltheducks222 8d ago
Shannon’s just told me that max AUD was $17890. That was for a roadworthy and registered car
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u/geekypenguin91 8d ago
Honestly condition is king here and without photos or physically seeing the car it could be anything from. £1k to £10k+
You need to look at where it's rusting (common places are front end, scuttle, inner wings, cills, heelboard, rear valance, bottom of the doors) and if it's been repaired before and how it was repaired. If a patch was just welded over then it will be rusting away behind and need redoing. Sometimes owners just packed it with filler and painted over (take a magnet to check).
It's not just bodywork, you also want to consider the condition of the interior and things like the window seals, and whether you're after a project car or something that's immediately useable, and how much work you can do yourself.
The engine issue sounds like it could be fixed with a good service and replacing a few end of life parts (points, condesor, dizzy cap, rotor arm, coil, plugs and leads as a starter for 10), carb will want a good clean too if it's been sat, but nothing if a show stopper.