Are we paying too much for our minis ?

[Admin/Founder 2]

I was chatting with Sam last night and wanted to run this past you all but are we paying too much for our Minis?

I agree if you buy something extremely rare you are going to pay over the odds but I'm noticing a trend of unrestored average-to rough minis with laughable price tags

I noticed a clean but not concourse Riley elf on ebay the other day with an opening bid of £6k

A few weeks before that a okish Clubman estate with a price tag of £5k what mind altering drugs are these vendors taking?

If you look at similar condition classic cars like Austin 1100/1300 you can pick up a very usable mint car for around £1500,about the same for a show stopping early Metro or a Minor but a similar Mini £6k

As they say in London their having a giraffe!!!!
;D ;D ;D

Im a member of Retro Rides and they have an abandoned cars section and believe you me theres probably thousands of undiscovered Minis around the country and are by no means in short supply

I think its sad but if this carrys on will Mini ownership become a thing for the rich?

Their not necessarily expensive to fix and maintain but initial purchase price is becoming ridiculous now

We payed £2400 for Boris and he wasn't perfect however
just 10 years ago i bought a far better condition Clubman Auto with 13k on the clock for £700

I dont expect to be able to buy a mk1,2 or early mk3 for that again but its about time there was a reality check on late mk3 onwards prices

Just a week after getting Boris i spied a Mercedes "S" class for the same price and a Jaguar for £1k less

Whats everybody's thoughts?
I did want to get another second Mini next year for a Register kind of project on a shoestring budget but now I'm starting to look at 1100,s and Metros instead as they go for what they are actually worth instead of jackonory prices

Huggz
Jodie

[Holly]

there are still bargains around to be had you just have to be in the right place at the right time. We bought Mandi (my mini van) just last year for only £500, she was really solid and only needed a couple of minor mechanical things to get her through the MOT. The seller even dropped the price from £700 to £500 . I then spent another £700 on parts, tyres, a few chrome bits, respraying her and trimming out her interior etc to get her to what she is now. So all in all I think she has done pretty well money wise

I would really like to get an Elf or Hornet to add to my collection but I am not gonna pay silly money for one ..... will have to keep my eyes out for a bargain one day, would be cool if I could find an Auto one

[Admin/Founder 2]

Oooo ill have to get you to keep your eye open next year
There was a Wolseley Hornet Auto a barn find on ebay last week for £900

Just checked its gone now
Im wondering if we should have an Ebay Watch Section?

I am thinking though when the time comes is it best to set your budget put the funds to one side and not to try to hard?

after all you didn't go looking for merry did you?
Merri found you ;D

And my old Clubman i looked for months then my friends next door neighbour approached me and said i believe your looking for an Automatic Mini

He asked if i might be interested in the one he had in his garage?
Errr Yes

£700 later this was mine



I Called Him Spud and miss him terribly
According to DVLA website hes disappeared off the face of the earth

One Funny story was a male friend of mine at the time helped me do some jobs on it,we stripped out the whole interior headlining the lot and gave all the hidden interior metalwork a coat of bronze hammerite to give added protection : We also took off the grille,bumpers etc for a refurbish

So we no bumpers,grille,airbox and inside no top n bottom dash rails,door panels,headlining and just two front seats and a speedo cable with a binnacle clinging on for dear life we took at down the M53 then A55 at 75mph to Conway for a laugh

;D ;D ;D ;D

Boy it went well and i eventually recovered from the brain damage resulting from the noise in the cabin

;D ;D ;D ;D

Id like to say ive grown up since but myself n Sam did the same down our local major A road after cleaning the engine

What a glorious noise ;D ;D ;D

Huggz
Jodie

[Holly]

Dec 22, 2009 14:44:38 GMT Admin/Founder 2 said:

Im wondering if we should have an Ebay Watch Section?

I think thats a great idea, then we can all post any auto minis or auto mini related bits we see on ebay. I mean you never know if we may find something that someone else wants

Dec 22, 2009 14:44:38 GMT Admin/Founder 2 said:

I am thinking though when the time comes is it best to set your budget put the funds to one side and not to try to hard?

after all you didn't go looking for merry did you?
Merri found you ;D

Yep indeedy, every time I have looked for a Mini I have never found a suitable one. Mine have always seemed to turn up at the strangest times when I wasn't even looking.

Min was given to me for my 18th from my parents, I found Merri on holiday in guernsey, Minki was given to me by my brother when he broke her, Maggi I saw on ebay whilst looking for parts for Minki, and Mandi turned up after a lady at Michael's work knew a person wanting to sell a Minivan which was just in time for him to buy her for my 30th Birthday.

So basically the best way to find a good mini is to not look for one. The best ones always seem to find you somehow ;D

[clambod]

With regard to the prices for minis, I have to agree they are pretty silly. I think one of the reasons is that 2009 was the 50th anniversary of start of production.
They always were a bit of an Icon but have become more so since mid 2009. I suspect that prices will drop back next year.

A lot of the people buying them will soon be selling them when they learn what the true state of their, mini's body is like and not having the money or skills to fix it.
i'm on the look out for a clubby for my next project

[notamini]

Please consider the 1100/1300 auto too Jodie. They are even higher on the endangered list than the Mini or Metro autos. I often look at ebay.UK and just ache when I see the beauties offered up for a song over there. You can save their little boots. Here, across the pond, we see the same dilemma. Minis go for prices upward of $10k and $20k while 1100/1300's go for $2k to $8k These are the turn-key prices. I was lucky with mine 4 years ago at only $1500 and virtually concourse

[niceboy1275]

The 1100/1300 are worth very little over here in Oz too! Friends of ours own a Riley Kestrel, Wolseley 1300, Vandan Plas Princess 1300 and an Austin Countryman 1300 and they paid peanuts for them and they were all turn key cars. We have paid double for our minis. At a car show a couple of weeks ago, we were offered $10,000 cash for our mini matic! My partner was told "If you dare sell Miss Matic, its divorce for us, and I will swap over all your mini's spark plug leads" Needless to say we didn't sell. My partner has just bought an 87 Rover mini 998 manual and I said 1 now has to go, as that is now 9 in my driveway. We have had offers of 9K for our matic and 6K for our stock standard clubman!

[bnicho]

Minis are going up in price, and whether you think that's a good thing depends if you are buying or selling. I believe the 50th anniversary has a lot to do with it.

There is plenty of Minis out there, but if people are prepared to pay silly money for them, let them.

I agree with the 1100/1300 series being a great buy. The extra space, four doors and comfy ride make them a very practical proposition. I briefly had an 1100S, but I traded it for the Moke plus a 1275 engine. (That was back when Mokes were worth NOTHING!) I would like a VDP one day.

BTW, I was pulled over by a guy in a Hummer a few months ago who offered me $10K for my Moke on the spot. I politely told him "No Way!"

[kiwihcn]

Prices are well up in NZ too for Minis. I suspect the same reasons as already discussed. Some silly money paid here for non collectable cars. Bargins can still be had but you must be ever vigilant. Only a few years ago unless it was an old cooper or an old s , it would not sell for over $1000. Now $4000 seems to be an average. I will post a sample from Trade Me in my flickr account.
I brought the Wolseley 1300 auto because to me it is a mini but with 4 doors, room for a kids seat and a bit of comfort

[kiwihcn]

just so you know we did not import minis here between the mid 80's until the late 1990's with the air bag model Rover Coopers

[miniac91]

If your looking for a high standard for your Mini in the US, be prepared to pay an arm and a leg. $5K and up isn't unreasonable.

One requiring different levels of work and restoration will be much less.

Then, trying to locate someone who isn't scared to death of English engineering is your next step.

I was luck enough to have a Mini (Racer) mechanic local. And some internet knowledge will find plenty of vendors stateside who aren't too crazy with repair part prices. Some here will argue that theory.

Mini is not something seen everyday around here. Folks who are truly interested in the brand must do some serious homework before buying.

[mowogdave]

I paid £2k for Henry my Clubman. More than I'd paid for any other min before. Then again he was 28yrs old, only14k miles, no rust, as-new condition.

The other option would have been to start off with a rougher car and fix it. Welding I'm ok with but not paint. With all the panels and paint cost then I'm sure it would be much more than the £2k. And a lot more bloomin' bother

Then again, there are bargains to be found. Quite a few times people have approached me and offered to offload a min they have The most recent was a "free" van ;D When I turned up to look at it I nearly cried . The bloke had been using it to "mount his horse for the last 30 years". I couldn't believe the state it was in. . had to admit that it had more use for him and his horse than it did me! Still, I live in hope for the next person who offers me another min hopefully for free