Classic Minis - teach me.

Every time my wife and I see a classic mini she always talks about how awesome she thinks they are and generally wants to take a picture. I have almost zero knowledge of them (I know some of the motorsports history and that kind of stuff) but no firsthand/secondhand knowledge about how they are to drive/reliability/repairability. 

Can anyone point me towards something like a "buyers guide" on these? What is desirable, what isn't, etc.  What kinda $$ for a decent runner? 

Can I even fit in one? I'm 6'3"? 

THanks! 

They're surprisingly spacious inside, although I don't know how well you'd fit if you're that tall.

As to what to look out for - rust. When they were built the factory went "hold my warm beer and watch this" when it came to out-rusting the Italians. They never really sorted that out properly until the end of production. Hey, they only made for a bit over 40 years and you don't want to rush things.

What's desirable - well, the most desirable ones are real Coopers from the 1960s. Those are $$$ and there are lot of fakes around. A good Cooper S replica might still be worth having, but don't pay "real thing" prices for a replica.

The 1970 Clubmans with the square front are less desirable and less of a looker, but slightly easier to work on as there is more space under the bonnet. "More space" being very relative.

Drivetrain is 1950s British, so not overly cursed with the spectre of longevity. I'd avoid the 850s are they are really slow by Mini standards and go at least for a 1000. 1275s have the most oomph and would be my general choice.

I'd also avoid the hydrolastic models as I'm not sure how easy it is to get your hands on the tools and fluids etc to pump up the suspension. The good news is that they can be converted to the rubber cone suspension fairly easily. Hydrolastic rides a bit better, though, when in good condition.

The good news is that you can build the whole car from parts as there is still a huge aftermarket and British Heritage even  makes replacement bodyshells.

If I were in the market I'd go hunt for a JDM import Mini - those are generally the best appointed (Euro ones never got factory a/c) but they also have a bunch of parts that are specific to those models. They also tend to be in pretty good condition compared to most of what's coming out of Europe. IIRC Duncan Imports has some from time to time. Haven't looked latedly but the last time I looked they were starting around $10k.

Another model to look for is the Innocenti version of the Mini. They're slightly better appointed and most of them were sold in Italy and Southern France, which means that the tinworm often hasn't ravaged them quite as badly as the ones that lived in climates further north.

I'm about your height and I could probably wear a top hat in a Mini and drive comfortably.

I've never DRIVEN one, just sat in a friend's while making vroom-vroom noises.

Disclaimer:  I drive first generation RX-7s, and think NA Miatas with hardtops are spacious.  Hell of a lot more room than most modern trucks at least, which seem to be engineered around a 50th percentile female.

Does your wife enjoy the smell of burning oil and raw gasoline, while driving in a fragile tin box that bounds and hops from pothole to pothole?

Not that there's anything wrong with that, if you are into.it...

I would rather have one with an alternator and 12v electrics rather than a generator, 6v, and backwards wiring.

Bring a set of standard sockets and wrenches to the test drive so you can adjust the seat.  You will need legroom more than headroom.

$10k should get you a nice-ish, mostly rust free driver.  It won't be a Mark 1 with the tiny tail lights and sliding windows.  It might be a 1275 of you get lucky.  Cheaper cars exist but you have to jump on them pretty fast.

All very good info, thanks guys! I'm not necessarily to the "buyer" phase yet but just trying to educate myself if/when I do get there. 

For a driver I say buy a Mk3 or Mk4. The roll down windows are so much nicer to live with than the sliders. the Mk4 received the much nicer rod change gearbox instead of the "magic want" or remote. Sure you don't get the cool external door hinges or tiny rear window of the MK1 but those cars start at $20K

Seat extension brackets are easy to make OR dirt cheap to buy if you want to and will totally change the way a taller person fits in a mini.

They are buzzy, noisy and smelly little cars and drive exactly like you think they will. They are a RIOT. 

I will echo the $10k for a decent one. That is just  what they cost now.  Or you can do the false economy thing like I did and pick up a cheap basket case and spend months getting it on the road.

Though the buy in on the car is up there these days, the parts costs are still pretty affordable. After a few years I don't even bother with the stateside parts vendors anymore. Everything is cheaper and faster to get from minispares in the UK. 

On a lark I once ordered parts from minispares (UK), minisport (UK), minimania (USA) and Seven enterprises (USA) on the same day.  The stuff got to Oregon in the order 1. minispares (3 days) 2. Seven Ent (4 days) 3. minimania (7 days) and minisport (12 days)

DHL from the UK is super fast and not too expensive. Even on a set of tires. US based vendors wanted  $550 shipped for a set of 4 A008's and I got them from the minispares for maybe $250 in 3 days.

They are amazing. BoxHead pretty much nailed it. I'll add this, you want manual and RHD. There's just something amazing about RHD. 

DrBoost said:

 There's just something amazing about RHD. 

I like the part where your passenger knows they are dying before you do.

Streetwiseguy said:

DrBoost said:

 There's just something amazing about RHD. 

I like the part where your passenger knows they are dying before you do.

LOL, it's not bad at all. The only tricky part is making a left-hand turn.  You're on the wrong side if the lane but if you pull in the lane so the car is on the left side of the lane, your head is in the middle of the lane. 
 

In reply to ojannen :

All Minis are 12 volts. The generator is too low output for serious lights, but otherwise the connectors let the electrics down, not the components.

DrBoost said:

They are amazing. BoxHead pretty much nailed it. I'll add this, you want manual and RHD. There's just something amazing about RHD. 

Thank you. Good point about the manual - forgot to mention that. There seem to be a fair number of Japan imports that have an automatic gearbox - not sure how bad they are with the bigger engine, but I've had the pleasure of driving a UK model with a slushbox (which was either an 850 or a 1000) and that was a barely rolling speed bump.

The A Series engine in them is a bit of a vintage lump, so dropping in Honda engines is relatively popular. Note that there's more room under the bonnet of a Clubman and the Japanese engine seems to fit better with LHD. So if there's any chance of that swap happening, probably best to avoid a RHD round nose.

Also, the transmission relies on an idler gear (a remnant of a change in fairly late development IIRC) that has to be set up with a collection of shims for the perfect free play or it will machine its way out of the transmission casing. Later Minis (Rover ones) never really got this set up properly, they just set them all up with the same shims because it was easier. This means that a Rover Mini will need a transmission rebuild at a fairly low mileage, and it's a slow process since you have to assemble, measure and then order shims.

They're a riot to drive but very, umm, engaging. Definitely a short blast kind of car.

Some helpful articles from our pals at Classic Motorsports:

Mini Buyer Guide

How Old Is that Mini, Really?

Mini Tech Tips

A Quick Explanation of the BMC Hydrolastic Suspension

And, finally, the Classic Motorsports Mini Cooper S project car.

(And my wife and I had a '71 Innocenti Mini Cooper.)

To me the RHD vs. LHD debate depends some on how you plan to use the car.  Weekend toy and occasional driver? RHD.  As more of regular 3-season driver in modern traffic?  LHD.  Bearing in mind, a light hit will basically total a Mini - something I happen to know from experience.

I would say the $10K budget is on the low side these days for a driver in decent condition.  Figure on around $15K, based on the prices I've seen over the past few years...  Eventually I want another Mini, but unfortunately I have to wait until I have more covered storage.

The size of the car means that RHD is not really much of an issue while driving.

It's probably not a good idea to get in a crash with one. It's a 1950's car with all of the crash safety that implies.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I thought the size wouldn't matter either. Unfortunately, in certain circumstances it does.  Sometimes those circumstances can lead to an unconscious lapse of judgement and a totaled Mini. I firmly believe I would still have my Mini if it were LHD.

One other thing I forgot to mention when looking at late Minis - the last bunch of them came with fuel injection. In most cases this would be a bonus but the Mini version isn't particularly good, mainly due to the fact that Rover basically unbolted the SU carb and manifold, then bolted an FI manifold in exactly the same place, and fuel injection doesn't play that well with the siamesed ports on these.

Still, you want to buy them on condition so a better condition fuel injected on probably beats a somewhat ropey carb'd one.

The later cars also came with 12" and then 13" wheels. They work so much better on 10" but a brake retrofit is probably required.

Also the japanese cars are the ones that came with factory a/c.  if that is a want.

I recently had the opportunity to drive a Classic mini race car on a race track.  It's without a doubt the slowest car I've ever driven on a race track but it's at least in the top 10 of the fun cars I've driven category.  Maybe even top 5. 

I like Keith's description of the experience as engaging.  Busy also comes to mind.  A younger me might have felt differently but the current old, slightly grumpy, me wouldn't particularly want one for a summer day cruiser.  At least not without significant modernization.  Check out this video -> Link for some perspective and options.

In reply to APEowner :

I think it massively depends on where you end up driving one. I can imagine having fun in one on the local roads around here as they are very reminiscent of UK country roads, but going on any four lane highway is going to be Not Fun.

My lasting memory of my last Mini - a 1275GT - was a drive to a job interview that was about 1.5h away from where I lived in North London at the time. It was also motorway (think Interstate) all the way. I arrived at the interview in slightly less than stellar shape and by the time I had made it back home I felt like I'd been bounced around the ring by Mike Tyson and was half deaf.

The Mini taught me that I have no tolerance for front wheel drive vehicles. 

In reply to TAC_Rx :

I actually fit and I'm 6' 4".  It is not a super comfy but if I fits I sits.

That guy from my karma does Honda engine