SarahAubrey wrote:
I'm also on the hunt for a Mini. First time poster, thanks for the advice. It'd be my second car and I also ride a scooter and I have someone nearby who I think could possibly help with the mechanical stuff. My first car was a 1980 Corolla that would overheat over 80k so I know that older cars have their own personalities. Would you say a later model would have less rust and be more reliable? Or does it just depend on the car? Are there spots that rust hits more than others? Like the footwell (I remember my nana's Studio 2 had a hole in the floor). Very little seems to come up in Sydney, a few in WA and Qld I see. I feel a little helpless trying to find something and not knowing enough about what to look for. Many thanks
Welcome Sarah,
Every car needs to be assessed on its merit...and yes, lifting the mats/carpet on Mini floors is a good idea as is looking closely for bubbles under paint everywhere (especially the body seams).
I started looking after cars from an early age from say the early 1960s...I thought I had checked everything on my Mini prior to a holiday from Sydney to Cairns...a few miles coming back from Cairns (near Cardwell) the brand new thermostat failed shut and cooked the head in minutes
Modern cars are super reliable compared to the oldies...its just a fact of life.
Don't feel hopeless, even the best can have the smug look wiped off their face by a master bodge artist. The example I quote was my second Mini, it looked fabulous (because it had been detailed to within an inch of its life by caryard stooges employed to shift rubbish trade-ins). Spent the next years trying to fix the hidden
bodges like brass shim sleeves in the wheel cylinders and a dangerous steering rack.
Best thing to do would be join a car or Mini car club where there is lots of knowledge and advice or cultivate your friend who has some knowledge with home cooking, cartons of beer etc bribes
