I fully restored a 1970 Cooper S in 1986 concourse winner at the time. I did not spend a lot of money on the car, I am a panelbeater so body an paint were not a cost. I rebuilt the motor plus most of the other mechanicals .I usually only buy new parts. The Cooper S I am now restoring is costing a lot of money. Example reco brake proportional valve $250. Engine $6500. I cant see how you can restore a normal Mini without spending a lot more money than what the car is worth, even if you do all the work yourself. The parts now are very expensive and you cant half do a resto. The main reason I am restoring the car is to keep away from the brain dead TV shows. I will store the S when it is complete.P7676
We should do a deal with the suppliers discount for forum members.

Most new parts are crap. Please if you can recondition your old parts.

_________________
The bitterness of poor quality (or Crappy Workmanship) remains LONG AFTER the Sweet Taste of Low Price is forgotten.

I suppose you have to allow for some inflation considering the other car that you restored , WAS, 31 years ago , don't we do it for the love of it .

Where do you buy your parts from ? Some places are significantly more expensive.

_________________
1964 smooth roof panel van
1967 Mk 1 X-Police cooper s
1970 mini k
1975 leyland

Depends on your definition of "restored" I guess. Some cars get a repaint and become restored some get a refurbishment and called restored. A true restoration to factory spec's is always going to be expensive.,these days VERY expensive! I do it for a living and the cost of restoring a car has always been more than the car is worth in a monetary way. I'm currently doing a 1960 850 for myself and the cost has gotten way out of hand, it's only because it's my car and I'm building it to the spec's I want that it makes sense to me! and in the end that's all that matters..................

I shop around and buy heritage where possible. Also so called genuine parts.
Ausimini members should have great buying power. We could use the reward system ,or super cheap giving discounts to NRMA members. All we need is a register and each member could pay $20, PA.The money would cover all costs and I am sure parts suppliers would offer discounts to registered members. There would be a lot of Minis scrapped because the owner cannot meet the costs of restoration. P7676

Proper restorations always cost more than the car is worth, I have done many myself over the years. Cooper S is going to be a rip off with the cooper s tax applied to everything to do with it.

_________________
1965 Riley Elf
1974 Ex Army Moke
1997 Rover Cooper
2002 JCW Cooper
2003 JCW Cooper S

with restorations the question is HOW FAR DO YOU GO????????

until the wife tells you to stop. lol

You also need to ask, what do you want from the car ??
A garage queen ?? Daily driver ?? Weekend toy ?? Retirement project ?? Answer for midlife crisis ??
Or a true to every nut and bolt restoration or a Resto-mod ?? How much of the cars' patina do you want to keep ??
These all dictate how much money you are going to or need to spend.
Do you refurbish your parts or buy new or if not available, reproductions with their possible inaccuracies.
Do you or can you do it yourself with your skill set ?? Do you upgrade your skills to do as much as you can? Are you time poor ?? , this will also dictate how much you do. Is there a time frame for the project?? So many questions.

_________________
1970 Mk2 Cooper S under restoration

at the end of the day if the dollars to restore a car worry you, you'd better walk away now.
if I counted up the money I've spent on my car (and I've been the one doing all the work) I wouldn't have started.

these things need the right motivation and cost isn't one of them, you really need to be doing a rest for the love of your car

just my 2c

_________________

OK all .don't forget we have a lot of parts suppliers, the point I am making is the parts should be cheaper than they are. I do not have to worry about cost as I have the money. I just don't like young guys wasting money, half doing a car, especially a mini. I have seen $450,000. spent on an ISO which is a rare car. It is an abrogation of responsibility to encourage young guys to restore a Mini without telling them what the approximate cost would be. A huge cost is the body and paint .P7676

Cost of my restorations:

1964 van ~18K
1964 850 ~18K
1970 Mini K ~17K
1978 Moke ~17K

Did most of the work myself and all done for the love of the cars and the enjoyment of seeing a classic back on the road-not to make money!!

Just about to start on the wifes' 1967 Deluxe and I expect that this will cost more than any of my previous cars (but i don't care as long as she's happy)!!

Cheers

Dave

_________________
Your imagination is only limited by the size of your wallet
"61 850 original and crusty (Mavis)
"64 Smooth Roof Van (Colin)
"67 Deluxe resto project (Monty)

What a wonderful present for your wife!

I agree that "restoration" has become more expensive and young enthusiasts should be forewarned. (We should be pleased there are so many young people taking an interest in minis - many older car makes only have older owners.)
However, I feel that mini parts are generally very cheap compared to modern cars and older classics from Japan and Europe.
I know there is a huge market for mini parts worldwide so there are economies of scale on the cost side. But mini owners can be their own worst enemy when they only buy the cheapest price, putting better quality items out of business.