some advice please

[iprice85]

i have been longing for a minor for a long time, i have next to know mechanics knowledge but i am not totally inept when it comes to cars, i cannot afford to buy a perfectly mint minor so what can i be looking at spending and how easy are morris minors to bring up to scratch, and most importantly, are they expensive to restore and upkeep?

i have just joined the forum and i look forward to talking to you all!

cheers,

ian

[beero]

Welcome Ian. Minors are probably one of the easier and cheaper cars to maintain and restore but as with all cars rust is the killer. Restoring can be expensive if you cannot do most of it yourself and when restored it won't sell for what it will have cost so restore for your own use, not with a view to profit. Good luck.

[Neil MG]

As is common with almost all cars, the difference in price between good and average examples is always less than the cost of improving from one to the other! It really depends on how good your "scratch" needs to be! Even if you plan to do the work yourself, the cost of chrome, interior and mechanical bits and pieces can soon mount up!

If you buy a car that has had a lot of the work done by someone else you can save a lot, but it needs to been done well and you need to give every car a very careful inspection!

So, my advice is add the money you were thinking of spending "improving" the car to your purchase budget and buy the very best you can afford! It will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Spend some time on the "Restoration projects" section to see what you are likely to face when "improving" a car! And also what to look out for when buying!

[aupickup]

take some one you can trust and knows about cars alomg with you when veiwing

do not take the sellers word but look over everthing onthe car

many have fell foul to buying shiny cars, do not be led into this trap as many others have and some on here

look at a few before buying this will give you an idea of price and what you can get

good luck

and remeber not all rusty cars are rotten

[phurn]

yeah dont let rust put you off, most rust on these old girls is harmless enough, youjust need to watch out for rust in a few key areas, such as chassis rails, spring hangers ect. theres nothing really expensive to replace on them... even the slightly ropey ones like mines, ive owned it since october and so far ive had to treat it to a new fan belt, new battey, (both of which id class as consumables and you'd eventually have ot buy anyway) new wheel cylinders for the front and a set fo front brakes, oh and a headlight.... ooo and a head gasket... and i think my total expense has been something in the region of £80 all in, and when you consider most of that is the battery it cant be bad.

and trust me, if i can do something as major as a head gasket, then anyone can!

[aupickup]

i have seen a few rusty solid cars and a few nice and shiny rotten ones so be warned

[ignatzcatz]

Whatever old Minor you find, DO DO DO get it checked out by an expert. I believe the AA offer such a service and perhaps there is a Minor restoration garage near to you who could give your intended purchase the once over. The charge for this will be about £150 to £200 but it is WELLWORTH IT.

[bmcecosse]

The AA will always find something wrong - it's a LOT of money. Find a car you fancy - and then ask if anyone on here is near enough/willing to go along with you to look at the car. Wear old clothes and/or boiler suit - and a rubber mat - and a GOOD bright torch - and be willing to get down and look under!

[ptitterington]

Also be a little cautious of cars' Restored by enthusiastic amateur'. Many Minor owners are keen and bodge away with no idea what they are doing. I have seen pictures of half arsed attempts to weld important structural areas posted here and yet many folk say things like 'fantastic job' ' this is inspirational work, keep it up' , yet a death trap is being created. Follow a load of underseal and a pretty spray job and hey presto fully restored car! (not)

As others have said, take someone who knows minors and get it onto a ramp and poke and scrape. Do not be afraid to walk away.
There are lots of bad ones and lots of good ones and when you get a good one, running it is a joy and a pleasure.
Good luck.

[pyebibby]

Welcome I'm Relatively new, but my knowledge has increased ten fold because of the knowledge of this bunch of fabulous people!

[iprice85]

wow what a great response, you certainly are a friendly bunch! this all sounds pretty daunting but thanks a lot everyone, I am sure it will be some time until I do finally get my hands on one but you will all be the some of the first to know when I do! thanks a lot everyone you've been great