1969 Minor on eBay - what do you think?

[scotwood59]

Hi there Websiters,

I have been looking at a car on eBay and am interested to hear what you all think of it.

I know it is difficult to judge something if you don't actually see it in the "flesh".

I have been to see the car and it has been given a few modern "improvements" which I can probably live with while George is being sorted out. The garage who looks after George has worked on it and put in a fuel pump about a month ago.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1969-MORRIS-MINOR ... 20b9674227

I have copied the address but it doesn't seem to want to be a link!!!

The inside is good but the bodywork has a lot of patches of rust. It has a recon engine which has only done 11,000 miles.

What do you all think?

Julie

[LouiseM]

I thought George was roadworthy, with an MOT, and just needed some comestic work? Can't you use him and gradually improve him? Rather than buying another Minor a few weeks after buying your first one perhaps it might be better to spend the cash on getting the one that you have up to the standard that you want? Don't forget that you'll need to pay two lots of insurance and the one on ebay may need more work than George and improving one Minor can work out expensive, let alone two. Difficult to tell the condition from photos but the seller doesn't say how long the mot is (could be quite short) and there are no photos of the underside. If the bodywork has 'lots of patches of rust' chances are there is possibly more corrosion that you can't see. If you know the garage that has worked on it perhaps they could give you an honest appraisal of the condition?

(ps: I'll move this thread to general discussion as you are looking for people's thoughts on it rather than advertising it for sale)

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Your on the slippery slope of minor ownership already, before you know it you will have 5 Once bitten there is no known cure for the mad ness

[scotwood59]

Hi David,

You are probably right



Thank you Louise for your thoughts (I will think carefully about this!!) and for moving the thread. Much more sensible place for it!!!
George is on the road and has MOT. I am concerned with the chassis; the rear of it is very corroded where it attaches to the rear suspension. I am working towards getting him ready for Knebworth but at some stage I would like to strip him down so I would need another car to drive day to day.

[LouiseM]

George is on the road and has MOT. I am concerned with the chassis; the rear of it is very corroded where it attaches to the rear suspension.

Just taken a look at your thread in the restoration section and it does seem as though quite a bit of work needs doing. If you're not planning on doing the welding / structural repairs yourself it won't be cheap

We unfortunately do tend to see quite a few posts here from new owners who have bought a Minor which turns out to be in worse condition than first thought. It seems that you were initially looking for a Minor that was usable daily but perhaps needed some cosmetic work which you could do gradually rather than a ‘restoration project’ which needed extensive structural work and would have to be taken off the road.

Minors can be 'money pits', particularly when there is underside corrosion, so I'd suggest that you get an honest appraisal of the work required, and cost involved, of getting George in a decent roadworthy condition first before considering buying another Minor. If you are just looking for a cheap runaround whilst George is off the road for a short while a cheaper 'modern' car might be a safer bet than a £1500 Minor. However if the e-bay Minor is sound structurally, needs very little doing to it and has a long MOT, it might be a better option to keep this long term as when you find a good Minor it's worth hanging on to it. It really all depends on your budget. If money is no object buy as many Minors as you want but if finances are limited I’d give serious thought as to whether keeping George, and buying a second Minor, is a viable option. It’s always best to buy the most structurally sound Minor that you can (unless specifically looking for a restoration project) and you may find that owning one sound Minor rather than throwing money at a rotten one is the best option. Difficult to comment on what you personally should do without knowing what condition both Minors are in but take your time to decide - don't rush into something you might regret later!

[scotwood59]

Thank you Louise,

That is certanly good advice.

I was originally going to get a Minor from a Centre but when I realised the money involved was more than I wanted to pay. I decided to go for a car that was roadworthy already and try and do as much of the work as I could.

I realised that any welding might need to be done by someone else (though I am happy to have a go!!)

Having had a good look at George I feel I want to strip him down. It may take me a long time but I am prepared for that.

I already have a modern car (Rover 25) which is now 10 years old and being sold to a member of the family so I need something I can run around in when George is restored. The insurance for both Minors will be less than a modern car.

I do appreciate your advice and will think carefully before buying another car.

Many thanks

Julie

[LouiseM]

I was originally going to get a Minor from a Centre but when I realised the money involved was more than I wanted to pay I decided to go for a car that was roadworthy already and try and do as much of the work as I could.

Well you might find that paying someone else to fix the chassis & structural repairs on one Minor, then buying another to use whilst it is off the road, works out more expensive than buying a 'solid' Minor in the first place but good luck with whatever you decide to do, and good that you're planning on fixing as much as you can yourself Hopefully you'll have at least one Minor on the road to travel to the National in.

[autolycus]

The insurance for both Minors will be less than a modern car.
Julie

Don't forget that Minors, and other classics, are cheap to insure on "classic" policies, but that these policies often require the availability of a "modern" car, and may restrict mileage, commuting, and business use. Furthermore, many do not accrue no claims discounts, so if you ever swap back to running a modern car you may have to start again with accumulating discounts. Many companies will allow ncds to hang over for a year, but this period does vary between companies. Insuring a Minor on a non-classic policy, to preserve your ncd and satisfy the need for "another car" will restrict your choice of company.

Louise's other advice is, as usual, very sound, imho.

Kevin

[scotwood59]

I did wonder why they asked me if I had access to another car.

Louise's words have made me think and I am now not sure what to do.

I really don't want to get a modern car, I haven't seen one I am happy to drive and I have access to my son's car (only if I'm desperate and while he is at home!).

[LouiseM]

You mentioned in your restoration thread that you took George to a local Minor specialist. Did they take a look at him and advise you of the work that needed doing and possible cost? If so, what did they say? From your description - corrosion near the spring hangers and holes in the floor - it's going to be quite a big job, and it's often the case that when you find one patch of rust in a Minor there's usually more. You also mention that George is having a brake servo fitted this week, so the costs are already starting to mount up. Sounds to me as though perhaps you bought George without appreciating the amount of work and money required to make him solid underneath. And as you need to have a daily driver George doesn't fit the bill. Can't you keep your Rover for a while longer and explain to the family member who you are selling it to that you'll be carless without it?

It's easy to let your heart rule your head when buying a first Minor, and as previously stated, quite a few new members have posted on here with the same problems and the Minor they purchased was in a much worse condition than they thought. The amount spent on restoring a Minor is never recouped when you go to sell it and sad though it is, sometimes the best option is to cut your losses early on. In your particular circumstances though without knowing how bad George is, and what actually needs doing, it's difficult to advise you either way as we don't have the full picture. You say that you need to 'strip it down' - have the garage itemised what needs doing, or have you reached this decision yourself? It may be that once the chassis repairs have been carried out everything else can just be dealt with in stages without needing to ‘strip’ it down and keep it off the road. Most Minor owners improve their cars as they go along, when budgets allow. Some first time owners seem to want to rush to get the car looking nice straight away (respray, new chrome etc) but it doesn’t matter what it looks like as long as it's on the road - you don’t need to get everything done in one go!

[scotwood59]

I have been thinking about this carefully.

I knew that buying a moggy that hadn't been fully restored would lead to probably spending lots on the chassis. I was pleasantly surprised at the condition of the bodywork; as I had bought him on ebay without looking at him I was prepared for the worst.

I agree with you I have probably got myself carried away with it all. I really would love to completely strip a moggy down but using my head I think I need to get to know George and how he works first (I am still unsure what and where everything is in the engine bay ). Then one day I can look for a long term project. I need to concentrate on getting George ready for Knebworth. I am very excited about that!!

Thank you so much for your advice and opinions. This website really is a great place for a newbie like me who can draw on other people's experience and knowledge.

[LouiseM]

I knew that buying a moggy that hadn't been fully restored would lead to probably spending lots on the chassis.

There are a lot of good, solid, Minors that haven't been restored out there - it can just sometimes take a bit of time to find them so always a good idea to take your time when looking.

Good idea to learn the basics first, and the Minor is a good car to start on. I didn't have a clue about what was what, or where everything was, when I got my first Minor but you soon pick it up, and as you say, this site is really useful for help & advice. Take it one step at a time, and have a good read through your workshop manual, and it will all start to fall into place

[Dean]

I'd be inclined to go with Louise's advice, I have two classics, both with MOT's and used during the summer. They are not the families daily drivers, but they still require time and effort to ensure they don't let us down when used. There is nothing wrong with using a classic as a daily driver, but you need to make maintaining it an enjoyable hobby to make sure you don't start letting people down. They become part of your life, you can't just twist the key and go like a newish car. Learning to do things yourself, makes owning a moggy, such a rewarding experience.

This is the way you should be aiming it to be Julie... you don't want it to become a pain owning a classic car.