1992 Mini Cooper 1.3i £7950
With one owner since 1999 and a whopping £30,000 spent on its upkeep, this Mini looks like good value, says Paul Hardiman
This Mini looks clean and tidy and so it should. In the hands of its current owner since 1999, more than £30,000 has been spent on it.
Most recently it has had a new rear subframe, which replaced the one fitted in 2004 when it had £4000 of restoration work to the bodyshell, including a repaint. The motor was rebuilt just a few years later and the pile of bills from renowned Mini specialist Downton Motor Engineering must be an inch thick.
The bodyshell, which received front wings, doors, A-panels, quarter panels, valances and half a boot floor in 2004, still looks rot-free, with well defined sills and most of the jig brackets still in place. This suggests they might be original, however unlikely that sounds.
The suspension has a touch of negative camber all round, from adjustable track control arms at the front and camber brackets on the rear. Paint is good and there are high-intensity headlights and extra door handle trims fitted, plus a big-bore tailpipe. The wheels are Minilites, though they’re fitted with an odd mixture of Falkens, the newest being a 2015-dated 914, the oldest being cracked 10-year-old FKS on the rear. The spare is the same age.
Inside there are Cobra leather reclining front seats, the driver’s side being a recent replacement because the old one was worn. The walnut dash is in good shape, and there’s an aluminium-spoked wheel on a dropped steering column plus a KAD Quickshifter gearlever. The rear seat is unworn, and headlining and door trims are good, with aftermarket catches and winders. There’s also a modern CD player and a Clifford alarm. The clock still works.
The motor looks a bit grubby but lots has been spent on it. The basics modifications are: Stage 4 big-valve head, Maniflow exhaust, Kent 276 cam (fairly mild) and balanced crankshaft and conrods. It was built in 2006 with a dyno readout of 74bhp at 6000rpm and 75lb ft at 4500rpm – which makes you wonder how much (or little) the standard motor actually produced against its factory claim of 63bhp. In 2014 it had a new clutch and drop gears and in 2015 the head was taken off to investigate a leak, skimmed and refitted with a new gasket, all at Downton. There’s a taller 2.7:1 ratio final drive too. Oil is cleanish on the aftermarket dipstick, the radiator cap is new and there’s an aftermarket air filter. Mileage is currently just over 71,000.
The engine starts easily and the motor is mechanically quiet, pulling eagerly to 6000rpm with a redline of 6500. There are no clunks or rattles from the front end and the brakes are nice and firm, with the temperature reading normal.
This is priced about right for a tidy fuelinjected Mini Cooper – but that doesn’t reflect the huge amount of money that’s gone into it. As ever, you get the best deal by buying someone else’s expensive longterm project. The MOT runs until October.