What to check for when buying your mini...
Whether you are buying a mini for restoration or just as an every day car, you will need to take certain precautions to make sure you don't get taken for a ride.
Below is a guide to a few items you can check yourself. You need no mechanical knowledge for these checks. These tips cannot guarantee that the car you buy will be perfect, but they can help you to spot a poor car, or one with a dubious history...
The Owner
Never agree to meet someone to view a car, especially not in a pub car park. Always go to the owners house. Be wary of people who only want to contacted on a mobile number.
The Milage
Look at the mileage, check it matches the condition of the car. Look for excessive wear on the steering wheel, also the pedal rubbers. Check the carpets especially around the drivers feet. Remeber to look underneath any car mats, they could be used to hide heavy wear. Check for excessive wear on the seats, especially the drivers.
Next look at the speedometer. The numbers showing the mileage should all be in line. If the numbers are out of line, this is a sign of clocking, as is damage to the speedo casing or the screws holding the speedo casing in.
Stand back and look at the car from a few metres away, from the front, and from the side. Look to see if the suspension is uneven (the car is lower at one side), this is a sign of high milage.
Body
Problem areas on a mini include:
Rear Subframe, A-panels, Doors (especially the bottoms). Lift the carpets, if they are wet this could be a sign of damage or serious rot in the floor. Look for damage to the scuttle (the panel under the windscreen in which the windscreen wipers are mounted). Both would require an expensive repair.
Check all panel gaps and check that doors, bonnet and boot close correctly, and sit flush when they are closed. Bear in mind that the panel gaps on a mini will not necessarily be perfect, but they should be even within reason. Look for variation in paint shades as well as runs in the paint, look for overspray on window rubbers, windows and underneathe the bonnet. Overspray will sometimes be the same colour as the car, or it will sometimes be grey/white/red from primer. These are all signs of bad repair work.
Avoid viewing the mini in the dark or in the rain, these can both make cars look better than they are. If you must view a car in the dark, take it to a petrol station where there is good lighting. Tip: Amber street lights sometimes highlight imperfections in red paint.
Engine
Start the mini up, and check for blue smoke from the exhaust when the car starts. Check for excessive tapping or knocking noises from the engine.
Remove the oil filler cap, and check underneath for brown strong smelling sludge this can be a sign of a damaged cylinder head gasket or cylinder head, however, this can also occur in cars that hove only made repeated short journeys. You can also remove the oil filler cap whilst the engine is running, and check for smoke. Remove the radiator cap, while the engine is cold, and check for the presence of oil in the water, this is also a sign of a damaged cylinder head gasket or cylinder head.
Insist on a good test drive. Do not let the owner drive for the full duration of the test drive. The car should run in a straight line, and not pull to one side under braking. There should be no need to pump the brakes or clutch in order for them to work correctly.
It should be easy to change gear, with no cruncing of the gears. Check that the car does not jump out of gear, especially 3rd gear.
Insist on seeing the log book/registration documents. Check that the vin (vehicle identification number) numbers on the log book match those on the car.
The vin number can be found in a number of places.
- On a plate at the front of the engine bay
- On a vin plate at the back of the engine bay
- Etched into the scuttle, underneath the rubber seal around the engine bay near the windscreen wipers
- At the side of the drivers seat
These plates should be intact and show no signs of damage.
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.