mini prices

[IAIN]

I was watching this mini on e bay, just curious, do you think it was a genuine offer, or was it run up ?
Is this the type of values mk2 S 's are making these days ?
what is your opinions on what you see ?
I don't think I have seen a mk 2 sell in this region before.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230785632901? ... 1423.l2648

[JC T ONE]

I dont know much about this "bidding up" thing ? but in all fairness, that does look like a nice S, restored to (almost) original spec.

[graham in aus]

To be honest, I think it looks good value, can you imagine the labour costs for that resto if you were not doing it yourself!

https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?ci ... YAu2QP6dbw

Nice car!

[Pete]

I don't think I have seen a mk 2 sell in this region before.

I don't think I've seen a Mk2 S in that condition offered for sale before ! Certainly not for a long time. The fact it's Tartan Red and has a step by step photographic documented restoration will have helped it reach what seems a realistic figure for these cars nowadays. As I understand it the two main bidders who wanted the car hadn't even viewed it so these auctions are never over til they're paid for !

[LDR209H]

£15K was top money not so long ago. But as Pete says very few really good Mk2 'S's come up for sale,they're a rare car. If the market can only take 15K for a restored one and they cost at least as much to restore as a Mk1 'S' people will cut corners or do a Mk1 instead,with Mk1 asking prices £25K plus. Unless it's a labour of love.
This was bound to happen along with the other mental escalating mini prices,Mk3's are next (it's already happening).
I love a Mk2 meself,started out with 'em when you had to run one for work everyday

[mk1]

After that 59 went for what it did, it's reasonable to expect to see really nice cars take another jump in price. Having seen decent MK1 S's go for the £25+ mark I am not surprised to see what looks to be a very nice MK2 make that.

Personally speaking, I don't think there is as much bidding up & shill bidding on ebay as a lot of people do. I reckon its probably the most transparent way of gauging current "value".

[IAIN]

I agree that the amount of money you would have to spend to rebuild a car would take you to this area or more.
In my opinion when you are paying for a restoration I wouldn't have expected to get anywhere near your money back. But to me this looks positive to the future of whether its viable to spend your hard earned cash on a restoration or not.

It's good to see more than mk1's being valued and making there money if this is genuine.

[slowboy]

seems a realitic price really, it is one of those cars that looks right in the photos, like mark has said though, prices will do funny things for a while after the "59 sale,

[Brynmor]

Has anyone noticed the lower end of the market, (non S in particular ) has had a real levelling off and many (certainly e-bay) sales are concluding with not a single bid....

[Chalkie]

Excuse this but F**King hell £20k worlds gone potty!

my nan has a news paper clipping from when my dad was in skool on the back is cars for sale

1275 Morris Mini Cooper S No mods, 34,000 genuine miles full service
£560! this is 1977

just unreal. you look now at the prices

[jslane]

But how much was £560 in 1977 worth today, plus taking into account there are less of these cars about, and the price of spares, and inflation....

Just saying..

[guru_1071]

Excuse this but F**King hell £20k worlds gone potty!

my nan has a news paper clipping from when my dad was in skool on the back is cars for sale

1275 Morris Mini Cooper S No mods, 34,000 genuine miles full service
£560! this is 1977

just unreal. you look now at the prices

you could buy a vintage bentley in the 1950's for £150 quid...........

[KR200]

Then you have the stealthiest of all Coopers, the Mk3.

They seem to be nudging ever higher.

Very few are around. Most reshelled.

Luddites live in the past. Like house prices (of which houses are infinite) ,finite rare and desirable collectables of yore are not.

Simples.

[IAIN]

Following on with the same theme, What is current market value of a 100% genuine mk3 S nowadays.
Just interested if members have first hand knowlege of recent sales ?
I imagine the values are higher down south compared to the noth of the country. ( Being north my self )

[KR200]

Dealers seem to ask 20 grand for a non reshelled mk3.

In fact no, dealers ask 20 for a ringer as well. The mk3 is still a pukka S.

[Pete]

Dealers seem to ask 20 grand for a non reshelled mk3.

They may well do but they won't get it ! Last proper Mk3 S I saw sell (restored to orig spec with a couple of minor mods,proper shell and colour) went for less than £10K, and that was in the last two months. They've got to be really special (original) to make serious money but are great value compared to all the flat pack Mk1 'Ss' that go for stratospheric wonga. One of my Mk3's will going soon.

[KR200]

But are there any exceptional mk3 S's?

No. Perhaps a handfull out of 1500 built.

Like mk1 S's most are bastardised junk.

[mk1coopers]

I've got to agree with Pete on the prices of MK3's, I know of one that sold within the last month, it had been dry stored for a number of years, had some very period mods, but was in it's original shell, £5000, so they can be an affordable way into S ownership (I would still like to have one again one day), as for MK1 prices..................

[Pete]

But are there any exceptional mk3 S's?

No. Perhaps a handfull out of 1500 built.

Like mk1 S's most are bastardised junk.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that. I've seen alot of cars in the last couple of decades and came to the conclusion years ago that most Mk1 S's I've come across/owned have been flat packed from a logbook, mainly due to amount of 'action' these early cars recieved in motorsport (note: not many Mk1 850's have been reshelled) and owners general abuse. On the contrary due to the fact that Mk3's weren't the rally machine of choice to any degree , there wasn't much of a place for them on the circuits either and that they didn't have that long to wait before becoming a 'classic car' in the 80's most of them seem to have survived reasonably intact. We have to remember that many earlier Mk1's got updated as time went on with Mk2 back lights, black painted trim, bigger engines etc .
The main mod with Mk3's was to get rid of the hydro so there's a few dry ones about and yes some were reshelled into that little old lady's low mileage Mk3 or the odd one into a completely wrong later shell.

[In the shed]

Oddly enough, my Mini Minor had all the running gear and trim from a Morris Cooper but had the formers ID due to the previous owner not understanding the points system when he "reshelled" it. The shell had been restored and re-painted beautifully and I paid £1500 in 2003. It is a "bastard" but only as much as the rest of the cars which have been mucked about with including their logbook.

Despite the points system, my personal view is that if you change the shell, it is a different car.

I got into minis following not understanding what all the fuss was about and having to borrow the GF's 998. It was great and I immediately bought a Mk1 and tuned it. My reasons were that I wanted the original incarnation and then I wanted it to be like a go-kart, which is why I liked them.

What has happened since is ridiculous. God knows what mine is worth now, as it's pretty much perfect and has ALL the bits. It's just an original mini go-kart as far as I'm concerned and is worth to me what I paid for it, which in total was about £2k.

This business of S's changing hands for £20k is madness. There is a chap who I bought some rare wide mag wheels from a long time ago who lives in a major devon town (facing east on the sea) who was bragging to me how he was epic at fleecing people with log booked Mk1 Coopers and S's. The piece de la resistance was a 970S which he made out of a logbook and boxes of bits. Total and cutter c-unit of the worst sort. People on here will know him and possibly have bought stuff from him.

I wouldn't pay a fortune for a Cooper or an S, unless it was totally original and then it would be for investment and show. I do like Mk1's but as far as I'm concerned, the whole point of them is a road going go-kart. You can get better value Go-karts now the price has gone silly. We are talking in the region of 3 good sylva strikers for the price of a well turned out S.

It has gone silly and although I love and am proud of my mini and am obsessive about it, I wouldn't buy another, they just don't offer that sort of engaging motoring value for money any more. It's better spent elsewhere. However, I will note that I will NEVER sell my mini.

I have also noticed that bits are calming down. Prices are getting more sensible for odd bits. The lower end stuff has come down in price as well. There was a bit of a premium classic car bubble going on. I think the time has really gone to make really amazing hay.

What amazes me the most is the lack of minis on the road and I actually can't remember the time I saw/heard a really exciting tuned mini on the road.

What is a bit of a shame is that the general mini club enthusiasts have changed. The demographic has altered to the classic car show trailer lot, rather than the "I've put a Capri carb on it" lot. The scene is less rich due to this.....however, there are still some.