Hi All

Just feeling a little strange at the moment so wanted to know all your thoughts. Im starting to loose the mini faith... ie thinking about selling my mini and moving on.

The problem is i spent a ton of money getting it over here from the UK and it costs loads to rego and insure each year but i dont actually use it much. This is mainly down to having a young family (1 new baby and a 3 year old boy) so my spare time is spent with them, also the lack of regular mini shows/events is a big downer for me.

I havent got round to joing the Mini Owners Club Queensland as i just havent had the enthusiasm for the car at the moment which is sad as i loved and treasured it in the UK and thought i would NEVER sell it but lately i have been thinking about it... i went out in it for a run up Mount Mee last weekend to try and rekindle something but it didnt really do it for me (it felt like it didnt handle well at all, skitish and understeery and lack of any real pull/power compared to modern cars).

Also i run the 500 register which mainly based in the UK as there were no 500s officially exported over here... this register just feels like a burden on my time at the moment as i dont get to meet any owners to talk to people about them at shows like i used to.

Sigh... just loosing the faith a little.....

Anyone?

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Used to have 2000 Cooper Classic Sport 500, No 338, currently miniless

Maybe you just need a break.

If you have the room, set your mini aside and drive an excell or an old mitsubishi colt for a while to reset the contrast.

I have 2 modern subarus and 2 minis. The minis aren't always on the road so when i get back in them it's fun again.

Good luck whatever way you go

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Dean Hutton's first car was a Mini.

keep it. you know you will regret it, especially such a rare model (and the fact that you spent a mint importing it, and endless headaches no doubt). if you are really losing the faith that much, put it on club registration (or whatever the equivalent is up there) and stick it at the back of the shed, and bring it out in a few months or something, and take it for a spin. you will re-kindle the love of course it won't handle like modern cars or have as much pull, the design is almost 50 years old. but that's the beauty and charm of it. someone on here said it best, "if it were about going fast, we wouldn't be driving minis"

the brissy kids get together a bit, see if you can't go on a run with them at some stage. or better yet, organise something. if you build it, they will come.

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

Keep it, you'll change your mind!

Or swap it with me. MY99 WRX. Low KM's.

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I was wondering last year if i'd be better off without my mini as I never got to drive it much. Both me and my wife worked in the same place so drove in together in the Honda and I didn't really have any need to go anywhere by myself so we always took the Honda at weekends as my wife doesn't like the bumps in the mini.

Oddly though, as I was beginning to think what an effort it was to keep when i never used it, things changed. When our daughter was born, my wife took maternity leave, so we needed to have the Honda at home for her and bub. So I would commute in the mini.

Then in November I didn't get my contract renewed and got a job in the CBD so it was train commuting from then on. The mini pretty much sat there gathering cobwebs most of the time (even went to a morris minor & mini show n shine and won the Post 1990 category without touching the car, cobewebs, dust, coke cans on the floor and all!!)

Having a baby also meant that we would take the Honda most places.

Then in January we bought a $150 baby seat from Target on special and put it in the mini - it was the best thing i've bought for the mini all year - i've now taken my daughter (she's 1 year old on Friday) on 2 long mini runs and she loves it and gets lots of attention too!) I think she prefers it to the big car as she's closer to the driver and has a better view out the front and sides too.

Then as my wife's gone back to work, the daycare we ended up in is a couple of kms away and so I now have to do the drop-off and my wife does the pick up, so i need the car every day again.

You never know what's around the corner, so if it's not about money, just park it up, take care of it and consider re-registering sometime in the future.

As for the 500 register, i'd probably give it up, see if someone else wants to take it over in the UK. If no-one steps up, then maybe wind down your involvement and let others take the strain, even if they don't take the whole thing on lock stock.....

(I'm in the same boat with the mini club here, haven't got around to joining, never seem to get around to speaking to the right people when i'm at an event, and i am the worst person at sending cheques and forms through the post (don't even have a chequebook anymore) Still have every intention of joining, it'ss either happen just by chance or if they have an online option at some stage )

Just mothball it for a couple of years if you can reasonably do so.

My sons are 3, 6 and 8 and absolutely love getting a chance to go for a ride in the Mini (as opposed to the "car"). Go for a laid up or low usage insurance. Hopefully you'll be able to use it for family outings as the kids get bigger.

I don't know how Queensland rego goes, but we can rego for 3 months rego here (ACT) so if you don't use it too often you can use it for 3 months, let it lapse for up to 12 months and then easily re-register when you are ready to drive again.

Cheers,
Simon

Stew,,, come & see me ,,, i`ll get your fire burning again mate,,, nothing a good twin cam 16v turbo charged fuel injected cyl head conversion can`t fix

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

Ive been like this too many a times.
Im on my third restro...and each cost over $20.000
and the one im doing now isent even close and my buget has spent over $10.000 and its still only a rolling shell with engine..no paint etc .not even close to runing...
ive got a two year old and now ..woooo hooo my wife and I are exspecting another ..
i go into my shed and look at her and say sometimes...gee what a waste of money...like i could have used this dough on a loan for a house or something...but then again would i be happy???
i love minis to death...and i think if it wasnt a mini it would be something else that i would be spending my money on..
I personaly would suggest maybe taking it off the road after its rego runs out..puting it in storage and i garentee after a while the bug will hit again..this is what i would do if i was in the same situation..

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started a new project...there goes all my free time....

Stew don't sell your mini, park at my place

We do have a stack of regular events with the MOCQ and also social events that are run through ausmini etc. In fact I am organising a few runs for the MOCQ at the moment, possibly a visit to the drive in and a run over the mountains and a few other outings. The MOCQ calender is pretty full with plenty of things going on and we are a great bunch of people

When you are ready to jump back into it, come along to one of our runs and see if you enjoy it. We have the Brick n Humpy run coming up on 12th July which should be awesome fun

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To keep the faith, I think you answered your own question. You need to get involved and do some runs and events.

This is the perfect time of year to get some use/enjoyment out of classic cars.

oooooorrrrr sell your mini to me for $2,000. I promise to take goooood care of it.



My advice is that you really need to do whats best for you and makes you feel the happiest... You also dont want your poor Mini just sitting there feeling abandoned and unloved. If I ever feel like getting rid of it all, i come on here and go through the Cruise/Event photos. Seeing all those little guys playing together always makes me feel gooey inside. Or I watch this

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/15/vide ... t-pause-i/

that always makes me feel good about my Mini too.

Probably not the best time to try and sell it at the moment.
Prices for the higher end cars aren't there at the moment.
(new or old)

Get a concessional rego. (weekend, club runs, etc. You may need to show club membership) and speak to different insurance providers for insurance to match. (low klms per year, not on the road as per the concessional rego, etc)
Your local club members (mini & non-mini) can help with some advice on this.

If you really want to spend money, you could always get into mini motorsport.....

Cheers,
Mark.

There's been some very good heartwarming advice given here
And I can add to it,and I expect there would be a few other Mini owners on here with the same experience: Do NOT sell your Mini- Like you- in the 70' and 80s other priorities came along and challenged our lifestyles-ie marriage,houses,babies(and not necessarily in that order ) and anything else you can think of,and we sold our Minis,from Cooper S's to GT's.You always regret it...have a look in the Mini Experience and on this Forum,"Lost Mini Souls"are always asking about there Mini that they sold years ago....Don't do it

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we all have our regrets which we all look back on. Its Minimising those which you do. Which ever way you go, I know how much time faimly takes but the minimal time I have to play I use to get to enjoy what I want to enjoy. I have a project so its getting it on the road. With you it maybe differant

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Stop Licking the Dog...I Don't Care Who Started It

My advice is to keep your Mini. Join the local Mini Club and rekindle the joy of owning a Mini. I have owned four Minis in my time. I parted with my last Mini, a 1976 Leyland Mini, in 1991 and I now have great regrets.
All the best, Rob