already called him. He said $1200 is unreasonable. Maybe the best way here is to just wait for a better deal. As you said you have seen many 1275s go for much lower than 2k.

I might hold on to my money for a little while longer.

Perhaps the right one will come soon enough.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

The idea of pulling the Motor Down to check Was suggested, if the motor has been recently rebuilt by an unknown Person, ( this is totally different to an engine that has been sitting for Years ) In the many Years I have been in this business I have unfortunately seen Many Recon - Rebuilt Mini Motors And Gearboxes Assembled by people that do not know what they are doing, even qualified Mechanics With no experience working on Minis, They often buy all good parts but assemble them incorrectly,
a lot of damage could be done which may have been avoided by checking it

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" A Hundred Years From Now It will not Matter what my Bank Acount Was,
The Sort Of House I Lived in, Or The Kind Of Car I drove ... But The World May Be A Better Place
Because I was Once Important In The Life Of A Child"

I think $2,000 is reasonable, John is not someone who would rip people off he is a top bloke.

Think of it this way, a second hand 1275 in need of a rebuild is at least $600 these days. Factor in $1800 for a basic rebuild in parts PLUS labor. Then you have to rebuild the gearbox which would be around $1200+ including parts, you wont get change from $4000.

By the looks of it if it's the one on eBay it also includes subframe + suspension + steering rack and more.

Who is going to install the motor in your car? What are you going to do with your old engine?

I don't see any reason to spend more on rebuilding the engine if it has already been done.

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Starlet Conversion:
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15484

wow i have never met a mechanic who is also devoted to the make of cars he works on. I am glad i found John.

Hi Mad,

i think there is a bit of misunderstanding here. John is not selling the motor. John will be the mechanic who is going to carry out all the work for me. He is giving me advice on what to purchase - even though he is not getting paid to do this. Just showing that he is not in it for the money. The thread started with me just asking for advice on these engine as i dont know if they are stock or not. The footnote replies basically revealed they are reliable if it is a good motor. So it turned into me asking how much should i be spending to get the best out of my money. I understand now that a rebuild is not going to be cheap. So if the motor is 2k with no guarantees whether it will even start, its best to be very careful.

Hope this clears that up.

Cheers,
Merc

Im not sure he has an option if it sells for 1200. He didnt put a reserve on it and its sour grapes for him. Thems the rules ebay puts down.

And 1275s regularly pop up, btw do you have disc brakes as well? If not have you looked at a rover front cut?

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Simplify and add lightness

Hi Merc,

Sorry i misunderstood, my comments were based on John selling the motor to you and knowing the condition of it.

In this case we do not really know the history of the motor and it's probably best to wait and find something of known condition at the right price or find any 1275 you can use to rebuild. If you do it that way at least you will know what you've got, it's just a matter of how much you want to spend.

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Starlet Conversion:
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15484

oh definitely. If it was a rebuilt motor from someone like John for 2k who can provide some sort of guarantee, then there wouldn't be any question whatsoever. I would have purchased it on the spot.

What i haven't mentioned on this thread is my mini actually has a 998cc engine already in it. It is running but its not running well. John will have a look at this and see if its salvageable. And if the money saved can then be spent rebuilding this motor rather than purchasing a new one. Fingers crossed all goes well. The mini will be towed there most likely on the weekend.

Thanks everyone for the advice. Looking forward to becoming a true mini enthusiast, trolling the forums and hopefully one day giving some golden advice of my own. Oh and of course hopefully meeting you guys in some cruise in the near future. That would truly be something to look forward to

Merc.

i'd say bid on this till then end, try and get a sub $1500 price for it, then with the money saved from the $2000, quick strip down/replace anything that's required.

But what I say and what I do are two totally different things! Last mini I bought had ~4000kms on it's freshly rebuilt 1293... had been sitting around for 4 years though, turned over manually once every 6 months or so. Quick oil change, new battery, and off it went. 2+ years later it's still running strong!!

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tim
68 Deluxe 1293, HIF44, megajolt/EDIS4, daihatsu alternator..

'a mini is for life, not just for christmas!'

Peace of mind is worth in excess of 500$ in my opinion.

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http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=71255

Out of interest mercury, where are you from? It's always a good idea to put your location in your profile. You will be surprised how many people in your area will be willing to help you out.

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Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

oh right. Sorry about that.

profile updated.

Sydney Boy here.

any help greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Merc

totally agree.

John has really hit the nail on the head with a FBH. ANY second hand engine should be stripped and completely check over by some one who knows minis.
just a example , I have a moke with 1275 that a bloke wanted me to check over. The engine was completely re-build by a company here in adelaide. The engine has only done 500km since re-build and is stuffed. Compression down 2 cylinders, burning oil, and had a nasty knocking sound. The cylinders still had hone marks and the pistons had bugger all crap on them. PROBLEM who ever re-bored it stuffed up on the size for No 1&4 cylinders only by .010"

NO matter what 2nd hand engine and what you are told be prepared to spend extra money and get it checked over . It's cheaper than stuffing up a eng/box

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Research is the difference between speculation and investment. Anyone who copys some one else will always be second
www.minisprintgt.com

Bidding ended...$2200-Anyone from here?

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