Mike has made an excellent point!

You can improve relieability by doing a few mods.....Pulsar dizzy, Bosch 75A alternator.....etc.... these will help a bit (IMHO)

Couldn't agree more....I paid $4500 for my car nearly two years ago. In those two years, apart from oil changes, all I have had to do was replace one burned out valve a few weeks ago. Oh yes, I also adjusted the brakes for the first time in two years the weekend before we all went to Albury. Not bad when most people are always at their brakes or having to do something to keep the little "dears" on the road

Guess it's the old old story, you get what you pay for.

Cheers

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Rod
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v607/Rodney/

Well yea I speak from experience - paid 8k for mine a bit over 1 year ago and havent stoped doing stuff (including g'box rebuild, almoust full engine rebuild, new wheel bearings alround, new rear brakes, new clutch, reco carbs and then a carb swap, dizzy died, alternator died, oil leaking into water, new master cylinders, new slave cylinders, valve change and then a head swap etc, etc, etc ) since (hopefuly almoust done now). Some of these were performance mods but most were necesary rectifications legacy of a certain Newcastle residing scumbag miniclub member - The problem really were not his lies(though he lied extensivelly) but the fact that he did not drive the car regularly - so it looked great but mechanical stuff started to fall apart straight away).

So this initial choice of a car is paramount - get the best you can afford but make sure you examine (funny I exidentaly spelt it examini) everything. I like mechanical work too and you live, you learn and you get better but there's always enough to do with a mini - you dont wanna give yourself any more headache.

thanks heaps for all your helpful replies....

im starting to look on d net 2nyt, so il c how im going with d search.......